A short note to let you know that we have released our quarterish Newsletter (latest news about the Unicorn Adventures Ltd Motorcycle Tours, tips and tricks, cultural information, ladies stuff) - July 2006 Edition -

You can read it by clicking on Unicorn Adventures Ltd Newsletter issue 5.

You can also subscribe to the Newsletter on the www.unicornadventures.com site in the Newsletter section in the main menu.

Recently on a forum I saw people calling their R1150GS an ugly bike. That surprised me quite a bit as I never saw any biker calling his bike “ugly”. Did you notice that the majority of bikers love their bikes, talk to them and will NEVER say they are ugly?

It is like in a love story between a man and a woman. Even though I may shock a bit, you have to agree that some couples are either both very ugly or one is. Which is fine as it gives every one a chance to find love and a partner. And you will notice, as in the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow where she was huge and her lover saw her slim, that once in love you do no more notice that your partner is “qualified” as ugly by the rules (which anyway no one should care about as they are set by ugly people –dress designers, anorexic top models etc… ).

But as this is a motorcycle and motorcycle tours blog lets get back on track. So you have a motorcycle, any kind, and you just think it is a beauty! The best one on the planet! So even though you have a R1150GS, which, when you see it first has definitely a very strange look, you will for sure think she is a beauty after a while, that she has character and not the slim and standard figure of the Japanese sports bikes.

And a guy riding a HD will for sure think that heavy US metal looks way better than anything else while the super sports bikes owner will always thinks they are ugly heavy momas!

This could go on and on and on as we all have one specific type of motorcycle we love and when we change we just get to love the new one even more!

In fact it seems that it works also for the bikes: love makes you blind !

Simplicity, efficiency, the beauty of vintage motorcycles and equipment.

To motorcycle riders meeting will tell…biker stories. But did you notice that each time one cannot avoid telling the most adventurous stories? A bit like male birds blowing up their chest proving they are the best.
In fact this seems to be part of our way to be, I am here talking about men’s attitude, I guess women, due to the fact they are way smarter than us (well not all of them, lets take an easy example…blonde, targeting the simple life even though her name is a famous one…).

Go back a few years, or a bit more, when you were young, at college. Did you notice that you were always proud to tell you friends you didn’t do the required home work? Or that you didn’t prepare for the exam? Sort of a “I am fearless!” macho attitude?

Now come back to your current biker years and think about the last chat you had around a good beer with some fellow bikers. You will for sure have started talking about the latest ride, the nice sections of the road, some sceneries but after a little while here come the latest stories about you worst rides, crashes etc…

I noticed, thanks for some extensive skydiving experience, that in any “extreme” or special sports we do the same. A friend once told me that this is a way to get rid of our demons. Maybe but isn’t it also a way to prove we are made of the right stuff? To prove to ourselves that whatever happens we will survive it and win?

Or is it coming back to our macho attitude and demonstrate that we can blow our chest bigger than the other guy?

Think about it the next time you have a discussion with some friends and let us know!

If I remember well this strange result of a sex party between an egg and a BMW is a swiss one. Big nose isn't it?

That one has the advantage to speak by itself!

I know I am very often writing about this but the fact we are living and starting all our motorcycle tours from the French Riviera where the sun is blasting like hell!

So when the outside temperature is more than 30 degrees Celsius what will YOU do? Jump in your bath suit, a tee shirt and a pair of slippers (I am not kidding I really saw guys riding motorcycles with those things on their feet), and look coooool, but enjoy the road pizza style in case a cage got you down, not talking about the sun burn by the way?

Or would you be more ready to sweat like hell, be a bit smelly but safe in your full gear? Even a vented one stays warm I can tell you!

As we have started a photo section we will make sure we get some “nutcase” photos for you! Should be easy: get a good camera, select a nice bar at the sea front and shoot photos! If you want to share your beloved “nutcase” send us the files.

Lets start a little challenge: try to find the worst motorcycle equipment on the road!

Here is a new section dedicated to photos.

Photos of motorcycles, of sceneries, people etc... as long as they have a nice style or a story!

Don't hesitate to send us yours or drop them as a comment to a published one.

Not sure we will start a naked biker babe section as this is already existing in many places and not exactely our moto.

We start the series with a vintage presentation of the racing spirit!

That guy demonstrates that you need a very good physical shape to do a real burn! (click on "lire la suite")

Lire la suite

Because of the BMW BOXER engine the GG quad are part of our biker interest. They are fine pieces of machines that come with a nice design. Here are some photos of those quads (click on "lire la suite").

Lire la suite

As BMW is now also in the stunt arena, yes they are! Thanks to the new F800S and to a guy called Christian Pfeiffer they now show what you can do when you have a stunt attitude on a beemer!

But lets not talk about the bike but more the guy! I had read about him in the press because of his partnership with the German motorcycle manufacturer. So, OK, one more stunt guy! But during the BMW International Biker Meeting I could see him in action and see his face!

The first time I saw him was the first day of the meeting on Friday July 7th, when he came for his first show while the rain was pouring down as it can in the German alps! So get the picture right: it is raining like hell, the stunt track was brand new, the audience was not yet at a crowd level and most were hiding in the beer tent or the BMW bike presentation tent. Here comes the noise of an Ackrapovic enhanced BMW twin engine, the noise gets closer and here comes Chris! (we were lucky as the Unicorn Adventures Motorcycle Tours tent was right at the side of the stunt track). He started his show and what he did is just what most stunters do only on a perfectly dry and clean surface!

But what made me react is the glance I could see on his face during all his shows (he also did some enduro ones)! That smile, the pleasure of riding and having us happy while admiring him!

He was supposed to only do his shows, but each time he came on the “stunt arena” to adjust tire pressure he started a show! Always with that big grin! Man I just like people in love with what they do!

A side the fact he is a former stunt world champion, part of the stunt wars winners (three Europeans on the 3 top places during the stunt wars in the US, sorry guys), one of the best stunters on this planet, he is also a great person! Always open to have fun and share! During one of the Sunday shows he said “When I have to come back do a show I just think “pff again” – he had a VERY busy agenda- and 10 seconds later I am happy again!”

I had no chance to exchange with him due to his heavy agenda but for sure will keep an eye open to his next shows and to meet him in person!

Germany may not have won the Football (Soccer for the US guys) 2006 world cup but we have the best stunter on the best bikes (hey that sounds good lol!).

By the way if you can see his show just wait for the moment he ends it and gets down from the bike! Amazing!

During the International BMW Biker Meeting we were among the lucky BMW fans who could discover for the very first time the brand new BMW R1200R. Even though we couldn’t test it (only a very limited set of selected journalists could) we the chance to be able to sit on it, look at it, touch it and get a first idea of the baby!

As you will notice the R1200R looks very similar to its predecessor the R1150R but also seems “lighter”. It is in fact a very fine motorcycle and the before last in the R series as now all models have the 1200 with its 109 HBP (by the way this implies for the guys in French a power limitation to 106 if I am right….when regulations are created by guys in suites never having ridden a bike, the stupid effect is never far away).

The front Telelever is definitely thinner than before but, I think (yes it happens), that it lost a bit of smoothness through its more linear design.

The dash board is now looking like all the latest BMW ones and has all the necessary information.

I hope that there will be more colours than the three presented at the Biker Meeting: Black, silver and a grey one. They give a classy look but some fun or at least something more on the warm side would be nice too.

Watching the journalists ride with it gives a feeling of a light and easy to handle machine with a good riding position, the saddle can be set and a low seat version exists.

That Boxer engine really helps to make lovely bikes! There is a big chance you may find the R1200R on the Unicorn Adventures Ltd tours in 2007.