The truth is that the Valentine's Day candy/roses/jewelry/lingerie-passion exchange fantasy lingers because it may have worked once in a man's lifetime, and he dreams of the night when lightning will strike twice. Yet some riders I know have developed a real strategy regarding the selection of moto-gifts as Valentine's Day tokens.

Edgar Heinrich will be taking over the BMW Group's BMW Motorrad Design Studio as of July 1st. He succeeds David Robb.  Within the BMW Group's BMW Motorrad Design Studio he was Head of Vehicle Design Motorcycles under the overall direction of David Robb from 2007 to 2009. 

The 2012 Dakar Rally rolled to a finish in Lima, Peru on January 15, with France's Cyril Despres taking his fourth Dakar title in the motorcycling category.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Beach's Motorcycle Adventures and of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America this adventure will feature a tour of BMW's plant in Munich as well as great riding.

The remote hills and back roads of West Virginia provide some of the most breathtaking motorcycle riding to be encountered anywhere in the world, and this includes the Champs Élysées in Paris and the El Camino de la Muerte (Road of Death) in Bolivia.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN. The BMW MOA has four special Weekend Getaway events planned for this year:  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania  April 13 - 15;  Oxford, Alabama  April 20 - 22; Cedar City, Utah  September 28 - 30; Tomah, Wisconsin  October 5 - 7. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the BMW MOA in style! Sponsored by Touratech and the MOA.

Have you ever considered doing a long ride? I've always wondered what it would be like to ride day after day after day. I guess in my mind the most difficult part is setting aside the time. All the stars came into alignment in June of this year and the ride actually became a reality.

IMTBike is proud to present a unique tour designed especially for BMW MOA! This tour starts and ends in beautiful Sevilla Spain and will take you 1200 miles through sunny Andalucia. 

All great things have to come to an end and this trip of a lifetime is no different. Over the period of 3 1/2 months, over 40 000 km's, visiting 14 countries, 4 oil changes, 3 sets of tires, lots of cobbled together repairs, broken mirrors, windshields, turn signals, dented headers, scuffed crash bars, blown bearings, seals and a driveshaft, most of the original group achieved their dream - riding tip to tip in the western hemisphere.

Our winner, is LUIS SILVA of New Jersey. Congratulations Luis!

The 2011 - 2012 Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS) schedule contains 12 venues, and will tour cities that represent the most motorcycle-dense populations in the United States, reaching 75% of the nation's motorcycle enthusiasts. COME VISIT THE BMW MOA BOOTH!

With 2011 almost over, thoughts are turning to what 2012 has in store - and for BMW Motorrad riders and fans it promises to be an awesome 12 months. The brand will be attending some of the biggest motorcycle shows of the year. 

The other day I received an e-mail from a member who asked me, "Why don't we have a digital edition of the BMW Owners News?"   My response was simple:  "We do! We launched it in 2009... "

Traditionally the first major motorsport event of the new year is the Rally Dakar. And so it is again in 2012, when around 190 motorcycle racers begin their 8,364 kilometer long adventure across South America.

 

Subscribe to the Celtic Rider BMW MOA newsletter to enter a competition to win a 7 day BMW motorcycle rental in 2012.

The first Ride for Kids® event in 1984 raised $4,000 for childhood brain tumor research. Twenty-eight years and 500 events later, motorcyclists have contributed well over $50 million toward the cause.

"This illusion is central to why car drivers so often turn left in front of oncoming motorcycles, failing to yield the right of way. We assume that as long as we keep our eyes on the road, if something important happens, we'll notice it."

When film director Ryan McManus was tasked by BMW Motorrad's international advertising agency Serviceplan with bringing to life an epic racetrack battle between the S 1000 RR motorcycle and M3 performance car tuned by Akrapovic development partner a-workx, he was incredibly excited by the challenge.

The thought crossed my mind that a trip up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway would be a nice way to start the summer. This wouldn't be new territory, as I have been fortunate to spend many hours riding on that wonderful stretch of tarmac running 469 miles up and down the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Austin Hatcher Foundation helps families overcome childhood cancer by financing research and treatment developments, awareness programs, diversionary therapies, and the costs a family endures. Join Pandora's Motorsports on January 22 for a semi-formal, fully catered party with proceeds going to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research.