Scotland by R 1200 RT

Several months before BMW Motorrad’s new R 1200 RT was unveiled at the EICMA motorcycle show in Italy, Touratech Executive Director Herbert Schwarz travelled to one of his favourite destinations in order to take pictures for a travel story for the new Touratech Streetline brochure, as well as test some products especially developed for this flagship touring boxer.

Accompanied by his wife Ramona, photographer Violetta Bismor and camera-man Jean-Baptiste Heppner, the four travellers journeyed across northern Europe on an 8,000 kilometre road trip, crossing the English Channel and then heading towards Scotland, one of motorcycling’s best-kept secrets – as long as you get the good weather…

This trip was a far cry from Herbert’s first ever motorcycle tour, which took place exactly 30 years ago and also involved a journey to Scotland, albeit on a Suzuki GT 550 with his sister. Without the warm, comfortable, weatherproof clothing motorcyclists are used to today and experiencing a distinct lack of suitable equipment and accessories on the old Suzuki got Herbert thinking about ways to improve the possibilities for motorcycle travel – and sowed the seeds for the beginning of the Touratech company…

Fast forward almost three decades and this time the journey would take place aboard the luxurious surroundings of BMW Motorrad’s latest touring boxer. Although most people associate Touratech with the world of Enduro, the company also makes special parts for high-performance touring machines such the R 1200 RT, as well as recently developing an entire ‘streetline’ range for road bikes. And what better way to test the credentials of the new BMW R 1200 RT than 31 days on the road, two-up with full luggage and the challenge of varying temperatures, unpredictable weather and a variety of road conditions?

Having found his old map of Scotland, with routes highlighted that he had travelled 30 years ago, Herbert’s mind was made up and after a quick discussion with Ramona over the campfire, the journey was soon organised for an August departure. After a scenic detour to the cliffs and beaches on the French side of the Channel in Normandy, the two couples found themselves leaving the Continent behind and heading up through England, passing through the picturesque Lake District with the RTs snaking their way through dense oak forests, mysterious moors, and misty mountains towards the Scottish border.

Riding pillion, Ramona Schwarz soon settled into the trip and explains the reasoning behind their latest 8,000 kilometre challenge: “Because the RT is the perfect road tourer for couples, we wanted to put it in its ideal environment and in our case this meant riding enjoyment for two – on one machine. As a biker myself who loves riding on gravel roads, I had to get used to this changing of roles, but as a pillion passenger I could snuggle up to Herbert while he enjoyed exploring the RT’s power and good torque. I also knew that during long rides on this trip I wouldn’t be sore from a hard Enduro seat, and if it got cold, I could switch on the seat heating! The first few miles of driving on the left in England took a bit of getting used to for us Europeans, but now we don't mind riding on the ‘wrong’ side of the road. It's only when something came the other way on the narrow, single-track roads that we had to be careful not to instinctively move over to the right!”

For Herbert, the trip brought back many memories, as they journeyed up through the Southern Uplands, across to the peaceful Isle of Arran, also referred to as ‘Scotland in miniature’. Thirty years ago he rode to the neighbouring Mull of Kintyre because of the famous Paul McCartney song (a fact he’s rather embarrassed about now) but this time they were on a tight schedule because the Scottish sporting event of the year – the Highland Games – was taking place on the shore of picturesque Loch Shiel.

After experiencing the locals (wearing traditional kilts, feather hats, daggers and knee- length woollen socks) gathering to watch the professional strongmen participate in these trials of strength such as ‘tossing the caber’ and ‘throwing the hammer’, the next stop on the Scottish tour was the historic Eilean Donan Castle, surely one of the most beautiful in Scotland and seen in movies such as Highlander, Braveheart and James Bond’s The World Is Not Enough.

After this, the bikers travelled across the wildest parts of the Scottish Highlands, including the rugged west coast and the Applecross peninsula – reputed to have the most spectacular bends and the best single-track roads in the whole of Scotland. Then it was across to the east coast of the Northern Highlands, where Herbert was determined to go to John O'Groats, since his friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman set off from there on their Long Way Down journey. However, it is a common myth that John O'Groats is the northernmost point on the British mainland, because in fact Dunnet Head – 18 kilometres further west – holds this accolade.

From a cliff ledge, Herbert, Ramona, Violeta and Jean-Baptiste looked down into the raging Pentland Firth – a dangerous stretch of sea that separates the 77 Orkney Islands from the mainland and where extreme currents and strong winds make navigation difficult. This was the point that their long trip south back towards Germany would begin, with its obligatory stop-offs at a whisky distillery and the capital city of Edinburgh.

Reflecting on the new R 1200 RT on which he made this trip, Herbert believes that BMW Motorrad has made an already great bike even better, and in doing so has yet again raised the benchmark in the premium touring segment.

“I am a big fan of the RT touring BMWs, but this new generation model is a big leap forward, compared to its predecessors. After having travelled around 8,000 kilometres, two-up on the latest version – 4,900 kilometres of which were in Scotland – I can say with some conviction that the engine is fantastic. It’s the best boxer I’ve ever come across. Furthermore, the new screen offers better weather protection and it is perfectly comfortable for two people to travel very long distances on it.”

Now that the new R 1200 RT has been unveiled to the world’s motorcycle press at the Italian EICMA exhibition and the new Touratech 2010 brochure has been printed, Herbert’s next adventure has already begun. The spectacular landscapes of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia await and Herbert and Ramona will be riding through these amazing countries on a new R 1200 GS Adventure and an F 800 GS. Their mission: to gather photographic and film material for a Touratech Adventure Catalogue and DVD due out in 2010. Some would call it a ‘working holiday’ or even an Asian adventure, but Herbert is just focussing on living his dreams.

For more information on the new R 1200 RT, please see international BMW website at www.bmw-motorrad.com where images from the Scottish trip can be viewed.