1,900 miles around Lake Superior on an electric motorcycle

Are you tempted to hit the open road before Minnesota’s winter sets in? Dan Ward was! Ward circumnavigated Lake Superior in two weeks on an electric motorcycle. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) caught up with him to learn more. 

CERTs: What inspired you to make this trip?   

Ward: I’ve lived most of my life in Minnesota and have always loved Lake Superior, but have only seen it from Minnesota’s North Shore. I knew I would do the Circle Tour some day. The Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman series, “Long Way” really inspired me to purchase an EV motorcycle. Especially “Long Way Up” where they rode electric motorcycles through South and Central America. Also, content creator Marcus Engel (aka Marc Travels) has been traveling the world on an EV motorcycle and vlogging about his experience. I thought if Marc can find charging in little remote towns across Europe and Asia, then surely I can do it around one of the Great Lakes.

CERTs: What were the pros and cons of making this trip with an electric motorcycle?  

Ward: A pro is the joy of riding a smooth, quiet, and fun motorcycle for two weeks through some amazing scenery. No fumes, no excess noise, no vibration. Cons, it is an older EV motorcycle (2016) that has a somewhat limited range. I needed to ensure I had plenty of charging stops planned. When possible, I turned the con of having to stop and charge into a pro of being able to explore somewhere, like a park, town, or a historic site.

CERTs: Any fun stories from the road?  

Ward: I met many people on the road. My best story was when I made a new friend, a charter boat captain from Chicago doing a circle tour of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan on a BMW 1000 (non-electric). I had stopped to charge when we first met in White River, Ontario, and I told him best of luck with his trip. It turns out that he ended up stopping for a day in Sault Ste. Marie, and then we ran into each other again at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, Michigan. We decided to grab lunch at M-28 Grill and Tavern in Newberry, Michigan, but it was getting late. By the time we made it to the restaurant, the kitchen had just closed. However, the server and chef made me a delicious cold sandwich and visited with us for well over an hour.

CERTs: What were the best and worst parts of the trip? 

Ward: Best part: Highway 41 near Copper Harbor. It’s a beautiful road and has the best fall colors. Worst part: Wet boots. I only had two rain days, but there were some gray, misty days in between when I couldn’t get my boots to dry out.  

CERTs: What advice would you give to someone thinking about doing this trip or a similar one on an electric motorcycle?  

Ward: Be patient. On a motorcycle where the battery is relatively small, speed really kills your range. Find the small back roads where you can go 45 to 55 mph and just ride.  Planning charging stops ahead of time (including backups) helps too. Technology and infrastructure for charging is improving, and as that continues, taking these trips on an electric motorcycle will become easier and easier.