Ewan Mcgregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Up Electrifies With Off-Road Harley-Davidson Livewire

Rivian’s involvement also confirmed.

byJonathon Klein|
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A few weeks ago, The Drive brought you spy shots that seemingly connected actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman—lifelong friends who’ve ridden motorcycles around the world together in the Long Way Round and Long Way Down documentaries—with Harley-Davidson’s new all-electric LiveWire, Rivian’s electric R1T pickup, and their next great adventure. Now, thanks to The Drive’s cyberstalking sleuthing, we have confirmation.

While Charley and Ewan’s social media has gone dark, as well as the rest of the production team involved with the previous documentaries, there’s no escaping the watchful eyes of fans and social media. Using the hashtag #russmalkin on Instagram, one of the producers of Long Way Round and Long Way Down, The Drive found a cadre of pictures proving that Boorman and McGregor are not only on their next adventure, but that they are indeed riding off-road-prepped Harley-Davidson LiveWires and using Rivian’s R1T electric pickups as backup vehicles for the forthcoming motorcycle documentary. 

The earliest post comes from two weeks ago and shows the Star Wars actor posing alongside of his off-road LiveWire near Tiera del Fuego, the start point of what is likely a trek from the southernmost tip of South America all the way to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost tip of North America. From there, we found a number of other posts with the two actors riding their Harley-Davidsons and being followed by the Rivian pickup as they make their way through some truly gorgeous South American scenery.

When The Drive initially reached out to both Harley-Davidson and Rivian, both companies stated that each had no comment on the reporting. However, given the proof in these pictures, we’re hopeful we glean more information on the documentary Boorman and McGregor are completing soon. We’re especially interested to hear how Harley-Davidson modified the LiveWire, i.e. extended range, off-road suspension and tires, and general usability and toughness for off-roading. 

As for parsing out what we see from the pictures posted to Instagram, the LiveWires have pretty standard off-road kit; including knobby tires, wire wheels, a sizeable suspension lift, an off-road engine and frame protector, under-motor skidplate, upright handlebars for better long-range ergonomics, a long-range seat, tail-mounted soft bags, accessory lights, and a windshield which isn’t something that usually comes with LiveWire.

Both Long Way Round and Long Way Down received international acclaim and the series is beloved by motorcyclists everywhere. Boorman and McGregor proved that you can truly go anywhere on the back of these two-wheeled machines and do so arm-in-arm with your best friend. We’re waiting on pins and needles to see the fruits of their latest labors. 

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