Pushing Electric Motorcycles to the Limit, with Ben Marshall
- Buck City Biker
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
If you’ve ever twisted the throttle and wondered how far you can really push an e-moto — or found yourself stuck in the black hole of range anxiety, durability doubts, and questions about long-term survival — Ben Marshall has the answers.
Known to most as Adventures on Zero, Marshall has built a reputation by taking electric motorcycles well past the comfort zone and proving they’re anything but fragile tech toys. His latest ride — an all-out desert run on a LiveWire S2 Del Mar — started out as a way to chase views and unplug for a while, but it ended up doing something more important: answering the question every sceptical rider asks. Will an electric bike actually hold up when things get rough?
After tracking his brutal Texan desert run, we sat down with Ben to talk durability, abuse, and why he believes modern electric motorcycles are built to last.
You can watch Ben's desert run at the bottom of this post.
Meet Ben Marshall, Adventures on Zero
Ben Marshall is a rider first, content creator second. Based on the East Coast in Virginia, he’s the force behind Adventures on Zero, a YouTube channel built around real-world electric motorcycle riding — long days, real miles, and no sugar-coating.
His garage is simple and well-tested: a LiveWire ONE and an S2 Del Mar, with a Mulholland loaner from LiveWire passing through along the way. He rides them like bikes, not showpieces. When something doesn’t work, he fixes it himself — designing and manufacturing parts and selling them directly to his audience.
With a wife, kids, and a habit of pointing his front wheel across the US whenever he can, Marshall uses his channel to do one thing well: prove electric motorcycles can hold up when they’re actually ridden.
The Epic Desert Run
Ben had been looking for a reset, time on the road, and a chance to ride somewhere completely unfamiliar. Southwest Texas delivered that in spades — long stretches of isolation, heat, dust, amazing vistas, and terrain that doesn’t forgive lazy planning.
Bike choice mattered. Ben brought the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, not because it was ideal on paper, but because the charging reality on the route dictated it.
“I never said, ‘I want us to be the first electric motorcycles to do this route.’ That was never the plan. I just wanted to ride in the desert.” Ben Marshall
With limited DC fast charging and long daily distances — up to 160 miles — the Del Mar’s lighter weight and simpler charging access made more sense than his LiveWire ONE. It wasn’t the “perfect” bike for the job, but it was the compromise for the environment.
But that choice came with trade-offs. The group included heavier, longer-range machines — Zero DSR/Xs and an Energica Experia — which had the edge on range but paid for it in weight. When bikes went down in the rough stuff, the Del Mar's lighter frame proved its worth.
“There was no difference in where the bikes could go. Everywhere they went, I went — and wherever I went, they went. But when I dropped my bike, I didn’t need anybody to help me pick it up.” Ben Marshall
Problems were minimal — and telling. The only real issue came when a small piece of debris blocked a cooling fan, triggering a temperature warning during charging. It took a few stressful minutes to diagnose and fix, but like any rider who’s been there, Marshall blames himself, putting it down to not checking the obvious first.
“That was literally the only problem I had with the bike — and it was just because I was an idiot.” Ben Marshall
All the bikes carried on without complaint. No snapped belts, no drivetrain drama, no electronics meltdown. For a ride that involved sand, heat, drops, and long days far from help, that matters more than spec-sheet bragging rights.
The takeaway from Texas wasn’t that electric bikes are bulletproof. It was simpler — and more convincing. With realistic planning, honest expectations, and a rider willing to adapt, modern electric motorcycles don’t just survive this kind of riding; they can come out the other side ready to be ridden again.
Ben's Takeaway
From Marshall’s point of view, Texas didn’t reveal a durability problem at all — it exposed how quickly assumptions can snowball in the real world. The bikes didn’t fail. The electronics didn’t unravel. Nothing shook itself loose or cooked itself into limp mode.
“I’ve been riding LiveWire bikes for four years now, and I’ve abused these bikes more than anyone else. I’ve put them in places that people probably shouldn’t be putting these bikes, and they always come out on top.” Ben Marshall
Too often, electric motorcycles get judged on hypothetical limits instead of how they’re actually ridden. Texas stripped that away. Their bikes took the heat, dust, drops, and repeated charging without complaint. What they still demanded — just like petrol bikes always have — is a rider who plans properly and adapts when the plan goes sideways.
“We made one assumption that bit us in the ass.” Ben Marshall
One incorrect data point — a charger marked in the wrong place on Google Maps — and suddenly planning mattered more than peak range or charge speed. Even when the group tried to tow Marshall’s Del Mar, there was still power left in the pack. The situation escalated because real-world riding doesn’t care about satellite imagery or best-case scenarios.
“Ten out of ten times, it’s never the ride. Any time that I’ve hit the limits of something, it’s because I’ve hit my own limits." Ben Marshall
The uncomfortable truth is this: most limits blamed on electric motorcycles aren’t baked into the machines. They’re imposed by the rider. Texas reinforced the same rule riders have known forever: preparation matters, skill matters, knowing your bike matters. And when you get those right, modern e-motos can be far tougher than they’re given credit for. The Del Mar proved that, and the heavier bikes alongside it backed it up.
What's Next for Ben Marshall
Texas wasn’t the end of the road. Marshall is already lining up the next challenge: Alaska’s Dalton Highway, a remote stretch where distance, isolation, and zero charging infrastructure make planning the real test.
Unlike Texas, this one is intentional. With more than 200 miles between power sources, the focus shifts from terrain to energy management, logistics, and rider discipline. Beyond that, bigger ideas are on the table — including solar-assisted charging and true off-grid travel.
The mission stays the same: ride electric motorcycles properly, find the limits, and prove what holds up when there’s no backup plan.
Ride safe, folks.
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