Ewan and Charley Spotted Filming Long Way Up on Electric Harleys
First Photos Emerge of Long Way Up Harley-Davidson LiveWire Adventure.

Things are getting real in Patagonia for the Long Way Up cast and crew as photos posted to Instagram this weekend show Ewan McGregor leaving Ushuaia on an already muddied-up blue Harley-Davidson LiveWire.
Two of the photos were taken alongside the Perito Francisco Moreno, the low road that departs Ushuaia heading east, a location we were able to pinpoint exactly thanks to the magic of google maps. Presumably the crew had pulled over to set up for footage with the city in the background before the road joins Highway 3, which is the main route out of town.


We’ve confirmed a third shot going around the internet showing Ewan with Charley and cameraman Claudio von Planta in the background was taken outside the Hotel Lagos del Calafate, 540 miles north of Ushuaia. The photo in El Calafate was snapped by a local who supplied ADV Pulse with additional angles. The fact the team was in El Calafate late last week suggests they are moving at a fast pace.


The only thing offbeat about these photos are the LiveWires, brand new and totally unproven zero-emission electric bikes from Harley-Davidson. We can see they are kitted with wire-spoked wheels, windscreens, engine guards, highway pegs, skidplates and auxiliary lights, as well as Wolfman’s Rocky Mountain saddlebags and Enduro Fender Bags. The tail sections also appear to be reworked in order to accomodate luggage racks and a higher rear fender. Up front, the stock fenders have been swapped for ones with more coverage.

Ewan is sporting an Arai XD4 crossover helmet equipped with a Sena 30k communicator and flush-mounted video camera that might be a Sena Prism in an aftermarket cradle. Another camera, a GoPro, is mounted next to the headlight. His jacket is a waxed-leather Turner from Belstaff and gloves are Gore-Tex Universe from Dianese.
And those huge handlebar muffs! Being at the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere, winter is just turning to spring in Argentina with temperatures in the region this week ranging from just below freezing to a high of 41°F. Brrr is right, and on those electric bikes that give them less than 100 highway miles per charge, any electric gear will need to be independently charged. No problem though, since as previous spy shots showed, their chase crew includes two 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans and a single Ford F350 (as well as two electric-powered Rivian pickups).

Many adventure riders scoffed at the news McGregor and Boorman would be riding e-bikes (especially Harley-Davidson models) on their Long Way Up from Tierra del Fuego to Los Angeles, assuming it was all about the financial sponsorship. But when you think about it, any brand would be foolish not to invest in supporting this project, so the choice likely has less to do with cash than it does McGregor’s fascination with the future of EV technology.
While there may be a lack of off-road antics, this new Long Way installment is certain to be rife with the calamity and candor we’ve come to expect from this duo. Stayed tuned for additional celebrity sightings as their curious journey north continues.
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Likely spent a few days in Ushuaia getting all “Wired Up” LoL May the force be with them
Can’t wait to see it, just hope that they have a generator on board one of the back up crews vehicles !!
Personally, I’ve never been interested in Harley Davidsons (just a personal opinion). However, I think it’s good that these guys are making an electric-powered tour; we will all be riding electric sooner or later, and this film they’re making will, I hope, be informative (so long as it’s honest).
Bikers that have a problem with electric propulsion just haven’t ridden one. Once ridden they become an obsession.
I have a problem with the range on the EV motorcycles.
The same can be said of heroin.
Harley Electric Heroin, once ridden, hooked for life.
Until there are electric charging stations on every corner like gas stations and recharge times are about like a fill-up, electric bikes will be nothing more than what electric cars are…
I have no problem with electric propulsion, but with 3 support vehicles,camera crew,spare parts and spare bikes this could hardly be called an ‘adventure’
Still all electric bikes are not worth for long distances. Lithium ion batteries are not good. Need lithium sulfur batteries! I won’t buy those short distance electric bikes. I am sure majority does the same thing. Sellers are very wrong for selling expensive bikes with low batteries.
TV travel show aimed at the masses who mostly are naive, havnt got a clue and will lap it up. An avertising, publicity, pr stunt. Seriously, those bikes are just so un practical for long distance travel. But I suppose anything is possible with money time and resources!
I am very excited to see how these bikes work. Managing them could an adventure, alone. The timing of this is curious. Not sure how much time they are taking to travel. But it seems like the timing could place them going through the lower 48 states, Canada, and Alaska in winter. Do we have any information on the end point of the route?
The trip is only South America, North America was covered in Longway Round……
Yes, all accounts say they plan to finishing in Los Angeles.
Hate to break the news to you but Mexico is in North America
You’re very correct, I should have said the majority of the trip will be South America.
To quote from the article: “But when you think about it, any brand would be foolish not to invest in supporting this project, so the choice likely has less to do with cash than it does McGregor’s fascination with the future of EV technology. ”
If Ewan is fascinated with EV technology then why not embrace a company like Zero Motorcycles from California. Zero has been in the EV electric motorcycle market space since 2006. Harley is still in preproduction. Sorry but that line from the story does nothing to counter the opinion of many riders.
Harley has very deep pockets, and this is nothing more than a PR stunt…..I am curious if the bikes that start the trip will be the bikes that finish the trip. My hunch is that Harley will have a slew of bikes at the ready to swap out should the need arise.
Agree… Wonder if they’ll mention how many HDs they swapped before they reach Cali
😀
Bought my first Harley in 1967 , a ’66 XLCH , have attempted to own the “alphabet” of Motorcycles since , current Bike 2009 XR 1200 (with nitrous , just for grins) I think this is the coolest thing Harley has done in a very long time , worst thing ever ? Killing off Buell !
Absolutely, Best HD’s PR stunt in decades.
As for Ewan and Charlie, worse than involving Ewan’s wife in “Long Way Down”
😀
[…] has a variety of photos and a good write up about their trip in a recent article if you want a TL;DR version of what’s […]
[…] Thanks to Jamie Elvidge […]
It’s all fake. Adventure with 3 support trucks? LOL. Such a waste of time reading about this promo video/pruduction, sad
Lets see, two support vehicles, Mercedes sprinter vans and 2 bikes per rider, one charging while the other bike is being ridden. Sounds “green” to me. This may very well put a stake thru the heart of the adventure movie. I’m guessing people will stay away in droves.
I think Ewan’s jacket is a Belstaff Trialmaster Pro48 – rather than the Turner, but can’t be sure as the right pocket detail isn’t very clear. The Pro48 is a heavy wax cotton jacket, but has cordura 500 on the shoulders and elbows. Don’t think that the Turner has a Union Flag on the left pocket. Of course, it could be that it’s a special jacket for Mr McGregor and Mr Boorman from Belstaff?
I don’t understand why Harley missed their opportunity to highlight the upcoming Pan America. They should’ve prepped a few pre-production models and use this trip as an advertising windfall.
No matter what happens, I will NEVER buy an electric bike to ride the America’s.
Never say never. Ride an electric bike and you’ll love it. Eventually the only bikes available will be electric is my guess or at least something other than dirty ICE powered bikes.
Hopefully will be great, but they will most likely fill the episodes with global cooling, no, global warming, no, climate change CH4 and have Greta meet them on her sailboat for a final “green” episode in LA.
Hell yeh! This is going to be great to follow. I’m glad they are doing something different.
Just think how much cleaner the air would be to breath without gas powered engines by the millions always spewing their poison into the air. The midwest states in the USA left no land for wildlife when ethanol became the thing to mix with petrol and Roundup ready corn kicked production of corn up but killed off the milkweed that Monarch butterflies need for their lifecycle. We’ve all got glyphosates in our cells now thanks to the farmers. Electric vehicles hopefully will spell doom to big oil and I say the sooner the better. Farmers can plant hemp instead and I doubt they will need to use Roundup on hemp. Ewan and Charlie are seeing how viable electric bikes are for long distance riding and I’ll wager they are much better than most think and will get better and better as time passes. Gotta start somewhere.
The two bikes being ridden their 100 mile range at the time won’t consume any fossil fuels but the four chase vehicles and the generator needed to recharge the other two bikes (necessary for any trip over 100 miles) will be swilling down thousands of gallons of fossil fuels. Yes we will see just how viable electric bikes are for long distance travel. Makes sense “LIBERAL SENSE “
The liberal use of common sense I’d say. You gotta start somewhere. If Ewan and Charlie’s trip doesn’t interest you because of the electric propulsion of the bikes then why even waste your time remarking about it. Those guys are doing what the rest of us can only dream about. Focus on the information and data they will provide about riding electric bikes because that is what this trip is about otherwise it would be another of the same old same old. We get to see the pro’s can cons of tripping on this new type of bike. I think it is great.
It’s not liberal sense. It’s common sense. It’s just a matter of time…
https://electrek.co/2019/08/01/riding-1000-miles-electric-motorcycle-iron-butt/
Check out lithium mines if you want to see pollution and what do you do with those new environmental disaster batteries when we are forced to buy them long live internal combustion
Such a shame we can’t follow them on the daily basis. Couple pics, location…
You can follow Itchy Boots daily on YouTube when she starts her Patagonia to Alaska trip in about two weeks. She’s on a Royal-Enfield Himalayan and is all by herself. No support crew.
Following her since she left India… Pretty sure as much as BMTroubleYou gained in popularity by Long Way Round, Royal Enfield gained with Basanti
😀
Yeah! She is doing it hard core for real and not like these two softies – ”their chase crew includes two 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans and a single Ford F350 (as well as two electric-powered Rivian pickups)’ WHAAAAT?!?! She is a woman, she is all alone, she is doing Patagonia – Alaska. So impressed.
Makes zero sense. Electric zero emissions motorcycles with chase vehicle with diesel generators to charge them,,.. What a joke.
Why no jimmy on pics? We love jimmy!! X
Why no jimmy on the pictures? We live jim!! X