Ride and Talk - The BMW Motorrad Podcast

To GS fans across the globe, Jean-Luc Donath is famous for his passion for the Int. GS Trophy and the joy he derives from being an instructor, a marshal, and a top rider of course. But did you know that the Frenchman is also a motorcycle cop, who makes his living as a professional rider on a police-specification BMW R 1200 RT? We spoke to Jean-Luc about upholding law and order on two wheels, prote...

Every two years, around this time, the global GS community is eagerly awaiting the day when BMW Motorrad unveils the location for the next International GS Trophy. For many fans, it is the start of an exciting journey of training and preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a national qualifier and secure a coveted place to represent their home nation at the international finals. If you...

BMW Motorrad posted its second-best ever sales results in 2020, which is a remarkable achievement considering all the challenges of the past year. To find out what went on behind the scenes to make this happen – and what’s in the planning for 2021 and beyond – we invited Timo Resch, BMW Motorrad’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing, to join us for an in-depth chat. Don’t miss it! We sincerely hop...

Peter Nettesheim has dedicated more than 40 years of his life finding and restoring a huge and unique collection of bikes that span almost a century of BMW motorcycle production. For Peter, it’s all about sharing his knowledge of BMW’s past while preserving its history for others to appreciate. We meet the man who built his own private museum at his home in Long Island, USA, and hear some of his a...

In just a few days (14 Jan) the location for the Int. GS Trophy 2022 will be revealed during a special livestream event. Every GS rider on the planet is excited to know where it will be and when it will take place. There are all kinds of rumours out there but all we can say at this point is that we love to surprise you – and you will definitely be surprised! As part of the build-up to the ‘big rev...

We chat with Udo Wattendorf, one of our BMW Motorrad employees responsible for the development of BMW Motorrad helmets. Udo has travelled far and wide but left his heart in South America, where he supports a project in Bolivia to get kids off the street, put a roof over their heads and teach them the skills they need to survive out in the world. Udo tells us his story but we’re sure there are othe...

He’s inspired thousands of BMW riders – young and old – to take their first adventure motorcycling steps at his off-road school. He’s played a huge part in building up a strong GS community and has also competed in many Dakar Rallies on BMW race bikes he’s built himself. He’s also hosted several GS challenges and GS Trophy qualifying events, and even helped prepare Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorma...

Not one world premiere, but two! We unveil the amazing all-new BMW S 1000 R and the G 310 R dynamic roadsters, then bring the bikes into our Munich studio for a deeper-dive into the genre, the performance and the design story behind these latest additions to the 2021 range. Joining us for an in-depth chat is ‘R’ product manager Max Renko, designer Vianney Selosse, and freestyle riding legend Chris...

NEXTGen 2020 gave us some cool insights into the BMW Group’s technologies, products and collaborations, including the BMW Motorrad Definition CE 04 – the near-series e-scooter that is more than just a means of transport – it’s also a means of communication for the urban commuter. If you want to hear more about its electric drive, trailblazing design and connectivity solutions, listen to our chat w...

There’s no better way of seeing the world than on a BMW motorcycle. We should know, we’ve been building them since 1923. However, on 15 October, the ‘best’ just got better when the new R 1250 RT was unveiled during our live video podcast episode of Ride and Talk. Don’t worry if you missed it, because we’ve got the full audio version here for you to listen to. And when you hear about all the new fe...

We welcome actor, documentary filmmaker, committed environmentalist and author Hannes Jaenicke to Ride and Talk, where we discuss bikes, climate protection, endangered species and BMW Motorrad Days, among many other topics. He’s a seriously passionate guy who has many remarkable projects on the go but always makes sure he finds the time for riding motorcycles. This naturally gets a big ‘thumbs-up’...

Time to get excited? You should be – it’s the very first BMW M model on two wheels and it was exclusively unveiled by the head of BMW Motorrad Markus Schramm during our recent Ride and Talk live video podcast. To get a feeling of what the new M RR is like to ride, and what it means for superbike fans everywhere, we’re joined by BMW Motorrad WSBK team rider Tom Sykes, Motorsport Director for BMW Mo...

This episode is a MUST for R 18 fans. A ‘deep-dive’ into the design and engineering excellence that has gone into our Big Boxer, with those directly responsible for making it happen – including BMW Motorrad Head of Design Edgar Heinrich, and Kurt Böck, who’s the project manager of that 1802 ccm beast of an engine. And if that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, we also catch up with Roland Sands a...

The Enduro Park Hechlingen is the original (and many would say the best) playground for GS riders, with over 45 km of gravel roads, single tracks and forest trails, steep slopes, water crossings and even deep sand, in one of the most picturesque settings imaginable. They’ve been teaching BMW fans all the skills to ride off-road there for over a quarter of a century, closely watched over by the par...

Welcome to the audio version of another LIVE episode of our Ride and Talk podcast. This one’s all about ‘connectivity’ and the cool, new tech at our disposal to help us enjoy and share our riding experiences together. Join Andy Dukes has he chats to product experts Roman, Camilla and Jann all about the latest version of the BMW Motorrad Connected app, which works on all bikes with TFT display, is...

What can we say about Chris Northover? Ruthlessly enthusiastic? Definitely! Lives and breathes motorcycling? Without a doubt! In fact, our ‘Make Life a Ride’ tagline could certainly have been written with him in mind, because goofing around on bikes literally is his life. You’ll probably know him from that famous ‘Storm the Embassy’ YouTube short film, or perhaps you’ve seen him in various BMW Mot...

Michael Martin is a man of many talents: photographer, geographer, author, documentary producer and inspirational presenter on the incredible world we inhabit. He’s made numerous motorcycle expeditions to the most remote places imaginable on our earth, in search of stunning landscapes, the wonders of nature and even the people living life on the edges of existence. As you can imagine, the world’s...

Welcome to our third live video podcast episode of Ride and Talk, where this time you can hear some living legends talk about #40YearsGS – before some amazing special-edition commemorative anniversary bikes are unveiled on the air for the first time. The action starts with a short movie (the audio’s just as good as the pictures!) before host Andy Dukes chats with BMW Motorrad’s Head of Marketing a...

With travel restrictions lifting, all of us are looking forwards to riding again and it’s hard to beat group motorcycle touring as the perfect way to discover new horizons. But what does it take to create and deliver unforgettable riding experiences to those with a passion for motorcycle travel? To find out, we speak to Richard Millington from official travel partner BMW Motorrad Tours. In this la...

As you’ll no doubt have heard, production has now started at #bmwplantberlin on the new R 18 model series, which we’re all so excited about. And while the ever-popular factory tours aren’t up and running just yet, we thought it would be a good time to take you behind the scenes at the plant, where at peak times, a shiny new BMW bike rolls off the assembly lines every 65 seconds. Join Andy Dukes as...

This episode, we chat with former Royal Marine Commando, climber, diver, extreme environment expert and BMW Motorrad ambassador Aldo Kane, who loves a challenge. He’s rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, abseiled into active volcanoes, been held at gunpoint by narcos, and even been charged by a black Rhino while training anti-poaching teams. But what does @aldokane like to do when he’s not leading ext...

Welcome to our second live video podcast episode of Ride and Talk, where we talk about ACC – otherwise known as Active Cruise Control. Some of you will know about, and already use this kind of technology in your cars, but this is the first time it will make its debut on a BMW motorcycle. In a nutshell, it’s all about creating maximum comfort and the best possible safety conditions when riding. Joi...

Welcome to our first ever live video podcast episode of Ride and Talk. We recorded this in the midst of lockdown, when everyone wanted to ride but no one was really able to. So we thought it would be cool to use technology to try and bring us all together – virtually at least – to talk bikes. Specifically, the new R 18. In this episode, we chat with Timo Resch, Vice President Sales and Marketing B...

This episode features the world’s foremost female motorcycle adventurer, Tiffany Coates, who 20 years ago, set off for India on a BMW R 80 GS called ‘Thelma’, with a friend on the back and just two months of riding experience between them. They ended up crossing four continents and staying on the road for two-and-a-half years! Since then, Tiffany’s adventures have taken her far and wide on journey...

Welcome to Ride and Talk – the BMW Motorrad podcast! It’s a podcast about the world’s best bikes, the people who ride them, and the incredible places these bikes allow us to reach. Join Andy Dukes as he delves deep into the world of BMW Motorrad for amazing behind-the-scenes stories and unique insights from brand experts, ambassadors and the passionate global riding community. Within three months...