Ewan & Charley’s EV Grab.

Wrong bikes up?

Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. Image: Long Way Up

Actor Ewan McGregor and his lovable pal Charley Boorman finished their third big motorcycle adventure in December 2019, and Long Way Up  — the cinematic fruits of that 13,000-mile labor  — is now available to watch on Apple TV+. Word on the street is that choosing electric Harley-Davidson LiveWires morphed into a Pan America-esque prototype chased by electric Rivian R1T full-size truck prototypes was a pioneering coup, and I need your input.

Our household subscribes to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and AcornTV, making Apple TV+ a bit redundant. After discussing Long Way Up with several motorcycle pals, the verdict is mixed on a few rather important topics, one of them being the bikes chosen by the production team to tackle 13,000 miles from the southernmost tip of South America to Los Angeles between October and December 2019.

The custom Harley LiveWire/Pan America e-prototype. Image: Long Way Up

I’ve also been told that the team’s quest for electricity to charge the bikes was a huge distraction from the adventure, enough to tune out after the second episode. This is a shame, because the dynamic duo formula of McGregor and Boorman has worked wonderfully in the past.

In 2004, KTM was the dream adventure bike chosen by McGregor and Boorman to circumnavigate the earth during the making of Long Way Round, but KTM’s decision makers called an audible and rescinded their offer of two orange and black ADV bikes at nearly the last minute. BMW Motorrad stepped in, the adventure was completed; a documentary series and book was published, and BMW GS sales spiked.

Three years later our lads chose BMW to help them ride 15,000 miles the Long Way Down from the northernmost tip of Scotland to the southernmost tip of Africa, cementing our desire for voyeuristic adventure on BMW GSs. Both excursions were about two pals and their adventures, captured wonderfully on film — warts and all — by the crack production team of Russ Malkin and David Alexanian.  

After the dust literally settled from the second adventure, McGregor became spokesrider for Moto Guzzi, owing to the fact that he owned a few Guzzis. The relationship between Obi Wan and Moto Guzzi began in 2007 when McGregor attended Moto Guzzi World Days in Mandello del Lario, Italy on his white vintage California. Doesn’t get anymore authentic: McGregor lives in sunny Los Angeles, and the Scottish native is easy on the eyes so it’s a match made in moto heaven.

Meanwhile, Boorman — decidedly British through and through and part owner of the Bike Shed UK — was tapped by Triumph to promote its brand in 2015. The affable Boorman seems at home on a Tiger Explorer, leading adventure tours around the world. And he really digs his custom Bonneville T120.

So the question is, why did the Long Way Up production team choose EVs over tried and true gas-powered bikes like the V85 TT for Guzzi poster boy McGregor, and the Explorer 800 for Triumph poster boy Boorman? I know EVs are the future, but endless miles through Patagonia…? It’s hard enough finding charging stations in EV-focused California.

Celebrity sponsorships only make sense when the celebrities stay consistent with the bikes they ride publicly, and watching McGregor and Boorman ride untested Harley e-prototypes appears to be more of a marketing coup for H-D, and a bit of egg on the face for Moto Guzzi and Triumph. 

Maybe there’s more to the backstory that I don’t know; I’m an inquisitive guy. Should I just roll over and let myself be entertained? If you’ve seen Long Way Up please use the comments below to share your thoughts.