Long Way Up to Use Harley-Davidson LiveWire as Adventure Bikes

It appears that Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman could be riding Harley-Davidson's new LiveWire electric motorcycles on their next adventure film, the Long Way Up. This shocking news (pun intended) is being circulated around social media and we first stumbled upon it while perusing Lone Rider’s blog. Trending in the ADV bike community on Twitter, the images below depict Harley-Davidson LiveWires being uncrated in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Long Way films are multi-episode documentaries that showcase incredible travel stories by motorcycle - the Long Way Round airing in 2004 and Long Way Down in 2007. McGregor and Boorman ride through multiple countries in hopes of experiencing cultures, overcoming challenging overland elements, and promoting the work of UNICEF. The Long Way Up will take the moto duo from South America to Los Angeles.

First unveiled as a prototype in 2014, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire is a 460lb street-based electric motorcycle powered by an oil-cooled, longitudinally mounted, three-phase induction electric motor, which HD calls the "Revalation". It’s rated at 105 horsepower and 86 lb-ft of torque, weighing in at 549 lbs. The images displayed on Lone Rider’s blog show the bikes modified with different tires, wire wheels, and luggage. We can also assume the bikes have revised suspension and ergonomic/comfort modifications as well.

The Long Way team utilized large displacement ADV bikes for their travels in the past (specifically BMW), and many speculated that the latest installment of the Long Way series would continue to the tradition. It wouldn’t be farfetched to conclude that the choice to use LiveWires came down to a bidding war, but we can expect Charley and Ewan to be tight-lipped about this. We’re sure that BMW, Triumph, and Moto Guzzi were all serious considerations for the project. That said, electric is the future of motorcycling, although Charlie and Ewan will have to find a way to work around the LiveWire's limited 95 - 146 mile range. Surely the Long Way Up will entertain, educate, and motivate just as well as the previous documentaries.

How do you think the LiveWire will hold up on the Long Way Up? If the Bar and Shield Brand isn’t your cup of tea, which motorcycles would you have like to have seen chosen for the film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!