Electric Bikes Take To the Road
Adventure touring is one of the fastest growing segments in motorcycling. Perhaps it was the convergence of motorcycles and backpacking gear becoming lighter and more technical, with a wealth of new information on routes, trips and roads. Whatever it was, it had nearly every rider daydreaming of cashing in their vacation days and living out of a dusty pannier. A new installment of a broadcast franchise based on this dream appears to be on the horizon, featuring Harley’s new electric bikes.
Maiden Voyage
In 2004 Long Way Round brought adventure riding to a much broader and more mainstream audience. Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman set out to complete a 19,000-mile motorcycle trip from London to New York. Unable to convince their first choice, KTM of their likelihood to reach their destination, BMW stepped up with a pair of R1150GS Adventure models, receiving some pretty good advertising in return. It would go onto become a documentary film, television series and book as well as a follow-up series, finding the duo travelling from the north of Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa.
Back in the Saddle
From the looks of it, we may see another installment of the “Long Way” franchise, this time travelling “up” from South America to the United States on electric motorcycles. South American media outlets have been circulating photos showing McGregor in Argentina with adventure-prepped versions of Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire. They seem to be fairly modified from stock to accommodate the luggage and off-road terrain. Based on the photos, Rivian R1T electric pickups are also associated with the project.
A Tough Road Ahead
Long distance touring has long been an area thought to be off limits for electric motorcycles, so it’s exciting to see one even considered for a trip like this. Sure, it’s a bit of product placement for Harley-Davidson, but it will still have to perform, albeit with considerable onsite support. We expect this to be more of an exhibition of the LiveWire rather than a legitimate entry into electric adventure touring. Sophisticated charging solutions are a luxury the average rider won’t have on the trail. Even with enough range to get back to town each night, a 120V outlet will take over 12 hours to recharge.
The situation becomes even more complicated as current LiveWire owners are being advised to only use the Level 3 DC fast charge stations, while production has been halted until they resolve an issue with the charging system. This does not appear to be slowing the production down as reports from autoblog.com.ar show them 3,500 kilometers into the trip, already in the northern portion of Argentina.
Hardware issues and technological limitations aside, an adventure tour from South America is always has the potential to be interesting. Combine that with the great filmmaking we’ve come to expect from this team, we’ll certainly be tuning into this one.
Photos from “Long Way Round” Production courtesy of BMW Group Press Club
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