Touratech-USA Events and Announcements

Rallye and Ride News
Oct, 2008

Ongoing preparations for BMW Motorrad’s international GS Trophy are continuing as the build-up intensifies for the inaugural event in Tunisia this October. With Spain and Japan already having chosen their national teams, next month will see Germany and the USA hold their own selection events to determine who will represent their country at the first ever GS Trophy event in Africa. The Italians will then choose their team towards the end of September, after which the entire line-up of contestants for this unforgettable event will be confirmed.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, work has already started equipping all of the motorcycles that will be used for the international GS Trophy event. Every rider will be using a Touratech-prepared BMW F 800 GS machine and it is the job of Touratech Executive Director Herbert Schwarz to make sure that all the machines are ready for action and shipping to Africa in time for the GS Trophy.

So far, Herbert’s team has prepared 25 of the 35 GS Trophy bikes that will be used in the forthcoming African adventure. There will be 30 for the teams (five machines each team), plus several bikes for the organizers and a couple of spare motorcycles in case of accident damage. Once ready, the machines will be picked up from the Touratech headquarters in Niedereschach and transported in a big truck to Milan, where the GS Trophy event starts. After a short road liaison, the bikes – and their riders – will board a ship at Genoa, bound for Tunisia where the real action will begin.

Each machine has had a selection of additional Touratech parts added, all designed to protect the machine – and rider – from the African conditions. Herbert describes the preparation process, which takes around five hours to complete for each motorcycle.

“A lot of the parts we’re adding are to give increased protection against the conditions riders will face out in Africa,” he said. “For each bike, we’ve added crash bars, a skid plate, installed small LED blinkers, foot-pegs with additional grip, foldable brake and gear change levers, hand protectors, and cross-brace protection pads for the handlebars.

“We’ve added a modification to the front fender to raise it by 3cm because of the extra ground clearance that will be needed on certain terrain in Tunisia. We’ve also added a headlight protection grill, a special protector against stones for the radiator, and a chain guard. Other  little ‘extras’ include a tail rack that a small bag attaches to for everyday necessities, and all bikes are being fitted with Metzeler Karoo off-road tires, which are perfect for the conditions participants will encounter.”

Herbert is keen to stress that there have been no engine modifications whatsoever carried out on the F 800 GS machines, and that the majority of the work has been carried out to minimize the effects of crash damage, as he is expecting riders to drop the bikes on a regular basis due to the competitive nature of the event and the variety of riding terrain expected.

“This will be an ‘extreme’ off-road competition and people will fall down of course! In everyday conditions and for most enduro trips, a standard F 800 GS will more than suffice. It has the potential to be the best adventure travel bike for off-road and extreme traveling. On the road, the R 1200 GS is probably a better option, but this is a competition, not a road trip, and I’m expecting a mixture of terrain that the F 800 GS will have to deal with. There’s a big difference between the north Atlas Mountains with rocks and gravel, and the sand dunes found in the south. Also, in October, it often rains, which turns everything to mud and makes riding very tricky. Anything could happen – and it probably will!”

For many riders who are participating, this will be their first taste of Africa. Although Herbert has been there many times before, he advises all those who are selected to represent their country, to not only prepare physically for this challenge, but also to learn as much as possible in advance about the country they will be visiting.

“I’m really excited about the GS Trophy and I’m sure it will grow to become an annual event with many more teams from lots of different countries entering. I’m expecting a great competition between all the different countries and a great team spirit throughout. There’s lots of media interest and I wish I was riding as a competitor, but I will at least be there to cover the event as a journalist and photographer.

“Every rider should be getting as much off-road training as possible but it is also worth learning about Tunisia, its people and customs, because there’s a good chance that they might have to rely on local help or knowledge to get them out of trouble. With this in mind, it would be a good idea to read travel stories, buy a few books to get some more information and of course learn a bit of French!”

Rallye and Ride News
July 17-20, 2008

BMW MOA Rally in Gillette, Wyoming

We'll be there with Helge Pedersen of Globeriders!

www.bmwmoa.org/rally/rally08/

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