BMW R-Series Motorcycles in Oak Park, page #44

Moto blog

Epic biking holidays - of a lifetime?

I never had the rudimentary gap year traveling before university, seeing it as a bit of a cliché I set upon knuckling down with my studies and getting a degree. I never had that moment of discovery and finding out 'who I really am' and to some extent it's a regret. But I'm feeling inspired and the inspiration comes from two adventures offered by Compass Expeditions.

Chris Pfeiffer Plays Chicken on a BMW G450X Against a Bobsled [Video]

When I first saw this video, I thought it had to be a trick. Like the Gillette video of Roger Federer knocking a can off a man’s head with a tennis serve or the Nike ad with a couple of Dutch soccer players and an air vent, the first reaction is it has to be fake. But then I remember this is BMW stunt rider Chris Pfeiffer we’re talking about here.

Thumbs up for a chilly N.E.C.

Apart from the freaky weather I have to say last week’s Carole Nash Motorcycle Live N.E.C. show was the best Birmingham event I've attended in the ten years. I really appreciate the fact that manufacturers chose to ignore the recession giving us great stands to cater for every enthusiast young and old.  Aprilia made a welcome return and I don’t know anyone that didn’t enjoy admiring the WSB RSV4, surely the the most gorgeous bike on the planet? The Honda stand rarely disappoints and this year was no exception with banking bikes providing fun for all the family.

World of BMW 2011 activity dates

WORLD OF BMW has announced the companies calendar of events, tours, courses and adventures for 2011.The schedule can be seen in a new 48-page World of BMW 2011 Activity Brochure now available from Carole Nash Motorcycle Live and BMW Motorrad dealerships.BMW Off Road SkillsDakar Rally competitor Simon Pavey and his team of instructors are on hand to deliver courses for those looking to expand their off-road horizons can get their kicks crossing the Welsh wilderness on the Brecon Beacons Adventure, or blasting across the Algarve on the Portuguese Paradise trip. And for 2011, BMW has added the new G 650 GS single-cylinder adventure-sports bike to the fleet. Day in the Dirt and Adventure Maintenance courses are also back on the calendar for 2011.BMW Rider TrainingBMW Rider Training has a purpose-built training area, located on the doorstep of the vast Brecon Beacons National Park and some of the best riding roads in the United Kingdom.

The ultimate off-road experience?

MOROCCAN-BASED off-road trail riding company Loco4Motos Maroc is to use the new BMW/Husqvarna in its bike range for 2011.Run by Tim Skilton (no, it's not me) the company organises unique adventures in Morocco, with individual off-road itineraries tailored to group requirements.Whether it's mountains, coastline or desert, Loco4Motos Maroc has it covered, for the individual or group adventure rider.From the base in Marrakech featuring accommodation, workshops and leisure facilities you ride out immediately onto Moroccan piste (trails), and your adventure takes shape from just one day's incredible riding, to ten adrenaline packed days of varied terrain.The adventure tours fall into three categories:Day riding:    From one to three days out of Marrakech.Free Riding: From one to five days, unsupported tours with guide (for experienced riders only).Fully Supported Tours: From three to ten day tours with full 4x4 support and guide, all inclusive with excellent eclectic accommodation.Loco4Motos is employing the satellite location technology provided by SPOT for 2011.This means that for a small tour premium, any rider is covered for helicopter evacuation and repatriation, as well as being trackable in realtime (every ten minutes).SPOT technology allows riders to alert that there is a problem, call medical services directly to their location or let third parties or loved ones track progress and send OK messages at the end of the riding day. All this forms part of the Loco4Motos security offering, unique in Morocco.Why choose Loco4Motos Maroc?Registered Moroccan CompanyBased in Marrakech at own premises.On the Moroccan pistes ten months out of twelve per year.Best accommodation in each location.SPOT location technology (unique), with two dedicated staff in the office to monitor this at all times.Medical insurance with repatriation included in the SPOT package.Moroccan registered bikes with Moroccan insurance.Moroccan staff.English, French, Spanish and Arabic spoken.All details can be found at www.locoformotos.com

Milan Show: Moto2 tried and tested

The insanity of Moto2 doesn't seem like the right home for the elegance of the Rizoma brand. But the Rizoma ProGuard system has helped secure the levers of Toni Elias on his road to championship success in the inaugural Moto2 season. The example above was on an attractive Rizoma-enhanced BMW S1000RR, but the lever guards are not limited to sports bikes, they were also visible on Yamaha's FZ8.  The patented design can tilt up to 10 degrees providing full lever coverage and can be added by simply replacing the bike's existing bar-ends.

Reminder: 20% off deal on GPR exhausts

The celebration of the launch of the new GPR website is coming to a close, the deal from Moto Legends offers 20% off all exhausts and free UK delivery, until the end of this weekend. A wide variety of exhaust systems are available in the deal. Including the weight saving, dual titanium slip-ons for the K9 GSX-R1000 - dropping the RRP from £699.00 to £559.20.

Latest on my S1000RR

Not sure what's going on with the sound in this vid, but it calms down after a minute - sorry! As my long term BMW S1000RR does most of its miles working hard on track days, I felt an early 6000 mile service might be a good idea. A quick phone call to my local dealer (the friendly and efficient Pidcocks) saw my bike in the workshop the following week and back in my hands by lunchtime.

MINI Scooter E Concept Revealed

MINI has just officially revealed not one, but two of its MINI Scooter E Concepts that will officially debut at the Paris Auto Show next week. Created to bring together a youth-oriented lifestyle element and sustainable mobility, the scooters take significant design cues from the MINI lineup of cars while using a lithium-ion battery pack to deliver guilt-free mobility. Making the MINI E Scooter Concept almost excessively hip is its smartphone integration, where the owner’s iPod or similar device acts as the actual key for the scooter, clicking into a central docking station between the handlebars.

Exclusive interview with the Pope

The Pope, graciously took ten minutes out of his hectic Third World Tour of an aggressively atheist county to speak to us of his recently publicised passion for motorcycles So, Jo, you like your bikes? ‘Ja, Very much. I haff liked motorcycles since a very early age during my time in ze Hitler Youth organisation, in fact.