BMW Motorrad announced the winners of its “Ride of Your Life” contest, giving five people the chance to travel on a worldwide tour on the new R1200GS.

The five winners are Stephanie Rowe, a 25-year-old enduro racer who works in the motorcycle accessories industry in the U.K., Herbert Unger, a 50-year-old German metal worker, Alessio Cigolini, an Italian who loves riding through Tuscany, Salvador Echevarría, a 41-year-old businessman from Spain, and Stephane Gautronneau, a 39-year-old fashion photographer from France.

The five winners were selected for their sense of adventure, ability to work as part of a team and physical fitness by a panel of celebrities including actors Adrian Brody, Rick Yune and Charley Boorman and Paris-Dakar winner Jutta Kleinschmidt. Continue Reading »

BMW announced its four-member celebrity jury panel for its globe-spanning “Ride of Your Life” R1200GS adventure contest. The panel is comprised of Academy-Award winner Adrien Brody, Paris-Dakar Rally winner Jutta Kleinschmidt, actor Rick Yune and noted motorcycle adventurer Charley Boorman.

The panel will select five winners for the “Ride of Your Life” contest (also known as the “One World, One GS” contest) to promote the new 2013 BMW R1200GS. Each winner will tackle one of five legs of the around-the-world tour: Laos, New Zealand, South Africa, the U.S. and Europe.

The four jurors were selected to represent four different qualities BMW attributes to the R1200GS: Sport, Adventure, Action and Style. The five winners will be selected based on how well they represent these four traits. Continue Reading »

Aprilia has a new entrant in the highly-competitive adventure-bike market with the new Caponord 1200. Revealed ahead of its official presentation at the 2012 EICMA show, the Caponord will go up against competitors such as the Ducati Multistrada, Triumph Tiger Explorer, KTM 1190 Adventure and the segment’s benchmark, the BMW R1200GS.

The 2013 Aprilia Caponord 1200 shares its engine and frame with the Dorsoduro 1200. The Dorsoduro’s beak is gone, replaced by a conventional fender, limiting the Caponord’s off-road ability. The Caponord should have much better wind protection for long trips with its windscreen and RSV4-inspired fairing. The broad seat and the saddlebags (pictured below) should make the Caponord 1200 a viable option for long journeys, provided you keep those un-knobby tires on the asphalt. Continue Reading »

BMW is marking the launch of its new R1200GS with a contest offering five riders a chance to ride the new GS on one of five international tours.

The “One World, One GS” Tour will give five riders the opportunity to be one of the first people in the world to ride the 2013 BMW R1200GS. The tour will take place over five continents: Asia through Laos, Africa through Botswana and South Africa, New Zealand, America through the southwestern states, and Europe from Madrid, Spain to BMW‘s home in Munich, Germany.

Interested candidates can register in the One World, One GS contest at www.bmw-motorrad.com/gs and completing a questionnaire explaining why they should be selected for one of the five rides. The contest is open to anyone with a valid motorcycle license and a passport with experience riding both on- and off-road. Continue Reading »

The 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure actually broke cover in late September after an image from an official brochure was accidentally leaked onto the Internet. Or was it an accident? The supposed leak just happened to occur the same day Ducati revealed its 2013 Multistrada 1200 lineup, a direct rival to KTM‘s latest adventure touring model.

Regardless, the 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure made its official public debut in Cologne, Germany, at the 2012 Intermot show, alongside its more off-road oriented R version.

The Adventure and Adventure R are powered by KTM’s 1195cc 75-degree V-Twin engine, a powerplant shared with the KTM RC8R. In the Adventure, the engine claims an output of 148 hp and 92 ft-lb. of torque. Despite having a larger engine than its predecessor the 990 Adventure, KTM claims the 1190 consumes 20% less fuel. Combined with a 6.1 gallon fuel tank that’s 0.8 gallons larger than the 990′s, the 1190 Adventure should have a significantly longer range than its predecessor. Continue Reading »

When Ducati announced the updates for the 2013 Multistrada 1200 lineup this week, it was very vague on the details. We know the engine received some updates and the Ohlins suspension had been replaced with a new semi-active “Skyhook” suspension system, and of course, we learned about the new Multistrada 1200S Granturismo variant.

It took a couple of days but Ducati has released full specifications for its Multistrada 1200 lineup, shedding some more light on the 2013 models. All versions receive the second-generation version of Ducati’s Testastretta 11° engine. The 1198cc 90-degree V-Twin engine now features a dual-spark configuration, likely introduced to help meet emission control standards.

The new engine also offers more torque than the previous version, with Ducati claiming an output of 91.8 ft-lb. compared to 87.5 ft-lb. for the previous generation model. Ducati claims the power will still max out at 150 hp, at least for the Sport and Touring ride modes. In Urban and Enduro configurations, power is limited to a more pedestrian 100 hp. Continue Reading »

When news broke yesterday of leaked details of the new 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure, the first question that crossed our minds was “when do we find out about the R version?” The answer, it turns out, is today, with a new photograph of the 1190 Adventure R now surfacing.

Members of ADVForum, where we found the original leaked KTM brochure, have uncovered new a studio photo of the R model as well as the non-R version.

The 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure R is equipped with larger wheels than the base model, likely a 21-inch wheel up front and an 18-inch wheel at the rear (the non-R 1190 Adventure appears to sport a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel.) We are surprised the tires appear to be street tires and not knobby off-road rubbers. Continue Reading »

Pictures and details of an all-new 2013 KTM 1190 Adventure have emerged from a brochure that briefly appeared on KTM‘s official website. The document has since been removed but not before we got our hands on them.

Expected to be unveiled at the 2012 Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, in just a few weeks, the latest adventure touring bike from KTM will be powered by a 1190cc V-Twin engine, not a 1290cc powerplant as initially expected. The engine is based on the engine powering the RC8R sportbike, though it has been tamed somewhat, with the brochure claiming 148 hp (150 PS for in metric) compared to the 173 hp claimed by the RC8R.

Still, that is an upgrade to the 113 hp claimed by the KTM 990 Adventure R and its 999cc engine. Other highlights revealed by the leaked document include four engine maps plus one for off-road, ride-by-wire throttle, an adjustable windshield, multifunctional display, ABS, slipper clutch and traction control, a first for KTM. The brochure also claims a weight of 235 kg (518 pounds) fully-fueled. Continue Reading »

German photogs have captured images of a new prototype suspected to be the upcoming KTM Adventure 1290.

The photos, published by Italian site InfoMotori, reveal a very early prototype with a large V-Twin engine, a 21-inch wire-spoke front wheel and KTM‘s distinctive orange frame. The profile resembles KTM’s current Adventure 99o, but the fairing appears more angular and the headlight appears to be new.

The KTM Adventure 1290 was identified in a leaked KTM North America Powerpoint slide as an upcoming 2014 model. That slide also listed an Adventure R 1090 which will likely be a more off-road worthy version which would replace the 990, and a Super Duke R 1290 which will likely use the same engine as this prototype. Continue Reading »

Honda announced it will mass produce the Crosstourer adventure tourer unveiled first in concept form at the 2010 EICMA show in Milan, Italy.

The 2012 Honda Crosstourer will use a V4 engine similar to the one used in the VFR1200F and will also be available with Honda’s dual clutch transmission. Long-travel suspension adds to the adventure touring theme, but the Crosstourer is still more suited to paved roads than dirt.

“The Crosstourer offers a high-level fusion of vibrant off-road styling, upright riding position, V4 engine power and Dual Clutch Transmission that offers more direct power transmission and easy operation,” says Yosuke Hasegawa, leader of the Crosstourer’s development team. “We are convinced that we have successfully brought out new value in what can be termed the true Crossover Concept.”
Continue Reading »