Long Way Round

[kroberts]

I'm sure there have been other threads here about these programs. I've been watching them on Netflix. Just amazing. I day-dream about being able to take a long weekend ride, I cant imagine what these guys did.

Last night I watched the episode in which they sank the bikes during one of the Siberian river crossings. The MUDDY water pumped out of the jugs after they pulled the plugs out, then the bikes started right up. I cant help wondering how many GS bikes this show sold.

I wonder where those bikes are now.

[ckcarr]

I think there were lots of threads on this topic back in the day...
Here's one...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/bmw-r1100s-r1200s-tech-forum/189204-long-way-around.html

[lht]

KTM screwed up major , by not giving them the bikes.

[bradzdotcom]

KTM's stance at the time was that they didn't think these two would make it, and it could make KTM look bad.
plus they weren't willing to shell out the bucks for the support crew to follow them around.
i was involved in working out a boot deal for them, until we found out how many pairs and sizes of boots/tennis shoes/bicycle shoes/t-shirts they actually wanted. their wish list would have easily outfit an A dealer's store.

glad it worked out for them and bmw. it sold a lot of gs's that have yet to leave the pavement. (those "i could leave tomorrow...if i wanted to" guys at starbucks on saturdays).
i hear walter mitty bought two.

[SergioK]

A coworker recently asked me about motorcycling.

He specifically wants to get into motorcycling so he can go to the corner coffee shop on the motorcycle and park it in front as he gets his morning cup of coffee on weekends. Hipsters. Pffttt!

[wswartzwel]

I know lots of guys mock Ewan and Charlie… But I really like the shows. They take you beyond just riding, and let you meet the cultures, and also have some fun with it. Charlie has some other shows he has done since then. one was By Any Means, where he and Russ traveled with a cameraman using whatever means of transportation was considered local to the country they were in, and his most recent series is Extreme Adventures, also in various countries. Most can be viewed on You Tube, for free by doing a search for Charlie Boorman… Also on netflix. Very entertaining.

[wswartzwel]

You would be the expert to ask about riding to the coffee shop. Right

Originally Posted by SergioK

A coworker recently asked me about motorcycling.

He specifically wants to get into motorcycling so he can go to the corner coffee shop on the motorcycle and park it in front as he gets his morning cup of coffee on weekends. Hipsters. Pffttt!

[SergioK]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

You would be the expert to ask about riding to the coffee shop. Right

Well it depends if you are partial to a low foam venti decafe soy latte carmel machiatto. That's what we motorcyclists order when riding to our local Starbucks.


Thanks for the tip WRT Boorman/youtube. I'll have to check some of those out.

[throttlemeister]

Be careful not to stray too far from your home, or you will find they ran fresh out of carmel and can only server you caramel.

[slowrider]

even with all the support that was a massive distance to cover. good for them.

I'm pretty sure KTM has come out and said that they obviously regret that choice in hindsight. They at least got some spill over for that segment. just amazing how many options there are in that class of bike and supplanted the sport touring segment.

[Daz]

I think the LWR was awesome. People love to knock it because they had a full support crew ec, but face the facts, it wouldn't have happened if they didn't, and we wouldn't have been able to watch a great documentary. The Long Way Down however, was very different, and it appeared badly planned with ridiculous mileage planned everyday to keep in line with the "schedule". It ended up just sounding like a beeatch fest, and seemed to completely lose the spirit of the original.

[throttlemeister]

These guys, especially Ewan, wouldn't even be allowed to do that without support due to insurance and stuff like that. I mean, when they did that he was in between projects and they can't (and won't) just let him play in the middle of nowhere when contracts are signed for tens of millions of dollars and things have to canned or delayed because he got injured or worse.

That said, even with all the support they had, 99 out of 100 people complaining about it wouldn't be able to do what they did, even with the support. They'd be running home to mom crying.

Riding 19,000 miles in 3 months is not for the faint of heart, even if you have support or even if you are just on paved roads. At some point, you just get enough of riding. You just don't want to anymore. You're tired. You're fed up. But if you are on a trip and you are quite literally in the middle of nowhere, you don't have a choice. You have to suck it up and keep going. It's a lot tougher than people think.

[Bob Hancock]

Originally Posted by throttlemeister

Riding 19,000 miles in 3 months is not for the faint of heart, even if you have support or even if you are just on paved roads. At some point, you just get enough of riding. You just don't want to anymore. You're tired. You're fed up. But if you are on a trip and you are quite literally in the middle of nowhere, you don't have a choice. You have to suck it up and keep going. It's a lot tougher than people think.

True dat. If I was young enough to do a real adventure ride I'd do this: Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All - ADVrider

Or this:
RTW with Noah on a KTM 690 - ADVrider

But a man's gotta know his limitations so instead of the above I'll trailer to Colorado again this summer and ride some mountain dirt for 2 weeks with a hotel every night and then truck it home when I get homesick or run out of money.

[amschnellsten]

Wonderful documentary and did wonders for BMW. I had a chance to ride with Charlie for a bit and he is a amazing rider and a wonderful guy. His other series are worth checking out. Here he is in Australia.

[Rapid Dog]

...dang...I wished I'd said everything you guys just said...
Topic covered.

[Rapid Dog]

... did anyone mention the money?...maybe the time off from work?
Oh, but C&E were working...sorry, forgot.

[Mitch1100]

Met him a couple of times here in Tassie…a real unpretentious character!