Long Way Up epic 13,000-mile Harley-Davidson LiveWire e-motorcycle ride gets release update

When Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman set out from the southern tip of Argentina last year on a pair of Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles, we knew that we’d eventually get to see their hemisphere-spanning trip in the new series Long Way Up.

And now we’re learning that the long wait will finally be over soon.

The Long Way Up series follows McGregor’s and Boorman’s previous two long-distance motorcycle treks, the Long Way Round and the Long Way Down.

Previously, the pair used BMW adventure bikes. However for the latest installment, they opted for electric motorcycles instead, ultimately landing on the Harley-Davidson LiveWire.

There aren’t many electric adventure bikes out there to choose from, so the LiveWires were kitted out to turn them into adventure touring models. So far we’ve only gotten brief glimpses of the bikes, but soon we’ll get to learn all of the details when the series premieres next month.

The show will have its global premiere on September 18 on the Apple TV+ platform. Three episodes will be released simultaneously, with a new episode following each week.

The series will cover the pair’s 13,000-mile (21,000-km) journey and shed light on the unique trials and tribulations they experienced while touring with electric motorcycles — a feat that even the staunchest of e-motorcycle evangelicals will admit is still the bike’s Achilles heel.

While electric motorcycles have made progress with increasingly larger battery sizes as well as reduced charging times, long distance trips are still more challenging and require increased planning on electric motorcycles.

But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be done. In the Long Way Up, McGregor and Boorman used a pair of H-D LiveWire electric motorcycles, a bike that has already proven itself in multiple long-distance trips.

In addition to the impressive 13,000-mile (21,000 km) journey that we’ll soon see in the Long Way Up, a LiveWire rider recently earned an Iron Butt after completing 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in under 24 hours.

Another LiveWire rider celebrated his 50th birthday last month by riding 1,400 miles (2,250 km) from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canada border.

None of the long distance LiveWire rides will be able to compare to the one soon to be detailed in the Long Way Up, but they all help show that electric motorcycle touring is not only possible, but becoming more commonplace as well.