The Coronavirus pandemic has halted vacation plans for many, including those of Diego Cardenas.
The Californian had planned to spend his 50th birthday in Spain on June 30. With those plans canceled, he decided to celebrate in a way that provided freedom while maintaining social distancing – a motorcycle trip.
Cardenas didn’t take just any motorcycle, though. He decided to take the trip on a Harley-Davidson LiveWire, The Motor Company’s first electric motorcycle.
His route took him from the Mexico border to the Canadian border via the West Coast Green Highway (WCGH, which features a network of DC fast-charging stations every 25 to 50 miles along Interstate 5 and other roadways in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Cadenas made history for the LiveWire by becoming the first person to pilot the electric motorcycle border-to-border.
“I wanted to be a part of Harley-Davidson history and have my future grandkids be able to talk about how their grandfather was the first H-D electric motorcycle owner to do such a ride,” said Cardenas.
“I wanted to show the world that electric charging infrastructure is growing and be an inspiration for others to try riding electric motorcycles like the LiveWire.”
Cardenas began June 22 by departing from San Ysidro, Calif., and rode over 1400 miles to Blaine, Wash.
Harley-Davidson says that along the way, he did live social media reports of his progress, and fans following along on his journey were able to meet him in person and cheer him on. He also made plenty of stops along the way to do a bit of sightseeing with his wife and eight-year-old daughter who were along on the trip in a car.
“The trip was unbelievable, such a great journey,” said Cardenas. “The West Coast Green Highway is a really good idea, there are so many options that you can be confident you will get to where you need to go.
“Also, if you pull up and cannot use one charger, you have additional ones super close by. It’s darn awesome! Please spread the word, this is so doable. If you have an electric motorcycle, or any bike, just get out and ride during these challenging times. Do a road trip, it helps during these stressful times to free your mind and body to see new things.”
Cardenas’ journey can be found at this LiveWire Facebook page; he also is the founder and creator of this page. His mission for the group is to bring together electric vehicle and non-EV riders to ask questions, get ideas and support the EV motorcycle riding community.
