Not that easy to be a passenger…

How do you get on? Do you grab your man’s biceps and get your legs around his tool ? Or do you tightly hold his waist while you get the tip of your foot on the right spot to end up astride on his big engine?

I guess it all depends of your size! If you are 1,62m and weight 50kg, I would say it is easy to get on the beast without having anything move ! An easy climb ! Pfff.

Now if you are bit like me 1m81, 68kg, 90, 50, 90… ooops sory ! getting carried away !!! If to that you add a high motorcycle with all the possible luggage and cases it is another story!

I remember that day we left on a vacation to Corsica. The objective was: a week of motorcycling and camping. Imagine the scene: a R1200RT, two side cases, one top case, one pilot (good looking one: lets be nice it is the start of the year) and one passenger (my very own self) 5 months in pregnancy! All that doesn’t leave a lot of space for manoeuvring!

At the precise moment I had to get on the bike I got faced with the fundamental question: how the hell am I getting on there without looking ridiculous or ending on the ground? Tightly squeezed in my leather pants, that I could anyway no more close, I try a first “leg throw” between the pilot and the top case! No success! Chris try again , you can make it !

Plan B. I grab tightly my man, see what I mean? Foot on the peg, body lift, nice vertical balance to avoid that ugly side move the bike is starting, second leg over the seat and landing on the seat! As much back as possible to avoid any discomfort to the pilot! Again no success: he starts complaining because the bike + us + the luggage reaches more than 450 Kg and if I go on getting on the bike like that we would all end up on the ground faster than I could imagine and blablabla…! This is going to be a funny vacation!

A few hours later after a (too short) stop here comes again the time I have to get on the bike! Damn! Ok this time I will forget the peg and will throw one leg over the seat without touching anything! Ooops! Just scratched the top of the side case (no worries, he didn’t notice)! I am ending jumping on the foot still on the ground to get the whole body in perfect line with the bike. Hahaha! The style isn’t that great and I wouldn’t get a 10 at the Olympics but I am sure my man won’t say a word this time! Yeah sure! “If you hold my arm like that you hurt me! And the bike + us + the luggage reaches more than 450 Kg and if I go on getting on the bike like that we would all end up on the ground faster than I could imagine and blablabla…!

Are they all like that? Any one has a solution?

Not that easy to be a passenger…

A short note to remind you that you can find a lot of information about motorcycle tour in southern Europe (Corsica, Italy, Andorra, Provence, French Riviera, Alps, Camargue, Mediterranean Coast) under the various sections of our blog:

Motorcycle tours passion in southern Europe
Your best rides and travel adventures

As well as information about Unicorn Adventures, the company:

• Unicorn Adventures the company
• Unicorn Adventures news

Nothing to do with big bikes! Just a note about some nice or funny bikes.

We are glad to see that other people like the Unicorn (see a note to come soon about whe we decided to use that logo for our company)! Especialy main players in the motorcycle industry like Honda!

For the Idian market they developped that cute little one called the Unicorn! Not the kind of motorcycle we will offer on the tours as it may be a bit challenging to go touring with it.

Regarding indian motorcycle production the one that makes the most sense from a historical and style background would definitely be the Royal Enfield Bullet.

Well I am not going to play the Women’s Lib activist, but enough’s enough!

I am fed up seeing all those babes exposed on any bike or car image. It is the same in the car/bike shows where one can either see nice Barbie Dolls (but any one can understand that looking intelligent while presenting a piece of heavy metal is a challenge) or breast enhanced babes whose attitude is not the most refined. What about the calendars (not the Pirelli one of course) at the repair shop mainly exhibiting the latest Hustler babe of the month while you try to pay for the gas! And last but not least the trucker’s cabin! The top of fine art!

Same thing in the car/bike magazines, web sites: you will always find a girl very lightly dressed (can that still be called “being dressed”?) with a “take me!” face expecting the most reasonable pilot to burn out on the spot!

Where on earth does this stupid tradition come from? Yes tell me: why does the male biker/car driver need a semi or fully naked babe to enjoy the beauty of a bike?

Pas facile d’être passagère…

Vous montez de quelle façon, vous ? Vous agrippez le biceps de votre partenaire et enlacez son engin de votre jambe ? Ou encore, vous maintenez fermement sa taille tout en appuyant le bout de votre pied au bon endroit pour vous retrouver à califourchon ?

Tout doit dépendre de votre gabarit, je suppose. Avec 1,62m et 50kg toute mouillée, je dirais qu’il n’y a aucun mérite à se hisser sur la bête sans que rien ne frémisse. Une ascension sans effort. Pfff.

En revanche, un gabarit comme le mien, 1,81, 68kg, 90, 50, 90… oups s’cusez ! Je m’égare !!! Vous ajoutez à cela une moto assez haute avec tout ce qu’il faut de choses encombrantes dessus… c’est une autre paire de manches !

Je me souviens d’un départ en vacances en Corse. Au programme, une semaine de ride et camping. Imaginez le tableau : une R1200RT, les deux valises latérales, le top case, le pilote (svelte. Allez, on est gentil en ce début d’année !) et une passagère (en l’occurrence, moi, je, personnellement) de surcroît enceinte de cinq mois. Forcément, ça laisse encore mois de marge de manœuvre.

Au moment de partir, l’appréhension me saisit. Comment vais-je m’y prendre sans paraître ridicule ou pire, me casser la figure ? Moulée de près dans mon super pantalon de cuir que je n’arrive même plus à fermer, je tente un lancer de jambe entre pilote et top case. Sans succès. Chris, essaie encore, tu peux y arriver !

Plan B. Je saisis mon homme bien serré, voyez ? Et je mets franchement mon pied sur le cale-pied, me mets debout, tente une immobilisation immédiate pour garder l’équilibre car cette foutue monture se dandine (!), passe la jambe de l’autre côté et me laisse choir sur l’arrière de la selle pour ne pas gêner mon pilote adoré en prenant trop de place. Mais là encore c’est l’échec total : cet ingrat se met à faire des remarques désobligeantes sur le fait que la moto + les bagages plus nous, on arrive à 450kg, que si en plus je monte de cette manière, on risque de se retrouver par terre en un rien de temps, bla bla bla. Ca promet pour le reste des vacances… !

Quelques heures plus tard, après un (trop) bref arrêt, le moment du « je me hisse sur la moto » est imminent. Damned ! Bon cette fois, je vais oublier le cale-pied et lancer ma jambe en prenant soin de ne rien faire bouger ! Mince ! J’effleure le haut d’une valise (pas grave, il n’a rien vu !) et me retrouve sur un pied à sautiller afin que tout le reste du corps soit dans l’axe de la moto. J’ai du manquer de style, certes, mais je suis certaine que mon homme ne mouftera pas cette fois. Tu parles ! « Mais si tu m’agrippes le bras de cette manière tu me fais mal. En plus, on risque de pencher dangereusement, la moto + les bagages plus nous, on arrive à 450kg, et si en plus tu montes de cette manière, on risque de se retrouver par terre en un rien de temps, bla bla bla.

Autant de mauvaise foi me défrise sous le casque… quelqu’un aurait une solution ???

Pas facile d’être passagère…

The latest R1200RT comes standard with a system to get the BMW tank bag on the …tank! For those having already such a bag working with another attachment system the best solution is to dump the existing bag and buy the BMW one.

Still linking the old Bagster bag I used on all my previous bikes thanks to the smart tank mat solution I wasn’t going to give it up and pay 250 Euros for a brand new one when my 90Euros one is bigger, has a map pouch and still works perfectly.

A friend decided to find a solution and came up with a smart idea.

Using two raisers and a synthetic material board he found a way to use the BMW attachments.
The board hooks on the rear (close to the saddle) hinges, rotates towards the front where it gets locked in place by two sliders and screws. Once fixed the tank bag is clipped in place as with the old-fashioned tank mat.
This solution allows to unclip the bag by its rear end when necessary (e.g. gas station).

That simple solution costs approximately: 2 screws, 4 steel tabs, 1 board (synthetic material or aluminium) and a bit of paint…5 Euros, the tank bag: 90 Euros; my smile: priceless!

I know most of you will be very unhappy with what comes but well I had to present to you our job!

We are very unlucky people as I have once noticed! Was standing on the side of the road, in the shadow in Corsica I had a chat with a Belgian guy who was wondering what the Unicorn Adventures Motorcycle Tours stickers on the bike meant.

Had to tell him that I was developing a new tour in Corsica for a motorcycle tour operator and that the job was to ride on the most curvy roads with the nicest sceneries in Corsica and southern Europe, find the best tour to share it with our customers. I had also to tell him that another part of the job was to find lovely hotels, which we visit with their managers who express all their passion about their hotel.

After a little while talking to that guy I started to think: yes we have a very “bad” job! Riding the bike in the sun, taking care of our customers, sharing our passion and using our expertise to create new tours!

I think I need to get a new office job (to be honest that is where we spend most of the time! To help our customers select their tours and manage the company)!

Bon, je ne vais pas jouer les activistes du Mouvement de Libération de la Femme, mais là, je craque ! :

Ras-le-bol de voir toutes ces nanas potiches posées près des deux ou quatre roues. Dans les salons, on a généralement droit soit à de gentilles jeunes filles limite godiches (mais on ne leur en voudra pas : quelle attitude intelligente adopter dans ce genre de situation ?) tout droit sorties du film « Les parapluies de Cherbourg », soit à des femmes toutes mamelles en avant dont le raffinement n’est sans doute pas ce qui les caractérise le mieux. Et le poster de notre cher garagiste ? Dans le bureau, au moment de régler la facture, on a l’éternelle photo de la blonde à la poitrine généreuse exposée avec juste ce qu’il faut de tissu pour ne rien cacher. Et les cabines des camionneurs ? Le summum du grand art !

Même topo dans les magazines, sur les sites Internet : toujours une XX en tenue légère au minois vulgaro-aguicheur qui n’attend qu’une chose : faire démarrer au quart de tour les pilotes les plus raisonnables...

Mais d’où vient donc cette foutue tradition ? Oui, d’où vient ce besoin constant du mâle de mater de la gonzesse offerte tous azimuts ?

As BMW bikers living in Europe we have to attend the BMW Biker Meeting, which takes place for some years now in the Bavarian town of Garmisch Partenkirschen (you need a warm potato in the mouth to be able to speak out that name properly). Getting up there is a first good reason as the roads all around are gorgeous and get you close to the Zugspitze (the highest mountain in Germany).

Of course if you aren’t that interested in BMWs you may find it a bit boring up there, even though this year a whole group of Ducati fans was there and enjoyed the meeting as much as the Beemer guys! It really gives you the feeling the whole quiet German alpine town got invaded by bikers! They are every where! As a biker it makes you feel well! That is how the world should be! Bikes every where and people happy to see you! BMWs every where! From the oldest to the youngest! Any third party related to BMW presents accessories, equipment or tours, you can even get a good shave or fresh hair cut up there!

Among the cool stuff to do once you have bought your traditional Biker Meeting Tee-shirt or cap is to (get a beer of course) enjoy the off-road track, get the power of your bike measured, go for a test ride or join the BIG (more than 1.000 bikes in 2005) bike ride on Saturday afternoon!

It is obvious that a three day meeting needs also food and beverages! Hey it is in Bavaria! Place for excellent beer! And food! In the main tent (they manage to get approx. 10.000 people or more in there…standing ;) ) every night a big party takes place and now for two years the Blechblos'n group just makes the Saturday night a blast!

For those who like the cool camping life there are many spots around the Biker Meeting place where you can put your tent, but make sure you arrive early. For the other ones Garmisch Partenkirschen has many nice hotels, but considering all the bikes we saw each year parked in front of them, make sure you book a long time in advance.

Have a look at the BMW site for more details on the 2006 Biker Meeting page under "Fascination"! We may meet you there!

Just had a discussion with a friend about helmets.
Which one is the one you would use?

He was very adamant about the open face models and the fact that when you have to wear one (some states in the US allow to ride without) it should at least give you as much the feeling of freedom as possible! Isn’t biking about freedom?

The only concern I have is about the safety! Had once the chance to read a comment of a person who got an accident with a car (it didn’t stick to traffic rules) and started to a nice slide on the road, head first! When his body finally stopped the front part of his full face helmet was no more there! But his face was! Another advantage of the full face helmet: it avoids you to “eat” all the flies and mosquitoes which decide to commit suicide with your help!

On the other side the open face helmet gives you a more human looking face (see the note about scary bikers) and allows you to go pay for your gas without having to remove the helmet (before the gas station attendant starts to call the police). You can even have a drink while on the bike (try to drink from a bottle with a full face helmet!) or a smoke or eat! Also allows you to give a kiss to your beloved passenger! (Ever tried that with two full face helmets? People stop to watch the two pumpkins banging against each other :) )

Was this really necessary? Today the police caught a motorcycle rider driving his bike at more than 240 km/h (approx. 150 mph) on a road with a 110 km/h (approx. 70 mph) speed limit!

It is sure that this person wasn’t Valentino Rossi! Just a normal bloke who lost his mind! What is the value of such a speed on a normal country side road? Was it necessary for him to prove he has the fastest bike? The biggest …ego? Then why not go on a track?
Is super high speed a must to feel alive?

For us riding a motorcycle is about curves and rhythm!

On one day you may want to go through a nice forest, under the sun, smelling the pine trees, enjoying the warm wind on your face and you will ride with a nice slow and soft classical piece of music in mind. On another day you may be more inclined to a more jazzy riding! The road is twisty, the bike feels light, you are concentrated; let Charlie Parker shake your ride!
It can also happen that you are more in a Rolling Stone mode! (as long as you don’t roll ON the stones!) and enjoy a nice freshly fixed pavement with long aggressive curves on a 4 cylinder engine bike, whining high in the revs! Maybe you will feel the Blues on a ride along the coast, watching the wind blow the reeds, the sea shaking its waves at you, the clouds rushing by. In your mind a long Blues will play along while your wheels turn like the wheel of life (wow! Getting bluesy here!).

But riding a bike, like music, is not about one note played as fast and as many times as possible! Speed is nothing compared to rhythm!

Get the right rhythm and they will all think you ride damn fast even though you won’t!

Image from www.accesswave.ca
Following issues with traffic laws in Paris, Motorcycle riders groups demonstrate that motorcycles should be supported as they do produce less pollution than cars.

The following is just us expressing some points and isn't of course the truth or just a part of it...

If you consider that modern cars do gulp down (talking small city cars here) less than 5L/100km of gas and that for that you can get 4 people in there, the ratio of gas per person is 1.25. Now considering that motorcycles stick mainly to a delicious min. 6L/100km and that they can (most of them) carry 2 persons the ration is 3L per person.

Hmm that sounds like a problem! Now the other fact is that a motorcycle goes faster and is moving in the traffic while the car is sitting there for hours (ask to some people living in big cities like London, Paris etc...), with the engine running most of the time (you don't want to miss that sudden 50cm move forward in the line). But would cars move the bike is no more that efficient!

Again in a car you can carry way more people than on a motorcycle! But it becomes a loss for the car as soon as you know that inside that steel box sits a human! Who is mainly egocentrical! And will NOT share his pride and joy (talking about the car here some have different views when in comes to partners ;) ) with anyone! Meaning in a car you mainly get 1 person! Ok in the US there are special lanes on the highways when you drive with passengers! Funny but each time one of us went to the US that lane was empty. Oh yeah I forgot! I remember that they even sold inflatable dolls (nah not those ones, dressed ones!) to let the cops think there is a passenger sitting with you in the car! In summary...doesn't change anything even though it is a good try!

Now on a motorcycle you are mainly alone and no one complains about it because that is the way it should be! Well except for couples where the non driving one is also in love with biking and thus accepts to be dressed all in black leather and is ready to spend 20 mins in the office restroom to get the hair cut back in a sort of standard style (that is why bold bikers will always be first at the bar...not in the office)! the rest of us rides alone and it is fine!

If one comes back to the gas consumption argument and, if you rethink it with real life parameters, you will notice that the sexy "less than 5L/100km" measure is effective when the car drives at 60 to 90 km/h ahaaaaaa!!! Now a motorcycle (modern one!) will stick to its 6L/100km with a bit higher average speed, lets says around 100 to 120 km/h (as we have people in France reading this: this is only valid on the highways and motorways!)...sounds better!

All the above is working in town but on the road it gets better!

Try to have a car get up such a road (included in the Alpine passes Tour!): You will end up with a nice smelly fog over the valley and regular ...drops of pre-digested food...! Not even talking about gas consumption, for the cars able to make it of course (those low consumption cars have mainly engines smaller than our bike ons LOL)! On the other hand the motorcycle wil go up there in a second (or two) without a stop and at the top you get a smiley biker (every one knows that bad mood polutes the world too!).

So after all that writting it seems obvious: motorcycles do pollute less!