Travis Wyman Interview
Chief of Content John M Flores chats with BMW racer and On The Level contributor Travis Wyman after his MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at the famous Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Motorrad in MotoAmerica 2020
See what the BMW Motorrad road racers are up to in the 2020 MotoAmerica Series. Featuring: Travis Wyman/Travis Wyman Racing Josh Herrin/Scheibe Racing Jeremy Coffey/Speedmonkey Racing Alex Arango/TopPro Jeremy Cook/Dead Presidents Racing Steve Weir/Weir Everywhere Racing Steve Scheibe/Scheibe Racing (more…)
First Ride of the 2021 BMW R 18 Cruiser Motorcycle (360)
Initial impressions of the highly anticipate 1800cc air-oil cooled boxer cruiser from BMW Motorrad. This is a 360 VR video, so you can look around by pointing and dragging with your mouse (on a computer), pointing and dragging with your finger (on a phone or tablet), or simply turning around with your phone or tablet.
60 Seconds with the 2021 BMW R 18 Cruiser
Listen to the big boxer rev! Review in the Nov-Dec 2020 issue of On The Level.
Chat with Dimitrios Tournas, President of GS Giants
Dimitrios is the president of the GS Giants and talks about his big trip. Look for his stories in an upcoming issue of On The Level.
“Game of Roads” National Rally Rescheduled for May 20-23, 2021
The Game of Roads Rally is RESCHEDULED for May 20-23, 2021 https://bmwra.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Take-1_1.mp4 We tried. We really tried. With the majority of spring and summer rallies postponed due to coronavirus, we really wanted to hold our “Game of Roads” National Rally in the fall because we know the healing power of riding and coming together. Our hope was that by September, coronavirus was going to be sufficiently under control that we could hold a safe rally. Rally Chair Matt Smith and his...
Kolb Machine R90SS Photo Gallery
We featured the incredible Kolb Machine R90SS in the March-April issue of On The Level, but we just can't get enough of it. Here are some more drool-worthy photos by Gregor Halenda. Enjoy!
BMW Riders Association Announces Free Admission for First Responders and Nurses to the 2020 National Rally
By a unanimous decision, the BMW Riders Association Board of Directors has voted to give nurses and first responders free admission to the club’s 2020 National Rally as a way of thanking them for their efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Board member Al Olme came up with the idea,” says BMW RA President Sibley Poland, “and the rest of the board quickly got behind it.” For his part, Al Olme says, “BMW Riders Association members are a...
Outside the Lines
“I’m scared.” The daunting hills of the ravine lay mere feet away as mottled rocks and boulders dot the hillsides like splattered paint. To my side, cliffs cascade down and away, dried trees and shrubs dangle dangerously, held merely by remnants of once marvelous roots. The environment is eerily quiet — lifeless, even. No chirping birds, barking dogs, or cars flying by, just the low whistle of my breathing and the nearly silent “thud” of my heartbeat. I lean to...
Riding in the Time of Coronavirus
“I’m 60, have no health issues and I am a nurse. Should I take my extended motorcycle trip?” Risk Management You prepare for months, review maps, buy essential equipment and then pack. Soon, you hope to be on the road for your three to six months trip. Sadly, Coronavirus is likely to have extended influence on your trip. There will be decisions to make about the safety of travel, about whom you travel with, and whether you should travel this season...
The Art and Science of Detailing A Motorcycle
When I joined the BMW community over 25 years ago, I quickly established a reputation in the local BMW club as having the cleanest bike with the fewest miles. It seemed that monster miles and clean motorcycles were mutually exclusive and, conversely, that there definitely was a correlation between the odometer reading and the cleanliness…or lack thereof… of a bike. I eventually decided to silence the critics by earning entry into the Iron Butt Association by completing an IBA SaddleSore...
In This Moment
An hour or so out of Sedona, Arizona, the red rock ridgelines provide a natural border to the sharpest and clearest blue sky I can remember. Purple wildflowers announce spring in the high desert, and the cool morning air delivers their sweet fragrance, stimulating dormant parts of my technology-anaesthetized senses. My physical body is doing what it was designed to do, embracing the low temperature by pumping extra blood (adrenaline, perhaps?), and the high is clean and the dialogue...
Budget Beemer: R 1150 RS
I’ve had nine BMWs since 1976, eight of them were bought new. Currently, I have a 2016 R 1200 RS still under warranty and I’ve almost never been a guy to have more than one bike in my garage. But in June, I flew to Sacramento, California to buy a 2004 R 1150 RS with 57,000 miles on it—my first used BMW and exactly the same color as the one I bought new in 2004. I kept asking people...
BMW Riders Association Announces Date and Location of 2020 Rally
The BMW Riders Association is pleased to announce that they've selected the Smoky Mountain Event Center in North Carolina (formerly known as the Haywood Country Fairgrounds) as the location of the 2020 National Rally. Located about 30 minutes west of Asheville, North Carolina, the rally will be close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Tail of the Dragon, the Rattler, and so many other epic roads. The date of the rally is September 17-20, 2020. Mark your calendars!
Budget Beemer: F 650 CS
[This story first appeared in the March-April issue of "On the Level"] As a mentor to several (now avid) motorcyclists, I know that the issue of which bike to recommend to the new or re-entry rider is of paramount importance. This is the vehicle which will either cultivate a rider’s passion or crush it. There are several BMW models which would make fine choices – but nothing fits the bill like the F 650 CS, an often-overlooked oddball that was...
2019 Set My Soul Free Rally T-Shirt!
The rally t-shirt is designed and it's extra-groovy! Check it out and join us in Woodstock, Virginia Sept 5-8. It's gonna be righteous. https://youtu.be/AMyjfFFuSSs
KATDASH Airhead Instrument Lighting at the Set My Soul Free National Rally
If you have an airhead and have replaced instrument bulbs on your dashboard, come to the Set My Soul Free national rally Sept 5-8 in Woodstock, Virginia and visit the KATDASH booth with their LED lighting product. They will have special rally pricing, and on site installation assistance will be available. https://katdash.com/ See you in September. It's gonna be righteous. https://bmwra.org/national-rally-info/
Welcome Neale Bayly to Team OTL!
We're happy to announce that journalist, photographer, adventure rider, humanitarian, and all around good guy Neale Bayly is joining On The Level as a regular columnist. We've just wrapped up production of the July-August issue and are so psyched to have his first column "Addiction" in it! Along with columnists Travis Wyman Racing, Tamela Rich, and our team of contributors, Neale is going to help us take OTL to the next LEVEL. Welcome aboard Neale! If you're not a member of...
Come see ROKstraps at the “Set My Soul Free” National Rally
Hey there my dude, did you know that bungee cords are sooo 1990s? Come to the "Set My Soul Free" national rally and visit the ROKstraps booth in the vendor showcase. They'll help you find the right strap for the job. See you in September. It's gonna be righteous. https://bmwra.org/national-rally-info/
It was the best of times…
My father taught my brother and I to ride as kids. I remember crawling onto the R 80 RT that rarely left the garage (and I eventually rode from Tulsa to the Daytona 200 through both an ice storm and the “Dragon” at Deals Gap). My brother and I learned throttle control and clutch operation on a 250cc two-stroke Yamaha Trials bike. Despite countless stories of riding adventures, the 15,000 mile round trip from Oklahoma to Denali (via Moto-GP in...
National Rally Registration is now open!
Registration for the 2019 BMW Riders Association "Set My Soul Free" National Rally is officially open. Groovy. https://bmwra.org/events/the-bmw-ra-national-rally/
Gore-Tex Gore-Grip Technology
Advancements in glove technology construction have moved at a snail's pace for what seems like forever. As a supplier of waterproof seat covers, I've had my share of wet-weather riding as I test my product in all types of conditions. I've learned a few things over the years about gloves and what a rider needs from this sometimes overlooked piece of equipment. Gore-Tex introduced the world to the waterproof/breathable membrane. Along with others in the industry, the membrane has...
It’s Not All Parades and Puffy Clouds
"Doing traffic enforcement on a police motorcycle is not cruising around, in the wind, enjoying the ride." Sergeant Allen Noles, City of Grand Rapids, MI Police Department Editor’s Note: There are not a lot of careers in America where you can support a family while being paid to ride a motorcycle. One of the most visible of these careers is that of a police motorcycle officer. OTL Assistant Editor Ethan Powsner recently spent a morning with five members of the City...
BMW Brings the Future to CES
GS owners rejoice - you can now send your bike to Starbucks to get your Flat White while you stay home in your flannel onesies arguing on the internet about motor oil! I kid. BMW Motorrad brought their gravity-defying, self-riding R 1200 GS to the Las Vegas geek bazaar (bizarre?) known as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and set it loose in a parking lot where it likely freaked out gamblers and partiers emerging bloodshot and bleary-eyed from 36-hour,...
Budget Beemers: The G 310 R
"Introduced to the US as a 2018 model, it is a light and naked standard machine with a surprising level of equipment for the original asking price of just $4,750. As 2019 has recently arrived, a 2018 pre-owned model can reasonably be had for our magical $4,000."