zetman
Race Dog
With all the publicity surrounding the recent unveiling of the F800 GS, it's easy to forget just how long this machine has been in development.
Fortunately though, the wait is now over for all those adventure sport riders who secretly hoped that BMW Motorrad's excellent 85 hp parallel-twin engine (that first made its debut in the F800 S sports middleweight) would some day find its way onto a dedicated lightweight travel enduro.
Watch the new F800 GS riding dirt
Credits: YouTube and 'www.autoservis.ba'.
Because the final development stages of machine parts and accessories for motorcycles such as the F800 GS need to be tested in extreme conditions that private tracks and in-house simulators just cannot replicate, it is necessary to go 'out in the field'.
Luckily, there are engineers such as Touratech Executive Director, Herbert Schwarz, who are willing to assist BMW Motorrad in certain areas of product development, helping to ensure that the products and accessories work in the toughest conditions that a rider could expect to encounter anywhere in the world.
Herbert Schwarz found the F800 GS so good that he still wanted to ride it after sunset
Several months before the shiny new BMW F800 GS was unveiled to the world's motorcycle press in Milan, Schwarz was out in equatorial Africa, helping test accessories for this eagerly awaited travel enduro.
Accompanied by his new wife Ramona (who completed the Can2Mex trip with him in 2006) on a BMW G650 Xchallenge, the couple spent over a month exploring Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi in order to test and develop components, and provide travel features for various motorcycle magazines.
The new bike attracted attention wherever it went
Amazingly, in this world of global communication networks and mobile phone cameras - and despite being besieged by inquisitive locals wherever they went - the couple were able to complete their journey in secret, without a single picture of their journey making the headlines.
And because the new F800 GS is finally in the public domain, their story can now be told, so watch this space for a forthcoming interview with Herbert and Ramona, and find out the full story of what this respected globetrotter thinks of the exciting new addition to the legendary GS family.
Fortunately though, the wait is now over for all those adventure sport riders who secretly hoped that BMW Motorrad's excellent 85 hp parallel-twin engine (that first made its debut in the F800 S sports middleweight) would some day find its way onto a dedicated lightweight travel enduro.
Watch the new F800 GS riding dirt
Credits: YouTube and 'www.autoservis.ba'.
Because the final development stages of machine parts and accessories for motorcycles such as the F800 GS need to be tested in extreme conditions that private tracks and in-house simulators just cannot replicate, it is necessary to go 'out in the field'.
Luckily, there are engineers such as Touratech Executive Director, Herbert Schwarz, who are willing to assist BMW Motorrad in certain areas of product development, helping to ensure that the products and accessories work in the toughest conditions that a rider could expect to encounter anywhere in the world.
Herbert Schwarz found the F800 GS so good that he still wanted to ride it after sunset
Several months before the shiny new BMW F800 GS was unveiled to the world's motorcycle press in Milan, Schwarz was out in equatorial Africa, helping test accessories for this eagerly awaited travel enduro.
Accompanied by his new wife Ramona (who completed the Can2Mex trip with him in 2006) on a BMW G650 Xchallenge, the couple spent over a month exploring Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi in order to test and develop components, and provide travel features for various motorcycle magazines.
The new bike attracted attention wherever it went
Amazingly, in this world of global communication networks and mobile phone cameras - and despite being besieged by inquisitive locals wherever they went - the couple were able to complete their journey in secret, without a single picture of their journey making the headlines.
And because the new F800 GS is finally in the public domain, their story can now be told, so watch this space for a forthcoming interview with Herbert and Ramona, and find out the full story of what this respected globetrotter thinks of the exciting new addition to the legendary GS family.
