Im one of the founding members here and ever since we started weve been trying to get people active about issues with We Ride London. See our privacy policy for details on how we manage your data. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. They decided the Long Way Up would be an electric voyage a way to see the world without aiding its decay. For me, off-road riding is one of the purest forms of riding and I particularly like sand. . It took 10 operations over two years and a year and a half to start walking again. You've got apps that let you know as soon as you get three-quarters empty, you just hit a button and it takes you to an EV charger you can fast-charge easily. But now Im ok and starting to do some dirt riding again so Im super excited for our two trips there later this year. We have just heard that well-known and loved motorcycle travellerCharley Boormanhas broken his leg ina collision with a car while attending the media launch of the new Triumph Explorer in Portugal. The Facebook posts appear to show the bikes are clearly being ridden off pavement, and it doesnt look like theres knobbies mounted on the rims (yet). I have a crash there. On a daily basis, just plugging the bike in at the end of the day was a highlight in itself. When I was getting a little bit better, and Ewan came to London to stay with me we started chatting about that third trip that we really wanted to do. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor - actor and self-confessed bike nut - noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. Update lata., Endingwith: Charley Update: OK, hes come round after op. I do owe quite a lot of thanks to him for that.. That was my therapy, to get back on the motorbike. What do his doctors think about that? Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor stop in Bolivia on their electric Harley- Davidson LiveWires. I understand why they ride bikes: One, because they love it and two because it gives them anonymity. Charley also gave us the inside scoop on what it was like to travel from the tip of South America to Los Angeles on electric Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and what plans he and Ewan have for their next adventure. They let us in and let us plug in our bikes as they showed us around and explained how everything worked. My agent said why dont you use your recovery time to start writing a book about your life, your bikes and your crash, starting where youre sitting on the tarmac thinking what has just happened?. I love to show people that they can have a great tour in Africa and there is some great food, great wine and the people are so lovely. And because the Long Way Up route terminates in Los Angeles, where McGregor lives, his 13,000 mile journey ended on his own driveway. In 2004, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked on a journey to bike across 12 countries and 19 time zones in 115 days. WebInspired by their UNICEF visits to Africa, they knew they had to go back and experience this extraordinary continent in more depth. 1 bestselling author is back! The support team with the production crew followed them in custom-built Rivian R1S all-electric SUVs. And if the photos trickling out of the southern reaches are accurate, theyre not sparing the whip, either. Even though it was touch and goI thought Id lose a legbut that seemed ok but I kept thinking, you know what, I just want to get back on the motorbike. He answered many of the questions posted in by you, our readers, including his next trip wth Star Wars star Ewan McGregor, his regrets, riding tips and more. They rode their BMWs through Belgium, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, a large portion of Mongolia and Russia, the Road of Bones, Alaska, Canada and finally, the U.S.A. The new bikes featured a 2-cylinder boxer engine, a six-speed gearbox, and generated 109 horsepower with 89 pound-feet of torque. I realized we share something that I dont share with anyone else. We looked to the back of their car and there was this young guy smiling at us with a gun in his hand and he was pointing it at us. People should at least wear a helmet, gloves and ankle riding boots. They also decided to travel with medic Dai Jones, cameraman and security officer Jim Foster, and various "fixers"local guides and interpreters. I was on a bed pan for god knows how long and I just wanted to go to a regular toilet. Here are some facts about the 'Long Way' series and what Ewan and Charley are up to today. Portions of Boormans recovery from the horrific accident are shown in the first episode of Long Way Down. These snippets show how dedicated Boorman was to getting back on the bike and how important it was for him to do this third trip. Talking about the uncertainty of keeping the bikes charged in these remote places, Boorman recalls a story about getting this amazing charge out of a very dodgy plug in a youth hostile. Update 2moro. He didnt see the funny side. It was hours and hours and hours later that I actually woke up, but again, I wanted to get back on the motorbike. I just think it was about time, you know. All good. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. South Africa. I have earphones in them and I can listen to podcasts and books. A bit of separation is not a bad thing and I always try to schedule trips while the kids are at school. Charley Boorman Ewans always had a loose relationship with Moto Guzzi (hes currently an ambassador) so theres no conflict there. WebEwan McGregor and Charley Boorman are getting back on their motorcycles for a new adventure in Apple TV+'s "Long Way Up". The soundtrack features music drawn substantially from the catalogue of Real World Records, which produced the accompanying album. Long Way Round We need to be a bit more friendly toward each other and look at what the cycling industry has done with their lobbying. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.. But once you were able to charge the bikes with the Rivians, that seemed to be a total game-changer for the trip. Both men received some off-road riding instruction before departure and came through to finish the ride, though not without various struggles. As the only spare had been fitted to McGregor's bike, von Planta rode in a support vehicle while his bike was sent ahead for repair. Was smiling and joking before he seen the needle!, And: Awaiting return from surgery. News Charley Boorman That's very confidence-inspiring riding the canyons on an electric bike, as we both found out here riding in LA. Overview: For his first big project as state vet, Danny oversees the relocation of an animal. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 for his outstanding contributions to the world of dramatics and his charity work. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride again on Long Way Up CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. How the Rivian pickups are involved is unclear, but they would certainly jibe nicely with the EV theme of the new show. You can unsubscribe at any time. After visiting the pyramids, they boarded a ferry to Sudan, continued into Ethiopia and then into Kenya, where they crossed the equator. Thankfully because of Charley's accident, that meant he was housebound for some time, so whenever I was in London, that meant I was able to see him. I think its too difficult and expensive to get your licence now. And for real adventure touring, EVs add a whole 'nother dimension to it. Previous iterations of the episodic documentary series were Long Way Round, an eastward journey from London to New York City in 2004, and Long Way Down, a southward odyssey from John o Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa, in 2007. and the first time we read /hear about it. Here's What Ewan McGregor And Charley Boorman Are Up To Today, all 3 of which you can watch on Apple TV+, Youve Never Seen A Harley-Davidson LiveWire Like This, Charley met with a serious accident when test riding with motorbike journalists in Portugal. I just recently completed a 5000 km ride through South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia with Charley Boorman. I rode all the way to my front door from Ushuaia it was a pleasure, that.. But the LiveWire wasn't even being sold yet, so we were so lucky that they built us these two beautiful bikes. Long Way Uppremieres on Apple TV on Friday 18 September. He has a deep passion for and vast knowledge about JDM cars. I was just unlucky because if you break one leg you can continue to walk on the other one, but I broke both and I was in bed for five months. Extreme Frontiers When James isnt riding motorbikes, he can usually be found reading or writing about them. The journey ended at Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the continent, from where they were accompanied to Cape Town by a phalanx of bikers, similar to their arrival in New York on the Long Way Round. In Malawi, they visited care centres for children orphaned by AIDS. according to a post on popular off-road riding site ADVPulse. The European leg ended in Sicily, where they caught a ferry to Tunisia. That was sort of a wake-up call to me that we mustn't let this friendshipthis very special relationship to medrift. How do we get someone more interested in EVs and becoming a better eco steward while still being, you know, a total degenerate biker? Which is fitting, because according to numerous reports, the pair have ditched their all-conquering BMW GS Adventure dual-sport machines for something a bit more radical: Harley-Davidsons new all-electric Livewire motorcycles. The Long Way motorcycle adventurer So we had to bring them inside, where it wasn't actually that much warmer, so we also had to put blankets on top of the bikes to warm them up and get them charging again. He grew up on an estate in the Wicklow mountains his dad had bought on a whim, and also on film sets, making his debut in his fathers brutal 1972 thriller Deliverance, aged six. Last year, he was involved in a horrific accident in Portugal, in which he nearly lost his leg, when he was clipped on his motorbike by a car and ended up slamming into a wall. In the DVD extras, while preparing the bikes for cargo, Ewan McGregor refers to a possible future trip in South America, perhaps called Long Way Up. The team travelled from their base in Shepherd's Bush, London, to John o' Groats at the northern tip of Scotland to begin their journey. Long Way Up: How 2 broken legs and a BBQ reunited Ewan and Upon arrival in Tunisia, the team bribed the local authorities with a few bottles of vodka to aid their passage into the country. A division of A07 Online Media, LLC. (Charley crashed on a Triumph launch in Spain a couple of years ago.). [1] They were accompanied by the same key team members from Long Way Round, including cameraman and director of photography Claudio Von Planta and cameraman Jimmy Simak (who also oversaw music supervision and soundtrack production), and producers Russ Malkin and David Alexanian. Im not a big fan of regrets. Goodreads You know, helmet on and no one knows who you are. Its something that you cant help. On 6 August 2018, Boorman tweeted a tease that the Long Way Up, a trip from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, would happen "if all goes well". ), We sort of looked at each other, and walked away, and thought if were quiet, theyd keep on charging. This kind of thing happens a lot in a Long Way Up. . Please send Charley your best wishes via Twitter. Hopefully just riding dirt bikes with mates. Bikes, cars and trucks all race at the same time. The following year, Charley and Ewan did another motorcycle adventure trip, this time known as Long Way Down, where they travelled from Scotland to Cape Town, I think this scene (The Bike Shed) has brought younger riders back into biking. Me and my father (our whole family, actually) have been following Charleys adventures for a decade+ now This accident is HORRIBLE news (omg!) Charley is a much-loved and frequent visitor to Australia where he leads Outback tours with Compass Expeditions. Theyll have to make it all the way up first. So, why has it taken more than a decade for the pair to reunite for a motorcycle adventure? charley boorman accident south africa 2018 Probably if theres a villain to be named in this epic saga, it is the search for power to keep both e-bikes and vehicles properly charged between stops. I thought Id broken my hip just for the sake of going down the shops! Is the Honda CRF300L the best beginner trail bike? The book and TV show enabled me to do the Dakar and the other tours and books and shows, so it really changed my life. I consent to allow Adventure Bike Rider to collect my contact information (required), Charley Boorman confirms the Long Way Up will take place within months. charley boorman accident south africa 2018 But I did perfect the wheelchair wheelie with a lot of pain. When he came to rest, as he casually puts it, my leg was all flippy-floppy, bending in the wrong places and in the wrong direction. His German mother, Christel, died a few years ago. The riding I like most is a mountainous bit of tarmac through the forest. [5] In March 2017, during a Reddit AMA, Ewan said there were "no plans at the moment" to do a third installment of the series. JAG: How do we get people more interested in motorcycles? ", "I remember Ewan and I were on the side of the road in Long Way Round (a TV series in which they rode 32,000km around the world) in the Ukraine or Kazakhstan and a white Lada stopped and these two big guys got out and started walking towards us. So it goes with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman and their third globe-trotting adventure, a follow-up to the epic journeys documented in 2004s The Long Way Round and 2007s The Long Way Down. The final leg took them through Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and into South Africa. I mean you could cross America back and forth on an electric motorcycle without any worries as there are so many fast chargers now. However, although delays of a few hours were common, there were few significant problems at crossing points as they travelled further south. wBW providessubjective opinionsand information on hard-to-find and unique motorcycling products. You hear stories about the horror crashes of the Dakar Rally, which is a long 16-day race, and about people getting lost in the desert, and they're all true. Enter your email address below we'll keep you up to date with everything that's happening in the world of adventure motorcycling. And our bikes were being charged directly by the sun., In the end, after three months on the road, both men were ready to end the trip, though Boorman says, You always talk about the possibility of another one, so youve got that in your head, so its not so bad that this ones finished., Theres an arc, these trips that weve done, says McGregor. JAG: Charley, you were in quite a few different wrecks over the years. A Warner Bros. The road through the Calchaqu Valley in northwest Argentina. Okay, not Yorkshire again. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I remember being petrified. It was sort of like a dream come true., Boorman recalls riding by a solar farm in Costa Rica and knocking on the fence to ask to check it out. Its been more than a decade since Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode triumphantly into Cape Town at the end of a journey that saw them travel the length of Africa on their BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycles. They crossed Scotland, England, France, Italy, and Sicily before making their way across Africa through Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and finally, South Africa. We have a series of challenges throughout our lives. We took their LiveWire bike and we said Look, can you make it into a dual sports bike for us? He was last seen starring as Obi Wan Kenobi in Disney+ original series Obi Wan Kenobi in 2022. Charley Boorman back in saddle for African tours - webBikeWorld South America. I was overtaking a car on my motorbike when it clipped me, sending me careering into a wall. That was the case for Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, who ended their last biking adventure 13 years ago at the end of the Long Way Downtelevision series. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. Long Way Up, takes the two best friends and their returning crew on a slightly truncated trip north following a route along the fabled Pan-American Highway. News updates will happen by Twitter, through, Custom Eye Candy: An Electric Zero SR-X Concept, 10 Electric Skateboard Brands That Are Killing It, Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Fast Figures: Piaggio Groups 2022 Sales Were Best Results Ever, Industry Insider: EU Ignores Licensing Revamp Pleas, UK Is Next, Luck of the Irish: Insurance Costs Cause Country-Wide Racing Closures, Powersports Podcasts: Ricky Carmichael & Ryan Villopotos Title 24, Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle Engine Sets New Record, Husqvarna Releases Up-Specd Norden 901 Expedition, Armor, Airbag, Base Layer, & Underwear Reviews, The Fight to Save the Davidson Ancestral Home, Indian Motorcycles Publishes Recall over Non-Compliant Lights, BMW Recalls K1600 Models over Suspension Failure. In fact, I borrowed (wife) Olivias scooter to go to the shops because I couldnt change gears with the cage around my leg. JAG: Why the long pause between the trips and the shows? McGregor's wife, Eve, who learned to ride only for the journey, joined them partway and took several falls on sandy terrain in Malawi and Zambia, apparently without injury. 10 Of The Greatest V-Twin Motorcycle Engines Of All Time, This Custom Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Invokes Some Serious American Chopper Nostalgia, 10 Reasons Why Harley-Davidson Is A Great Motorcycle Company. During the trip, the pair visited three UNICEF facilities to promote the work done by the organisation. The second installment in the series, 'Long Way Down' was shot in the year 2007.