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Just got the DVD and the Book for my birth, what an excellent series, I would love to do this kind of thing, ride around the world, cool. Anyone else seen this or got it. Not sure if the SV would make it though?
sexysi
Just got the DVD and the Book for my birth, what an excellent series, I would love to do this kind of thing, ride around the world, cool. Anyone else seen this or got it. Not sure if the SV would make it though?
sexysi
Got the book.
Excellent read.
Saw the show on Sky.
Would love to do something similar, maybe not quite such a harsh environment. I would like to do it on tarmac so I didn't need all the backup, spares etc.
mrbizzy
09-02-05, 02:07 PM
i was surprised how badly the bmw's faired - what was it, two cracked frames?!
Steve H
09-02-05, 02:07 PM
Yeah its great innit?! The book has a lot more insight and is worth a read if you enjoyed the series. Ewan Macgregor seems a fairly down to earth character and not full of himself like some movie stars.
As much as i hate to admit it, the trip was a great advert for BMW motorcycles! (The cars are still sh**e though! :roll: )
Steve H
09-02-05, 02:09 PM
i was surprised how badly the bmw's faired - what was it, two cracked frames?!
You are joking. Try doing that on an SV or a Honda. And I really hate standing up for BMW. (Cars driven by *****s and all that! :wink: )
I love the KTM bit, "owe KTM have pulled out then, cause they think you will fail"
Charley Borman says, " well F**k KTM then we'll show them". Very good advert for KTM, Obviously they don't trust their own bikes.
sexysi
Sounds good doesn't it Si... now read the book and then ask yourself the same question afterwards :lol:
The frames cracked on the bikes because of the rediculous amount of weight they were having to bare. Both Charley and Ewan realise that they've just taken far too much stuff with them, treating each bike as individuals rather than a team and splitting necessary kit between them. Towards the end of the hardest part of the journey they finally decided to sift through it all, and dump what they've not used/didn't need. Given the terrain they were also faced with, it's amazing that the frames didn't give way sooner.
Out of interest... the parts that broke were not BMW parts, they were the Touratech subframes, which are specifically designed for the task they put the bike up to.
All in all, it's a cracking read. I finished it on Friday lunchtime, and then saw Charley Boorman at Ally Pally... I wanted to go and slap him on the back and shake his hand, but restrained myself :lol: Really should've brought my copy of the book with me to get it signed... but alas, it was not so!
i was surprised how badly the bmw's faired - what was it, two cracked frames?!
Given the abuse these bikes were put through, it's a wonder they survived so well. Silly luggage, stupid terrain and being regularly dropped, bashed and battered. :o
northwind
09-02-05, 02:38 PM
Both Charley and Ewan realise that they've just taken far too much stuff with them, treating each bike as individuals rather than a team and splitting necessary kit between them. Towards the end of the hardest part of the journey they finally decided to sift through it all .
I loved that they finally worked that out after going about 3/4 of the way around the world :) "D'oh! Maybe we don't actually need 6 saucepans!"
Out of interest... the parts that broke were not BMW parts, they were the Touratech subframes, which are specifically designed for the task they put the bike up to.
I think one of them suffers an actual frame break under the seat...Ewan's bike IIRC.
Anonymous
09-02-05, 02:41 PM
I honestly thought they were standard GSAdventure subframes :?
Do Touratech do replacement subframes?
Those BMWs really were overloaded, especially considering the terrain that they were riding over. BMW really did support the journey and deserve all the positive publicity they got.
I wonder why they didn't consider pulling trailers (and putting most of their heavy stuff in the trailer :) )
The news today suggests that McGregor & Boorman are now considering a trans-africa trip.
Saw the series on Sky and got the book (and CD) for xmas. I would've preferred the DVD tho.
Claudio (the camerman) gets a much better write-up in the book than he did in the TV shows !
Excellent extra features on the DVD as well.
sexysi
Spoketo Charlie Boorman at the Ally Pally on Saturday, he's gonna do Paris-Dakkar next year then together they will do Long Way Down - London to Cape Town in 2007. He's not very tall either God knows how he got on the bike at all!
wyrdness
09-02-05, 04:34 PM
Spoketo Charlie Boorman at the Ally Pally on Saturday, he's gonna do Paris-Dakkar next year then together they will do Long Way Down - London to Cape Town in 2007. He's not very tall either God knows how he got on the bike at all!
I hope he survives Paris-Dakar. Quite a few people don't.
I really will have to get round to watching it, reading the book oh and that little britian DVD..
Got the DVD for Christmas - thought it was excellent.
My wife and 11 year old sat down at about 8pm on Boxing Day, and I tentatively suggested we watch one episode to see what it was like.
We were absolutely gripped - we watched all of disc one, plus the first episode of disc two in one go.
Thought Charley was a bit of a t0ssp0tt at first, but he really grew on me.
Funniest clip I thought was when he first got the bike of the back of the van - nearly p155ed myself laughing.
I finished watching the DVD last night - spent two nights watching all 7 episodes and the extras and i thought it was brilliant. Both of them are very down to earth and they'd be a good pair to go for a beer and a ride with. Charley's now doing a few talks around the country so if they end up having one in my end of the world, then ill try and get along. It makes you want to plan your own trip.
I watched the show on Sky and got the DVD for Christmas although I haven't got round to watching it yet.
I'll have to get the book after hearing all the praise.
Any suggestions for my 2nd viewing - should I read the book 1st. and then revisit the series or vicky verky?
jungleboy
09-02-05, 11:11 PM
Dammit watched the series on Sky and bought the book to read at my leisure.......haven't had a moment yet but that's done it now..........I'm gonna just have to pull a sicky off work tomorrow and read it cover to cover.
And I hold you all responsible!
I've read the boook. Not seen the DVD. If anyone would like to lend it me.....
When I read the book, I thought EMG came across poorly - autocratic, not someone I'd get on with. But as the trip went on he softened and started to realise that you can't do this sort of tip to suit a predetermined tight schedule, and that it really didn't matter if they didn't do how ever many hundred miles a day. I ended up liking him a lot more. Charley was insufficiently self-assertive I thought, got pushed around too much.
Read the book first then go for the video, the book goes into the guys trying to get the money for filming, I think eventually that got 100,000 pounds per episode. Which started out at 700,000 per episode for 6 episodes. The book also goes a little into Charley and Ewin and there first biking experiences, quite funny. Also the argument between I think it was Russ and Charley was a lot more heated than is portrayed in the DVD.
Who's up for a trip to Capetown then!!!!
sexysi
454697819
10-02-05, 11:08 AM
I have to say i was very impressed, i was half expecting it to be, "hey were film stars with loads of money, lets see if i can go around the world with 30 support vehicles and a private jet"
but it wasnt, it was gripping, i am jelous and would love to do sommat like that!
initially i was supprised by the bmw frames snapping, but then you realised what they had done with the bikes, hardley supprising, if you ask me, and, if it can be repaired out there, cest la vie,
love the bit where they fecked claudios abs, How did they manage it??
and the bit where charlie dented the pannier after 20 seconds of owning the bike!
excellent and wel recomended, had to stop myself watching it all in one night!
Oh, i had the DVD, its v v v good!
Alex
Carsick
10-02-05, 12:43 PM
love the bit where they fecked claudios abs, How did they manage it?
He fell of and cracked the frame, then when they arc welded the frame back together they fried the ABS controller.
All very entertaining, especially watching him on the little bike they bought to replace it. Then discovering that the little bike is fantastic for the bits where the road runs out.
Anonymous
10-02-05, 12:50 PM
love the bit where they fecked claudios abs, How did they manage it?
He fell of and cracked the frame, then when they arc welded the frame back together they fried the ABS controller.
All very entertaining, especially watching him on the little bike they bought to replace it. Then discovering that the little bike is fantastic for the bits where the road runs out.
It certainly was a lesson in having a more agricultural vehicle to allow easy repairs. A crack in an ally frame would have been more tricky.
Apparently Carsick, rumours are they only blew the ABS fuse when they did the welding, but failed to check it out. Unsure how true that is!
Apparently Carsick, rumours are they only blew the ABS fuse when they did the welding, but failed to check it out. Unsure how true that is!
#-o
Carsick
10-02-05, 01:10 PM
Apparently Carsick, rumours are they only blew the ABS fuse when they did the welding, but failed to check it out. Unsure how true that is!
#-o
#-o indeed
454697819
10-02-05, 03:03 PM
love the bit where they fecked claudios abs, How did they manage it?
He fell of and cracked the frame, then when they arc welded the frame back together they fried the ABS controller.
All very entertaining, especially watching him on the little bike they bought to replace it. Then discovering that the little bike is fantastic for the bits where the road runs out.
It certainly was a lesson in having a more agricultural vehicle to allow easy repairs. A crack in an ally frame would have been more tricky.
Apparently Carsick, rumours are they only blew the ABS fuse when they did the welding, but failed to check it out. Unsure how true that is!
u see, i was under the imression that they had not dissconnected the battery and therefore possibly blown the fuse! if they didnt check that i would be hiding my head!!
Steve H
10-02-05, 03:24 PM
A great bit is where Ewan recalls the conversation with his wife just before the trip where he tells her that he cant take his wedding ring on the trip. She asks him why not and he says "How on earth am i gonna get laid on the trip with a wedding ring on?" I think he was joking, although that beard would not have helped, movie star or not!
Carsick
10-02-05, 03:27 PM
I was entertained that Ewan seemed to be continually getting petrol in his eyes.
I don't know anybody who's ever done that, even abroad with funky pumps but he does it twice, d'oh.
Watched it on sky very good. :lol:
BaggaZee
10-02-05, 07:02 PM
Just finished watching it an hour ago, absolutely magic!
I felt genuinely pleased for the guys when their families surprised them a day early & they were blown away.
Their chat at the end about how they basically did it as an excuse to ride bikes every day and wanted to turn around & go back was great!
Genuine bike lovers. Pleasantly surprised.
:riding:
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