The Long Way Around

[bradzdotcom]

i was really impressed with their attitude towards prep. having been involved in a few adventures, it looked to me like they were way better prepped than we often were.
for years, we'd fly to europe for races, bringing our forks, shock, handlebars and the motor's top end. we'd get a stock bike when we arrived, strip it, bolt up our stuff and go racing. these guys are way ahead.
yea, KTM self-sodomized. I'd have tossed that arrogant KTM rep out of my building.
when the production people approached Sidi boots for riding gear, there was no hesitation: Daniele Signori gave them more than they asked for, plus encouragement for the trip.

the thing i'm MOST impressed with was the fact that this ride started in April 2004. Six months later, it's on american TV, having already started the rotation in Europe. Screw the riding part---THAT"s impressive!

...brad

[Doogie Howser]

During the scene with KTM last night, was anyone else thinking about the movie ET, and how M&M's screwed the pooch there?

Short story: Steven Speilberg approached the Mars Co. about using M&M's in this new Sci-Fi movie he was making; ET: The Extra Terrestrial. Mars flat turned him down, so he went to the Reeces Co. about using their candy Reeces Peices in his movie. They agreed.

While we can all play arm-chair quarterbacks and assume "maybe speilberg looked amateurish to the Mars Co" or "maybe Mars Co. thought Speilberg would fail.", the bottom line is still the same. The company that makes M&Ms still look like a bunch of SCHMUCKS.......while Reeces has had 25 years of free advertising.

Maybe it's psychological, but to this day I prefer Reeces Pieces to M&Ms! ;o)

[bradzdotcom]

yea, to dig into the wound even deeper, there was one scene where one of the guys was drinking from a can of Red Bull, a long-time bed buddy with KTM.
the post-production people pixelated the Red Bull logo off of the can.

good for 'em!

...brad
ps: sorry dietrich...your bike buddies brought that one themselves. no free logos for you! Next!

[Moybin]

Rapid Dog: I was just playing Devil's Advocate from both sides of the table. In my heart I think KTM screwed up. Since you cut your baby teeth on dirt bikes and I did not not, I can say that you are most likely correct: dirt translates to pavement better than the other way around. Still, we all start somewhere and somewhen.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally posted by The Sea Dog


Looks a nightmare wait till you see the hassle because they forgot to get one set of papers signed on the way in .....

Toodle Pip

isn't that part of the "experience?"

still, i applaud their efforts. i was extremely doubtful at first, especially with an entire staff to help them plan. but having seen the coming attractions for the upcoming episodes, it looks like these guys really did take a tough trip.

[The Sea Dog]

probably yes, but a 12 hour wait at a border crossing is one 'experience' I could safely miss out on !


Vicarious Living is alive and well.


Toodle Pip

[ckcarr]

What I'm going to find interesting is how they degenerate/deteriorate into the wasted, tired, shaggy wretches that were hinted at in the previews!

Also, those GS bikes gotta weigh a ton. Watching the training and the tipovers. Has anyone here ever done a significant journey on one into some kind of outback?

[The Sea Dog]

Never been really OFF off-road but they're pretty able if you keep rolling, and do handle well depsite the bulk.

They're not the lightest of things, the GSA ( Adventure model ) with overland kit weighs in around 250 Kg fully gassed up, then add allthe gear that they're lugging and it's probably closer to 275 280......offroad......ziokes !!!


Toodle Pip

[TaberahKJ]

The Shaft Drive will be worth its weight in gold by the end of a trip like that. They better be very glad that they went with the GS

[JonyRR]

So they got dissed by KTM, eh? Hmmmmm....wonder if that would'a happened if they were german? Someone posted a picture here a while back of a couple of GS's (and a KLR 650) doing a diagonal traverse across a mountainside filled with large boulders... a 'rock garden' in off-road terms. It can be done, but it looked like it would really hurt if a mistake was made. On the other hand, heated grips and shaft drive DO sound nice after 12K in the saddle. I've riddeen my KTM 380EXC a couple-a hunnert miles on the road during a long dual-sport and trust me, it sucks after about an hour. I even rode my KTM down I-90 for 20 miles or so once (in a place wher the speed limit's 70 and everyone's whizzing by at 80+...I was wishin' for a 12-speed gearbox)

[ckcarr]

OK Dokie,
New episode tonight.

Just a reminder.

[Rapid Dog]

THanks for remindin' me CK!

[ckcarr]

I'm reminding my senile old self!!

[SCOTTinNJ]

set the vcr already. good stuff so far.

[ckcarr]

Think its getting interesting now, if you like the camera taking you into places you'd never see.

[Jeff Williams]

Hi all,
Great stuff,
but I got a question.
The guy in the Ukraine in the coal mining town who sold electric stuff and had the AKs.
I wonder what his 'other' business was.
good show
liked it alot
jeff

[Rapid Dog]

Definitely Mafia Jeff, much like dentists I understand...
that said...
I'm starting to wonder if this show is worth staying awake for...enough frikkin' mugshots already! I swear to god, these actors...
Why can't they just dialogue on top of MORE bike riding?
It's 30% commercials, 30% Ewan&Charlie's mugs, 30% shaky camera work (This is a STYLE don't ya know) and 10% quick shots of motorbikes...
WTF
Typical MTV reality s<>t...
My2Sense

[motoyoyo]

I tuned in late on this one. Right when the producer was all worried and talking about hospitals and whether the trip could go on. I was thinking, omg what happened? Then after about ten more minutes of grief and misery I come to find Ewan got some gasoline splashed in his eye...WTF Who hasn't had that happen before. Get on with it guys.

Anyway, it got really interesting after that and more than made up for the crisis. Got to love it when you are entertained by a serinading Russian with a guitar in one hand and a kalishnakov in the other. Make note to self...when adventure biking always be sure that at least one of you has a good song to play on the guitar, just in case.... Looking forward to the next show.

[Rapid Dog]

prakleyatyah!

[johnty288]

Anybody know why Bravo is the only channel without sound on my TV?