Touratech_Travel-Time_2_2011_72dpi

No.
Inspiration For Our Customers
Trips
BOLIVIA
EXPEDITION TO CENTRAL SOUTH AMERICA
BLACK FOREST
PLEASURE TOUR WITH
INTERNATIONAL LINE-UP
USA-UTAH/ARIZONA
ADVENTURE INTO OPEN SPACES AND SAND
Order now
Catalogue 2012
Accessories for the new models
Triumph Street Triple
BMW R 1200 R
GPS navigation
Overview of
best new products
Success in extreme enduro Racing
www.touratech.com
Touratech Racing Team
2 2011
CHEGUEVARA
EDELWEISS BIKE TRAVEL, WORLDWIDE THE NUMBER 1 IN GUIDED MOTORCYCLE TOURS
CALL US FOR A FREE CATALOGUE
EDELWEISS BIKE TRAVEL
[email protected]
+43.5264.5690
THE ALPS
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PAGE THREE
EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
Autumn trade fairs
Herbert Schwarz
As soon as autumn arrives, this marks the end of the motorbiking
season in many countries, while at the same time the important trade fairs in
Milan, Birmingham and Paris will give us some idea as to what to expect in the
coming year. For the first time, Touratech will not be presenting a new catalogue
at these motorbike exhibitions, as we would like to surprise you in January 2012
with a new publication which puts together everything that belongs together:
all the Touratech products from the Adventure, Streetline and Timeless ranges.
After all, we are united by the pleasure of a mutual hobby, no matter whether we
prefer being on the road in a sporty manner or whether we prefer the off-roads.
To bridge the waiting period until the Touratech catalogue 2012 appears,
this issue of Travel Time will give you a taste of our novelties, including accessories and special parts for the Husqvarna Nuda 900, the revamped Triumph
Street Triple and the new BMW R 1200 R. At the same time we would like to
revisit the highlights of a season, which was as colorful and full of variety as the
brochure you are just holding in your hands. This includes events such as the
Travel Event and the BMW Motorrad GS Challenge at our company premises
in Niedereschach, which exceeded all expectations, or the top places of our
racing team, Touratech Racing, which successfully tested our products at the most
arduous Enduro events of the world. Not to forget, the introduction of the Touratech Compañero, which received many positive comments from across the globe.
Jochen Schanz
MANAGING
DIRECTORS/BOARD OF
TOURATECH AG
Travel Time
This time, the travel report includes a very special story. For a change, it does
not portray how we discover foreign countries, but how a group of Canadian
and British motorcyclists experienced our home region, the Black Forest.
We would like to help you while away the long autumn evenings with exciting stories and a preview of my next project in Africa, and to inspire you for the
upcoming motorbiking season.
3
CONTENTS
MAGAZINE
Travel Time
4
14
International Travel Events: The concept of the Touratech Travel Events
is meanwhile lived throughout the world – Photos and reports.
18
Project Ethiopia: Planning for the next Touratech
expedition is ongoing.
38
Company portrait Ortema: The company based in Markgröningen
is the first point of call in all things protection for motorsports.
60
»Companero«: Experiences and press reviews on the new suit.
SPORTS
66
Touratech Racing: Our own Race-Team focussed on the world’s
toughest enduro races in 2011,– with great success.
TRAVEL
20
Bolivia: Extreme routes through the jungles and mountains of
the heart of South America.
72
Utah/Arizona: Two Travel Time readers discover the scenic
highlights in the southwest of the USA.
90
Black Forest: Local dream routes as experienced by a group of
international motorcycle travellers .
SPECIAL
42
Catalogue: Coming in 2012 – Highlights and novelties in brief.
MOTORCYCLES AND ACCESSORIES
30
Navigation: New GPS tools in detail for motorcyclists .
56
Think tank: How new Touratech products are developed.
34
Streetline: Accessories for the current BMW R 1200 R and
Triumph Street Triple are available!
64
Husqvarna: Nuda and TE 449 – the first bikes from the BMW/Husqvarna
symbiosis are already part of the Touratech bike pool.
78
Pannier accessories: Tailor-made accessories make
Zega-Cases even more universal.
88
Long distance conversion G 650 GS: These components make the
BMW single fit for extreme tours.
NEWS & FACTS
3
6
9
55
63
Editorial
Current
WEB - TV
Letters to the editor
Tested
80
84
87
104
106
New outdoor products
Portrait: Joe Pichler
The Touratech Shops in portrait
A picture and its history
Imprint/preview
14
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TOURATECH
Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom urbanXover
TIPS AND NEWS
V-Strom transformer
Touratech, the name symbolises adventure, Long-distance conversions and the world is your oyster. That’s what the majority of motorcyclists think and, in principle,
they are right. The machines of the Streetline range are more or less made fit for travel on pavement.
However, what the developers were thinking of in the case of the Suzuki 650 V-Strom »urbanXover«
has little to do with tarmac.
It soon becomes clear that »going off the rails« need not necessarily be a bad thing. Together with
Suzuki, Touratech made some radical modifications to the DL 650. The design of the concept bike has
little if anything in common with a travel enduro. The somewhat stodgy-looking twin was given a real
bad, bad outfit. Some parts of the »urbanXover«, such as the engine guard, stainless steel foot pegs,
and the additional headlamp integrated into the tank cover, are available in the regular Touratech programme. However, many of the parts of the converted twin will probably remain unique specimens.
The designers were given a free hand with the DL 650 and had plenty of fun in the process if one can
believe the stories. At this year’s IAA in Frankfurt, the DL 650 in its Mad Max Look caused quite a stir
on the Suzuki stand.
Finaly! A tankbag for photographers
The safe storage of
camera equipment is always a challenge when travelling by bike. The Touratech solution is called »Profi
Digital«. The tank rucksack
was developed with the needs
of aspiring photographers in
mind. Now, the »Profi Digital«
has not only thrilled Touratech
customers, but also the German motorcycle press. The
editors of the »Tourenfahrer«
and of »Reise Motorrad« were
so convinced by the photo tank
rucksack that both magazines
issued a »recommendation«.
The »Profi Digital« is manufac-
8
tured by Kahedo in Germany
and not only offers plenty of
storage space for photo equipment, but also protects camera
and lenses against vibration,
dust and water. At the same
time it allows fast access to the
contents which makes taking
pictures of those »fleeting«
moments possible.
PROGRAMME
WEB TV
WebTV programme preview
What’s on?
www.touratech-video.de
It is getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Many
motorcyclists are preparing for the dark season. The bike stays in the garage.
To bridge the bike-free season, Touratech have put together an interesting and
varied programme on the WebTV That Streetline photo shoot is not just about
great pictures is amply demonstrated by the report on the tour. Not only are
the new products photographed en route, they are also subjected to intensive
testing.
What will be available in the shops next year is already being shown at the
EICMA in Milan. And, of course, Touratech will be present at this year’s largest
motorcycle exhibition and will report on the novelties to come in the next season on WebTV.
Again, – the topic of travel will not miss out on Touratech WebTV. Claudia
and Andreas Hülsmann covered a distance of 25,000 kilometres and crossed
the Eurasian continent in four months. With an F 800
GS and a G 650 GS the two adventurers travelled from
Gibraltar to Magadan. The most difficult part of their
route – was the »Road of Bones« with a dozen river
crossings – and some 80 waterholes.
These and other reports all about motorcycling can
be viewed on www.touratech-video.de.
Travel Time
2 2011
9
TOURATECH
TIPS AND NEWS
Transitus Arabiae
Flying visit
»Transitus Arabiae« is an
unusual name for an unusual tour.
Businessman Jürgen Röder does not take a plane
for his business trip to the Arab world, he takes his
sidecar machine.
Certainly an unusual trip which Jürgen Röder is
planning. The chairman of the board of the Dorsch
Group, the largest independent planning group
in Germany with 1,800 employees, is on his way
to visit the company’s subsidiaries in the Middle
East. Nothing unusual about that, chairmen usually board an aircraft when going on business trips.
Not so Jürgen Röder. He takes his sidecar for his
flying visit to the oriental subsidiaries. According to
the plan, the visit will take him through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to Oman. However, the chairman of the board
is well aware that he may have to adjust his travel plans in view of the political situation in some of
these countries. The background to this unusual undertaking is that our sidecar “freak” not only wants
to experience these countries from a pure business
point of view. According to Röder, travelling by bike
lets you »truly« experience the people and the culture, gives you insights into the soul of a country.
On his »Transitus Arabiae« trip, Jürgen Röder will
be accompanied by his wife Petra as well as Heidi
and Martin Franitza. The two couples know all about
sidecars, having already been on several adventure tours on three wheels. The Franitzas will cover »Transitus Arabiae« from a journalistic angle and
take on the documentation of the excursion.
The tour starts in the autumn of 2012, but
preparations have already started. Sidecar builder Stern has already prepared the sidecars for the
tour and Touratech are involved with their wealth of
knowhow and equipment. A four-week trial run to
Morocco is set for October 2011. The team, the sidecars and the equipment will be subject to a »stress
test« to make sure things run smoothly during the
great adventure in the autumn of 2012.
More details on »Transitus Arabiae« are
available via the Internet at
http://transitusarabiae.wordpress.com/
A journey into the
kingdom of the bear
Wild animal researcherand
conservationist Chris Morgan travelled
close to 5000 kilometres (over 3000
miles) through Alaska in his search for
wild bears, – with bush planes, boats,
snowmobiles, as well as on foot, and
also with a BMW F 650 GS equipped
by Touratech, which allowed him to
reach even the most remote areas. The
book »Bears of the Last Frontier« takes
you on an extraordinary trip from the
brown bears on Alaska’s peninsula in
the Southwest, to the mighty grizzlies
in Denali National Park and the polar
bears of the Polar Sea. An exciting documentary full of breath-taking photos
which reflect the magic of the wilderness and the secretive beauty of these
fascinating animals,– well worth a
read even if you are not a fan of bears!
Chris Morgan:
»Bears of the Last Frontier«
(only available in English),
214 pages,
foreword by
Susan and
Jeff Bridges
Item No.:
01-090-0335-0
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TANK RUCKSACK BLACK EDITION
TOURATECH
EDITION
EDITION
Special
The tank bag line »Black
Edition«, which Touratech
developed for the BMW special editions R 1200 GS Triple Black and R 1200 GS
Triple Black Adventure, will be extended. Due to major demand there will also be a
»Black Edition« tank bag for the F 800 GS.
Q
uality asserts itself, it’s as simple as that to describe the success of the
»Black Edition« tank bag line which Touratech developed for the two BMW
special editions of the R 1200 GS Triple Black and R 1200 GS Triple Black
Adventure. And because the Black Edition tank bags are so successful for the BMW
Boxer special editions, which, of course, also fit the conventional GS Boxer, Touratech has now created a version for the F 800 GS in cooperation with Kahedo. Touratech Sales Manager Martin Wickert sees the success of the »Black Edition« as being based on the well though-out concept, excellent quality and the special fit
for the Boxer models. The perfect match of the tank bag with the 1200 GS /
Adventure not only relates to the design itself, but also to the many small details
which integrate the »Black Edition« into the overall look of the Triple Black. The materials used are dirt-resistant and water-repellent. It is therefore only fitting that
the zippers are water-proof. Another benefit is flexibility; in just a few seconds the
volume of the tank bag can be increased from 16 litres to 20 litres with a quick pull
of a zipper. Other features include an aerodynamic map pocket, a compartment for
documents and additional outer pockets. The same features are, of course, included
in the »Black Edition« version for the F 800 GS.
As an alternative to the black tank bag version, there is also a »Compañero Edition«, which matches the colours of the Touratech motorcycle suit and is also available in the same quality and similar fittings for the R 1200 GS and F 800 GS. Whereas demand determines the production runs of the Black and Compañero variants,
the »Blue Edition« will only be available as a limited edition. Matching the BMW 800
GS Trophy and the R 1200 GS which will also be available in blue in 2012, only 100
»Blue Edition« tank bags will be produced internationally in each case.
In early 2012, Touratech will introduce a revolutionary concept for the rear
end of motorbikes. The new rear-end bag can be extended on a modular basis.
This luggage system is particularly suited for sport bikes with a narrow rear end,
Please contact your local
Touratech distributor for prices
but could also be an interesting alternative for enduros where pannier systems cannot be mounted. The universal mounting system makes this luggage unit relevant for
many other types of motorcycles, too.
Tank bag Black Edition: BMW F 800 GS
Order No.: 01-048-5803-0
Tank bag Black Edition: BMW R 1200 GS / Adventure /
special edition Triple Black
Order No.: 01-044-5803-0
Tank bag Compañero Edition: BMW F 800 GS / F 650 GS (twin)
Order No.: 01-048-5804-0
Tank bag Compañero Edition: BMW R 1200 GS
Order No.: 01-044-5804-0
TOURATECH
PEERAS TRIP TO TIBET
Magic
travel
Tibet is referred to as the Roof of the World, the kingdom of
gods. A cloak of myths surrounds this destination for untold
pilgrims. However, the cloak of mystery is lifting slowly day
by day, unveiling more and more secrets of this country. It was high time to discover this
mystical part of our planet. At least, that was the opinion of Peera Laohakarniyom,
Touratech import agent in Thailand, as he made his way with five companions.
Text and Photos: Peera Laohakarniyom
T
he long trip to mythical Tibet was a
luring challenge for a number of reasons. Much was unknown and waiting to be discovered, and we also wanted test our endurance. And of course, this
arduous trip was also an endurance challenge for our motorcycles and
equipment.
From left to right:
Magical Tibet has a numThere were lots of nomad
ber of down to earth probtents on our way to the Everlems, too, most of them to do
est Base Camp. Our Chinese
with interior politics. It took us
Guides Ms. Yu-GuangHan (left)
more than four years of intenand Ms. Dong-LiLi (right). We
sive efforts to obtain our entry
met a Tibetan who liked our
permits.
bikes. Pilgrims walk clockwise
around and pray at the Tashi
Lhunpo monastery in Shigatse.
On G318 from Tibet to
Sichuan.
12
Our travel started in my home city of
Bangkok and first took us to the province
of Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand,
then through Laos to Yunnan in southern
China.
Lili, our coordinator, accompanied us
as a pillion passenger, through the mountain villages near the Burmese border,
from the wide river valley up to the magnificent mountains.
Day in, day out, we crossed over
seemingly endless hills and mountains
until we reached a height of 4000 metres above sea level. During one of our
breaks we caught the first fleeting glimpse
2 2011
of snow-covered mountain tops – we had
reached the Himalayas.
We had expected good roads
through Yunnan Province, instead we
were confronted with a muddy, stony
route which had suffered badly during
the rainy season. Frequent rockfall made
the road even more dangerous. Owing
to these hurdles, there were some days
where we only managed 37 kilometres.
Our timing and the route had to be
changed nearly every day. Delays became routine.
On our way to Lhasa we met groups
of bicyclists, pilgrims, nomads, as well
as sheep, goats, yaks and villagers.
We discovered lakes clear as crystal,
mountains of all colours, the magnificent tundra as well as a glacier, with
its tongue stretching nearly to the road.
At the end of the tarmac road we
reached a place with prayer flags
blowing in the breeze. These flags
symbolise a holy place, which is – in
a spiritual sense - pure. The flags can
be of five different colours, each representing one of the elements. Blue is for
water, white for space, red for fire,
green for air, and yellow for earth.
However, the influences of other
cultures can be seen everywhere and
threaten Tibetian lifestyle. Concrete
buildings, tiled roofs and Eastern lifestyle are gradually changing the
culture.
With the aid of our Tibetian coordinator Migma and our translator Lili
we passed the Chinese military checkpoint. Following the state road S307
we continued to a height of 4799 metres and were overwhelmed by the
beauty of the Yamdrok YumTso lake.
Coloured deep blue, a truly breath-
taking panorama. A winding gravel
track then took us south to the Mount
Everest base camp at 5200 metres.
From then on the route was downhill. At 1800 metres we reached
ZhangMu, a city near the border to
Nepal. Dense vegetation grew rampant along the narrow track which
clung to the cliffsides. Cold water
splashed from the cliffs, drops wetting
our faces – a welcome refreshment for
the remaining travel.
Then we had some bad news:
no entry permits for Nepal. Thus, we
were unable to visit the holy mountain
Kailash, which shortened our tour by
two weeks.
We decided to ride back along
state road G317 from Tibet to the province of Sichuan, but a landslide forced
us to change our route. And we faced
the same problem on the way from
Sichuan to Yunnan.
We had an arduous12.989 kilometre long motorcycle tour behind us
when we arrived back in Bangkok. The
ordeal is soon forgotten, what remains
are memories of a fantastic country.
2 2011
13
TOURATECH
TRAVEL EVENTS
FAMILY
FAMILY
A Meeting of
Touratech
Travel Events
Worldwide
Touratech Travel Events
have now been in existence for
a good 10 years. What started
in 2000 in France with a small
get-together of motorcycle travellers has meanwhile become
established worldwide as a
happy meeting of like-minded
motorcyclists. No matter if globetrotter or tour rider,– they all
share the same idea: discover
the world, meet people, enjoy
nature and share these experiences with other travellers. The
fascination of travelling by motorcycle remains undiminished and
is passed on from one motorcyclist to another at each Travel
Event. Which is why all the
Touratech partners and distributors are delighted when
motorcyclists from different
countries come to their Travel
Events.
14
Text: Jonathan Bentman
Photos: Jonathan Bentman,
Touratech
where: Niedereschach, Black Forest
when: May 27-29, 2011
who: 10,000 riders from all over the World, even New Zealand!
why: to meet, to begin and to rekindle friendships, to get inspired
The Touratech Travel Event celebrated its 10th birthday in fine style with over
10,000 visitors enjoying the late Spring sunshine and a full complement of activities, attractions and presentations.
And there was a lot to do. Visiting each of the 40 exhibitors
could take up most of the weekend. As could the test rides available
on a range of new motorcycles from BMW, Husqvarna and KTM.
And with childcare for babies available on-site, even hard-pressed
parents could find time to indulge their motorcycling passions. With
the GS Challenge taking place in the obstacle course there was
serious competition to enjoy on the Saturday evening. All that’s before we consider the film presentations from the likes of Joe Pichler
(trans-Asia on his KTM 990 Adventure) and the Touratech ‘out-take’
show with Herbert and Ramona Schwarz.
The Touratech experience also included factory tours, where
visitors could see exactly how Touratech panniers are made. Then
they could they lose themselves in Touratech’s huge store as well as
join the fervour of the TT Spring Sale.
Oh and did we mention the road book tours, the satellite navigation classes, the photo course, the climbing wall, the live music,
the campfire at Lake Touratech (actually just a little pond), the
catering at very reasonable prices and the free camping...?
Importantly, it was the people, the 10,000, who mattered the
most, and who bring the real colour to the event. These are people
with a passion and fascination for adventuring on motorcycles and
it’s this meeting of like minds, of free spirits, that makes the event
really exciting. Here are just a few of the wonderful people we
bumped into:
Mark Jones: Mark took the ‘furthest travelled’ title, as
he arrived overland from Pukekohe, New Zealand on his way to
the Isle of Man, riding his BMW F650GS Dakar. Mark is almost the
2 2011
perfect traveller being so relaxed, but eminently very capable. He
wasn’t sure what had been the most challenging aspect of his sixmonth tour.
“The wildest part could have been very near the beginning.
Crossing the desert to Darwin I would ride for hundreds of kilometres not seeing another soul. But then crossing Pakistan in four
days with an armed police escort – and often they’d ride pillion,
complete with machine gun – was actually very gruelling. And in
Turkey I ran into a mountain range in deep snow. It was so iced up
on the peaks I’d tie my side stand to the front frame tube and ski
the bike down.”
Volker and Claudia Schaller: Volker and
Claudia rode one of the shortest journeys to the Travel Event, as residents of Karlsruhe not so far away. A short trip this time around
but the pair were only just back from a three-month adventure
across South America on their BMW R1200GS Adventure.
“It was our first big adventure,” explained Volker. “It was very
cool. But the bike was very heavy to ride with two persons and
luggage – but we managed it, it’s not a no-go. For our next trip
we’ll do some training at Hechlingen first – so we better understand what to do on the gravel roads and in the sand!”
Petra Dembski: Petra is a social worker from Frankfurt. This is her first year on motorcycles and she’s learning the
ropes on a Suzuki Gladius. The Travel Event was her first touring
ride – and her first bike event – but she was loving it.
“Learning motorcycling, it’s very exciting, sometimes scary,
but I really like it and here with the camping I’ve found it’s a
nice life. I’m meeting many new groups, and they are all very
different, all kinds of people, so interesting to meet. Watching the
films – Asia and Africa – I’m very inspired to do it, but I need more
experience first!”
Petra was set to continue her learning steps with a three-day
trip to the Mosel region a week later. And she’d made her first
Touratech purchase in preparation: a Q Packsack by Ortlieb.
Rolf and Katja Viehweger: Rolf and Katja
had ridden 400 very snug kilometres from Heilbronn on their
aging KTM 625 trail bike. This was their first Travel Event.
“It was a great time,” said Rolf. “There’s a lot to eat and drink
and it’s not expensive and the campsite is free, the showers are
good, the toilets are fine. Most importantly, the people here are
great, there are no bad boys, no problems.”
Trans-continental adventure is not on the agenda for this couple
as neither time nor budget allow. But they have their own solution.
Katja: “We have a Royal Enfield with sidecar – when you
are driving the Enfield adventure starts at the end of the drive.
It doesn’t go faster than 80km/h so we don’t ride the highways,
only small roads. With the Enfield you don’t have to travel to other
countries, adventure is everywhere!”
Manfred, Willi, Jürgen, Stephan,
Melanie and Melanie: “We are from Neu-Ulm. We
come here because we like the nice people, the shopping, the great
food, the beer! We got to speak to Herbert and he’s like a friend, he
makes us all feel like we’re part of one family. While we’ve been
here we’ve just been riding around, going anywhere that looked
interesting. After all, no plan is a good plan!”
Agon Milbrod: Agon is a teacher from Lübeck. He
loves travelling on his BMW F800GS, last year riding 7500km
through Albania, the year before he ventured for 9000km into
Russia. He explained he can’t ride global tours because of work, but
he makes the most of the six-week holidays being a teacher allows.
Agon was combining his Travel Event weekend with a trip to see
his oldest son, a soldier, in Munich.
“We don’t see each other so often, so maybe we have time to
spend riding in the mountains. What I really enjoy is his son, – my
grandson – is 10 years old and he likes to ride with me. We have
a lot of fun.”
Mark Van Alphen: Mark travelled with three friends
from Amsterdam – Mark putting his first proper miles on his new
KTM 990 Adventure. Mark had become a big fan of KTM’s star
adventurer Joe Pichler.
“I think I’d also like to go to Mongolia, only I haven’t even got
my panniers yet! You see the presentation and you want to do it as
well. I’m thinking to do it also, but I have a wife and children. I’ve
a lovely wife, in fact, she lets me do this alone, this is my thing, my
freedom. So I hope to go on a big adventure soon.”
... Manfred, Willi, Melanie ... and team! ...
... Claudia and Volker Schaller ...
... Katja and Rolf Viehweger ...
Czeche Republic
Happy campers are ... Agon Milbrod ...
A wonderful camping ground on the banks
of the Danube, Motorcycling routes from pleasure to offroad –
the Czech version of the Touratech Travel Events took place in perfect surroundings outside the gates of Prague. With a challenging roadbook rallye,
planned tours, interesting lectures and workshops, the organisers of the Czech
Touratech importing agent created an atmosphere in which all the motorcyclists who had travelled there were able to exchange experiences and enjoy
mutual activities like old friends.
Offroad riding outside the gates of Prague?
Everything seems possible at Travel Events.
2 2011
15
TOURATECH
TRAVEL EVENTS
Italy
The first Travel Event
in Italy was an instant success. The
team around Michele and Wolfgang had spent
months on organisation and found the perfect
spot for the event at the »Camping 2 Laghi«.
The location is directly situated at the foot of
the Trentino mountains, just a short distance
from the newly designed Touratech showrooms,
and offers the perfect combination of beautiful lake scenery, impressive mountains, small
mountain roads, and fascinating views. Even if
the BMW GS riders formed the great majority,
all types of motorcycles could be seen. BMWs
from RT to ST, Africa Twins, Multistradas, Super ­Ténérés and many more. There is no fear of
making contact at Travel Events, only one thing
counts,– the motorcycle and the next tour. And
it need not be a world tour, because here in the
Trentino you don’t really want to travel far, the
region it is too beautiful and varied.
Great Britain
Typical for Wales, the spring weather at the Touratech Travel Event proved to be somewhat damp. However, the 400
seasoned campers and guests were not to be put off. The guided
road tours with the solidly booked BMW test fleet were highly appreciated. The guided offroad tours through the Welsh forests were
Fantastic locations in the Trentino mountains.
France
In mid-June the Orange festival
in southern France was firmly in
the hands of motorcyclists. Designed after the German GS
Challenge, Touratech France and BMW Motorcycles France
jointly organised the first BMW GS Trophy France in connection with the Touratech Travel Event. As in Germany, the GS
Trophy started one day before the Travel Event.
After the GS cracks had left for the 15 stations in and around
Orange, the Travel Event could start. Interesting lectures,
numerous exhibitors ranging from Castrol to Öhlins, and
plenty of fun awaited the visitors to the Travel Event.
What many of the guests and participants were not
aware of: Touratech France is the »cradle« of Touratech
Travel Events, which took place for the first time in 2001 at
the Expo Centre.
Fun and games at the GS Trophy (l.). Herbert Schwarz and Yvon Bodelot, head of Touratech France.
16
2 2011
Slovakia
also a huge success, – even if a bit tough on some of the participants. The speakers entertained the crowd in the marquee, and the exhibitors had their hands full
at their stands.
Mattie Griffin, official BMW stunt rider, amazed spectators in the paddock with
sheer impossible balancing feats on a BMW F 800 equipped by Touratech – who
would have thought you can actually do stoppies and burnouts in the wet?
Even typical murky British weather can‘t spoil
the atmosphere at the Event in Wales.
The 27. May 2011 saw the
start of the fourth Travel Event in Slovakia. Despite
poor weather and thick clouds of rain, 190 participants made their way to the picturesque village of
Cerveny Klastor. Most had erected their tents on a
field, the remainder found a warm place to rest in
one of the many log cabins. Friday evening was
devoted to the black continent. Slide shows, short
films, and mainly talks around the camp fire were
all about ­tours in Africa – but, of course, plenty of
other things, too. It is this mixture of information
from top-notch speakers and individual exchange
that make up the atmosphere at Travel Events.
The participants were able to demonstrate their
navigational skills during a roadbook rallye. The
objective was to find a number of well concealed
points along a challenging and interesting route.
Country-style atmosphere in the mountains of
northern Slovakia.
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18
Text: Andreas Reimar, Photos: Rainer Wiesotzki
Ethiopia – cradle of mankind, sunken empire, interface between
Christianity and Islam, Rift Valley and the home of coffee. The team
around Herbert and Ramona Schwarz want to follow the fascination of
the East African country on a motorcycle expedition.
Back to the Roots
Ethiopia
B
Touratech Expedition to Ethiopia
ack to the roots – this headline describes the latest travel
project by Herbert Schwarz and his wife Ramona twofold.
The journey is to go to Ethiopia, the cradle of mankind according to latest scientific information. And in terms of travelling
itself, it will be a trip in the classical sense of motorcycling adventure. The infrastructure is more than basic in this east African
country, travellers are forced to respond entirely to whatever conditions they meet. A trip through purported civilisation without
comfort or backdoors all add up to cautious movement in the
vicinity of people.
And that is precisely what Herbert and Ramona are looking
for: close contact to the indigenous population. They would like
to talk with them, discuss their daily worries and joys, fears and
visions, participate in a life which is so totally different from our
daily routines.
A local translator was hired for the team to avoid the project
failing right from the start due to language barriers. Also part of
the team are Wolfgang Danner and Jan-Peter Sölter, the two film
makers who have already documented a number of Herbert’s
trips with captivating pictures. Rainer Wiesotzki is in charge
of logistics. Ramona will also be taking pictures together with
Herbert, as well as putting their impressions into a journalistic
context.
They would like to visit the Rastafari Community whose
ancestors once came from the Carribean to the »Holy Country«
for religious reasons.
The difficult life of Ethiopian women exemplifies the situation
of women in Africa. Personal talks are intended to give insights
on the background and the structures of society – unvarnished
commentaries from the living environment of the women.
2 2011
PROJEKT
Intent on discovery, the team wants to trace the origins of coffee
on their visits to plantations and projects, and to examine current
opportunities of ecological crop production and fair trade with these
luxury foods.
The Maryam Zion festival is bound to be a colourful and moving
highlight when thousands of pilgrims congregate in Aksum.
All these impressions will require hard work from our travellers.
Deserts need to be crossed on this 4,500 kilometre expedition tour,
as will mountains with peaks in the 4,000 metre range. Our travellers will have to suffer the glowing heat of the Danakil depression,
and days of jolts and bumps on the infamous rutted tracks.
The three 800er GS and the two 650 single-cylinder BMW‘s
which Herbert has selected for this trip are bound to be suitable
bikes. And if you know Herbert, he will be combining work and
pleasure: travelling while at the same time testing his company’s
products to the limit. JOURNEY
MAN
RoadTech™ B1
for BMW motorcycles
888-909-8665 www.cruztools.com
BOLIVIA-
take it to the limit
With its three motorbikes, the team set off to discover the beauty
of Bolivian landscapes along hardly travelled routes. The extreme
road conditions turned the undertaking into an adventure which
could only be salvaged by improvisation and a fighting spirit.
Text: Andreas Reimar Photos: Andreas Reimar, Herbert Schwarz,
and Astrid Neudecker
Road up to the Paso Pelechuco (large photo). Typical village in Bolivia’s tropical Oriente (l). To balance or get wet feet? (r.)
20
2 2011
BOLIVIA
2 2011
OFF-ROAD
21
OFF-ROAD
22
2 2011
BOLIVIA
Emergency operation on fused wiring harness (left). River crossings are a major challenge in the lowlands.
23
BB
OFF-ROAD
olivia? Ok, Bolivia. The decision for this travel destination was felled quickly. Herbert and I know the country
from previous trips, and this country in the Andes fits our joint
venture perfectly.
Herbert wants to make a film and, quite naturally, wants to
take the new products with him on the tour. We planned on a
four week tour. And we wanted to get as many of the diversified landscapes in Bolivia under our belt. On as little tarmac as
possible, whereby this is not too difficult, as only a fraction of
the Bolivian road system is paved.
A bit more challenging is selecting a route. It is quite ambitious to discover the entire scenery this large country has to
offer in a single month. But this is where the rather special
topography of this country comes into play. Roughly at the
latitude of La Paz, the Andes drop steeply to the Amazon valley:
from over 5000 metres to virtually sea level. In essence: a
journey from the polar region to the tropical rain forests in just
100 kilometres is a distinct possibility – on the Camino de la
Muerte, the »Road of Death«.
H
H
Hard to believe how exposed
the narrow track hugs the cliffs
rising to the sky
The airport of La Paz lies at over 4000 metres above
sea level in a desolate wasteland. Howling ancient jet aircraft
of the Bolivian Air Force come in to land, gusts of wind blow
clouds of plastic waste and dust round the corners of rusting
corrugated iron shacks, the smell of kerosene is overpowering and makes breathing difficult in the thin air. All in all not a
pleasant experience, so that even the poorly ventilated customs
office and its cheap wobbly furniture full of bustling official and
self-appointed “agents” come across with welcoming serenity.
The mere thought of having to process the paperwork for
the ”temporary import of a motorcycle by airfreight“ drives a
24
2 2011
BOLIVIA
number of customs employees to do an instant vanishing act. I
showed my documents from an earlier trip to a lady who was
not quite fast enough to make it to the door. The lady reads,
nods, and comments with a smile: “Bueno, un modelo“, ”Great,
a copy to go on“. This solves the question of finding the right
form, which may sound a bit petty, but last time round a few
years ago, I had a day-filling major ordeal to two ministries
and some subordinate authority, only to be told that the forms
were available in sufficient quantity at the customs office in the
airport.
Anyway, with help of our modelo“ the procedure is completed within a short space of time. Immediately we removed our
bikes from the transport crates and started assembling them:
one BMW R 1150 GS as Touratech Revamp conversion each
for Herbert and me, and an R 1200 GS for TV journalist Astrid
Neudecker.
Condensed water runs from the helmet,
fogged up glasses reduce visibility. Despite it being the middle
of the day, the headlamps have difficulty penetrating the thick
fog. In just one hour’s ride we worked our way from La Paz basin to the La Cumbre pass. Ahead of us, still shrouded in dense
clouds, is the eastern drop of the Andes. The humid air from the
tropical lowlands rises thousands of metres to this impressive
precipice where it condenses to a wall of fog which virtually
lasts throughout the entire year.
We now need to keep all our senses together, as we will
be riding along the infamous Camino de la muerte for the next
hour. Unless you have seen it with your own eyes, it is difficult
to imagine how this narrow band of gravel and mud clings to
the cliff side and reaches for the sky. However, one has to concede, this track is simply brilliant for motorbikes. With our narrow and agile bikes, even the oncoming buses were no reason
to panic. Admittedly, none of us would have felt comfortable
behind the wheel of one of those overloaded vehicles. And
the countless crosses adoring the roadside are witness to the
dangers of this road.
With our BMWs, the Camino is simply pleasure, gazing
into the depths a mere shudder. Cascades of water plummet
over the road and are a welcome shower. We enjoy the heat which gets more
intense as we climb and penetrates
through our clothes, inhale the sweet
forest fragrances.
As soon as the track widens, we stop
to get rid of some of our layers of clothing. The forest is a cacophony of twittering, screeching, squealing and chirping – there can be little doubt – we have
reached the tropical lowlands.
Well, we had managed the “most
dangerous road of the world“ without
incurring too much stress, so what could
be worse on our further travels.
Feeling quite happy with
ourselves we spooled off the next
kilometres. A bit of gravel, then some
red mud, the occasional large pothole
or washout – but no major hindrances on
our steady ride.
Enjoying the positive flow we were
not expecting the next interruption. Lorries were queueing at a river crossing. The bridge was unpassable.
Because of the deep and fast-flowing river, the building foreman
urged us to have the bikes transported across the river on one of the lorries. We decided to have the bikes of Herbert and Astrid transported
across, but I would cross the river on the bike to test the suction spigot we
had developed especially for crossing deep fords.
Riding at walking pace, I steered to the middle of the river, concentrating fully not to be distracted from my path by a big stone. The water
floods the cylinders, then my knees, and finally the panniers are also
underwater. In front of my face, the mouth of the spigot feeding into the
air box via a waterproof conus. The boxer gasps for air through the
ribbed hose and I try and keep the revs above three thousand to prevent
water from entering the exhaust. Inching ahead slowly, I have to keep
stopping to regain my energy in the battle against the strong current.
With twenty metres to go to the river bank, I had nearly resigned to the
fact that I would not be able to hang on to the machine. That was when
Herbert appeared on the other side of the river. He immediately realised
how critical the situation was and came to help. Together we were able
The „spigot“ allows deep wading (top). Highspeed on the Altiplano.
25
to get the machine onto dry land, with the engine still running.
Late in the evening, we reached the gold digger village
of Guanay. Enjoying a cold beer on the plaza, we then prepared the stages for the next few days. Ahead of us are some
of the least known tracks in Bolivia. The data given in the various maps is contradictory, the location of the few marked villages varies considerably. We were also warned about numerous
torrential rivers which cross the track.
With tanks filled to the brim, we set off on the next
morning; the supply situation is totally unclear, as is the question
of whether the road we want to follow to Sorata, where we
intend to rejoin the plateau, is even passable. What looks like
a track along the river bank on the maps turns out to be a twisting up and down over countless ridges of hills. Red soil, interspersed with rocks, ruts full of water from tropical thunderstorms,
all add up to a very tricky road surface requiring full concentration all the way.
As can be expected, our travelling speed is on the low
side, and it often takes hours of gruelling riding to get from one
village to another, not that there
are that many of them. These
dwellings are generally no
more a few huts along the road,
with banged together slats of
wood with slits, and a steep
roof made of palm leaves. Half
naked children play on the
road and dogs slink round the
huts hoping for some morsels of
food from the women cooking
on open fireplaces.
Poor visibility on the »Camino de la muerte« (top). Tough tracks need….talent for improvisation (bottom left and right).
26
Having experienced a
strange smell of burning
for a while now, I had obviously assumed that people were
probably burning plastic waste.
Once the road had flattened
off I stopped, and immediately
had an acrid smell in my nostrils. Smoke came from the steer-
BOLIVIA
OFF-ROAD
ing head and instantly I pressed the emergency
OFF button. Underneath the tank, a picture of
pure disaster, the entire upper part of the wiring
harness had melted to an amorphous mass.
The reason is quickly explained. While assembling the bike at the airport in a rush, we had
been a bit careless in doing the wiring and one
of the wires got squashed by the fork during
shunting. However, the solution to the problem
seems a bit more difficult – in the middle of the
jungle, miles away from the next habitation.
What are all these wires good for anyway?
Most of them are for pretty irrelevant functions
such as control lights, indicators and the like.
But also for essential things like the kill switch
or starter control. Just pulling out wires is not
really that helpful. Spare parts just had to be
found from somewhere. So we used the multiple socket strip of the charging unit for the
cameras. The connecting cable is soon split
into strands, the kill switch gets new wiring,
and the rocker of the socket strip replaces the
“incinerated” starter button and is fixed to the
handlebars with adhesive tape – and we even
had wiring left over for the lights. Not the most
attractive of solutions, but what counts is, the
engine returned to life.
The next village on our maps is
Mapiri. The main thing that interests us in this
remote village is to get hold of fuel. And we
struck lucky in a general store specialised in
supplying fuel. As soon as our tanks were filled
with the dubious contents from several rusty
cans we moved on.
Unfortunately, the stable weather conditions changed when we left Mapiri. At noon
clouds started towering above us in frightening
constellations, thunder joined in during the
early afternoon and soon after it started to
rain. The hard clay of the road turned slippery
and then into a mushy goo.
2 2011
The rain soon stopped, but the road just got
worse and worse. Apparently it had been raining for the past days in the lower reaches of
the Rio Consata. The few lorries left massive
ruts in the boggy road, often knee-deep. Miss
the right track and the panniers touch down,
all that is left is to put on the power and push –
progress is painstaking.
Once the track changed to the gravel banks
of the river this felt like being on the motorway
compared to rummaging in the mud. But things
didn’t last – after a few hundred metres we are
confronted by the next raging ford.
But we are prepared, the suction spigot
had already proven its capabilities during the
first river crossing. Because of the strong current
I moved upriver to cross where we assumed the
road would continue on the other side. With
plenty of power and an impressive display of
muscles the BMW can be manoeuvred fairly
well in this diving mode. Suddenly a big bang,
the bike shifts. I can just about keep the bike
upright. The engine stutters, dies. Restarting
with the exhaust well under water is too risky.
Together we manhandle the bike across the
river, and then the other two, with switched
off engines and taped exhausts. Riding across
seemed a bit too dangerous.
While the other two machines started immediately on the dry river bank, my bike played
up, probably upset by the wet adventure. The
engine simply does not want to run smoothly
and checking the oil does not bode too well
either.
As dusk was falling fast we decided to
erect a camp higher up on the river. Herbert
gave me a tow, a bit jerky to say the least,
but we made good progress. The road gets
steeper and steeper, Herbert needs more
and more clutch to keep us both going. Too
much clutch. Burned? Can’t be, not with a
sinter clutch.
OFF-ROAD
BOLIVIA
The next day reveals the truth. The linings were
still OK, but the springs had burned out and lost most of their
tension. As we had no spare springs with us we had only the
one chance: take out the spacers , assuming the springs had
some tension left. And it worked. Power transmission was far
from being brilliant, but was adequate for some careful riding.
My machine had dried out sufficiently overnight and starts
again. All I need to do is replace the coffee-coloured oil and
then we are back on track.
There are still long stretches of muddy road and some
slippery inclines, but the dry patches are getting more frequent. And the soil is changing too. Instead of red tropical clay,
yellow earth and some stones start appearing. A definite
sign that we are working our way out of the jungle slowly but
surely. This is confirmed by the GPS. Then things went pretty
fast. The forest gets lighter, gives way to yellow meadows with
agaves, and suddenly we are cloaked in dense fog. Having
complained bitterly about the heat in the rain forest, it was now
getting to be quite cold, we had climbed nearly 3000 metres
above sea level in the past hours. Our overnight stay in Sorata,
our last quarters before reaching the Alitplano again, proved
somewhat restless due to the
unaccustomed thin air.
But it was not only
the thin clear air which
took our breath away when we
finally reached Alitplano, a plateau at 4000 metres lying between the east and west Cordilleras, it was the overpowering
panorama of the Andes peaks
covered in glaciers set against a
deep blue sky.
After the stress and strain
of the jungle we even enjoy
stretches of rutted and bumpy rock
trails through this semi-desert, the
main thing is, no water or mud
please.
The cumbersome road to Sorata (top). View of the Nudo de Apolobamba glaciers (l). Indigena girls from the lowlands (r.).
28
Bogotá
COLOMBIA
Quito
Nevado Chaupi Orco
ECUADOR
1971
Cueara
2011
Pelechuco
BRAZIL
PERU
Akamani
Ulla Ulla
Lima
PERU
Brasilia
BOLIVIA
Ubinchi
Charazani
Mapiri
Consata
Guanay
Sucre
Escoma
PARAGUAY
Rio de Janeiro
Asunción
CHILE
Sorata
Illampu
BOLIVIA
Caranavi
Lago Titicaca
Achacachi
Huarína
Huayna Potosí
Coroico
URUGUAY
Santiago
Montevideo
Buenos Aires
50 km
LA PAZ
Illimani
ARGENTINA
Information:
Gerneral: With an area of nearly 1.1
million square miles, Ushuaia
Bolivia is nearly four times the
size of the old Germany. Usually one thinks of Bolivia
as being the Andes mountain ranges and barren
highlands, the so-called Alitplano. However, they
only make up about two fifths of the total area. The
most part of the country is formed by the lowlands
east of the Andes, covered with jungle and savannahs. Nonetheless, some 70 per cent of the nearly
8 million Bolivians live in the region of the Andes.
Population in the tropical lowlands is correspondingly sparse.
Travel season: The most suitable time for
travelling is between May and the end of October
(winter on the southern hemisphere); it tends to be
cold at night in the highlands, but you have the best
view of the mountain peaks. And the temperatures
in the tropical eastern part are still bearable. During
the rainy period many of the tracks are unpassable.
Travel: Transporting your own bike can be an
expensive undertaking. Something like 2000 EUR
needs to be budgeted for each leg. It can be somewhat cheaper by packing two relatively light bikes
in one crate. You can either use a freight agent
to handle the transport or go directly to an airline. Knowledge of Spanish is required for customs
clearance at the airport inEl Alto/La Paz.
Documents: A passport is necessary for entering the country. A visa is available at the airport.
The law requires an international driving licence,
and you must also take your national driving licence
with you. For the motorcycle you are required to
have an international vehicle registration certificate as well as a Carnet des Passages.
Your partner for motorbike clothes
at highest level!
Health: In some regions below 1500
metres there is a risk of malaria. Check with your
local tropical institute for medicine whether you
need prophylactic treatment. Standard immunisation against tetanus, diphtheria and polio, as well
as against hepatitis A and B, is recommended. In
remote areas the availability of medicines is inadequate.
Developed in
Germany
European
production
Top quality
materials
Overnight accommodation: Simple
accommodation is available even in the smallest of
villages. However, taking your own tent gives you
greater independence. For the highlands a good
insulating floor layer is recommendable, as well as
a sleeping bag with a comfort range extending to
minus twenty degrees Celsius. An interior sleeping
bag serves well as additional insulation or can be
used as a light cover in the tropics.
Books / maps:
Ben Box: South American Handbook 2011.
Footprint. ISBN 1903471702. Gives the latest travel
information in detail.
Nelles Maps: Bolivia, Paraguay. 2001 Nelles Verlag.
Scale1:2,500,000, ISBN 3886185796. Clear map
presentation and vivid relief display. Very concise
and sufficiently precise.
TexTile
Russian ordnance survey map of Central/South
America. Scale 1:500,000. Topographic maps with
Cyrillic typo. Digital version, border-free on DVD.
In the Touratech Webshop: Item No.: 090-0670.
The film on the trip to Bolivia is available from the
Touratech-Shop. Together with loads of other adventures, fantastic sceneries and extensive background
information, this DVD makes you want to saddle up
your own enduro and just go. Item No.: 091-0155
www.stadler-bekleidung.de
STADLER GmbH • Am Gewerbepark 7 • 94501 Aidenbach
Tel.: +49 (0)8543 9620-0 • Fax: +49 (0)8543 9620-50
e-mail: [email protected]
NAVIGATION
Brandnew:
GPS NEWS
MONTANA
The Garmin Montana Series
NEWS
The features of the new
Montana series have virtu-
30
ally no limits in terms of usability.
A unit the size of a motorcycle navigator offers full road and outdoor
GPS functionality. Whether for hiking, use in the car, on the motorcycle or on water: at last Garmin
has combined the bene-fits of the
individual applications into a single unit.
With the Montana, the memory for routes, tracks and waypoints,
which is practically standard
for most outdoor products, has
entered the world of road navigation. 200 tracks, 10,000 points,
200 routes and 2000 waypoints
can be stored.
The display, which works both
in vertical and horizontal format,
facilitates easy mounting in any
position on the handlebar of the
motorcycle. Using a RamMount
ball joint adapter adds flexibility.
With its optional CityNavigator maps, the Montana provides
all functions for road navigation as
well as offering additional features
such as lane assist and avoiding
motorways and/or main roads.
The power supply is integrated
in the holding cradle which is available as an accessory. The signal for
audio response is connected both
to the headphones as well as to the
connector on the power cable of the
motorcycle mount. In a car, the integrated loudspeaker in the car mount
(optional) ensures clear directions.
The main menu can be customised. It is also possible to gener-
2 2011
ate different profiles. Depending
on the application, the most used
personal functions are available
immediately.
CustomMaps and BirdsEye
map functions are also supported.
The comfort of paperless geocaching is available for treasure seekers. Despite its size, the Montana
is easy to hold when hiking.
Ambitious hikers can keep a
watchful eye on their heartrate on
the display using the chest strap
accessory and ANT+ technology. The ANT+ technology also
serves for direct and wireless data
exchange between two Montana
units.
If you are out and about without a motorised vehicle, power
supply to the Montana is provided either with the Garmin power block with 2000 mAh or by
three AA batteries/power packs.
A highlight of the power supply is
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used in the same battery compartment without the need
for an adapter or modifications.
The built-in digital
camera (Montana
650 upwards) is extremely useful when
it comes to keeping memories of
those special places
in this world with GPS
signal, each image
N
NEWS
is assigned location coordinates
(geotagging).
Depending on use, the Montana can be fitted with suitable
maps. These include Garmin topographical, marine or road maps.
The top of the range model Montana 650t already includes a
recreational map of Europe, scale
1:100.000.
TwoNav Delta:
Models:
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Montana 650t with digital camera and recreational map of Europe Item No.: 060-0496
Highlights:
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• excellent readability, even at bright sunlight / can be used vertically and horizontally
• uses AA batteries/power packs or power block with 2000 mAh
• suitable for routing with lane assist (with optional CityNavigator map)
• paperless geocaching / waterproof according to IPX7 / with 5 MP digital camera, Montana 650 upwards
• ANT+ technology for wireless data transfer between units
Accessories:
Motorcycle mount with integrated power supply, Item No.: 065-0760
Car mount with active loudspeaker, Item No.: 065-0761
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Anti-reflective and scratchproof protective film for display, Item No.: 065-0398
TwoNav
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CompeGPS now also offers a
special GPS unit For use with
Motorcycles: the TwoNav Delta.
Experienced users are fully aware of how significant the
topic of map availability is for GPS units. Mapping material
suitable for routing (vector maps) have meanwhile become
standard in motorcycle navigators. However, these maps have
a major disadvantage: they say nothing about topography.
Reduced to the bare essentials they give navigation details
right down to the house numbers. But how about scenic roads
or geographical features such as mountains and valleys ?
You need so-called grid maps for detailed terrain representation. These are digital versions of conventional maps such as
the Mair DuMont general map or the topographical maps of
state surveying offices..
The strong point of the TwoNav series GPS units is their
ability of being able to use both grid and vector maps (Teleatlas roadmap included in scope of delivery of the Delta) –
simultaneously.
The latest version of the Touratech QV GPS planning software, which is probably the most powerful tool for processing grid maps, includes a full interface for the TwoNav units.
Routes, tracks, waypoints and, of course, maps can be interPlease contact your local
Touratech distributor for prices
changed. The range of useable grid maps for TTQV 5 is more
than comprehensive, and, if required, can be extended by
self-scanned maps. This comprehensive pool of maps is therefore largely available for use with the TwoNav Delta.
A special feature of the Delta is the capability of planning
and arranging tracks and routes in the map display. Of course,
the display is not quite as comfortable compared with a computer screen due to its size, but on the road this unique function certainly pays handsome dividends.
The application spectrum of the Delta with full road and
offroad navigation, together with the functionality of the TwoNav software and the enormous variety of useable maps,
make this navigation system unique.
Scope of delivery includes the Teleatlas road material for
Western Europe or D/A/CH, as well as a topographical map of
Germany, scale 1:100.000.
TwoNav Delta D/A/CH, Item No.: 060-0485
TwoNav Delta Western Europe, Item No.: 060-0486
Set TwoNav Delta D/A/CH + TTQV5 STD + Top25 D,
Item No.: 060-0487
Set TwoNav Delta Western Europe + TTQV5 STD + Top25 D,
Item No.: 060-0488
NAVIGATION
N
GPS NEWS
SPOT
Spot Hug and Connect
Spot is a satellite-based communications system with worldwide coverage.
Messages can also be sent from locations, without mobile reception. This applies to rural areas inNorth America as well as
regions in faraway countries. Extended functions also allow
tracking, i.e. recreating the travel route via regular signals.
How does this work? The Spot units are equipped with a
GPS receiver which always determines the exact position. A
transmitter module can send the position data to a satellite.
Previously generated messages can also be transmitted this
way. In dire emergencies the traveller can opt for »SOS«. Once
this message is sent, it is immediately relayed to the international emergency centre GEOS, which passes information on the
position to the local competent rescue services.
In less threatening emergencies the »Help« signal is transmitted. Previously determined contact persons receive the message and can initiate the required help.
If everything is fine, a message transmitted via the
»OK« function informs the folks at home that there is no reason to worry.The pre-generated messages and the data of the
recipients are saved in the personal user account on the Spot
homepage. The same applies to route tracking.
Tracking is activated at the push of a button. The unit transmits the position data regularly to the Spot s erver via satellite.
The travel route can then be tracked via an Internet browser
using a previously established link. This link can also be integrated into a homepage to show friends where one currently is.
There are, however, preconceptions as far as communications via satellite go: a­ stronomical prices.
At least for Spot this does not apply. For a monthly fee of
11.50 Euros, the owner of a Spot unit can use the entire range
of services. (99$ - 149$ pear year in the US).
There is a choice of three units:
SPOT 2 – GPS Satellite Messenger:
A small, compact unit which fits into any trouser pocket and
has the potential of becoming a permanent companion. Each
function has its own button and LED’s display the current status.
Spot Connect: This converts a Smartphone like the
iPhone 4 to a satellite communications unit. All one needs to
do is install a free app on the Smartphone, connection to Spot
Connect is via Bluetooth. The telephone is used to enter
messages, transmission is via Connect, – even if there is no
mobile reception at your location.
Spot HUG: Can be installed inconspicuously in a
vehicle or motorcycle. Operation is via the supplied remote control. Position monitoring via GPS is an effective theft control
and allows a vehicle to be tracked. The integrated battery
ensures functioning of the unit even if the vehicle‘s battery is
disconnected..
Spot 2, Item No.: 060-1521
Spot 2 Ram Mount holder set, Item No.: 068-0224
Spot Connect, Item No.: 060-1650
Spot Hug, Item Ni.: 060-1520
32
2 2011
NEWS
Cult object revamped!
ETREX
Garmin Etrex 10, 20 and 30
The eTrex series by Garmin belongs to the most popular
and most sold GPS hand units and
has more or less achieved cult status. Now the navigation specialist
has completely re-engineered these
classics. The result being three different models with a fresh but familiar ­eTrex appearence. The new
eTrex units will be one of the first
systems which can not only process
the GPS signal but also the Galileo
satellite system under construction.
The new eTrex models might
be of special interest to geocachers, – no matter whether can seekers for pleasure, T5 hunters, or power cachers with finds in four digits.
All models now support paperless
geocaching. And the robust housing can handle even the toughest of
adventures.
The least expensive of the
three models, the eTrex 10, is just
the ticket for beginners and minimalists, who only require absolute basics. The grey-scale display
shows waypoints, track courses
as well as one’s own position and
gives reliable information such
as completed distance or speed.
With the eTrex 20, Garmin offers
a very cost-efficient unit with colour
display and map display: as entry
product into the world of navigation with a map on the unit or as
compact back-up unit. The extremely bright and brilliant 5.6 cm dis-
play with a resolution of 128 x
160 pixels can depict all common
Garmin vector maps (Road, Topo,
Marine), and a modern processor
ensures rapid image build-up. Maps
can either be transferred to the
1.7 GB internal memory or entered
via the microSD map slot using a
memory chip.
The top unit of the series, the
eTrex 30, with the same features
as the eTrex 20, offers the following additional functions: a gradientindependent three-axis compass, a
barometric altimeter as well as wireless data transfer between units or
to suitable accessories as long as
these support ANT+ technology.
With this array of functions the eTrex
30 is an inexpensive allrounder.
Garmin eTrex 10, Item No.: 060-0608
Garmin eTrex 20, Item No.: 060-0609
Garmin eTrex 30, Item No.: 060-0610
MAP 62
GPSmap 62:
Update
The successful GPSmap 62 series
has been extended by two new models, the
GPSmap 62 SC and 62STC with integrated
5-mega pixel camera. This lends waypoints a
»Face«. For each picture taken, the coordinates
2 2011
are stored, given GPS reception. This function
is useful, for example, when scouting unknown
routes and areas for new tours or events. The
geocoded photos are important memory aids,
for example, for assigning important waypoints.
GPSmap 62 SC, GPSmap 62 STC.
Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices.
33
Streetline photo shooting
R 1200 R
BMW R 1200 R
Oil cooler guard,
black
34
Item No.: 610-5020
Maritime Alps
Unless stated otherwise, all products are suitable for the 2012 model.
Öhlins shock absorber
Item No.: 610-0008 (front),
Item No.: 610-0009 (rear)
Rear silencer Remus
Hexacone, with ABE
(from 2011)
Item No.: 610-5850-0
Cylinder guard
aluminium (black)
Item No.: 047-0162-0
of motorcycles
Live the fascination
A
t the beginning of September a
Touratech team set off for the border region between Italy and
France. Employees from sales, product
management and management, as
well as photographers and camera
men from all fields had joined the
party, people aged between 20 and
50, from a wide spectrum of backgrounds.
Motorcycling through one of Europe’s
most beautiful regions, experiencing
the uniqueness of each machine. Trying out new products live with no false
floors. Gaining impressions, developing ideas, structuring thoughts into concepts. And the camera is omnipresent.
Documents, focuses, displays.
The team covered 1000 kilometres
and bends galore. Tested the latest
Streetline products, brought back photos and films. As well as unforgettable
impressions of exhilarating bends in
the Maritime Alps.
A.R.
The bikes: The latest models of these bikes, equipped with Touratech
Streetline parts, were all there: BMW K 1300 S, Husqvarna Nuda,
BMW R 1200 R, Triumph Street Triple, BMW 1200 RT.
Jack handle, pull-out
»Sport« foot pegs
Item No.: 610-0027-0
Item No.: 610-0404-0
GPS mounting adapter
with handlebar clamp
Hydraulic clutch
container lid
Pannier system Zega Pro
AND-black 31 litre
Item No.: 610-5410
Item No.: 610-0025 (clutch),
Item No.: 610-0026 (front brake)
Item No.: 610-0610-0
Luggage rack rear
pannier »Touring«
Item No.: 655-1018-0
LED Blinker Arrow
Item No.: 615-1000
35
STREET TRIPLE
TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE
Fog lights
Item No.: 615-4040-0 (left),
Item No.: 615-4045-0 (right)
Pannier system Zega Pro
And-black 31 + 31 litre
Live the fascination
of motorcycles
Item No.: 615-4610
Unless stated otherwise, all products are suitable for the 2012 model.
Tank bag
»New Style Small«
Item No.: 655-1017
Heat protection shields
for original rear
silencer (from 2009)
Chain guard
Triumph Street Triple
675, from 2009
Item No.: 615-4015
Item No.: 615-4030
Maritime Alps
Adjustable brake lever
(from 2009)
Adjustable clutch lever
(from 2007)
Item No.: 615-0700
Item No.: 615-0701
Streetline photo shooting
Sport mudguard
Item No.: 615-4080
Front spoiler,
aluminium (from 2009)
Item No.: 615-4020
Please visit us on the Internet at (www.touratech.com) for up-to-date prices.
Camping: For many people spending the night under open skies is
an integral part of travelling by motorcycle. For us, too. Which is
why we had taken along numerous outdoor products and put them
through their paces thoroughly.
37
TOURATECH PARTNER
ORTEMA
protection
protection
Ortema, based in Markgröningen, Swabia, offers
motorsport enthusiasts and hobby enduro riders a
comprehensive range of protection and prevention
products, as well as training support. The internationally
renown company is also one of the top names for the
rehabilitation of sport injuries.
OO
Text: Andreas Reimar
rthopaedic technology? Sounds
like the aftermath of accidents
and agonisingly long rehab. The Ortema
company in Markgröningen is an excellent
example which demonstrates that orthopaedic technology not only comes into play
after injuries, but also has a major stake in
preventing injuries, so-called sport protection
and prevention.
Founded in 1940 as »Orthopaedic workshop of the Werner’s Childrens’ Hospital «
in Ludwigsburg, the company moved to the
Orthopaedic Clinic Markgröningen (OKM)
in the 1980‘s. In1993, the independent
company »Orthopaedic Technology Markgröningen«, Ortema in short, was finally
The knee brace is customised from a plaster cast of the leg.
Polycentric knee joint guides made of titanium are fitted to
match the joint of the customer precisely. (left).
The Ortema offices directly adjacent to the Orthopaedic
Clinic Markgröningen (right).
38
2 2011
founded. With over 150 employees, Ortema is today active in numerous business
sectors. In addition to orthopaedic technology and the areas of rehabilitation
and medical fitness, Ortema also holds
a leading position in the field of sport
protection.
Sport Protection
Based on sport medical know-how,
Ortema develops solutions which allow
(motor) sport enthusiasts to create their indidivual protective equipment. By defining the six protective areas neck, knee,
shoulder/torso, arm/hand, back/hip and
ankle/foot, Ortema is able to offer a structured programme.
The Sport Protection portfolio presently
includes flexible neck supports for the
cervical spine, as well as elaborate neck
braces made of high performance plastics,
protectors for arms, legs, chest and back,
reinforced kidney belts, protector shorts as
well as braces for elbows and knees, to
mention but a few.
The K-COM knee brace
There can be little doubt, the K-COM
knee brace is the flagship among the sport
protection products. The K-COM brace
supports the knee joint.
This brace is not only used by athletes
with pre-damaged knees. Numerous enduro
and cross riders have discovered the pre-
ventive potential of the K-COM. The knee is
probably the part of the body most prone to
injury during offroad riding The reason is obvious: narrow turns or leaning manoeuvres
at racing speeds make high demands on
the outstretched leg on the inside of a turn.
The slightest mistake or unnoticed bump can
cause major stressing of the knee joint. This
can often lead to overstretching or twisting,
injury to the meniscus, torn ligaments, as well
as damage to the cartilage.
The K-COM brace is fixed to the upper and lower leg with velcro straps. The
titanium and carbon fibre design is fitted
with a polycentric joint with exact alignment
of axes to the knee joint. As the brace can
only be moved in one direction, it protects
the knee joint against lateral and radial
forces. The extension angle can also be
limited to protect against overstretching.
Over 20 years of experience are
incorporated in the K-COM brace. Following continuous development and adaptation
to research in sport medicine, the latest
generation uses high-strength carbon fibre
and low-wear titanium guides.
Made to measure:
the K-COM knee brace
2
3
5
6
Only elaborate customising can guarantee the
perfect function of a brace.
Individual steps:
1. Medical history of the knee joint and defining purpose of use. 2. Plaster cast of the leg, measurement of the
movement axes at the knee joint. 3. Making a positive model of the leg and knee joint. 4. Fitting of titanium guides
encased in carbon fibre tubing to the model. 5. Moulding of carbon fibre brace employing vacuum technology. 6. First
fitting of brace to the leg, check of rotating axes and fit. 7. Practical test of sport-specific movement and assessment of
fit, rotation point, and function of the brace on the athlete.
2 2011
39
Sport Protection
Touratech offers a selection of
Ortema Sport Protection products
in its portfolio.
X-Neck neck brace
Made of high quality foam components. Stabilises the cervical spine
area, also prevents overstretching of
head in crashes.
Item No.: 500-0360
Neck protection system ONB
Protects the cervical spine against
overstretching, both laterally and in
the direction of travel. Material: high
performance plastic. Low weight,
adjustable, large support area on
shoulder blades.
Item No.: 500-0367
Back protector P1-Dynamic
CE-approved protector. Low weight.
Memory foam concept, breathable
mesh fabric, protector shield with air
vents, perfect fit via elastic straps.
Various sizes.
Item No.: 500-0381 ff.
TOURATECH-PARTNER
Performance diagnosis
A recent Ortema business field is medical fitness and includes some interesting offers for motorsport enthusiasts. Not only for
professionals, but in particular for amateurs.
Planning is the basis of success – and this
also applies to training in motorsports. But,
how to develop a sensible course of training
when the initial situation is not yet defined?
This is where the so-called performance
diagnosis comes into play. Using numerous
indicators, the Ortema experts determine
the individual training condition of the person. This is based on a health profile resulting from extensive evaluation by a specialist
in sport medicine and personal consultation. Spiroergonometry provides information
on the so-called anearobic threshold.
Determination of the body mass index
Protector trousers X-Pants LP
Trousers made of breathable fabric
with large protector surface on hips,
thighs, and coccyx. Secure through
tight fit. Protectors hardly show.
Various sizes.
Item No.: 500-0374 ff.
Kidney belt Lumbo-X Enduro
Stabilising and shock-absorbing for
lumbar vertebrae. Prevents overstretching of spinal column.
Breathable fabric. Various sizes.
Item No.: 500-0370 ff.
provides information on the body’s fat mass.
The coordination abilities of the person are
assessed with special exercises. And finally,
the tested person needs to work up a sweat
when stamina and maximum strength are
measured.
All these findings are evaluated with a
special software and outputted with clear
graphics which can also be understood
easily by non-professionals. This forms the
basis of the individual training plan which
can also be developed by the Ortema
specialists. Specific exercises pertaining to
the type of sport are then selected which
exactly meet a person’s deficits.
Networking of experts
One of the major strengths of Ortema is
the high level of integrated business areas.
Highly qualified specialists, including orthopaedic technicians, surgical truss makers,
sport scientists, physiotherapists and ergotherapists, work together hand in hand. This
is further facilitated by their close involvement
in medical treatment and the geographical
proximity to the Orthopaedic Clinic Markgröningen. This cooperation encourages the
transfer of knowledge between these specialists, the doctors in the clinic, as well as
athletes from different sports.
Thus, Ortema can provide comprehensive solutions in the field of prevention – even
after the event.
Thanks to computer-assisted analysis: attractive graphic
representation makes all findings of the performance
diagnosis easy to understand, even for medical non-professionals (left).
X-pert knee brace
Less expensive alternative to K-COM. Low weight and high level of protection:
Material: plastic and stainless steel. Numerous sizes available for left and right
legs. See Webshop for details.
40
ORTEMA
2 2011
TOURENFAHRER
goes iPad
Experience the
multimedia world of
motorcycle travel.
Get the TOURENFAHRER
now on your iPad and enjoy
all the content from the
print issue plus
multimedia package.
Great photos in brilliant
colors, intuitive operation
and navigation
Multimedia:
videos, slide shows
and much more
W
W
.M
OT
OR
From now on in
the App Store on iTunes
Online functions only at availability
of a WiFi network and / or data rate for iPad 3G
CY
CL
TOURING BIKER
W
ERI
D E R .D E
MOTORCYCLE
RIDER
Crash bars stainless steel
BMW R 1200 RT crash bars (all models)
w
for
es
bik
tor
Mo
AT
OUR EC
H
T
Ne
as
Ide
2012
PARTS
H
WIT
Look
forward to the new Toura-
LISH
ENG
tech catalogue – over 1,700 pages with all
Touratech products of the Adventure,
Streetline and Timeless lines and plenty of
new ideas on travel and motorcycles.
To cut down the waiting period we would
like to give you a small taste of what to
expect on the following pages. The Touratech
catalogue 2012 will be available at the end of
January – with more content than ever before
and, of course, free as always!
Information at www.touratech.com
42
**
NEW!
!
GES
0 PA
0
,7
ER1
OV
The refined lines of the new boxer engine were retained in the design
of the best crash bars available. As a result, this beautiful motorcycle looks even
better with our crashbars. Not only is the cylinder head protected but the engine
case stabilised by truss construction with a »predetermined point of inflection«.
A fastening method specially adapted to the lightweight design of the R 1200 GS
transmits forces into the frame and properly employs the structural elements of the
engine case, without increasing the load on the engine screw threads. It would be
a shame to protect the cylinder head covers at the expense of the engine housing.
The cross connecting bar is heavily braced with additional supports that transmit
forces into the main frame in the same manner.
They are made of 25 mm stainless steel, a high quality, refined material that accentuates the quality of the R 1200 RT. The finish is bright stainless steel, but lightly
textured by bead blast, then passivated. It is very easy to install.
The bars are designed to be as narrow and compact as possible. Oil and filter
can be changed without removing the crash bars.
(Item no. 047-0160 - 2005-2009 / 047-0162 from 2010).
047-0104
Crash bar BMW G 650 GS /
F 650 GS »stainless steel«
- Produced specifically for the G 650 GS
- Quick and easy to fit
- Made of high grade stainless steel
Crash bar »stainless steel«
BMW G 650 GS / F 650 GS
300-5160
Crashbar for fairing
»stainless steel«
BMW G 650 GS / F 650 GS
300-5161
NEW: the TOURATECH catalogue with over 1,700 pages!
Crash bar »stainless steel«
Super Ténéré
Pannier System
Triumph Tiger 800XC
Even minor falls can badly damage your
Yamaha Super Tenere tank and fairing.
Repairing or replacing the tank or fairing is
very expensive. Minimise the risk and use
our extremely rugged Touratech crashbar.
The lines and forms of the refined Yamaha
Super Tenere have been used again and
incorporated beautifully into the whole appearance of the motor cycle. In spite of the
fact that they are so good to look at, they are certainly one of the best crash bars
on the market
The crash bars are made of non-rust stainless steel. The XT1200Z really needs
this high-quality, refined material. It is very easy and quick to fit. Most necessary
maintenance work can be done without removing the crash bars.
- 25/18 mm stainless steel tubing
- Fittings included
The anodised version of
the ZEGA Pro doesn‘t just
shine in its fabulous black
look, but also prevents
rubbing inside the case.
The ultra thick, high quality anodised layer offers
very special protection for the surface and helps to prevent discoloration.
046-5160
Aluminium pannier system, premounted.
Delivery schedule of the system:
1 aluminium pannier Zega Pro *And-black* 31 litres, with pre-fitted 18 mm fixing kit
1 aluminium pannier Zega Pro *And-black* 38 litres, with pre-fitted 18 mm fixing kit
1 pannier rack including mounting hardware
Crash bar »stainless steel« KTM
LC8 Adventure 950/990
Even falling off the stand can damage tank
and fairing of the LC 8. Sometimes, a fall
can cause even more damage. To solve this
problem, there are very rugged engine bars
available for the LC 8.
Dimension: total width when fitted - appox. 990 mm
420-5732
370-0320
»Rapid Trap« Adapter
Crash bar »stainless steel« Triumph Tiger 800XC
»engine« and «fairing«
Touratech’s engine crash bar provides optimum protection for the engine’s important side panels.
Its slender design does not affect the lean angle at all and means you can ride
on difficult single trails off-road as well as on-road.
Made from resilient stainless steel, the engine crash bar gleams thanks to its high
quality electropolished finish. It perfectly complements the sporty, aggressive lines
of the Triumph Tiger 800.
420-5155
The aluminium pannier system again has a very robust construction. We have tried
to bring the pannier racks and the panniers as close as possible to the motorcycle.
Numerous tests have already been performed in order to ensure that the entire
development satisfies the required demands.
The rack is made of 18 mm steel tubing and is attached to existing mounting
points. Pillion comfort not restricted in any way.
Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices
Pannier system
420-5160
»Just quickly« take off the Zega case without opening the lid – no longer a problem
with the RAPID TRAP adapter!
With the new RAPID TRAP technology from Touratech, you can remove the whole
pannier quickly and easily without having to open it. Unlock it, turn it, take it off!
Attaching the pannier is even more user-friendly: put it in place, click it, done! The
system can be locked, of course.
The Rapid Trap adapter, which can be operated from the outside, is compatible
with Touratech Zega and Zega Pro cases.
Assembly is as simple as can be. Storage space inside the pannier is not affected.
The special internal mechanism makes it possible to take the panniers off even if
they are open.
This also lets you remove the case in an emergency without keys – for example if
the external mechanism is damaged following a fall or accident.
What’s in the box: Set for one case, with drilling template.
050-0900
ture
n
e
v
d
a
r
made fo
Available as of January 2012. Order your free copy at www.touratech.com
43
Tyre puncture repair kit
Conversions
»Stop&Go - Pocket Tire Plugger«
Fairing »Desierto III«
This revolutionary new device easily installs
mushroom shaped rubber plugs into all tubeless
tires while staying on the wheel. The Plugging device ‚drives‘ the plug into the hole with a turning of
the hex wrench. The plug expands under pressure
to fill the punctured area. A firm pull on the stem
with your pliers seats the mushroom head on the
inner wall allowing no air to escape. This technology insures maximum reliability
while reducing your downtime in any situation.
For tubeless tires only!
Product Contents: Tire Plugging Device, Nozzle, Probe Tool, Reamer/Rasp Tool,
Hex Wrench,15 Mushroom Plugs (5/16‘ diameter shaft x 3/4‘ length stem),
Retractable Razor Knife, Extra Zip Lock Bag, Laminated Instructions, Vinyl Zippered
Pouch (19 x 9 x 2,5 cm), Weight: 375 gr.
Facelift your BMW R1150 GS /
Adventure.
The Desierto 3 fairing was originally
designed for the R1200GS Boxer.
Many years of positive feedback
from our Desierto 3 customers encouraged us to make this fresh and
dynamic look available for our
BMW R1150 GS / Adventure customers.
070-6003
Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices
GS 911 3-Pin Adapter
44
The GS 911 3-pin adapter expands the
functionality of the GS 911 emergency diagnostic tool with its round 10-pin diagnostic
connector so that it can also be used with
the older 3 pin BMW diagnostic connector.
With the adapter, the GS 911 emergency
diagnostic tool can also be used with the
following bikes:
Read out the MA 2.2 engine management
unit and ABS II control unit fault memory here.
Example of the BMW 3-pin diagnostic connector:
030-0085
The toned screen can be completely
adjusted to the rider‘s personal preferences.
The windscreens height, inclination
as well as the distance from the
fairing can be adjusted quick and
efficient with a standard size 10
spanner to suit any situation.
Airflow on both sides of the windscreen minimises turbulences coming from the edge of the screen, practically
eliminating buffering and annoying wind noise.
040-0394
Winter time
Screw-in spikes 1800, pack of 100
Handlebar bracket
»iBracket« for Apple iPhone 4
Form and function unite. In order to do justice
to the design, feel and shape of the iPhone, the
components have been reduced to the bare essentials. The shape and technical components
are designed for maximum stability despite their
delicate execution. UV-resistant silicone rings provide the intelligent 3D closure with the required
tension. The iPhone is positioned in very stable,
protective plastic corners. This precision closure
form, developed to fit the iPhone exactly, integrates the device into the iBracket with no play
at all. All functions of the iPhone remain readily accessible.
Pointer: Using our mounting adapters, this handlebar bracket can be fitted to
almost any motorbike.
065-0435
**
A must for winter rides and adventures on
ice and snow.
The spikes are screwed into the tyres using the screw-in adapter. Depending on
the type of spiking, up to 250 spikes are
needed for a front tyre, and up to 220 for
a rear tyre.
WARNING! Spikes are illegal in Germany. Please enquire about the laws in your
country before using spikes.
655-0001
655-0002
655-0003
NEW: the TOURATECH catalogue with over 1,700 pages!
TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE
Comfort Seat »High End - Actively-Breathing«
Compact tail tidy – Triumph Street Triple 675
The ultimate seat combination for the R1200 GS and it can also be used in modular form. The newly developed HE seat sets the standards in seating comfort. With
this comfortable and actively-breathing seat, you will experience pleasant and
relaxing riding, even on long trips - and you can forget about high temperatures
and humidity!
The seats are made from the highest-grade materials and especially customised
to ergonomic requirements over long distances. Air circulation in the seat area
remains at an absolute optimum thanks to the superlative, actively-breathing seat
design – even on long and hot journeys. Sticky and crumpled underclothing is now
effectively a thing of the past. Besides the use of actively-breathing materials which
considerably improve seat comfort in the long-term, the HE also provides effective
protection against uncomfortable pressure points on your upper thighs. During conception and design, great care was taken to achieve perfect cushioning - and to
ensure that the seams cannot be felt.
The high-strength cushioning protects your posterior - really effectively. The seat
cannot be dented - even after long and hard use. Then there are its contours they‘re
designed to ensure sheer comfort for you, the user.
The pillion seat is designed in such a way that it is almost impossible for your passenger to slide forward when you brake - and this really improves the degree of
comfort for both you and your pillion passenger.
With this seat combination, you can tackle the longest, most challenging and
demanding journeys, whether you‘re riding alone on your machine or not. You can
also order pillion and rider‘s seats individually - both seats can be fitted in combination with the series models and fitted with no problem at all.
Design, material, cushioning and finishing have combined to create truly superlative products which will considerably increase the pleasure you take in riding your
machine - wherever you are... in Africa, South America or on your own home
ground. For all 1200 GS, also 2008!
For a »floating« number plate.
This purist number plate holder is »reduced to the max«, replacing the entire plastic frame.
The number plate appears to float on
the rear of the Street Triple - exactly
as it should do on a sports motorbike!
055-1531 Driverseat standard 51/53 cm
055-1529 Driverseat high54/56 cm
055-1530 Passenger
615-4070
Front spoiler, aluminium
Triumph Street Triple 675
This front spoiler with the stealth look
stops questions before they are asked!
Black anodised, the seriously aggressive spoiler shows the way to go. The
front plate in natural anodised aluminium is bolted on and can be replaced
if striking stones make unsightly dents.
There’s no clearer way of showing
you’re riding the street the way it was
meant to be ridden!
615-4020
Tests in Namibia, Bolivia and Mexico have led to a great increase in comfort in
hot weather.
Streetline tank bag »Daytrip«
Triumph Street Triple 675
The perfect companion for short tours
with manageable space requirements.
The Daytrip will hold all your essential
items on the road. The tank bag unobtrusively blends in with the shape of
the tank and thanks to its flat design is
barely noticeable during the trip.
With a map pocket and comfortable
carrying handle, as you‘d expect. The
Daytrip also doubles up as a rucksack.
Attaches to the tank quickly and easily
with the ingenious attachment kit.
Dimensions (L x W x H): approx. 36 x 23 x 11 cm
Capacity: approx. 9 litres
615-3100
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Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices
Tank bags
46
Tank bag »Blue Edition« BMW F 800 GS
Fresh Design: Touratech’s tank bag »Compañero Edition«
The colour of the »Blue
Edition« tank bag is
matched to the BMW
special model F 800 GS
»Trophy«, and is limited
to 100 pieces. Its basic
volume of approx. 14
litres quickly and easily
expands to approx. 20
litres via an all-round zip.
Plus two side pockets
provide space for your
wallet or papers. A reflective elastic strap on the
back is handy for holding
your gloves during a short stop, for example. Water-repellent zips are used on the main
compartment and both side pockets.
The map pocket (26 x 28 cm) securely attaches to the tank bag using Velcro. Inside the
top cover there is a document compartment with separate credit card pouch and elastic
loops to hold small items like a biro. Two clip-buckles at the front and the Velcro fastener
at the back ensure the tank bag can be quickly attached to your bike and is held
securely.
For off-road use and when fully loaded, the tank bag can also be secured using two
side straps.
A sturdy handle and two rucksack straps (supplied) round out this fully equipped bag.
Colours: blue / white
Made from Teflon-coated CORDURA which is both water-repellent and dirt-resistant.
Made in Germany by KAHEDO.
Size (L x W x H): approx. 30 x 33 x 18/26 cm, capacity: approx. 14/20 litres
Touratech‘s »Compañero Edition« tank bag available for the BMW R
1200 GS / Adventure and the F 800 / F 650 GS the shines out among the
ordinary black tank bag monotony and brings colour into your life. Its fresh design
in the style of Touratech’s Compañero riding suit is a real eye-catcher and perfectly
matches BMW‘s new special edition F 650 GS with its radiant sun yellow colour.
But there is a lot more to it than just good looks: This new tank bag comes with two
additional side bags to provide enough space for storing a purse or documents. A
reflective elastic cord fastened at the back is handy for holding your gloves during
a stop, for example. Water-repellent zips are used on the main compartment and
both side pockets. The map pocket (26 x 28 cm) is securely attached to the tank
bag‘s top by Velcro.
Inside the top cover there is a document compartment with separate credit card
pouch and elastic loops to hold small items like a biro. A strong carrying handle
and two straps for converting the tank bag into a rucksack are also included.
The »Compañero Edition« is made of Teflon-coated CORDURA, thus it is waterrepellent and dirt-resistant. Like all Touratech tang bags it is produced in Germany
by KAHEDO
Colours: black, grey, yellow.
The tank bag
»Compañero Edition«
for the F 800 / F 650 GS
The tank bag can be fixed
with two side straps when
riding off-road or with heavy
load.
Dimensions: (l x w x h):
approx. 30 x 33 x
18/26 cm
048-5805
Tank bag »Blue Edition« BMW R 1200 GS
To match the new colour of the R1200GS
for the year 2012,
we’re offering a limited
edition of just 100 of
our popular tank bag in
the colour combination
blue/grey.
048-5804
The »Compañero Edition« tank bag for the R 1200 GS
With the aid of an all around zip.
Dimensions: (l x w x h): approx. 35 x 26 x 18/25 cm
Details:
- Basic volume: 16 litres
- All-round zip to increase volume: 22 litres
- Colour: blue/grey
- Length x width x height approx. 35 x 26 x 18/25 cm, Weight: approx. 1.3 kg
- Made from Teflon-coated CORDURA which is both waterproof and dirt-resistant
- Made in Germany by KAHEDO.
044-5805
**
044-5804
NEW: the TOURATECH catalogue with over 1,700 pages!
Drinking system
Tank bag »Enduro universal«
This new, universal tank bag for practically all Enduros offers a main compartment
with approx. 18 litre capacity which can be simply expanded to approx. 25 litres
by opening a zip.
For small items to which you need quick access there are zippered outside pockets
on the left and right which, thanks to their improved arrangement prevent accidental actuation of the turn flashers or horn when turning the handlebar.
On the right-hand side is an elastic strap which is handy e.g. for holding your
gloves during a short stop.
The map pocket supplied with the bag measuring 28 x 32 cm is fixed with Velcro
fasteners to the tank bag and can also be used on the base plate without the tank
bag.
The base plate is fastened to the motorbike with straps, and the underside of the
base plate has a thick, non-slip foam rubber layer.
The tank bag proper is fastened to the base plate with a sturdy zip. It can be
quickly and easily removed during refuelling and is easily transported thanks
to the practical handle. Reinforcements
in the side walls keep the bag in shape
even when only partly filled.
The two straps supplied with the bag
also allow it to be used as a rucksack.
Colour: black
Size: (L x W x H): approx. 33 x 27 x
24/34 cm
Compañero hydration
system, with 2 litre
Source reservoir
We’ve created the Touratech Companero hydration
system – the superlative
hydration pack!
This compact hydration pack has just about every
feature you could want:
• 2 litre capacity Source reservoir with integrated bayonet closure.
• layered insulated main pocket keeps cold liquids really cold.
• zip pullers on the main pocket have snap fasteners so they stay done up.
• extra external zip pocket with carabiner clip for keys, etc.
• reflective strips on both sides improve strap visibility in the dark
• two mesh pockets at the sides give you fast access to energy bars, etc.
• mesh shoulder straps and AirStripes back system provide all-round ventilation:
• fully detachable waist strap (up to 127 cm).
This lightweight pack will prepare you for any challenge!
Weight: approx. 400 g (without hydration reservoir)
Colour: silver, black, yellow
Size: 40 x 17 x 5 cm
Material: Hextop 210 d nylon (silver/lemon), Super-Polytex 600 d polyester (black)
070-0180
055-1301
EW
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www.touratech.com
WEB
Discover the best
accessories for your
travel bike
FASTER INFORMATION
BETTER SELECTION
EASIER ORDERING
Available in 5 languages
044-5804
199,90 €
!
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Available as of January 2012. Order your free copy at www.touratech.com
47
!
Practical items
NEW
Laptop bag ZEGA PRO
Where to put a delicate laptop? We
have the perfect answer to this: the
­Ortlieb laptop bag. It fits perfectly inside
the case, and protects the sensitive electronic device against other items of luggage, impacts and blows.
050-0823
050-0824
050-0825
050-0827
10“
13,3“
15,4“
17“
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New, multi-functional soft luggage system
»Touratech Travel Bag«. Available as of January 2012.
More information in our catalogue 2012 or at www.touratech.com
Makes light work of dish washing, peeling
vegetables or just fetching water: The Touratech folding bowl from Ortlieb!
An extremely practical bowl that can be folded and can thus be packed nice and small.
Thanks to the two strong handles, the rectangular bowl is easy to carry even when full.
The rim is reinforced and the square base
ensures stability. The seams are 3D-welded
and the material is watertight thanks to the PVC coating.
Ideal as sink, drinking trough for horses, salad bowl, shopping basket, drinks
cooler and much, much more to make your trip even more fun.
Colour: black, functions: (L x W x H) 28 x 28 x 14 cm, weight: 260 g
070-0029
Ortlieb folding bowl,
green, size 50 litres
VIDEO DVD Schottland
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Set with 2 DVDs.
Approximately 58 minutes plus
bonus materials (German and English) on the second DVD.
The DVD can be played in German, English, French, Italian or
Spanish.
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Ortlieb Touratech folding bowl, black, size 10 litres
091-0193
**
070-0028
Ortlieb first aid kit »Waterproof«
High safety DIN 13167
This kit contains all the essential items for
motorcyclists that are required to meet the
DIN 13167 standard. A roll of self-adhesive
bandage tape, self-adhesive dressing, rolls of
bandage, a first aid blanket, scissors, vinyl
gloves and first aid instructions are included.
Plus the bag leaves enough room for you to
add your own extra items as required. Strong
loops are sewed onto the rear of the bag so you can attach it to your gear and get
to it quickly. A shoulder strap with carabiner clips is also supplied.
070-0027
NEW: the TOURATECH catalogue with over 1,700 pages!
NAVIGATION
You will find prices, more technical details and information at
www.touratech.com / GPS Navigation section.
Garmin ZUMO 660 – motorbike navigation
Garmin takes another leap in Innovation
with the ZUMO 660. Much of the experience gained with the ZUMO series has
been incorporated into this top device.
Deluxe motorbike navigation with the
ZUMO 660 Europe. The Synergy between
motorbike and car navigation is better than
ever before. Lane assistant, views of junctions and 3D buildings are just some of the
highlights offered by the optimised user Interface of the ZUMO 660 Europe.
The focus is on travelling with this clear, sensible route display.
Zumo 210 CE motorcycle navigation
The new Zumo 210 CE impresses with its slim design, long battery life and wide range of functions
that make it a useful companion on motorcycle journeys and day trips. It complements the well-known
series of Garmin Zumo navigation units and can
be regarded as the “little brother” of the tried-andtested Zumo 660. Whether on a spontaneous ride
after work, a Sunday outing through the mountains
or a trip down to Spain – with the Zumo 210 CE you can be sure of pure riding
enjoyment. Map data for central Europe is preinstalled on the Zumo 210 CE.
Thanks to its compact size, the Zumo 210 CE also fits neatly on bikes with limited
handlebar space.
060-0445
060-0422
The all-round talent: Garmin Montana!
Handlebar mount »V2.0« for ZUMO 660
The new ZUMO 660 handlebar mount V2.0 incorporates a lot of expertise – our
developers have incorporated experience from many trips into this innovative product. The ZUMO 660 handlebar mount V2.0 features a new cushioned opening
mechanism, and the V2.0 handlebar mount closes and locks in two separate
steps. The mount closes to hold the ZUMO 660 securely in place, and then the
closure mechanism can be locked. The Garmin base mount with power supply
which comes with the ZUMO 660 is integrated into the Touratech handlebar
mount V2.0.
Information about the illustrations:
ZUMO GPS device and the GARMIN plastic holder shown in the illustrations are
not supplied with the handlebar mount.
*Lockable* motorbike handlebar mount
V2.0, *anodised natural aluminium*
065-0523
*Lockable* motorbike handlebar mount
V2.0 *anodised black*
065-0524
The Garmin Montana closes the gap between
the hand-held outdoor-systems and the motorbike
navigation systems from Garmin. The system offers
the ideal combination for a wide array of different
applications. It can be used for both hiking and
geocaching. Despite its size, it lies comfortably in the hand. With the motorbike
mount with power supply available as an option, it can be securely mounted on
the handlebar. And it you have a boat or ship you can even use it there.
The Montana can be upgraded with the necessary Garmin maps, depending on
the field of application, whether topo, marine or road maps.
INFO: A Touratech handlebar mount for the Garmin Montana
is under preparation.
Garmin Montana 660
Garmin Montana 650
060-0494
060-0495
Garmin Montana 650t
060-0496
with 5-megapixel camera
with 5-megapixel camera and recreation map Europe
Touratech helmet rack
Design meets functionality! The Touratech
helmet rack provides enough space for even
the biggest helmets. The cut-out areas ensure
good ventilation. Ingeniously made from one
piece, it is extremely resilient!
Never lose your keys again! The additional
small shelf safely stores your motorbike keys
where you can find them, plus there‘s space
for gloves. The Touratech helmet rack is also
plenty strong enough to hang your jacket
from, making it a handy coat rack as well.
• made from 1.5 mm stainless steel
• can support up to 10 kg
Dimensions: Helmet shelf: 34 x 30 cm, height:
17 cm. (Helmet and jacket not supplied)
500-0203
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COMPAÑERO Accessories
OUTDOOR
Storm collar system
Rainproof from head to toe
Barefoot shoe Sole Runner »FX-Trainer«, unisex
The storm collar system is made from GoreTex® 3-layer laminate. The inside is lined
with skin-friendly microfibre. Snap fasteners
attach the storm collar to your jacket’s neck.
The storm collar and your jacket collar can
both be done up at the same time
Simulates barefoot feeling!
At the end of a long day‘s
riding, what could be better
than getting out of your boots
and into these flexible shoes,
which adapt to the shape of
the foot like a sock! With the
low packing volume and weighing just 160 g, they‘re not just
for minimalists! The abrasionresistant and extremely tear-resistant, only about 1.2 mm thick outsole creates a
natural feeling of walking, which strengthens the foot muscles and supports the
circulation.
501-3301_3305
Size 1– 5
Compañero crotch strap
501-3310
070-0860_0869
Size 37-46
Undergarments
Zero Extreme Windstopper short sleeve shirt »Men«
Compañero Hood
Rainproof from head to toe
Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices
Hood system for jacket sizes – men
Hood Size 3: 25 48-52 102-106
Hood Size 4: 26-28 54-58 110-118
Hood Size 5: 29-30 60
50
Hood system for jacket sizes – ladies
Hood Size 1: 36-40 76-80
Hood Size 2: 20-22 42-44 84
Hood Size 3: 23-24
Material: GORE-TEX® Pro Shell 3-layer,
Microfleece, colour: black
Craft Zero Extreme Windstopper® consists of a thin,
lightweight and extremely elastic micro-polyester material with Gore Windstopper® panels. The fabric
utilises a combination of two different fibres: Coolmax Extreme® on the inside and Thermolite® hollow
fibres on the outside.
Together they ensure outstanding moisture management and good insulation.
Windstopper® front offers maximum protection with
panels extending well over the shoulders on the back
and around the sides. Features odour-resistant silver
ion technology. Colour: black.
070-1010_1014S-XXL
501-3311_3315
Zero Extreme Windstopper long sleeve shirt »Men«
Braces
Elastic braces with synthetic leather and
snap fasteners.
501-3321_3325
Size 1 – 5
**
Craft Zero Extreme Windstopper® consists of a thin,
lightweight and extremely elastic micro-polyester material with Gore Windstopper® panels. The fabric
utilises a combination of two different fibres: Coolmax Extreme® on the inside and Thermolite® hollow
fibres on the outside.
Together they ensure outstanding moisture management and good insulation.
Windstopper® front offers maximum protection with
panels extending well over the shoulders on the back
and around the sides. Features odour-resistant silver
ion technology. Colour: black
070-1015_1019S-XXL
NEW: the TOURATECH catalogue with over 1,700 pages!
Zero Extreme Windstopper long sleeve shirt »Ladies«
Craft Zero Extreme Windstopper® consists
of a thin, lightweight and extremely elastic
micro-polyester material with Gore Windstopper® panels. The fabric utilises a combination of two different fibres: Coolmax Extreme® on the inside and Thermolite® hollow
fibres on the outside.
Together they ensure outstanding moisture
management and good insulation.
Windstopper® front offers maximum protection with panels extending well over the
shoulders on the back and around the sides.
Features odour-resistant silver ion technology.
Colour: black
070-1000_1004
Craft Zero Extreme Windstopper® consists of a thin, lightweight and extremely elastic micro-polyester material with
Gore Windstopper® panels. The fabric utilises a combination of two different fibres: Coolmax Extreme® on
the inside and Thermolite® hollow fibres on the outside.
Together they ensure outstanding moisture management
and good insulation.
Windstopper® front offers maximum protection with panels extending well over the shoulders on the back and
around the sides. Features odour-resistant silver ion technology. Colour: black
S-XXL
Warmth providers
Heated waistcoat for men/ladies
Heated waistcoat for men/ladies
The non plus ultra for the colder seasons. This plain
waistcoat is simply worn under an all-in-one and
connected to the on-board power supply using the
enclosed connection kit. That‘s all it takes for you to
be wonderfully warm inside your jacket - no matter
how cold it is outside. And you‘ll see that even rides
in sunny but cold winter weather on dry roads can
be wonderful! Special ladies‘ cut for the best fit.
Men LadiesSize
601-0116_0118
XS-XXL
XS-XL
Zero Extreme Windstopper underpants »long«
070-1020_1024
Heated pants
The perfect companion for the heated waistcoat. These pants will help you to cope even
with really low temperatures. If you‘re touring
during the transition period when it can get
surprisingly cold, these pants will make sure
you‘re as comfortable as you want to be.
Protection against excessive cold also helps
you to concentrate better whilst riding. The
pants are plugged into the on-board mains
supply using the enclosed cable.
601-0107XS
601-0100601-0108 S
601-0101601-0109 M
601-0102601-0110 L
601-0103601-0111 XL
601-0104
XXL
601-0105
XXXL
Heated kidney belt
More comfort is hardly possible! The heated
kidney belt is plugged into the on-board power supply using the enclosed kit, and keeps
the sensitive kidney region nice and warm.
This offers protection against back and kidney pain on colder days, and leaves the
area feeling pleasantly warm.
601-0113S-M
601-0114L-XL
SVEVOTEC Thermo Belt with hand warmers
Touring fun for two even in colder temperatures. The Svevotec
Thermo Belt has been specially
designed for riding with a pillion. The belt features heatable
pockets that offer additional
protection against the elements
to stop the pillion’s hands getting cold. The Svevotec belt is worn over the rider’s
jacket. It has a 12 V power connection for heating the pockets and Velcro fastenings that let you adjust it for a custom fit. The outer pockets are positioned so that
the pillion can keep both hands around the rider’s waist. The extra fabric layer
protects your pillion’s hands against the wind, cold and rain. The heatable outer
pockets effectively protect your pillion’s hands against wind chill when riding fast
or in wet and cold conditions. The belt uses the 12 V on-board power supply.
The ingenious design lets the pillion hold on to the rider with their hands in the
pockets and actively enjoy the ride without posing a safety risk.
655-1100_1101 L/XL
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Touratech Streetline
fleece jacket »Sport«
This scratch resistant and dishwater proof
mug is perfect for a relaxed start in the
day. Remember your last motorcycle
tour while having a hot tea or coffee.
Also a nice as gift for good friends.
Dimensions: (ø x H) 80 x 95 mm
Capacity: approx. 0,3 litres
Weight: approx. 380 g
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TOURATECH Travel Mug
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Touratech Iso-Layer
G-Loft™ thermo jacket
070-0182
The first professional pocket umbrella with
a sturdy opening and closing mechanism
Fleece jacket
»Basic Line«
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Women200-1025 – 1027Size S-L
Men 200-1028 – 1032Size M-XXL
T-Shirts
»Touratech Collection«
This is a multi-functional item of clothing for all activities,
offering the highest degree of comfort and all-weather
protection against wind, snow, sun, etc. The Touratech
multi-functional head cloth is made seamlessly from one
piece, is very hard-wearing and shape-retaining. The
high-tech material guarantees long-life and dries out unusually fast.
The wonder of this cloth is hidden in its very versatility - in a jiffy, you can turn it into all kinds of head
coverings, hair or neck scarves, headband, headscarf, keep-you-warms, etc - invent your own style!
Material: 100% Polyester
Weight: 35g
Colour: black with yellow imprint
200-0200
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Multi-functional head cloth »Touratech«
200-0320 – 0324
Size S-XXL
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070-0999
600-0036 – 0040
Size M-XXXL
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What use is it? Well, have you ever tried
closing an umbrella while holding open
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a door? Extra lightweight, extremely
resilient polyester fabric with Teflon®
coating and double seams between
the segments. Incredibly rugged automatic opening/closing mechanism
with hardened profiled aluminium shaft, additional fibreglass
frame components, and anodised aluminium and glass fibre reinforced polyamide; all frame parts are highly flexible, non-rusting and rot proof.
High density rigid EVA foam handle for a snug grip, with built-in compass (as
a design element). Every umbrella comes with a tough nylon sleeve that has a
polyester mesh insert and a loop so you can attach it to your rucksack or belt, plus
an aluminium carabiner clip.
Rigid EVA foam top offers additional protection to the umbrella fabric if you leave
the protective sleeve at home.
This small, practical, lightweight travel umbrella meets the highest standards for
strength and resilience – even under adverse conditions.
Colour: yellow/black, weight: 300 g, size: 58 x 98 cm (packed: 30 x 5 cm)
Available in many
different sizes.
Find more t-shirts at
www.touratech.com/s-h-o-p
NEW: the TOURATECH catalogue with over 1,700 pages!
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WAECO PocketPower SI 102–Converter
from 12V to 230V
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Smart converter for mobile use converts 12
volt battery charge to 230 volts ac.
• lightweight, small and handy
• powers Notebooks and other small
­consumers,Euro socket
• over- and under-voltage protection
• overload and short circuit-proof
• with USB charger cable
Continuous rating: 100 W, 230 V, 50 Hz
USB-rating: 5 V / 0,5 A
Dimensions: 67 x 43 x 125 mm, weight: 280g
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Air compressor Airpower 115
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• y ou can use the Airpower 115 to inflate
motor cycle, bicycle, car and truck tyres.
• connect to cigarette lighter 12 V or accessory socket (standard on BMW‘s)
• with different valve adators
• 11.5 bar
• 900 g
• 135 mm x 100 mm x 65 mm
On all BMWs with (single-wire) CAN-BUS
the following additional accessories are required in order to use the compressor:
On-board socket add-on kit with fuse, 030-0027 or TPS 15 for BMW CAN-BUS
relay switch 15A, 044-0450.
Important: the compressor can easily be operated using the above items without
the CAN-BUS on-board electronics switching off automatically.
070-0289
Helmet cameras
Helmet camera Drift HD Compact with wireless remote control
The new Drift HD Compact helmet camera is the smallest
action camera by Drift Innovation.
The Drift HD is an extremely strong, splash-proof helmet
camera, which has been consistently further developed
to achieve a compact size. And yet it has the proven
38.1mm (1.5”) LCD screen so you can play back footage
right away or line up shots. The remote control (range 5m)
for controlling the basic functions is a standard feature of
the Drift camera.
The camera weighs 119 grams and is supplied with extensive accessories, so you can mount the Drift HD Compact almost anywhere your imagination allows you and
record all your adventures.
An amazing camera at an excellent price. Valued by many specialist professional
users, it is ideal for motorbike trips, motorsports, climbing, outdoor activities and
use in the most extreme conditions.
062-0011
Helmet Camera V.I.O. POV.HD
(with monitor and remote control)
VIO is the world’s
leading maker of helmet cameras, a status underlined by the
POV.HD. An absolute
premium helmet camera when it comes
to ease of use, build
quality and software.
The POV.HD camera head is made to
the highest standards
and houses a new
high-quality Full HD
lens with extended
wide angle. With this camera eye the POV.HD sets new standards in crystal-clear,
razor-sharp video quality.
Features at a glance
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
rugged high-performance Full HD camera head, waterproof to 10 m
camera cable fixed directly onto camera head
outstanding extra wide angle (142°) HD lens with automatic aperture control
excellent image stabilisation and auto white balance
wide range of attachment accessories for maximum stability
latest Da Vinci software from Texas Instruments
ergonomic design for ease of use
base unit with display waterproof to 1 metre
dustproof, shock resistant
As well as the display, the base unit also accommodates other strong, durable
hardware components. A cable links the waterproof casing to the camera head.
Records on SDHC memory cards. Supplied with a 4 GB memory card. Can be
used with up to 32 GB SDHC cards (available separately). Thanks to the display
screen and the new Da Vinci software, it’s easy to check the camera alignment
at any time in the field and instantly play back your recording. Plus you can edit
and process video clips directly on the camera using the supplied Da Vinci software. Operate the camera from up to 3 metres away via the wireless remote control. Independent power source: uses 4 AA batteries (disposable or high power
rechargeable) giving up to 4 hours operating time. With an optional POV 12 V
adapter the system can also be powered directly via your bike’s on-board power
supply.
What’s in the box
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
POV.HD camera head with cable and POV.HD recording unit
remote control
AV cable
USB cable
4 GB memory card
velcro straps and cable ties
magnet for tripod mount
velcro pad for tripod mount
• tripod rod mount
062-0003
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made f
Available as of January 2012. Order your free copy at www.touratech.com
53
Helmet cameras
Helmet camera HD 170 »Stealth«
The new HD170 Stealth helmet camera is
the latest action camera from Drift Innovation.
HD170 is a uniquely compact and extremely robust helmet camera. Features a
38.1 mm (1.5 inch) LCD playback screen
so you can play back footage right away,
or line up shots. A remote control (range
5 m) lets you film what you want to record,
not the boring stuff in between. The camera
weighs 138 grams and is supplied with extensive accessories, so you can mount the
HD170 anywhere your imagination allows you and record all your adventures. An amazing camera for the price! Valued by many specialist professional users, it is ideal for motorbike trips, motorsports, climbing, outdoor activities and use in the most extreme conditions.
Ch
Helmet camera ContourROAM 1080p »Action Camera«
m
rist as
Step into the world of Full High
Definition helmet cameras with
the ContourROAM 1080p helmet
camera.
Twenty20 have created a camera
that incorporates a wealth of experience to facilitate professional
productions and perfect video
postprocessing. Full HD is the future and that’s what you get with
the extremely easy-to-use ContourROAM 1080p. It offers a wide
range of professional settings along with Full HD resolution in a compact format.
The ContourROAM 1080p features extremely good colour balance while its optical system
performs fast aperture selection. Rich colours in its recordings are retained with automatic
compensation for rapid changes in light. The ContourROAM 1080p delivers impressively
sharp, crystal clear images. The lens itself is rotatable and offers both 170° wide angle
settings with Full HD resolution. T he front attachment with lens can be rotated for correction.
Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices
sent
pre
54
062-0012
Find detailed technichal data and further information at www.touratech.com
Helmet Camera Contour + GPS-HD 1080p - full HD
**
We’d love to know what you think
of this issue of Travel Time. Con-
structive criticism helps us to make
a good magazine even better. Please
send your feedback to ramona.
[email protected]
2 thumbs up
062-0010
062-0006
fee
ture
n
e
v
d
a
r
made fo
www.touratech.com
I would like to give 2 thumbs up on the Travel Time
magazine. Very nice addition to Touratech and I hope
it becomes a regular. Thanks for the quality products
and first class videos that you have.
Steve Alvarado
I enjoyed every page
I appreciated a lot your Travel Time magazine that I
brought home from your stand at the BMW Motorrad
Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I really read it with
interest and enjoyed every page. Thanks a lot for your
attention and still congratulations for your passionate
works. P.S. Can TO Mex for movie awards!
Marcello, Italien
Great little magazine
Travel Time is a great little magazine loaded with
great pictures, cool travel articles, and good information. I hope I stay on your mailing list. Keep up the
good work! Jim
Interesting magazine
I just want to congratulate you on a
very interesting magazine. I
enjoyed looking and reading
various articles within.
I think it is a good idea to
TOURATECH
produce the Travel Time as it keeps the Touratech
name fresh throughout the year, with so much advertising available to us (the rider) you can sometime
forget the brand that you trust the most, and I consider Touratech a trust worthy company who makes
a product and then puts a price on it, rather than the
other way around. Good Luck.
Pennsylvania enduro yet alone win one and that is the
same attitude I have toward you adventure riding all
over the world when you guys get into your offroad
(so called) adventures those bikes are so ill equipped
for that its unbelievable.
Party on with those Beemers that brake down and are
a joke in the dirt...
Paul Hepworth
Mike Klementovich, Pennsylvania
Folks that really do ride
Thank you again Touratech! Miserable, cold chilly,
damp, rainy day. What do I awake to but the UPS
truck. I have a package and it not only has my 2011
catalogue, Travel Time Magazine, and just to kill me
info on BMW. Touratech is made up of folks that
really do ride, know their products, and offers the
products that we need to do our Adventure Riding.
Manuf. should be delighted, as we also get to see
bikes that we may not otherwise be exposed to. Makes
me want to leave sooner on my next adventure.
Weather sucks but I sure do have lots of reading, and
probably drueling to do. Thanks for all you have done
for me, and promoting and making parts and equipment available at one place to let us do what we love.
Brilliant Concept
Bob Hughes, via Facebook
I raced Indy Cars for a long time and am now a
spokesperson for various companies. I have an F 800
GS and have quite a few of your products on it, I
really appreciate the quality and technology you bring
to the market, it reminds me very much of the type of
workmanship that goes into Indy Car racing and I like
having that quality on my personal bike. I enjoyed the
Travel Time publication! Good reading, I hope you will
continue with it!
Thanks for great products!
You asked for feedback…
Funny Ramona you asked for feedback… Well here
it goes… If you all think that a BMW is the ultimate
way to travel your very very mistaken... I have ridden
and been around bikes before you were born and
there is not one Beemer including the 450 that
is dirt worthy...When I even evaluated the
450X I wrote to all my riding buddies
that the bike could never even finish a
I thoroughly enjoyed issue 1 (English) of Travel Time.
Not only as a magazine with very interesting articles
and photography, but as a very unique marketing
tool! Even the gear ads for each bike and clothing sections were story-like, and that same excellent quality
photos I have come to expect from Touratech. I think
the whole concept is brilliant, and honestly have
never seen such a fabulous marketing product.
Well done! Thank you.
R. Allen Naille, Flagstaff,
Arizona
Good reading
Johnny Unser
Supporting decisions
I recently purchased Zega Pro panniers for my
R1200GS. The decision whether to get the traditional
Zega or the Zega pros was heavily influenced by the
content of your magazine. Great information!!
Olga Kramar, Houston, Texas
Cool artwork
Good job on the magazine, and cool artwork too!
Paul Michaud, Vancouver,
Kanada
Very enjoyable
Guten tag and thank you for publishing the new Travel
Time magazine. The magazine is very enjoyable!
I particularly enjoyed the article about accessorizing
the F800 GS, as well as the article about your ride
through Scotland with Herbert. I also want to say that
the Touratech branch here in Seattle is absolutely
Fantastic. I‘ve attended presentations by Ted Simon
and Austin Vince there and I deeply appreciate that the
company is promoting all motorcycle travel by such a
wide variety of adventurers. Further, the
customer service offered by the Seattle Touratech
branch is amazingly good. Last weekend, I ordered
the Can2Mex DVD over the long weekend. I then
received it at home one day after my order was
received. In today‘s competitive economy, that
degree of care for customers really shines through! My
wife and I enjoyed Can2Mex very much. All the best to
you, and your company based on helping people live
their dreams!
Don Baldwin, Seattle
We reserve the right to publish reader’s letters in a shortened version. Please note that these comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff.
edb ck
Letters to the editor
Whe
re to
get th
Travel Tim
e ma
e, our fr
gazin
ee custo
a regula
e?
m
er maga
r basis. C
zine, is p
ontact y
you on th
ublished
o
ur local
eir mailin
on
Touratec
g list. Yo
h
booth at
d
e
aler to p
u’ll also
bike sho
ut
find it at
ws.
the Toura
tech
55
CH
E
T
RAK
U
TO TAN
E
TH INK
TH
A MASTER OF
56
W
BM0 GS
0
F8
Touratech’s research and development
team transform the F800GS into an extreme
enduro racer and test it against a field of
450s in the Welsh 12-hour enduro
‘Dawn to Dusk.’
TT
Text: Margit Rowley
he motorcycle that rolled out of Touratech’s
development workshop bore little resemblance
to the fully equipped ‘World Traveler GS’ on which Claudia Hülsmann and her husband Andreas had toured
the former Soviet Republic during their ‘Course
East’ trip. With a solid 30,000 kilometres on
the odometer, the F800GS underwent a
slimming treatment, had a facelift and indulged in the Touratech ‘wellness program’ giving it a slender
design and dirtbike styling. “This motorcycle is like a cat, it
has three lives. Well, actually a cat has nine – but who knows
what we will come up with next,” says raceteam mechanic Lars
Würdemann with a wide grin, which clearly shows how
much fun the project was. Together with Touratech
development engineer Ian Rowley, Lars was
responsible for the conversion, which found
its race debut at the Welsh 12-hour
enduro ‘Dawn to Dusk.’
This builds upon the early days
of the company’s own race team,
when some remarkable victories
were achieved over conventional lightweight enduro competitors with the ‘Oryx extreme,’
which was a complete redesign based on the F 650 GS.
“While Touratech does have a
history of pursuing wild bikebuild ideas, and it’s true that
METAMORPHOSIS
2 2011
THE LATEST FROM DEVELOPMENT
the development team loves to fabricate exotic bikes, the real
mission of a project like this is to develop new technology and
ideas that will result in better products and an enhanced user
experience for our customers.” explains Touratech’s CEO and
Race Team Director, Jochen Schanz.
The demanding conditions found in extreme enduro racing provide a perfect laboratory in-which Touratech products
can be tested and improved. Technology from this project will
shape future products in the Touratech catalog.
Touratech engineers began the project by completely
stripping down the F800GS to determine what could be
eliminated to, save weight? Using knowledge gained over the
last decade of building motorcycles for the Dakar Rally, the
The real mission of a project like this is
to develop new technology and ideas that
will result in better products
team evaluates what’s necesary for off-road racing. They ask
themselves what can be modified to reduce weight, enhance
durability, and improve handling?
An important element for extreme terrain is the suspension
which is why the two-cylinder machine was fitted with an
Öhlins TTX long-travel fork and a custom built shock absorber
by Tractive Suspension – “both are high-end products, there
TOURATECH
is nothing comparable”, explains Lars. The Remus exhaust system was also made specificaly
for this bike, as was the KAHEDO sport seat which
gives the rider more freedom of movement. The front
wheel is modified to a single disc brake and
the rear wheel upgraded from 17 to 18 inches by Haan Wheels. The original body panels were modified by Touratech designer Bart
van den Bogaard, giving the 800 a totally
new look. This is further acheived by changing the fender and adding a light cover and
WRP handlebars to complete the enduro
package.
To ensure that man and machine
go the distance in ‘Dawn til Dusk,’
the 800 was equipped with the
following accessories from the
Touratech range: 15 and 47
tooth sprockets, Uni air filter, folding brake and clutch levers, longdistance footpegs, guards and protection for the radiator, engine and
drive-train.
How did the F800GS do in the
race? Check out the race coverage
story on page 70. Photos: A. Hülsmann, Touratech
“It’s hard to believe these
photos are of the same bike.
The idea was to do something
totally different with the raceteam and convert a touring
motorcycle, into a competitive enduro. Many people will
be surprised how well this has
worked out”, explains raceteam mechanic Lars Würdemann.
2 2011
57
D
L
O
H
Tex
H
C
ATE
R
U K
TO TAN
E
TH INK
TH
S
PEN
SUS N
SIO
D
A
O
R
G
IN
Touratech delivers a game -changer in
suspension technology with a new line of
race-proven, state-of-the-art suspension developed
in partnership with Tractive.
uspension tuning is one of the first steps when customising a motorcycle. The
reasons are simple: mass production suspension units are a result of compromise. Motorcycle manufacturers need to span the entire spectrum of riding
styles and possible uses. Another area of compromise is the balance between
desirable performance and motorcycle unit retail price targets. Price targets typically
win this battle and result in poor suspension performance on most new motorcycles.
Touratech has been a competent partner in suspension tuning for many years.
Our mechanics and developers have been cooperating with the world’s very best
manufacturers of suspension components as well as advising customers about
suspension set-up for many years.
Touratech now goes a step further and infuses its knowledge of customer needs
into a new line of suspension upgrades. To realise the goal of offering premium
suspension components, Touratech needed a technology partner who met two criteria.
Absolute competence in suspension development and manufacturing was a must. But
something else was also important: the partner needed to be motivated and capable
of developing completely new technology.
This combination was found with Tractive Suspension. The company is comprised
of a team of technology specialists working with suspension pioneer Eric Lindeman, who is best known for developing break-through suspension technology like
ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment). The core team at Tractive Suspension came
from the Dutch chassis maker WP and were involved in pioneering new technology,
including ESA 1 and ESA 2 – the electronically adjustable suspension developed for
BMWMotorrad.
Touratech and Tractive Suspension are the dream team for customised suspension
tuningforadventuretouringmotorcycles.Thefoundationof theTractiveproductisit’s fully
modular design. This gives Touratech considerable leeway when designing configurations. The plan is to provide suspension components for the most popular adventure touring motorcycles.
In their standard configuration the ‘Touratech Suspension by Tractive’
will be considerably superior to mass production products in terms of spring travel,
58
a
dre
n
t: A
r
ima
e
sR
2 2011
damping, reliability, weight and will have a wide range of adjustment to customize
the performance.
Two product ranges will accommodate the different requirement levels of
customers. The first product line will offer adjustable pre-load of the spring and
adjustable rebound damping and will be affordably priced. The hi-end line will have
a remote reservoir and variable rebound damping, compression damping for low and
hi-speed ranges and will be highly tunable to meet the needs of performance riding
and more agressive terrain.
Adventure motorcyclists around the world will now have a better option
for improving the performance and handling of their favorite motorcycles with
Touratech suspension by Tractive.
Soft
Skills
A novel luggage system with modular design
creates flexible storage space on sports motorcycles – completely without a luggage rack.
Sport motorcycles, whether enduro or superbike, are getting lighter and lighter. Low weight and
centred mass improve handling and result in positive
riding performance. However, anyone wanting to tour
occasionally, will hardly find any mounting points for a
luggage rack on the superlight tail. To provide some re-
lief here, Touratech has developed a new luggage system
for all vehicles with a small tail – the »Travel Bag«.
This textile piece of luggage makes sports motorcycles fit for
touring without the need for a luggage rack.
The unique aspect of the »Travel Bag« is its modular design. A base plate is used for mounting on the vehicle and is
available in different designs depending on the shape of the
tail. The basic bag is fitted to the base plate with a zipper.
Even this configuration provides storage sufficient for shorter
solo trips. Two side bags can be added via velcro and clip
fasteners for longer tours. For those requiring even more storage space a further bag can be clipped onto the basic bag.
This top bag offers attractive added value – it can be used as
a tank bag on its own.
The accentuated lines of the »Travel Bag« underline the
aerodynamic design and the tapered tail end ensures that the
centre of gravity remains near the rider. The »Travel Bag« look
matches the look of the Touratech Street Line tail and tank bags
of the latest generation perfectly.
A.R.
eas
New Id
bikes
tor
for Mo
SHION
A
F
S
D
I
K
t
r
i
h
S
T
Test are ongoing
Establishing a new brand in the technical
field of motorcycle suspension is a dificult undertaking. Concepts and
ideas may be brilliant, but at the end of the day, what matters is performance at the customer level. This is why the ‘Touratech Suspension
by Tractive’ has been tested by our own racing team throughout the season
under the toughest conditions which are found at races including: Hell’s Gate,
Erzberg, Dawn to Dusk and Romaniacs.
-
Hoodie
Please
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r for pri
tributo
tech dis
Toura
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ALL
ALL
TOURATECH COMPAÑERO
EXPERIENCES
ONE FOR
The Touratech »Compañero« is one of the latest textile
suits on the market, but it has already made many friends. Both among professional riders as
“The Touratech suit is cleverly designed and full of practical features.
Despite the two attachable layers it
fits perfectly and feels like a good
mate for years to come (…)”
Test winner MOTORRAD NEWS, buyer’s guide 4/2011
well as demanding tour riders. And the tests in the trade press also arrive at gratifying positive results.
torcycle
setting mo
d
r
o
c
00 miles,
e
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den: 214,0
W
id
T
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, dis
Lisa Thom
d: 8 years
Simon and
on the roa
e
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adventure
.
ridden: 73
countries
skin!”
y
m
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e
v
a
s
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ñ
“The Compa
land. They
first time in Thai
matters
hts off. To make
its engine and lig
posite a brorked parallel op
pa
s
wa
e
it
th
r
e,
fo
rs
wo
wheel of
pañero suits
d truck. The back
fitted like a good
un
re our new Com
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bo
an
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:
sig
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Sim
ed welldes before I rerating me and
the word go, seem
for three long sli
the way through
m
l
up
al
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ck
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my options had
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pa
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Th
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suit should. Sinc
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uged
rneo, wh
ed to lay the bike
al of my bike go
, Malaysia and Bo
the 4X4. I need
as the BMW met
Cambodia, Laos
up
w
fle
as
bike
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ks
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ar
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sp
, my head
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violently;
ever had which
rmac jolted me
nary vehicle hard
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literally.”
tio
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th
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t
al
st
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m
I
fir
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red to fit
Seconds late
mpañero is the
g specially tailo
the road surface.
Lisa: “The Co
4.
ek
n as well as bein
we
,
tio
in
ec
ot
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pr
ected injuries.
e rear of the 4X
we
d
s,
oa
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inspect my susp
g to rest under th
riding condition
in
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a hard-wearing
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sible damage
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mperatures, the
the adrenalin we
ight, the only vi
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gh
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ok
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e.
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.
m
ro
nt to
heat
pañe
torms
nts and friction/
spected my Com
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rrential thunders
Wearily, I also in
n wear on the pa
out,– and comfo
g and even in to
in
sio
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ry
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ild
ai
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is a patch
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to the entire suit
of the jacket. At
ro always gave
et
ck
po
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ne
an
pa
s
on the rear
other bruise
pt us dry .”
in. No cuts, no
damage to the zip
the outer suit ke
sh
ht
rig
n
le
Kn
ol
sight. The ox
and a sw
two cracked ribs
t a fabric tear in
no
ow
,
sh
le
ab
ar
we
be
e Compañero
suit. Let’s
ll perfectly
l test.
d feel of a new
tiple impacts; th
bly the suit is sti
ul
an
m
va
ok
e
lie
lo
th
be
e
The crucia
ng
th
t
isi
ou
im
lk ab
simply perjob of min
nt question.
all too easy to ta
d done a great
ace. The suit had
e most importa
ha
pl
th
r
in
to
ou
d
er
m
ye
ar
sw
Simon: “It’s
sta
an
d
e
at it ha
to a
know th
had made sure th
Well, I can testify
really wants to
armour pockets
rious accident?
honest, no one
se
a
in
one
asked for more.
er
ve
rid
e
ha
o knows, this is
and protect th
sly: I couldn’t
es
up
wl
ld
fla
ho
ed
it
m someone wh
rm
es
fo
fro
Do
it
ke
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ta
t
er
bu
wh
am
ground,
g that I well
commend,
‘YES”!
ro’s real proving
lometres knowin
Not a test I’d re
ki
ñe
e
pa
or
very resounding
m
m
Co
y
e
an
th
ne
m
up
in a bo
rneo was to be
I’ll be clocking
alt slide ending
row our way!
The island of Bo
tough suit and
long grating asph
a
t,
e!
hi
rld decides to th
ar
or
tm
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aj
e
gh
m
th
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to
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protecte
I asked it
into and under a
d now slick
I and my GS slid
e rain-soaked an
th
of
ul
df
…thanks
jarring impact as
in
m
iddle of
small rise,
m
a
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d
th
te
es
in
cr
x
I
!”
lu
h
Hi
ut
Heading so
that the dark
Touratech
ad with
ro
conds to realise
e
se
th
w
of
fe
a
re
e
nt
m
in the ce
asphalt. It took
zarrely parked
stationary and bi
ct
fa
in
s
wa
ad
the ro
60
2 2011
Nick Sanders, record-breaking extreme motorcyclist
Convincing even under
extreme conditions
- Atacama Desert 48 degrees centi“It‘s possible I have taken Touragrade - yet remained, as advertised,
tech‘s Campanero suit furvery cool. The outer suit is water-proof
ther than anyone else to date
and was necessary in the wet condi- this will change of course - 81 600
tions of Central America where several
kilometres across 15 countries three
centimetres would fall in an hour.
times in a total of 140 days - three
These conditions are extreme and I
times the length of the Americas. The
stayed 100% perfectly dry.
record ride component was 28 counThe suit’s armour safety features
tries 47 000 kilometres in 46 days.
could not be tested thoroughly as
This double record-breaking tranI didn‘t crash, other than in snow on
sit of the Americas is going to be
Tierra del Fuego, but I felt cushioned
verified by the Iron Butt Association of
and suffered no injuries.
America.
The mechanics of the suit were
For me, the suit - or rather the two
good. Firstly, dividing the two suits,
suits - there is an inner and outer suit taking off the outer suit or putting it on
is the most interesting clothing concept
was easy and takes about 3 minutes.
to come into motorcycling since the
Secondly, the buttons and zips are
introduction of Gore-Tex. The inner suit
the best I have ever seen. These metal
contains the armour and was excellent
connecting elements are unbreakable
for the hot climates I passed through
even under severe conditions.
Perhaps for reasons of cost,
Henry Ford, when asked about the
colour of his Model T-Ford said, any
colour was acceptable as long as it
was black. The yellow colour panels
on the suit buck the trend of motorcycle
clothing colouration and are therefore
a welcome change from this mundane
non-colour. Immediately identifiable as
Touratech colours, they do get dirty,
but in context, my triple ride along
the Americas represents 17 years riding for the amount of miles an average
rider rides in a year. So one machine
wash every decade for the more
adventurous, isn‘t bad, and yes, it
washes well!”
Peera
L
Compa ao, Tourat
e
ñero
on his ch distribu
his cu
t
trip t
stome
o Tibe or in Thail
rs:
t, sen
and w
t us t
ho te
sted t
he fo
llowi
ng sta he Tourate
temen
c
“The
t by o h
summ
ne of
e
r
su
Th
Conven
ient to
Use
it is c
e prote
omfor
ction a
nd qua
table
sliding
lity of th
and t
over th
e mate
he AF
e stree
back p
rial on
T is g
t at 80
ocket th
elbows
reat,
k
m
/
h, goo
at prov
becaus
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n
offers g
d
should
d prote
ides th
e it lets
ood m
e
e
rs was
c
s
ti
p
on and
the air
ace fo
ud-dus
great w
r the a
t prote
flow in
n
o
hen I h
damag
ll-weath
ction a
.
ad an
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nd is re
er jack
accide
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et is im
ally ea
n
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s
p
.
sy to w
ressive
The de
ash or
, great
tachab
clean c
design
le
. The o
ompare
uter su
d to oth
love th
it
er bran
is. Co
ds. Rea
nvenie
protecti
lly
nt to u
on wh
s
e
a
nd go
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great a
o
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. The h
nd pro
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tects y
llar is
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t rain
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excepti
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at with
out any
»Touratech redefines the concept of multi-layer suits anew
and thus covers an extremely wide range of climate comfort. Materials and presentation are of very high quality.«
Recommendation TOURENFAHRER, comparison test 3/2011
»First-class«.
Enduro, issue 5/2011
61
TOURATECH COMPAÑERO
EXPERIENCES
Reinha
rd Bus
ch, Eff
and en
ringen
thusia
, passio
stic we
nate m
arer o
o
f the C
ompañe torcycle rid
er
ro suit
:
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nd talent
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while
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enced
o 43 deg
experi4000 k
tures. But th
ilomet
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res of
en this was
hr
a
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nly the beg
hopefully lo
inning of a
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in »your«
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kans
skin. The w
kilometres
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nion with »y
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ea
et
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th
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r,
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ex
our«, or
from 0 deg
tremes ran
y« Compañ
ears of u
action on tw
ged is
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rees and sl
ninterrupte
er
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,
wheels,­so
d
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on the Fe
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ern and se
m
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lbertaung to you,
veral hours
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lk
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nal clothin
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towo / Koso
g
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ve
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lity of the su
st, a suit th
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and clouds
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highest leve
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from
perience fo
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ontenegro.
anaged the
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your boss H
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etres of
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erbert yet,
and adven
tell that p
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eople
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behind with
iserly 100
great consi
,000 with
fu
n
ct
deration to
io
an honest
nality and
650,000
not just go
od looks.”
: C.
Photo
c
F. S
»In our tests at temperatures
between ten and 30 degrees,
the principle of a „suit in a suit“
worked without problems. Also
good, but without protectors,
is to wear the all-weather over
jeans and a pullover on the
way to the office. Protektoren.«
MO, Special edition BMW motor bikes, issue 38
Dirk Sc
häfer,
n
Charley Boorma
d”),
un
Ro
(“Long Way
urnt
ve
ad
TV
British
er and
er, travel writ
ssion for
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t
Well Thought-Out Produc
suit is
h Compañero
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a way
the
product that fits
a well thought-out
iable
rel
ant to and offers
a good suit is me
dry in
s you warm and
protection. It keep
and cool when it
miserable weather
is hot”.
62
photog
rapher
A true f
riend
and mo
torcyc
“In the
le jour
spring
nalist:
o
f
2011 I w
film „C
orked o
oast to
n the
Coast –
and cro
across
my outb
ssed fr
A
f
o
r
reaks o
m Nam
ica“
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f swea
ibia to
r with tw
w
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t remain
o friend
K
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lowed th
a
ed well
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s from F
ared to
e footste
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ra
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n
F
c
my acco
re
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nch frien
we folps of the
Africa.
mpanyds. From
German
I wore
it pays to
20°C a
s in Bla
a brand
take off
nd abov
over tw
ck
n
e
w
th
e outer ja
e
o month
Compañ
s and ro
ero for tectors were up
cket. The
metres,
to the jo
ughly 1
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b
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pite a fe
,000 kil
at all tim
f course
under th
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ow mino
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e Africa
r falls I
ries. In p
p
ro
v
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e
had no
a
sun and
rticular,
itself
the rain
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especia
y perio
gave me
d back p
lly durin
d. Impo
an adde
Compañ
g
rotector
rtant thin
d
fe
ero pro
The pro
eling of
gs first:
ved to
tectors w
safety.
the
be a tru
ere up
never le
times. D
e mate
to the jo
ft me sta
e
s
a
p
n
it
nding in
e a few
b at all
d
injuries.
minor fa
the rain
mained
. It reIn partic
lls I had
u
water-pro
lar, the
no
tector ga
broad b
of, eve
ve me a
during a
ack pro
n
n added
In Germ
torrentia
feeling o
any I we
l rain
f safety.
lasting tw
a
r
th
e
e
very da
Compan
o hours.
y. I defi
ero nea
nitely ap
The sum
rly
trousers
mer jack
preciate
w
h
ic
e
h
the rain
t ta
are easy
was alw
king off
to slip in
ays well
to. Tedio
boots is
us
a thing
ventilate
th
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tu
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f
re
th
it
e
w
on
p
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rs/jacke
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fortable
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eath.”
STAND
STANDsupport
KICK STAND SUPPORT EXTENSION
AT THE READY
Supports for all soils
Information
The Touratech large
side- stand foot is
available for Adventure touring Motorcycles from BMW,
Ducati, KTM, Suzuki
and Yamaha.
Full Produkt Details
on Website
Photos: Andreas Hülsmann
Whe ther sand or forest soil, –
the Touratech large side stand foot
gives the motorcycle a firm stand
on virtually any soil.
Often it´s small things which make
life considerably easier en route.
The large side stand foot happens
to be one of those things. The kick
stand support extension happens to be one of
those things.
The scenario is well known: trying to park
your motorcycle somewhere in terrain, with the
soft soil making stability a problem. The stand
of the support has no purchase on the soft soil.
Looking for a branch or a stone. – if there is
one in the vicinity at all,– is not only cumbersome, but can lead to pretty unbalanced consequences. Heaving the motorcycle back up
is the least of worries, but broken indicators
light´s mirrors can be a real pain.
The Touratech large side stand foot
puts an end to this problem. No matter
whether field, gravel, hard sand or soft
tarmac due to the heat,– the large foot
provides a secure support area for the
motorcycle. Fitting of the plate is easy and
only takes a few minutes. The material used
is stainless steel, for a corrosion-free life of the
support. This simple accessory has proven
itself on dozens of tours, for example, the Eurasia Tour 2011. Whether in the Mongolian
steppes or the marshy soils in Siberia, – the
small stainless steel plate at the base of the
kick stand always provided firm support for
our F 800 GS and G 650 GS Motorcycles.
Conclusion:
The large side stand foot is a
living example of ingenious solutions often being quite simple ones. Every
motorcycle which is used off-road
should have this small accessory as it makes parking
of the motorcycle considerably more comfortable off the tarmac.
A.H.
63
TOURATECH
HUSQVARNA
The best of
both WORLDS
The takeover of Husqvarna by BMW has combined the innovative power
of a global corporation and the passion for motor sport of a highly specialised
niche manufacturer. Two models resulting from this symbiosis are already
part of the Touratech bike pool.
NUDA 900
encounter
R
eincarnated the BMW Fmodel parallel twin is the Husqvarna Nuda 900 with vengeance! For
its sporty sister brand, the engine capacity of the inline engine was beefed up
by a hundred cc’s. That was one of the
easier tasks. Far more profound are the
modifications deep inside the engine.
The crank offset angle was altered
to give the parallel twin entirely new
characteristics. One could be mistaken
for riding a V-engine. Not only acoustically. The change in firing order has
significantly affected the way the engine
unfolds its power.
With its spicy motor and superb
handling, the Nuda was in constant demand at the Touratech Streetline photo
shoot. The winding mountain roads of
64
the Maritime Alps
were the ideal terrain
to really max out this
new interpretation of
a big supermoto. Decelerating the Nuda
is just as exciting as
its acceleration. The
front wheel features
Brembo four-piston
radial calipers. Even
hardest deceleration does not dive the
Sachs upside-down fork with its massive
48 mm inner tubes. A fully adjustable
Öhlins shock absorber provides perfect
grip of the rear wheel.
Everything seems perfect: no doubt.
But there is nothing which cannot be improved on. This is exactly the reason
2 2011
why we fitted a few prototypes of Touratech accessories to the Nuda on our tour
through the Franco-Italion border region,
– and we have come up with quite a few
ideas to enhance fun of the nuda.
Soon in the Web-Shop.
A.R.
TE 449
S
ince the start
of the season,
Touratech Racing
placed its bets on the fourstroke Husqvarna TE 449,
which never failed to perform, even under the toughest conditions. However, to make sure a
bike can stand up to the stress of an extreme enduro and survive falls
and rolls undamaged, the right equipment and good preparation are
essential, – a perfect opportunity for Touratech to test its accessories in
a race environment.
In particular this applies to all protectors, including engine guard,
the Hard Parts for radiators and starters, or the Touratech pinion gear
guard, which has the advantage of having three mounting points instead of two. This additional mounting point to the frame also protects
the engine cowling should the chain snap. Recovery straps are a must
in difficult terrain, as are brake and clutch levers which fold instead of
snapping. “The Husqvarna TE 449 has always worked like a dream
“, said Raceteam mechanic Lars Würdemann looking back at the
extreme events. “Hats off to the lads in our development department.
Anything that can survive such extreme situations will certainly do well
for customers. “
M.R.
Fit for extremes:
the Touratech accessories
for the Raceteam Husqvarnas TE 449
Item number
Handlebar riser 24 mm 01-410-0124-0
Folding brake lever
01-043-0024-0 Folding clutch lever
01-410-0014-0
Touratech hand protectors GD
01-040-6820-0
to 01-040-6824-0* Haan Excel front wheel 01-410-0050-0
Haan Excel rear wheel
01-410-0051-0
WRP handlebar Taper X Oversize
01-043-0056-0
Manifold guard
01-410-5070-0
Engine guard
01-410-5140-0
Hard Part radiator
01-410-5310-0
Hard Part starter 01-410-5311-0
Oil filling screw hex socket
01-410-5230-0
Oil filter lid anodised red
01-410-5575-0
Lid for oil sieve anodised red 01-410-5580-0
Pinion gear guard anodised 01-410-5050-0
Dismantling tool for half shaft front 01-410-5325-0
Dismantling tool for half shaft rear 01-410-0173-0
Recovery straps front 01-410-0129-0
Recovery straps rear 01-410-5385-0
*(black, yellow, blue, red, white)
Photo: Andreas Hülsmann
Handlebar riser
The Touratech Husqvarna TE 449 also handles extrordinary situations.
Pinion gear guard
Please contact your
local Touratech distributor
for prices
Folding
brake lever
Engine guard
65
Erzbe
CH
RATE
U
O
T
powered by
rg Ro
d
RACING
66
2 2011
TOURATECH RACING
SPORT
H
The Erzberg Rodeo and the Red Bull Romaniacs
are some of the most extreme motorsport events in
the world: anyone who manages to pass the finish
line not only knows how to ride, has courage and is
physically fit, but also has a pretty robust motorcycle. Gerhard Forster of the Touratech Racing
Team managed a place under the world’s top ten in
both events with the Husqvarna TE 449.
Gerhard Forster again makes the top ten with the
Touratech Husqvarna TE 449 a
­ t the legendary
­Erzberg
deo
ey
Text: Margit Rowl
Top Ten at the Erzberg
Photos:
Cliff Viz
ir
er, Dr. D
t, Alex S
y
it Rowle
rn, Marg
chönbo
Best four-stroke rider, best Husqvarna pilot, best
German at the legendary Erzberg Rodeo: with his
10th place at the toughest Red Bull Hare Scramble of all times, Gerhard Forster again proved
his world-class status. Like no other race, the
Erzberg Rodeo combines highly demanding
speed sections with extremely difficult technical sections and has attracted participants
and spectators from all over the world since
1995. At this 17th
event, all the top
Gerhard Forster again
names in off-road
makes the top ten
met in Styria to chalwith the Touratech
lenge the “Iron GiHusqvarna TE 449
ant”. 35 awesome
­at the legendary
kilometres with 20
­Erzberg Rodeo.
checkpoints to the
2 2011
Red Bull finish arch, which made even the best Rider´s in the
world find their limitations. Extensive rains made the brutal track
even worse and virtually unridable, resulting in only nine of the
500 riders qualifiying finishing within the time limit of 4 hours.
Only a few minutes behind, Gerhard Forster came in 10th
on the Touratech Husqvarna TE 449, making him the only
other rider to pass the final checkpoint before the finish and
make the rankings, beating such eminent riders such as Darryl
Curtis (14), twice winner of the Roof-of-Africa, or rallye icon
Cyril Despres (15) with his several Dakar wins. British rider
Graham Jarvis, who had dominated the extreme enduro
season, passed the finish line first, but had missed one of the
checkpoints and the race stewards set him back 20 places.
The Polish rider Taddy Blazusiak won for the fifth time in a
row in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 35,000 spectators.
Touratech rider Jens ter Jung finished his first Erzberg Rodeo
in 42nd, – a veritable performance, considering there were
1700 starters from 37 nations.
67
SPORT
Red Bull Romaniacs –
A tough slog with a strong result
The Red Bull Romaniacs 2011 ended for Touratech
Racing with two top ten placings: Gerhard Forster came in 8th
among the professionals and Rolf Epting came in 6th in the
Hobby Single Class. The Touratech Husqvarna TE 449 again
came in as the best four-stroke machine at this international extreme enduro event. The start to the
race, which
68
2 2011
TOURATECH RACING
is probably the toughest extreme enduro rallye in the world,
is always the prologue through the city centre of Sibiu, which
determines the starting order for the first off-road day. Touratech’s top rider, Gerhard Forster, managed to navigate his
Husqvarna TE 449 so skillfully through the
course packed with artificial obstacles, that he came in
fourth and just narrowly missed the podium for professional
riders: His team mate Jens ter Jung made it to 8th place. Rolf
Epting, who battled against 60 competitors from all over the
world in the Hobby Single Class, qualified for the finals
and came in 11th in front of
thousands of spectators.
Gerhard Forster was truly unfortunate on the first
off-road day in the Romanian Carpathians: Gerhard, normally a true master in off-road navigation,
strayed off course and lost
valuable time and positions.
In addition to the navigational challenges and a track just
garnished with “dirty tricks“,
it was the high temperatures
that made it difficult for many
riders this year. The seven-time
German trial champion Jens ter
Jung painfully experienced why
the Romaniacs are regarded as
the toughest enduro rallye in the
world: utterly exhausted, he had
to be taken for medical attention at
the first service point.
In contrast,
Touratech pilot Rolf
Over 1700 starters
Epting had the
from 37 nations wanted
race of his life on
to take on the “Iron
the TE 449. “Just
Giant”. Gerhard Forster
finish, – no matwas the best four-stroke
ter how”, were his
rider.
initial thoughts. To
8th place for Gerhard
Forster among the professionals, 6th place for Rolf
Epting in the Hobby Single
Class, – but the ordeal at
the Red Bull Romaniacs was
well worth it.
RATE
U
O
T
CH
finish a fantastic 6th in the Hobby
Single Class was the reward for a
consistent good performance and admirable willpower, despite some bad spills.
After four hard off-road days in the Romanian Carpathians, Gerhard Forster finished
8th in the professional class in the historic city
centre of Sibiu. Anyone who had made it that
far, had survived a good 600
Red Bu
Roman ll
iacs
gruelling kilometres, stifling
heat and sheer inhuman
exertion as well as ignoring pain and exhaustion. Victory went to British rider Graham Jarvis,
for the second time since
2008.
RACING
2 2011
69
TO
TE
URA CH
dusk
o
t
n
Daw
TOURATECH
R
RACING
ACING
At the end of August, Touratech Racing travelled
to Wales (UK) with heavy equipment: an F 800 GS
conversion was to compete against 154 lb lighter
enduro bike´s at the 10th enduro-race »Dawn to
Dusk« and demonstrate its off-road capabilities,–
an experiment, which attracted a lot of attention
and delivered the “the toughest test possible”
for the F800.
“I believe, they all think I’m nuts”,
laughed Lars Würdemann. And indeed, the bike he was to
navigate through the Welsh forests over the next twelve hours
stood out from the crowd amongst the sports enduros lined up
at the start in the Expert Class. Less ground clearance, definitely more weight, but power in abundance, – not an enviable task
with the endless mudholes, ruts and tricky forest sections which
make this event one of the longest and hardest on the island.
Next to him, Ian Rowley (TT Development) waited impatiently for
the race to start. Together with teammate Rolf Epting, Ian races in the
“2 Rider Expert Class” on the Raceteam Husqvarna TE 449. While the
»Tougher testing is impossible«: the Touratech
F 800 GS conversion defied mudholes, ruts and tricky forest sections in
Wales and passed its test with flying
colours (left). Twelve hours at full pelt:
Touratech - Developer Ian Rowley,
together with his teammate Rolf
Epting, finished third among the
experts on the Touratech Husqvarna
TE 449 (right).
70
2 2011
SPORT
to win 4th place among 170 teams.
And if you add the riders of the 6 and
24-hour races as well, something like
500 riders had ploughed through Walter’s arena during this event.
Alexander Schönborn (TT Marketing), Jan Hagedorn (TT Technical Support) and Peter Kachler (TT Quality
Assurance), with his absolutely stupendous start, gave a repeat performance
of last year’s success: racing as a threeman team in the sports rider class they
defended their third place with one lap
more than in 2010 to gain a place on
the podium. In the overall ranking that
meant 30th position, – quite a feat!
Racing as “lone fighters” over
twelve hours, the Touratech employees
Lothar Teufer, TT Export (Veterans / six
laps) and Cliff Vizer, TT Development
(Clubman Class / ten laps) finished
25th and 22nd, for Cliff this tough
event was his third enduro race ever.
M.R.
SPORT PROTECTION
Xavier Boog ·Photo: Sarah Gutierrez
F 800 GS shoots off in second place,
Ian’s bike won’t start, leaving him to roll
up the field from behind in a breathtaking chase.
As the race progresses, the ruts get
deeper and deeper and more difficult
for Lars on his XXL bike. Not without
consequences either. On the fifth lap
the BMW makes acquaintance with the
forest, the radiator is damaged and replaced soon after to be on the safe side.
After seven laps and 12:06:58 hours
Lars Würdemann arrives a successful ninth in the Expert Single class with
his heavyweight. – Test passed with flying colours!
Meanwhile Ian and Rolf had
worked their way through to third place
with a comfortable lead over their pursuers, when a gear lever snapped during the last lap and cost them valuable
time. Anxious moments passed till Rolf
passed the chequered flag as final
team rider after 18 laps and 12:16:39
hours, – the lead was sufficient and 3rd
place secure! In the overall ranking of
the 12-hour race, the two even manage
TOURATECH RACING
Neck brace developed to meet biomechanical
criteria. Piece min. € 349,-
Knee brace
carbon-fibre.
Piece € 985,-
More on the Touratech F 800 GS
conversion on pages 56/57.
After 12:06:58 hours, Lars Würdemann successfully passed the finish line with his heavyweight (left).
Every reason to be thrilled: Jan Hagedorn (TT Technical Support), Peter Kachler (TT Quality Assurance)
and Alexander Schönborn (TT Marketing) (from
the left) repeated their success of last year and
finished third among the sport riders. At the front:
race organiser Nick Plumb of Touratech UK (below).
CHEST AND
COLLARBONE
PROTECTOR
Piece min. € 245,www.medizintechnik-kroeger.de
Clement Desalle
ORTEMA BASE OST
Protection for even more power
www.ortema.de
r
To
u
L eser
on
f
o
d
n
La
S
R
U
LO
CO
72
2 2011
UTAH/ARIZONA
ADVENTURE
A motorcycle tour through Arizona and Utah is not just an exceptional
riding experience, it is a plethora of colours and shapes, a geological discovery
tour through one of the most natural regions on this planet.
For Andreas Prinz and Susanne Urlichs it was a festival of the senses.
II
Text: Andreas Prinz
Photos: Andreas Prinz, Susanne Urlichs
f you consider that a good 20,000 tourists travel to the
Grand Canyon on a nice day, it is not really surprising
that we approached this wonder of nature with a great deal
of scepticism. And then you see this massive canyon. It comes
up on you so suddenly and unexpectedly, that you nearly fall
into it before seeing it. The Grand
Canyon is overpowering and exceeds anything we had imagined
from films, reports or the fancy highgloss picture postcards we had seen
in the past. In awe we stood at the six
kilometre wide, one and a half kilometre deep and 250 kilometre long
canyon and could hardly believe that
this small grey ribbon winding its way
through the canyon – the Colorado
River had created all this.
For two days we discovered the
emptiness and silence of this gigantic canyon, which seems to absorb
all noise, before saddling our bikes
again, closing our astonished mouths,
and moving on in a north-easterly
direction.
On the way to Page, the countryside gives a taste of what’s to come
2 2011
with its endless plains, abruptly ending plateaus and red cliffs.
Shortly before reaching the town, the Glen Canyon dam dams
up the Colorado River to create the 300 kilometre long Lake
Powell, which looks a bit unreal with its deep blue colour amid
the rough rocky desert.
Page is the starting point for
Antelope Canyon. What looks like
a nondescript gap in a cliff, turns
out to be one of nature’s real masterpieces. Over millions of years, water
and wind have created a 40 metre
deep narrow gorge through the red
sandstone. Especially at midday,
when the steep cliff sides resemble
molten lava, glow in the most brilliant colours ranging from red to
orange to brown, and rays of sunlight
pierce the canyon like arrows – it renders you speechless.
But the narrow canShapes and colours of the
yon also has its danAntelope Canyon are specgers. In 1997 eleven
tacular (top right). The road
tourists were killed in
to desire: on the way to the
a flashflood caused
ascent to the Moki Dugway
by rainfall.
(bottom right)
The floods we
73
r
To
u
L eser
on
ADVENTURE
are now facing are
not quite as dangerous. They have brown
skin, wear mouth masks,
fiddle around with tripods,
and their camera are on overload. The throng of visitors has
become so large today, that we
have no choice but to join the avalanche of tourists from Japan through
the narrow canyon windings. It must
be its uniqueness that lets Antelope
Canyon retain its magic spell.
And like Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley is also located on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Actually the ten dollars for the rundown and dusty camping site
are a bit rich, but the view is priceless. The soft light of the afternoon sun dips the famous mesas into a deep red while we enjoy our tour of the wonderful scenery riding over stony and
partially sandy tracks. Quite the opposite to the many tourists who
have to suffer a guided tour in jeeps. These tours are organised
by the local Navajo Indians and there is no pardon for the
vehicles or the visitors bouncing around in the backs of the pick-
74
UTAH/ARIZONA
ups. Obviously there is no intention of providing a tarmac road,
as the money earned with these tours is good business for the
Reservation. Looking at the grins on the drivers’ faces I can’t
suppress the feeling (which I somehow quite like) that the White
Man is being paid back a bit for the injustices experienced by
the Navajos over the past hundred years.
During the Blue Hour – the last light of the day – we sit outside our tent enjoying a sip of red wine from stainless steel
beakers, view the scenery from our grandstand and thank the
stars for creating something so beautiful.
Is there a better way to start the day than watching the sunrise in Monument Valley? Hardly, and we certainly had not expected things to continue on this grand scale. Even the two
Enduros seemed to be having more fun than usual.
As the mesas became smaller and smaller in our rear view
mirrors we coast along the highway at the obligatory 70 mph
towards southern Utah. Shortly behind Mexican Hat we turned
onto highway 261. And again, the dimensions are awesome.
Under a clear-blue sky with a few cirrus clouds, and the road
straight as an arrow, we pass through the Valley of Gods, a sort
of miniature Monument Valley. Way in front us a foreboding
mesa, it looks as if we are heading for a dead end. My GPS
says the opposite. Typically, I hadn’t bothered to check the
route in advance and couldn’t know that we would be climbing the Moki Dugway in only a few minutes time, a daring
gravel track 335 metres long with one serpentine after another
until you reach the end of the plateau.
The view is so spectacular I have difficulty in concentrating
on the loose bedrock. And even today, the Colorado Plateau
still haunts us with its highlights. Then we moved on to the
National Bridges National Park with its natural stone arches
before reaching Canyonlands National Park.
As far as you can see, nothing but an unbelievable play
of colours. Mile after mile we pass by
deep canyons, bizarre structures, mesas and rugged cliff formations with
bridges, spikes, monoliths and pillars.
Soon after we meet up with an
old acquaintance, Lake Powell. Here,
too, at the northern end, the Colorado
River has forged deep canyons into the
cliffs and I begin to wonder when I will
reach the end of my mental capacities.
The temptation to just stop, sit down forever and simply watch this perpetual
decay of beauty, rather than to continue with our travels, is great. But it is
late and we erect our tent in a pokey
little village called Hanksville, where
even – in true style - the filling station
shop is built into the cliffs.
The next morning we reward ourselves with a »Full American breakfast«. Toast, pancakes, fried eggs, bacon, hash potatoes and never-ending
coffee. Charged with caffeine and
cholesterol after this wanton intake of
nutrient, we saddled our bikes and
started off full of anticipation on another memorable day through Utah.
The engines had hardly had time
to warm up when we came upon the
next landscape full of multi-coloured
mountains, sheer drops, plains and
2 2011
valleys– the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument,
the »Grand Staircase« referring to the escarpment shape. The
rugged terrain with a multitude of rough tracks is an adventure
playground in a class of its own. And if it were not for the
exaggerated prices for outdoor camping permits one had the
impression of being in the Hoggar mountains in
Algeria.
Our tour through Arizona and Utah came to
Dusty sundowner tour
a fitting conclusion at Bryce Canyon. Amazing
through Monument Valshapes, so-called Hoodoos, point skywards like
ley (left). Enjoy a highfingers from the canyon,
fat American breakfast
eroded from limestone
at your peril (top). Plenty
over thousands of years,
of gravel with a view over
and somehow urging
the Valley of the Gods
us to come back one
(centre). At Horseshoe
of these days. Back to
Bend ­the Colorado River
here, where we really
does a near 360 degree
experienced– the big
bend (bottom left). SunAmerican Dream of
rise in Monument Valley
Freedom.
(bottom right)
75
r
To
u
L eser
on
ADVENTURE
Travel information
General:
Arizona and Utah are located in the
southwest of the USA and offer a remarkable variety of scenic highlights. Page on
Lake Powell, the nearby Antelope Canyon as
well as Monument Valley are some of the main
attractions in Arizona. However, the Grand Canyon is and remains the jewel in this state.
Northern Utah offers the great Salt Lake as a main
attraction as well as the snow-covered mountains
of the Wasatch Range, where the Olympic Games
2002 were held. Extremely attractive is the scenery in
southern Utah with the amazing cliff landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, which is
roughly the size of Germany. The region is characterised by five famous national
parks: Archers NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Canyonlands NP, Capital Reef NP and Zion NP.
Utah is nicknamed the »Beehive State«, no doubt a reference to the diligence of the
Mormons.
Camping / accommodation:
The amenities are limited, potable water, outhouse toilets, a fireplace and picnic
tables. Site fees are usually no more than 10 USD. During the main season they are
booked out fairly quickly. Normal camping sites charge between 20 and $30 per
night. In the USA you can find motels virtually everywhere, even in the smallest of
UTAH/ARIZONA
places. Depending on the category, the prices for a double room vary between 40 and
$120. During the main season it pays to book in advance.
Climate/travel season:
Arizona has a desert/semi-desert climate. Depending on the elevation this means hot
summers and relatively mild winters. This is why many Americans and Canadians, the
so-called »Snowbirds«, come here in the winter.
In contrast, the elevated Colorado Plateau has an extreme steppe climate, i.e.
relatively hot summers at 30°C and cold, snowy winters, often at below 0°C. The best
time to travel is from end of April to early October.
Motorcycling:
Although Utah and Arizona are part of the U-shaped tourist route from San
Francisco to LA, they often appear deserted. The highways are well developed and
availability of petrol is always adequate. For those looking for offroad adventures,
the endless tracks of the Grand Staircase National Monument are the real thing.
Travel guides/maps:
There are about as many travel guides and maps of the USA as there are stars at
night over Utah. We found the Lonely Planet »South West USA« very useful. Good
maps – and free of charge – are also provided by the AAA, the American Automobile
Association. Another Resource is the UTAH BACKCOUNTRY DISCOVERY ROUTE
WEBSITE - www.utbdr.com
PA C I F I C O C E A N
CANADA
Awesome view of the
Grand Canyon (top).
Road movie atmosSan
Francisco
phere on Route 66
(bottom).
Los Angeles
USA
New York
NT
MEXICO
IC
O
CE
2 2011
AT L A
76
A
N
WASHINGTON
Hollis, New Hampshire, USA | Photo: SWilliam Kramer
© 2011 NEMO Equipment, Inc.
ADVENTURE ANYWHERE
™
NEMO was founded on a commitment to adventure, to the
fearless pursuit of uncharted paths, in everything from the
equipment we build to the way we run our business. Great
adventures are possible for anyone, anywhere. Possible, that
is, if you bring the will, the imagination, and the right gear.
2 2011
Learn more about
the MOTO™ .
nemoequipment.com
@NEMO_Equipment
nemoadventureanywhere.blogspot.com
facebook.com/nemoequipment
ACCESSORIES
THE
A
ZEGA UNIVERSE
Text: Andreas Reimar
unique universe of accessories has developed around
the robust Touratech aluminium cases of the ­Zega and
Zega Pro product ranges. With these well thought out
products each Zega case can be far more than luggage. The
customised accessories put the Zega case at the centre of a
sophisticated system, providing practical solutions for the
multiple requirements of motorcycle travel.
Odour-intensive materials, such as petrol or oil, can be
transported as outside loads on the Zega. To avoid unnecessary drilling of holes into the valuable case for different holders
of bottles, canisters or first aid sets, Touratech has developed
a universal base plate where the individual holders can simply
be attached by clicking into place.
There is a wide selection of textile bags and nets for transporting additional luggage which can be attached to the lid or
the sides of the Zega. Warm clothing, raingear, or useful sundries are thus always at hand quickly.
Interior fittings leave nothing to be desired, too. From waterproof bags filling the entire case volume to special bags which
make optimal use of the lid, through to special solutions such as
laptop or tool bags, everything has been thought of.
And once you have reached your destination,
the Zega cases make the most of their versatility. A
cushion turns the pannier into a seat, the
Zega-Table turns the aluminium case
into a functional outdoor kitchen.
A number of detailed solutions
can be used to customise the panniers: starting with the carrying
handle, lid locks and integral locks, through to screw-fitted
grommets for customer-specific transport requirements.
Decal sets, reflecting strips and coloured protective plastic
corners make every Zega-Pro unique.
Of course, the Zega Pro Topcases also benefit from
many of the described solutions.
Please contact your local Touratech distributor for prices
Outside net
item No. 050-0212
Base plate
item No. 050-0830
g strips
Reflect2inpcs.)
white (50-0806
0
item No.
Zega Pro Table
item No. 050-0822
78
ZEGA PRO
2 2011
Zega Pro
cases are available
with 31, 38 and 45 litre volumes.
The surface is natural aluminium
or anodised black­or silver. The
Zega Pro Topcases are available
with 25 and ­­­38 litre volumes as
well as with the three described
surfaces.
Cushion
item No. 050-0805
2 integral locks
item No. 050-0872
Bottle holder
item No. 070-0526
Zega Pro Handle
item No. 050-0820
Zega Bag
Pannier lid bag
Petrol Canister holder
item No. 050-0813
item No. 070-0522
Liner bag
Zega Pro Bag
item No. 050-0815
79
UTDOO
OUTDOOR
NEWS
Every year, the »Outdoor« exhibition is held in Friedrichshafen.
We were there and had a good look around. Here is a selection of new or
redesigned products we have already tested. These items are innovative,
useful for outdoors and simply cool.
Eagle Creek Specter Ultralight
Nemo tents
Open view
A matter of pressure
Nemo tents have an »air frame«. A stable air-filled
tube replaces the poles. This so-called Air Supported Technology not only offers weight advantages,
but is also rather good in terms of stability. The taut
tubes can take up to twice the load of conventional
aluminium poles. Setting up the tent is easy: just fix
the four ends of the tent to the ground– and pump
away. As there are no rigid poles, the packed dimensions are small and extremely compact. And there is
no need to fear the tubes bursting. Even at extremely
hot temperatures the internal pressure only reaches a
fraction of the max load. The mechanical resistance
of the textile-jacketed polyurethane tubes has been
80
tested in the wilderness. And for emergencies there is
always a repair kit.
Ideal for tours with light enduros and always when
dimensions and weight play a factor.
Available as tent for one or two persons.
Tent Morpho 1P, Item No.: 070-1501
Tent Morpho 2P, Item No.: 070-1502
Tent Moto 1P, Item No.: 070-1503
The contents of a motorcycle pannier can be organised
just as well in the transparent Specter Ultralight bags by
Eagle Creek as in a rucksack or conventional travelling
bag. The bags are made of water-proof and ultralight
silnylon, and are transparent to allow items to be located quickly. If the bags are not in use they can folded extremely small. Numerous sizes and shapes are available
for packing a variety of accessories.
Details and prices soon on www.touratech.com
Prices and further details will be available soon
on www.touratech.com
Touratech Sleeping Bag Trophy
The dream of adventure
This sleeping bag was specially developed for the BMW
GS-Trophy. Its double sandwich design with G-LOFT filling Carinthia provides optimum insulation. Especially comfortable: the perfect fit of the thermal collar.
Without feeling restrictive, it keeps the warmth where
it belongs. A contoured hood with thermal-seam zipper baffles provides optimal comfort during cold nights.
Comfort zone to +1° Celsius, limit temperature approx. - 5° C, Extreme temperature approx. - 16 °C.
Weight approx. 2010 g. Colour black, printed with large
Touratech logo.
NEWS
OUTDOOR
Soto Muka Stove
Rice Cooker
Does the outdoor world really need another petrol stove? Possibly
yes, if you take a closer look at the Soto Muka Stove, because this
stove, which was developed in Japan, does away with the bad habit
of conventional petrol stoves: tedious pre-heating. All that is required
is applying a little pressure to the container, and the Muka can be lit
instantly,– just like a gas stove. A pressure dial indicates when the
ideal operating pressure has been attained. The flame is also controlled directly with the pump to minimise the risk of burnt fingers.
Another practical aspect is simply emptying the hose via the pump
after cooking, so that no tedious upending of the bottle is required.
The low weight of 160 grammes is another positive aspect, together
the bottle and pump weigh 320 grammes. The optional bottle (700 or
1000 ml) has a wide neck, so if you have a reasonably steady hand
there is no need of a funnel for filling.
Soto Muka Stove (stove with pump), Item No.: 070-0675
Fuel bottle, 700ml, Item No.: 070-0676
Fuel bottle,1000ml, Item No.: 070-0677
Please contact your local
Touratech distributor for prices
MSR Salt and Pepper Shaker
Lifestyle
Laken Thermos Bottle
Salt on top, pepper at the bottom,– or vice versa. The shaker includes
both these most important condiments. The housing is robust and made
from BPA-free plastic. The two lids are water-proof, and an interior
separating wall prevents any mixing of the condiments. The practical
midget weighs in at only 10 grammes.
Item No.: 070-0939
We all need something hot
sometime
This thermos bottle is made by Laken in Spain. The
vacuum in the double-walled stainless steel housing
provides excellent insulation.
Boiling water only cools down to
50° Celsius after 18 hours. The
extra large opening with a screw
cap allows for easy cleaning of the
bottle. The »Soft-Touch« surface offers excellent grip properties. The
Laken Thermo Bottle will take one
litre of hot (or cold) liquid.
Item No.: 070-0079-0
Available in other sizes early 2012. For information see www.touratech.com
Item No.: 070-0800
2 2011
81
OUTDOOR
NEWS
Easton Kilo 2P Tent
Please contact your local
Touratech distributor for prices
UTDOO
Weightwatcher
Nomen est omen for the Kilo 2P tent
which was recently launched by the tradition-rich house of Easton. The portable dwelling weighs just one thousand
grammes on the scales. This potentially
record-breaking low weight is due to
the use of high-tech materials. The two
strut arches are made entirely of carbon
fibre laminate, the tent pegs are made
of light metal. 20 gauge nylon is used
for the tent itself. The yarn is woven
in a ripstop pattern, i.e. any tears are
stopped by the interwoven stronger
fibres which are positioned at regular
intervals. The coating will withstand a
water column of 1500 millimetres. The
somewhat thicker PU-coated tent floor
will even withstand up to 5000 millimetres. With its internal dimensions of
142 x 231 centimetres, the Kilo Tent offers room for two persons. The awning
measures 81 x 145 centimetres, which
keeps the luggage dry.
If you are happy to accept a few
grammes more, Easton offer other tent
models to accommodate up to four persons.
Details and prices soon on www.touratech.com
Leatherman Wave
Adventurer Opti SteriPen
The Wave is the best-selling multitool byLeatherman. And it has been
improved even further. Larger knives, more powerful pliers, a longer wire cutter and a tool lock make the indestructible tool even more
practical for daily use. The stainless steel tool has a small and a large
bit holder. The robust scissors are strong enough to cut textiles, plastics and paper.
Features: long nose pliers, wire cutter, hard wire cutter, knife with
tapered tip, serrated knife, wood saw, scissors, wood/metal file,
diamond-coated file, large and small bit holder, large screwdriver,
ruler (inch/cm), can opener/bottle opener, stripping blade, eyebolt
for safety strap.
Item No.: 070-0226
This water purifier works purely by using light.
Not to make a virtue out of necessity, but for
good reasons. Because that is exactly the way
waterworks make potable water – by utilising UV irradiation. Microbes simply “hate”
short-wave light sources. Bacteria, viruses,
fungi and numerous microorganisms die off
when bombarded with energy-rich irradiation.
What is left behind, – is healthy potable water.
With a single battery charge, the SteriPen can
purify up to 60 litres of water and it takes
Allrounder
82
Light SABER
only 90 seconds for one litre of water. Its low
weight of 103 grammes and dimensions of
155 x 40 x 25 mm make it a useful piece of
equipment for all outdoor activities.
Item No.: 070-0080-0
NEWS
OUTDOOR
Due to excellent cooperation and numerous
customer requests, Touratech have decided to offer
the entire Ortlieb motorcycle range in future.
Ortlieb Tank Bag
Like all Ortlieb products, the tank rucksack is also 100% water-proof. Interior reinforcement
ensures that the luggage retains its shape even at high speeds. The typical Ortlieb roll-down
closure is used for this product, as is a water-proof zipper. On small tours the tank rucksack can
be used as a comfortable backpack. Fixing to the motorcycle is via magnets integrated into the
base plate. There are numerous mounting possibilities via straps for bikes with plastic tanks.
A transparent map pocket rounds off the functional elements.
Item No.: 055-0252
Ortlieb Bags
Ortlieb supply two different types of bags. The
Moto bags offer a volume of 47 litres each. The
bags retain their shape and are easy to fit to all
models without requiring an extra luggage rack
thanks to a system of tension straps and velcro
fasteners. The somewhat slimmer Speedbags are
the perfect solution for enduros or sport bikes
with high exhaust pipes. The fact that both versions are water-proof hardly needs an extra
mention.
Trek & Travel Pocket Soap
Stay clean
This development by Australian outdoor specialist Sea to Summit has revolutionised hygiene while travelling – in a number
of ways. The basic concept is always the same: extremely thin
soap wafers. Together with some water, the dry soap gives a
cleansing foam. Various compositions have been optimised for
use as shaving foam, hand soap, shower gel, shampoo and even
washing detergent.
The packs will fit into any pocket and are even allowed on board
flights as hand luggage. Each soap is pH-neutral, phosphatefree and biologically degradable, – with just a hint of green
tea aroma. The pocket soap puts an end to leaking bottles and
tubes!
Item No.: 070-3011
For further pocket products please see
www.touratech.com
Ortlieb Moto saddle bags (pair),
Item No.: 055-0250
Ortlieb Motorcycle Bag
Ortlieb Moto Speedbags (pair),
Item No.: 055-0251
Next to these highlights, Touratech will be offering you a number of products from the Ortlieb portfolio
in future, for example, the folding bath tub or the folding bowl which is highly popular with campers. The
established first aid kit has been redesigned and now fits the Zega Pro- panniers perfectly. Laptop pockets
in different sizes and numerous other accessories will round off the range.
Often copied yet never beaten. The Ortlieb bike bag is the unsurpassed original. For good
reason: the material mix of PD 600 and nylon textile PS 33 is extremely robust. All seams
are carefully welded, and the roll-down closure is the standard in terms of water-proofing.
The robust carrying handle and a valve to aerate the MOTO bag are practical details. Low
weight and small dimensions are also positive. To differentiate itself from this evergreen
among bags, the latest generation is in black with reflectors and motorcycle tyre profiles.
Moto bag Ortlieb, 35 litres, Item No.: 055-0254
Moto bag Ortlieb, 59 litres, Item No.: 055-0255
83
PORTRAIT
JOE PICHLER
ADVENTURE
ADVENTURE
as a PROFESSION
The Austrian motorcycle traveller
Joe Pichler has enthused his listeners for many years
with captivating live lectures, fascinating multimedia DVD’s
and books. An interview on motorcycle travel as a
profession, the importance of sponsors, and how to take a
good travel photo.
Interview: Andreas Reimar
Travel Time: Joe, what are you working on at
the moment?
Travel Time: How long do you continue with
a single lecture until starting the next project ?
Joe: I am currently sorting out my lecture dates
for the autumn. And as of October I continue
»Trans-Asia.
Joe: I cover a single topic some100 to 120
times, and every two years I try to start on a new
project.
Travel Time: How many lectures do you hold
every year?
Travel Time: Can you still remember your
first ever lecture?
Joe: All in all this adds up to some 70-80.
Joe: Oh sure. I held my first lecture to the public
in 1984 on my circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea. I was pretty nervous, after all, there
were some 30 people in the Ramingstein community hall including the town mayor. But everything
worked a treat. However, I did not think I would
make this my profession at the time..
Travel Time: Give us a rough idea: how
many photos do you go through, when you
return from one of your travels?
Joe: Approximately 10,000 photos and 20 to
30 hours of video material.
Travel Time: How long does it take to prepare a lecture?
Joe: The production of a lecture, DVD and
possibly a book run in parallel. In total I need
some four to five months to have everything completed .
Travel Time: Do you test your lectures in front
of a small audience or do you go for the big
stages right away?
Joe: I usually hold the first lecture near home in
front of an audience of 200-300, and then I
move on the really big events.
84
2 2011
Travel Time: You spent many years lecturing
and writing travel reports for magazines while
still working as a technician. When did you
decide to travel full-time?
Joe: That was in 2002, before my trip from
Salzburg to Peking. Renate had already given
up her »normal« job in 2000 and taken on the
organisation of the lectures. Eventually, the
double stress of a job in the engineering office
and as a lecturer were just too much .– Renate
kept on organising more and more dates. And
once the idea matured, riding a motorcycle from
Salzburg to Peking, I soon decided to make my
professional life a bit more adventurous and
give up my safe job.
Travel Time: Nonetheless you look to some
companies for support. Was it difficult to find
sponsors?
Travel Time: What was the attraction of travelling by motorcycle that even made you give
up your safe job?
Joe: Looking for sponsors was never my main
objective and my travels never depended on
sponsorship. When I plan a new project I contact a few companies and ask whether they
would like to support me. Support is usually
given in form of material, there are no big monies
involved here.
Joe: The freedom of independent movement.
You are faster than a bicycle and not as hemmed
in as in a car. You feel the cold, the heat, the rain,
all real close. And should you run out of road, I
can always load my KTM on a plane or a boat.
Travel Time: Can you give us a brief
rundown of your travel and motorcycling
career?
Joe: The first trip on my own initiative was in
1981 together with a friend, when we toured
southern France in a Ford Fiesta. Two years
later we toured the south of Italy on motorcycles – as I had become the proud owner of a
Suzuki DR 500 since 1982. In 1984 I then
saddled a Yamaha XT 600 Ténéré and toured
the Mediterranean, riding through Egypt, Israel,
Greece, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain and
Portugal.
My dream of great freedom turned reality in
1986 with my world tour. In 1990 I crossed South
America in three months. 1993 took me to East
Africa, 1996 to the Himalayas. The decisive
step to becoming a professional was the »Trans
Sahara« project in 1999 with coverage by Austrian television (ORF) and the national papers.
Reports appeared in several magazines and I
held my first lectures in Germany.
As of 2002 things went in rapid succession.
Nearly every two years I spend four to five
months on the road. Africa, South America and
Asia, again, are the destinations – and thus the
topics of my live film and slide shows.
Travel Time: Is it possible to be a full-time
lecturer or travel author without sponsors?
Joe: Definitely yes. Sponsorship is overrated
by many readers and those attending lectures.
Things worked quite well, even when I had fewer
partners. After all, you control your travel costs.
Travel Time: You are known as an inveterate
KTM rider. Yet KTM took quite some time to
become established in the travel sector. How
did they react to your sponsorship requests?
Joe: My first request in 1986 evoked a friendly
reply, however, the entire budget was required
for motor sports. They sent me a list of dealers
so that I could find where to buy a KTM. The present contacts to KTM were instigated in 1999
via Shell Aus­tria. They provided me with a KTM
620 Adventure in »Shell Advanced Paris Dakar«
design for the »Trans-Sahara« project. After that
things became somewhat easier. And since entering the two-cylinder segment, KTM has supported me on all my travels.
about my concept. Since then Touratech has become an important partner for me.
Travel Time: Your wife Renate not only
organises your lecture dates, she often accompanies you on your travels.
Joe: That is true. Even during my longest travel
in 1986/1987 (13 months through Africa, Asia
and Australia), Renate joined me for three weeks
in Bali. She then handed in her notice and we
spent the remaining three months touring Australia together.
Travel Time: Is the stress of professional
photography a strain on you as a couple on
your joint travels?
Joe: On average our travels last four to five
months, so there is plenty of time to enjoy our travels. Of course, we have our moments, too. For
example, when I struggled through an icy river in
Siberia, only to hear Renate’s dry comment from
behind the video: »Please do it again, the first
take was not that brilliant.«
Travel Time: What made you decide in
favour of KTM?
Joe: For me, a motorcycle is not simply a means
of transport to get from place A to B, I really
enjoy breezing along tracks at speed. Even with
Renate on the pillion seat and a full load of luggage we are often faster than single travellers.
This is why the KTM Adventure with its sporty
chassis is my first choice. I only reach my own
driving limits, never those of the bike.
Travel Time: How did you come into contact
with Touratech?
Joe: Touratech was already manufacturing
accessories for KTM back in 1999. Which is
why Mattighofen referred me to Touratech at
the time for further equipment. Until then I had
always made my own panniers. Although the
people at Niederschach only had a vague idea
of who I was, the team was soon enthusiastic
Personal data
Year of birth: 1960
Profession: technician, presently travel journalist
Place of residence Elixhausen near Salzburg (A)
Interests (other than motorcycle travel):
skiing, mountain biking, mountain hiking, squash,
tennis, photography, good food and drink
Joe Pichler
Pichler
Joe
85
PORTRAIT
Travel Time: And when you are not
accompanied by Renate, – how do you take the
action shots?
Joe: In that case there are no action shots,
only videos. The camera is fixed on the tripod,
adjusted, and then I ride back and forth a few
times until the take is fine.
Travel Time: How come you are so involved
with photography?
Joe: My father was an enthusiastic photographer and gave me a used Minolta for my first
trip.
Travel Time: Have specific photographers
influenced you?
Joe: Over time I have, of course, looked at
the pictures of many photographers, but I can’t
say that any one of them has really influenced
my work I think it is important to do your own
thing and not try to copy the work of successful
photographers.
Travel Time: Have you got any tips for our
readers on how to take good motorcycle and
travel photos ?
Joe: Always have the camera at the ready in
the tank bag.
When taking photos of people, always make
contact first, which is quite easy on a motorcycle. Good landscape or mood photos require a bit more preparation and time. Getting
the right light is extremely important and unfortunately at its best during the early morning or
the evening. While the other guests at camping
JOE PICHLER
sites are still asleep, I am often long up looking
for suitable scenes. And while the other motorcycle travellers enjoy their first cold beer at the
camp, I am probably just scrabbling up the next
dune to take a good picture of the sunset.
You definitely need to experiment with settings
and angles, which is not that much of a problem
in these days of digital photography.
Travel Time: How do you prepare for your
travels?
Joe: The first step is to take bureaucratic
hurdles, such as visas, permits etc. Then I try
to obtain as much background information as
possible on my destination – to find places
which you can’t find in every travel guide. I
seldom plan my route precisely in advance. Too
many different things happen en route which
change your plans. The best information is
always available on the spot. One should be
as flexible as possible and not stick stubbornly
to the travel plan. For the Trans-Asia I had calculated approximately 20,000 kilometres, and
ended up with 27,000.
Travel Time: Do you allow for trends when
selecting your travel destinations?
Joe: No. Then I should have visited Southeast
Asia last year and done Siberia this year.
Travel Time: And finally: your motto for motorcycle travels?
Joe: Just go, better today than tomorrow, and
– very important: every adventure starts at your
doorstep.
In North Africa with the Ténéré in 1986. The »Trans Sahara« trip in 1999 is the first project used intensively for lectures and articles.
Poster for the current lecture series (left to right)
86
Joe Pichler - The travels
1984 around the Mediterranean, 20,000 km, 4 months
1986/87 world trip, 45,000 Kilometer, 13 months
1990 South America, 18,000 km, 3 months
1993 East Africa – sources of the Nile, 10,000 km, 3 months
1996 Himalayas, 10,000 km, 4 months
1999 Trans Sahara, 16,000 km, 4 months
2002 Silk Road, 20,.000 km, 5 months
2003/2004 Tibet, 8,000 km, 2 months
2004/2005 Adventure Africa, 27,000 km, 6 months
2006/2007 South America (north-south),
30,000 km, 6 months
2008 Amazon, 14,000 km, 4 months
2010 Trans Asia, 27,.000 km, 5 months
Joe Pichler - current
From early October until spring next year
Joe’s current lecture »Trans-Asa« can be
attended at numerous venues in Germany
and Austria. Current dates and information at
http://josef-pichler.at
Books / DVD‘s by Joe Pichler at Touratech:
DVD Transasia (from autumn 2011)
DVD Amazon: Item No.: 091-0189-0
Book Amazon: Item No.: 090-0286-0
DVD South America. Item No.: 091-0190-0
SHOPS
TOURATECH
Photos: Tour
atech
BASE
Adventure
Touratech UK
A
fter being established for over 10 years, Touratech UK have grown to inhabit a purpose built showroom and distribution centre in the famous Brecon
Beacons National Park.
Touratech UK very often welcomes riders from not only all over the UK and
Europe – but from even the USA and Australia as they stop off on their world travels.
It is also known as one of the best places to call in for advice and help regarding travel plans – wherever you plan to ride. Owner Nick Plumb is regarded as an excellent
source of riding advice for people going to the deserts of the world, as he has competed in four Dakar rallies and was formerly an instructor with the BMW off-roadskills school in Wales. Manager Craig Whitney is a former Motorcycle Tour guide,
others among the six staff members have many years of experience in travel and
also (of course) the best parts and equipment to use to make your trip safe, comfortable and enjoyable.
Of course every year they hold a big travel event, with presentations from
travellers, ride-outs on and off road, and other attractions like stunt riding, other
special equipment, activities etc. to keep customers busy all weekend. From October
2011 they have scheduled a regular “Big Bike Safari”, on the small and very picturesque roads and trails nearby.
All these attractions, not forgetting a great coffee shop where customers can
enjoy a cappuccino while they relax, chat and browse through the catalogue, make
Touratech in the UK a true destination for adventure travellers.
www.touratech.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 1639 841765
Outpost
T
USA
ouratech USA has been serving adventure touring motorcyclists for over ten
years. We have the largest selection of motorcycle adventure touring products
in the world. Our expert staff will help you prepare yourself and the motorcycle
for your next adventure.
Our Touratech store is located at 4021 Airport Way South Seattle, WA 98108 and
is open Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 5:30 pm. We invite you to stop in for a
visit next time you are passing through. We also have many weekend riding events,
evening presentations, workshops and customer gatherings. Check out our upcoming
events at www.touratech-usa.com/adventure/events
We have thousands of products in stock and can help you determine
the right solution whether it’s motorcycle luggage, GPS units with locking
mounts, motorcycle protection like engine guards, skid plates, crash bars,
hand guards, or lighting accessories, or comfort items like bar risers and
low, standard and high touring seats, Gore-Tex riding gear that’s guaranteed to keep you dry and more. Take a look at the full product range in
our new 1,728 page catalog or online store at
www.touratech-usa.com
Call toll free 1 (800) 491-2926 or local
(206) 323-2349
2 2011
87
TOURATECH LONG DISTANCE CONVERSION
BMW G 650 GS
READY
for the
Luggage rack
Zega Pro:
base plate:
Item No. 050-0830
and holder with Ortlieb
additional bag size L:
Item No. 050-0842
As part of their “Eurasia Project“, Claudia and Andreas Hülsmann
covered a distance of 25,000 kilometres. Most of the route took them
over demanding tracks through Sibiria and Mongolia.
Part of the team: a BMW G 650 GS.
Text: Andreas Hülsmann
“Why not”? This was the motto given by
BMW to the new G 650 GS to underline its
purpose as an “Allrounder”. Among motorcyclists the Bavarian single is regarded as
being more of an entry level model. On their
Eurasia tour, Claudia Hülsmann demonstrated
that one can most certainly conquer the whole
wide world with the G 650.
However, the single cylinder machine does
need to be pepped up a bit for really demanding ventures. Touratech has developed a wide
array of accessories for long distance use of
the G 650 GS. The most important modification in terms of cross-country capabilities was
the conversion to spoked wheels (front from
19’’ to 21’’). Of course, a luggage system
suitable for off-road use and a robust engine
guard were also required. To provide greater comfort on long distances, the long distance foot pegs and the windscreen adjuster
for the original windscreen were added. And
there are plenty more accessories to increase
safety or just to make life more pleasant when
travelling by motorcycle. We can certainly sign
off on that after our 25,000 kilometres on the
Eurasia tour.
For prices: see Web Site
88
Luggage rack
Item No.
300-5450
Zega Pro pannier system:
Pannier, 2 Zega Pro 38 l
Item No. 300-5711
Holder for fuel canister (incl.
lashing straps) / canister 3l:
Item No. 050-0859
Item No. 070-0573 Holder for oil canister (incl.
lashing straps) / canister 2l (oil)
Item No. 050-0858
Item No. 070-0520 Hand guards with
handlebar risers:
Photos: Andreas Hülsmann
Item No. 300-5650
Windscreen adjuster
for original windscreen:
Item No. 300-533o
Headlight guard:
Item No. 300-5095 Set of spoked wheels,
21/19 inch
See Online-Shop
www.touratech.com
Crash bar
for cowling
Item No.
300-5161
Long distance foot pegs
Item No.
041-0626
Aluminium engine guard:
Item No. 300-5135 89
90
2 2011
BLACK FOREST
ON-ROAD
with the Canucks!
text: Jon Bentman, photos: Ramona Schwarz
2 2011
91
2 2011
BLACK FOREST
ON-ROAD
From left to right: The pre-ride team shot with Ramona already displaying her leadership style. Brian on a private
tour of the Touratech factory (gnomes out of shot), sorry, Brian checking out the inside of a giant cuckoo clock. Dominique
and Ramona get jiggy in their Campanero suits.
93
ON-ROAD
BLACK FOREST
Main: Relaxing in the 500-year-old ‚Ritterhof‘ – the timber paneling was amazing. From left to right: The tourists loved the empty
sweeping back roads. The team do a take on The Beatles album cover ‘Please please me’. Dominique and Sofia leaving the Ritterhof.
94
2 2011
95
From left to right: Herbert snapped this one of the team spinning yarns around
the Schwarz’s campfire. The rains came but the Canucks didn’t mind – why is it that rain makes us reflect?
96
BLACK FOREST
TT
ON-ROAD
We all know motorcycling is an international family but that doesn’t diminish
the joy every time we come together. Given two days to explore the Black Forest this
team of two Canadians, two Canadian-Portuguese, a German and a Brit
found a unique harmony in time, place and company.
he team are relaxing in the grass beside the 500-yearold lodge. Brian is lying down, eyes closed, his head
resting in Conchita’s caring arms, enjoying the warmth that is
created by the pool of dappled sunlight that’s playing over his
face. Dominique and Sofia are similarly relaxed, nearly as recumbent, talking gently, quietly, still very much admiring this incredible wooden building that is so identifiably an icon of the
Black Forest region. Behind them are parked their touring motorcycles, doubling as clothes horses as they hang with discarded
clothing and helmets. There is almost no sound. Maybe you
can catch the whisper of the light breeze in the tall grasses, the
occasional chime of a distant cow bell.
We’re not sure if you could appreciate the same sense
of tranquility by any other means. We’ll not claim exclusive
access, but it helps to have ridden the motorcycle, worked with
its weight, its power – explored the whole kinetic equation – so
as to arrive at this level of appreciation. To have experienced
the pressure of the airflow over your torso, to have smelled the
variations in subtle floral scents hanging in the breeze, to have
felt the sensual wash as the air runs hot then cool as you ride
from the sunlight on the plains into the shadows of the forest. It
is only after you have fully engaged all this movement, have
danced to this eternal rhythm of the elements, that you can fully
appreciate this not-moving. To know this tranquility.
History
All this is a long long way from
the BMW GS Trophy competition
held in South Africa last November. Brian and Dominique were
a part of that, two of the three-
2 2011
man Canadian team. The GS Trophy was a rumbustious romp
across African lands: long frenetic days, typified by high speed
dashes down sandy and dusty tracks, interspersed with intense
special tests, some physical, some mental, some with bike,
some without. Eight days of living and breathing Africa from the
highly energised viewpoint of the saddle of a BMW F800GS.
Team Canada had been totally immersed in the competition. They hadn’t won, they hadn’t died trying, but – like everyone connected with the event – they’d lived every minute. And
their experience, their stories, show in remarkable clarity how
our world – particularly how we communicate with each other
– has changed so much in recent years.
While Dominique, Brian and their third team member Patrick
(Horan) were battling their way through deep sands, dodging
elephants, lions and such, back home their wives, families and
communities joined them for every mile of the journey.
“First off, whenever you’re involved with motorcycle events
there are always things that can happen, so you always hope
for the best,” explains Sofia. “But with the GS Trophy, despite
being half a world away we also felt we were right with them.
It was exciting following it on the internet; when the news updates would come through it was like a race between my
friends and family to get to the news first.
“I would hear from Conchita many times a day. She’s
thousands of kilometres west of me but we became friends
on Facebook and so we’d be sending each other messages,
copying to each other the reports, links and videos. It was like a
big family. Even the kids were mailing their friends letting all of
their contacts know about Dad’s adventure.
“My students were really excited that my husband was in
the GS Trophy,” recalls high school teacher Conchita. “So it
97
ON-ROAD
was really cool to watch them following his progress on a map:
‘where’s Brian right now?’”
Sofia: “When they had left (for South Africa) I was worried
no one would look for them, no one would follow their progress, and so they wouldn’t push. So through Facebook we had
Conchita, my mother-in-law, friends, literally a whole bunch of
people all hooked up so that they would follow and disseminate
what was happening.
“Dominique’s mum was even calling the radio stations, explaining how her son was in the GS Trophy and asking people
to vote in the photography competitions that were a part of it.”
When Team Canada amassed in excess of 20,000 votes
for their final photo entry it was quite clear their message had
reached far and wide. And as it transpired neither Sofia nor
Conchita, nor the whole of Canada, needed to worry whether
these sons of the Maple Leaf were ‘pushing’. In fact they
ultimately pushed too hard. On day four the entire Canadian
team – including their ‘embed’ journalist Costas Mouzouris –
crashed hard while pushing. Brian suffered a 120km/h crash
on the highway. The other three all took hard hits in the deep
sand section called ‘Mission Ponta’. Brian was bruised black
and blue, Dominique dislocated his collarbone, Patrick aggravated an old knee injury and Costa suffered a concussion. Remarkably they all finished the day, Brian – like a MotoGP rider
– by now on his ‘number two’ bike. After this misadventure they
were known always as the Canadian Cockroaches. Nothing
could crush them.
After the event, Brian and Dominique had both asked
to buy their GS Trophy bikes. And it was through this
they made the connection to the Black Forest, travelling to southern Germany in May this year to
collect them. They promptly rode the bikes in
Germany’s two-day 2011 GS Challenge,
for fun. They had no issues with the riding,
but following the event’s all-German instructions proved a major hurdle, as was
following the course without a satellite
navigation system! Having kitted up both
bikes with Touratech panniers they explained the bikes will stay in Europe for the
foreseeable future as they fully intend to
return for regular touring holidays.
98
2 2011
BLACK FOREST
Into the Forest
The F800GSs were parked for this tour, though. Instead
three fully Touratech-equipped tourers were on hand for the
Canadian couples to sample: a Ducati Multistrada 1200, a
Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 and a Honda CBF1000. The
plan was as close to Ramona Schwarz’s preferred concept of
‘no plan‘ as is comfortable given a desire to do something constructive. The intention was to do no more than kick back and
enjoy a good ride – no pressures, no logistics. Just relax, enjoy
the bikes, enjoy the location. However, the real reason for the
‘no plan‘ was later revealed –
ada 1200
Ducati Multistr
What is it?
thin, no end of trick
WSB bred engine wi
a
’s
ere
Th
.
rer
tou
all-new concept,
Ducati’s all new
it’s heralded as an
d
an
g,
nin
or
ad
g
kit and funky stylin
.
flashy sports tourer
but it’s essentially a
said:
What the riders growing experience, it took me a few
cati was a
push it a lot it
Dominique: The Du
d actually when you
An
it.
for
l
fee
the
t
turns is always
hours to really ge
fun. And exiting the
re
mo
d
an
ng
sti
irks,
becomes more intere
ce. But it’s got its qu
e you get so much jui
us
ca
be
ti
ca
it
t
Du
bu
r
the
we
cool on
s tons of po
Brian: The Ducati ha
..
ff.
stu
d
it
an
ht,
ns
tto
aig
all the bu
stand up str
ns – it just wants to
tur
the
o
int
lay
to
it.
e
to rid
doesn’t want
uggle to learn how
stay up, it’s a real str
grettably)
(re
t
really just wants to
bu
like a mule
w, the engine kicks
wo
ks
loo
It
n:
e on bells
on
tha
na
erd
Jo
but perhaps ov
well. Comfortable,
as
e
on
e
lik
les
nd
it ha
and whistles.
Ramona doesn’t actually know the area that well! Indeed, Ramona and Herbert (and family) might live in the Black Forest,
but for riding they go overseas, to far away continents. And in
her defence Ramona pleads she’s only lived in the region for
five years. But this not knowing your own back yard is a consistent position the world over. Adventure is after all ‘out there’,
not ‘right here’.
So, as you can imagine, Ramona, as the group’s travelling
photographer, was as much fascinated by the disco-
The Good
The
veries that unfolded as were the ‘tourists’. Riding back roads,
avoiding towns (really not that difficult in the 12,000 sq km
Black Forest), and enjoying the warmth of the late Spring, this
was a great time to be motorcycle touring. Especially when
time, distance, even destination didn’t matter.
Immediately it was apparent the rapport these two couple
have. This despite not being lifelong friends. They were in fact
brought together by the
Bad
And The
Ugly
consensus wasn’t
e. The good, by some
tiv
ec
rsp
pe
n’s
lio
pil
a rider and
es here, both from
or ugly.
ate these three bik
alu
ev
to
nsidered either bad
ce
an
ch
be
eat
se bikes could co
the
of
ne
no
t
We had a gr
Bu
).
ventures
swear by their GS Ad
here (the Canadians
d go. Almost mate bike, just get on an
om
es
Aw
n:
tha
na
Jo
en pushed.
it was nice.
id:
sa
d), handles great wh
ns
ve
io
rev
n
ll
he
pi
(w
e
go
th
for
What
ches the Ducati
’ though.
position was
so sure about ‘love
Conchita: The seating
al easy to like. Not
Re
’t
sn
ride wa
said:
okay, it’s just that the
What the pillions rd, I didn’t like it, the other two I was
r
ste
fa
ing
go
en
ha
wh
s
d
n wa
s
smooth at all an
Sofia: The suspensio
ing, too sporty. It wa
t so much to my lik
ration, it was
no
vib
s
of
wa
lot
ion
a
s
sit
po
wa
n
e
ca
re
the
fine with. Th
e, so nice you
y the smoothest rid
ugh. Conchita: Easil
tho
really bad.
th,
oo
sm
the seated
ed the panniers and
Ducati even it was
p. But my legs touch
that’s
Sofia: I enjoyed the
na
a
ve
ha
to lean forward and
had no knee pain
mfortable, so I have
co
ry
ve
t
no
is
a bit more sporty. I
ion
posit
bike. And I can
e no grab handles...
after a full day on the
tiring, and there ar
r.
he
hig
bit
a
is
at
se
see better on it, the
an
it, you have to make
ha Ténéré 1200
a
m
a
Y
I kind of got used to
n,
tio
ra
a
s
vib
a
wa
s
it
wa
es
There
ck, but in those curv
What is it?
very tight in the ba
at’s it really.
adjustment, and its
th.
BMW’s R1200GS. Th
for
d
to
an
er
ck
sw
ba
an
g
’s
din
ha
sli
ma
Ya
I wasn’t
good thing because
said:
What the riders d kind of similar to the GS, but it feels a
e bike an
Dominique: Its a nic
And even though
e, it’s a little heavy.
Honda CBF 1000
ac
sp
of
lot
a
’s
ere
said:
think it matches
bit longer. Th
zy about it. I don’t
cra
engine from a
an
What is it?
0%
th
What the pillions it was pretty
10
t
Wi
no
rs.
I’m
tou
d
d
ne
an
e.
sig
es
nic
de
rid
ry
ll
t
ve
or
we
sp
be
t
it’s
,
to
r tha
I liked
I found
A do it all. Commute
Conchita: The Tenere
of equipment it
er. Brian: The Tenere
only a modest level
else about it
ything the GS can off
th
an
ing
Wi
d.
yth
ooth as the GS and
ee
er
sm
sp
ev
t
as
es
t
bu
lik
e,
No
it
Fireblade
comfortable.
is the better bik
GS
the
I
re,
t
the
bu
.
m
ite
ice
pr
tto
qu
Not
than on the GS so my
try lesser
e off the bo
knees were higher
can be had at an en
ion, I like the torqu
my
sit
po
e
rid
the
e
lik
I
:
said
is good.
no GS.
re tired.
bike – if there was
What the riders maybe not as powerful as the Ducati, but
legs were a little mo
power. I’d buy this
GS
e,
the
siz
r
l
efe
tia
th,
pr
really wasn’t a lot
tan
oo
bs
sm
su
for me. Lovely
It was smooth, there
r. And it’s a bit
:
ee
ea
Brian: The Honda is
fia
thr
lin
So
its
the
d
of
an
e
le
rid
t
ott
ybe runs ou
nathan: Best
diator fan which
u can lay on the thr
handles sweetly, ma
except the crazy ra
lling. If I was Jo
e
ty,
pu
lik
un
it’s
it’s way smooth, yo
dis
Gr
ll
to
d.
we
un
w
so
ho
t
e
ea
lis
it
coolest colour, gr
smooth you don’t rea
know this bike more,
of a sleeper, it’s so
was on all the time!
d I really wanted to
be the Honda.
An
.
uld
rly
wo
it
ea
,
bit
me
a
ho
ff
es
pu
bik
of
r?
se
lou
tho
co
st
of
ad
e
ole
ro
on
co
proper
to take any
I mention it’s the
of motorcycle, it’s a
intrigued me. And did
nda is not my style
99
it
on
t
en
sp
I
e
tim
Dominique: The Ho
smooth and for the
es
rid
it
a,
nd
Ho
a
bike, but hey, it’s
GS Trophy, and they remain living thousands of miles apart. This
was only their third or fourth get together. On the road, Brian
and Dominique have absolute respect for each other, there’s
no ego, they share the road with the emphasis (unconsciously)
on the sharing.
Sofia and Conchita – both born of Portugal and married to
these two Canadian husbands – also fit easily within this environment. Only recent converts to motorcycling they may be
but both already have high mileage biking expeditions behind
them.
“My first trip with Brian was a 10-day trip to British Columbia on his Yamaha FJR1300,” explains Conchita. “After that
Brian bought a BMW 1200GS Adventure so we had a ‘shake
down’ ride to Colorado before a 10 week trip riding south from
our home to the southern-most tip of South America.
“With the South American trip I can’t imagine making that
journey any other way. For me the bike was an icebreaker,
people would come and ask questions, ‘what we are doing,
where we were going?’ It made it so easy to meet people.
“Also on a motorcycle its like you experience everything first
hand. Compared to a car, you’re not in a bubble. So if it’s
freezing or it’s hot, the smells, the sounds – they come to you.
I never listen to music, we don’t use an intercom, I just enjoy
savouring the moment. You really experience it in a different
way, because you’re exposed to it, you’re living it.”
For Sofia too there’s been a South American adventure.
Together with
Dominique she rode 8000km across Argentina on another
BMW 1200GS Adventure.
“Deep down, I’m an adventurer too. At first I wasn’t so sure
about riding so many kilometres per day but I wanted to see
the country together with Dominique so it was that or nothing.
Riding all the way to the Andes it was really long long days,
but it was fun.”
Riding the roads of the Black Forest are neither so tiring nor
so overtly adventurous, but they are hugely enjoyable and most
certainly very beautiful. And if you let yourself slow down and
stop when you feel the inclination, then there’s still the chance to
make a huge discovery.
Such was the occasion of finding ‘Ritterhof’, a 16th century timber-frame building typical of the region. Stopped to take
a closer look at this huge thatched-roof wonder, certainly needing to take a photo or two, the excited chatter of English from
the road below reached the occupier. A head popped over
a balcony and asked where we were from; the reply was a
chorus of ‘Canada!’ plus an apologetic echo of ‘England’
and, of course, ‘Niedereschach’. This elicited the most unexpected of reactions. The occupier, Hiltrud Rohr, a retired
languages teacher, had taught in Montreal as long ago
as 1968. The chance to practice again her French, as well
her English, was too much to resist. Before long, all six of us
were marveling in the
?
o
h
W
s
i
o
h
W
z
Herbert Schwar
100
estly, as dethe king of cool (hon
nadians) lives
termined by the Ca
mona and their
in ‘N-town‘ with Ra
two sons
Ramona Schwarz
Jon Bentman
journalist
40-something motorpe
r,
lle
ve
tra
rld
wo
th Amanda
professional
lives in Kent (UK) wi
d-a
ee
‘N
in
es
ld son
chance, also liv
and their five-year-o
Herbert and their
th
wi
E)
(D
’
hy
atc
sn
two young sons
Brian Kiely
lar worker’
40-something ‘regu
erta, which is
lives in Cold Lake, Alb
erywhere
a long way from ev
Conchita Fonte
ised,
Madeira-born and ra
ed
rri
ma
school teacher,
e
sh
st
to Brian (how mu
find Cold Lake?)
BLACK FOREST
incredible interior of this majestic building as we sipped tea
while Frau Rohr was able to compare her own considerable
African adventures with those of Dominique and Brian.
Ritterhof certainly brought a new dimension to the day. For
some time we had been observing the history of the region revealing itself, in its architecture, in the quite traditional agriculture, and in the people. But walking around Ritterhof, feeling
its timbers, watching the spill of the light from dormer window
across a book-laden table, onto a oak paneled wall, was to
cast upon an image hundreds of years old, unchanged. Horse
has given way to car and motorcycle, candlestick to lightbulb,
but time hadn’t torn the heart from this building.
Rain did not stop play
Even rain on the second day could not dampen the spirits.
Parked on the banks of the Schluchsee, Dominique and Ramona played fashion models in their new Touratech Campanero
suits – to the heckles and jibes of the rest of the team. In fact the
photography had been an unexpected highlight, on account
unlike shooting tourist shots, magazine images require a little
more set-up.
“The photoshoot: wow! When you look at magazines you
don’t realise how much
re
Dominique Lemai
estate man
40-something real
house a good
lives in Quebec in a
ute from
hour and half’s comm
Montreal
Sofia Galvao
ue,
works with Dominiq
parents,
e
born of Portugues
ue, they have
married to Dominiq
two teenage children
ON-ROAD
work goes into it,” said Brian. “You have to go back and do it
again, do a couple of runs, pose a few more times. It’s not just
‘a guy riding down the road – lets get a shot of him’, there’s
more to than that, more than meets the eye.”
“In front of the camera you don’t know how to act,” smiled
Sofia (she’s always smiling) recalling the ‘people shots’. “It kind
of makes you shy knowing someone‘s taking pictures. You’re
wondering, ‘okay, is this good?’ But it’s quite interesting, a
unique opportunity to kind of get a little taste of it, an aspect of
life we’d not experience. Fun as well.”
In reality the photos barely interrupted the day. That’s not a
reflection on the skills of the media crew, but because Canadians (and Canadian-domiciled Portuguese) are clearly relaxed
people. You often find it in people from big countries with lots
of open space. They find the ‘chill’ button a lot quicker than the
rest of us. So when the cameras came out our subjects relaxed
so much into their roles it was as if the photographer never
existed. They remained themselves.
The tour had been incredibly enjoyable, despite its humble parameters. So often motorcycle touring starts as a search
in the physical sense. An adventure into lands maybe not uncharted but at least new, or foreign to us. Ultimately though,
no matter what, they seem to fuse instead into a study of the
human condition. And that’s as much about ourselves
as the people we meet. On this short tour we
found ourselves maybe unexpectedly on
that most fantastic of all journeys – that of
friendship. As we wandered through
majestic settings we found in
Brian, Dominique, Conchita and
Sofia four amazing friends,
four people who simply
through the joy of companionship
lifted
an
ordinary excursion into the
extraordinary.
Maybe
as Lance Armstrong said,
‘it’s not about the bike’.
Well, maybe it’s the catalyst at least.
2 2011
101
e
g
n
e
ll
a
h
C
S
G this could be you!
BMW GS CHALLENGE
MM
BLACK FOREST
text and photos: Jon Bentman
where: held in parallel with the Touratech Travel Event,
Niedereschach, Black Forest when: May 26-29, 2011
who: 180 riders from Germany, plus some guest riders from other European
countries and even UK, Australia and Canada
why: to find the ultimate GS rider
y husband put me up to this,
he saw the advertisement
in a magazine and said ‘we can do
this’. I was concerned, I’ve only been
riding big bikes for three years, but he
said not to worry, they only take a limited
number – we’d probably not get in. But
they did take us and here we are!”
Mirjam Jacob, an office worker from
Nuremburg, is doing an excellent job
of masking her nerves at she awaits the
start of the 2011 BMW GS Challenge,
surrounded by 179 other eager competitors. Her BMW F650GS (of course an
actual 800cc) is a big bike to take off-
102
road and with little off-road experience
she’ll be tested again and again over the
two days of the GS Challenge.
The event is unique. A mix of roadbook rally, off-road gymkhana and wilderness survival test it’s a great way to experience the Black Forest region. It’s also a
stepping stone to the tougher international GS Trophy (for which this event will be
a qualifier in 2012).
Remarkably the event also replicates,
virtually in a micro-environment, the diversity of life and experiences the typical
BMW GS motorcycle and rider might enjoy – from relaxing back road tours to cros-
sing continental wildernesses. And this
authenticity is matched by the entrants.
Mirjam, for her part, is using the
GS Challenge as a limber-up for a tour
across Chile and Patagonia that she’ll
make later this year with her husband
– her first big adventure. Parked next to
her, also awaiting the start, are two older
riders with two very much older GSs – in
fact they’re G/Ss and barely recognisable given their long list of modifications
– and where Mirjam is the novice, these
two are clearly adventure veterans. Josef
Stegherr, a watchmaker, and Helmut
Schneider, a trader in kitchen tops, both
Mirjam Jacob fixes the
camera with a confident
smile – she was right to,
she finished the two-day
GS Challenge in fine style.
Tomàš Holman was happy with his day one performance but Blackjack clearly found it a bit tiring. TT legend Helmut
Dähne crosses a river suspended by wires four metres above the water.
eas
New Id
from Lindenberg, are lifelong friends
and travelling companions.
“It started back in 1988,” explains
Helmut. “We hatched a plan to ride
across Asia, and BMW was the only
manufacturer who made the kind of
bike we were looking for – the 800cc
twin. My plan had been to sell my
G/S once we got to Indonesia, and
buy me a ‘real bike’ again, but some
24 years later I’d never part with it
and together we’ve travelled some
190,000km. We rode 20,000km
across Asia, and travelling with my
wife I rode 30,000km across America, from San Francisco to Arctic Circle
and back down to Mexico. Plus countless miles around Europe.”
Everywhere you find incredible
people. Tomáš Holman has come all
the way from Prague in the Czech Republic. He’s making a tough event
even tougher by riding the course with
his dog ‘Blackjack’ on the tank of his
G650Xchallenge. Tomáš, an interpreter and rock climbing wall operator, is
himself a five-star wanderer, having ridden from Prague across Russia to Magadan on an F800GS. Tomáš is riding
the GS Challenge as part of his buildup to the testing six-day Rally Albania
(where he would finish 93rd from 145
finishers – presumably without Blackjack).
We even find TT-winning road race
legend Helmut Dähne (now an incredibly fit 67!) suspended between two
thin wires over a river, firewood thrust
down his riding pants, as he contributes his part to the team survival test.
2 2011
He’s loving it.
“I’ve not done this before. It suits the
motorcycle type, it‘s about adventure,
riding the BMW all over the world
where there are bad roads or no roads
at all, where things like this happen.”
In all, the event offers the competitors 15 special challenges, some with
bike, some without, which they’ll endeavour to complete over two days,
amassing as many points as they can.
Eventually the winner is decided
by a kind of arena trial (with a twist
or two) on the evening of the second
day, watched by hundreds. It’s a real
pressure cooker. Only the top 15 riders
vie for the honours; the soldier versus
the bank manager versus the student
versus the salesman versus... All walks
of life, all riding the same F800GS.
And the winner is a 23-year-old
engineering student, Peter-Julius Henningsen from Holzbunge in Northern
Germany. Peter had finished fourth in
the 2010 GS Challenge and so had
missed out by one place on a ride of
a lifetime, in the GS Trophy in South
Africa. His unfamiliarity with the
800GS has cost him dear in 2010,
but – like many of the finalists – he’s
clearly very focused on making the
German team in 2012.
The GS Challenge is then many
things. For some it‘s a destination in
itself – an incredible event in a beautiful location. For some it’s that vital link
to the GS Trophy. For others it’s simply
part of a far bigger journey that leads
to rallies and adventures in all corners
of the globe.
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A PICTURE
104
2 2011
AND ITS STORY
A summer’s day in Magadan
Text and photo: Andreas Hülsmann
There is little sun in Magadan. For nine months of the
year, winter dictates the temperatures, and the summer often sees
rain clouds closing in from the Sea of Okhotsk. The people of
Magadan therefore make the most of the few sunny days. Any
location offering a little bit of warmth is welcome, – and be it the
fuselage of a rocket.
Entering the city via the Kolyma-Highway needs to pass an
arsenal of weaponry. The two MIGs impaled on posts can hardly be overlooked. Also included are scrapped tanks, radar equipment and rockets. What looks like a military training area is in fact
an apartment block which has not managed to cast off its socialist past in over 20 years. A load of scrap parked in front and declared to be a museum, most of which was a military secret in the
days of the Soviets. This collection of scrap metal is little more than
an adventure playground for children.
Magadan is located at 59°33’ latitude North and 150° 46‘
longitude East. These coordinates do not mark the end of the
world, in fact you have already passed it by a long way when
you arrive in this city. A 3000 kilometre-long track leads from the
Siberian Highway through the extreme East of Siberia to the Sea of
Okhotsk, a road built by Gulag prisoners. .
In the middle of the past century, Magadan was the transfer
point for these prisoners, sent my Stalin in their millions to the prison camps in Siberia. According to the dictator’s will, they were
to be “exterminated“ working in the mines or building roads.
–
»Stalinistic cleansing« cost the lives of 20 million Gulag prisoners,
the average life expectancy of prisoners in these camps was three
months. Camera data:
Camera: Nikon D700, lens: 80 - 200 mm,
aperture: 2,8, focal length: 145 mm,
ISO: 200, exposure: matrix, shutter speed: 1/60,
recording mode: automatic timer,
recording format: JPG/RAW
2 2011
105
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