Klaus Nennewitz

Motorcycle Review

Small-Displacement ADV Shootout

Adventure bikes dominate today's market. They’re hugely popular, even among riders who may not recall the bikes’ origin in the early Paris-Dakar Rally.  The core traits that helped those machines survive grueling marathon stages—such as powerful engines, a rugged chassis, high-end comfort, and bulletproof reliability—still

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HC Concepts: Engine Development

Business has become difficult for service providers in vehicle development. Large companies are slashing budgets and refrain from outsourcing completely new and lucrative drivetrain projects.  Among other things, uncertainty about the impending ban on combustion engines in the EU (tentatively scheduled for 2035) has contributed to this, even though there

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2027 BMW F 450 GS

A year and a half after the debut of the F 450 GS concept at the 2024 EICMA show, the production‑ready model is now ready for test rides. The motorcycle, manufactured by BMW’s Indian partner TVS, will hit the dealerships in late 2026 as a 2027 model. The

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ADV Bikes Without Success

When the BMW R 80 G/S was unveiled for the first time in Avignon, France, on September 1, 1980, none of those present could have guessed it would become a milestone in motorcycle history. Even three weeks later at the IFMA motorcycle exhibition in Cologne, Germany, the first mass-produced

MV Agusta Premium Content

Big Bang: Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4

Cagiva was an Italian motorcycle company founded in 1978 on the remains of AMF-Harley-Davidson’s involvement with the aircraft manufacturer Aermacchi. The latter had entered the motorcycle business after World War II and, in 1960, Harley-Davidson bought a controlling share in Aermacchi to provide an answer to the threat of

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70 Years of Yamaha

Yamaha Motor Corporation is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, let’s go on a tour through the most important periods in the company's history and explore the growth and philosophy behind the products. Yamaha Motor Co., commonly known as YMC, was established in

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Yamaha Ténéré Rally Bosnia 2025

Yamaha had pulled the plug on its rally team in 2022 after its last factory entry in the Dakar Rally. Over the company’s time in the rallies, its riders had brought home a total of nine victories (1979-1980 with Cyril Neveu, 1991-1998 with Edi Orioli and Stéphane Peterhansel).  Factory

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2025 Royal Enfield Bear 650

“A motorcycle for Indian markets needs to be made of metal.” That's what Paolo Brovedani, Royal Enfield's now-retired head of research and development, told me when I interviewed him..  If that's the case, then the new Royal Enfield Bear 650 is almost a small

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2025 Aprilia Tuono 457

Based on the technical platform of the RS 457, the new Aprilia Tuono 457 is a true naked bike dedicated to everyday riding with a touch of sportiness. The Italian twin carries an important name: the first Tuono 1000 was presented in 2002, paving the way for powerful naked bikes

News

BMW Unveils 2026 BMW R 12 G/S

Wild speculation has been circulating in the motorcycle world ever since pictures of a boxer bike with long suspension travel and an oil/air-cooled four-valve engine started doing the rounds. Was BMW working on a worthy successor to the legendary HP 2 Enduro? Or was it “only” to be a

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure

The Independent Adventurer Big, wide, and fat—the 2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure shows its extreme robustness and versatility straight away. The bike’s design reflects its sheer indestructibility, turning it almost into additional armor for the rider. When the GSA first appeared in 1999, it already made a

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Interview with BMW Engineer Toni Decker

Toni Decker, born in 1963, joined BMW as a trainee in 1988 and started to work for the Bavarian manufacturer in 1990 as a design and project engineer. He is best known for being the project leader for the K-series of motorcycles. I sat down with Decker to ask him

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Pirelli-Metzeler Motorcycle Test Center

Most motorcyclists are familiar with the Italian island of Sicily as a vacation destination. In the off-season, Sicily’s mild temperatures, low-traffic roads, and spectacular landscapes tempt people to escape the Northern Hemisphere’s bad weather.  Some motorcycle companies have also recognized this and carry out their endurance runs and

Motorcycle Review

Comparison: BMW K 1600 GT vs. K 1600 B

Six-cylinder engines are as much a part of BMW as veal sausage is of a Bavarian Sunday breakfast or the Oktoberfest is of Munich. The in-line engine became an icon in 1973 at the latest, when it appeared on racetracks in the BMW 3.0 CSL Coupé, also known as

Columns

Nicola Dutto Rides Again

Thirteen years and three seconds. That's how long it took motorcycle rally racer Nicola Dutto to realize his dream of competing in the 2023 Baja 1000, a point-to-point race from La Paz to Ensenada. Those three seconds, however, were the longest of his life. On March 20, 2010,

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BMW R 20 Concept Motorcycle at Villa d’Este

After a long absence, BMW Motorrad has presented a concept motorcycle at the stage of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d’Este. In addition to the big boxer engine, the brightly-colored tank was the focus of the R 20 roadster Every summer, the park of Villa d'Este

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Interview with Alexander Buckan—BMW’s New Head of Design

Alexander Buckan—born 1974 in Erfurt, Germany—took over the direction of the BMW Motorrad Design from Edgar Heinrich on January 1, 2024. After working at Mercedes-Benz and a freelancer, he joined the motorcycle department in Munich in 2003. I sat down to chat with the fresh head designer to

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Pen to Production—Interview with KTM Designer Gerald Kiska

Austrian designer Gerald Kiska has been responsible for designing KTM models for more than three decades. Since Husqvarna and Gas Gas joined the same group, his portfolio has extended to these brands as well. Kiska has never been afraid to provoke with his designs. I sat to chat with him

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Interview: Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad

Markus Flasch, born in 1981, took over as the head of BMW Motorrad on November 1, 2023. He succeeded Markus Schramm, who had been in charge of the company since 2018. After studying automotive engineering, this Austrian manager’s career got off to a flying start at engineering service provider

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2024 MV Agusta Enduro Veloce

Every conversation about MV Agusta, the famed motorcycle company from Varese, Italy, sooner or later arrives at a “yes, but…” It might refer to spare parts’ availability, customer service, quality, or over-bred machines that have become increasingly extreme to fill high-priced premium niches. In addition, the firm has had a

Product Review

Review: Metzeler Cruisetec Tire

The new Metzler Cruisetec tires are designed specifically to emphasize the sporty character of big power cruisers. I put them to the test on the racetrack aboard a Harley-Davidson Sportster S 1250. This bike marked a paradigm shift at Harley-Davidson with its ultra-modern, water-cooled, and powerful twin-cylinder engine. The Pan

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The Battle of the Twin

I returned home from the October 2023 press launch of the BMW R 1300 GS in Málaga with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was totally enthusiastic about the bike's brilliant handling on the road. On the other, I was disappointed by the event’s too-short off-road part.

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Fantastic Plastic

Acerbis, a motorcycle components manufacturer and pioneer in plastic fuel tanks, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with an entry in the Guinness World Records. The company’s founder Franco Acerbis took me on a journey through time during this interview. Ever heard of a motorcycle with a 28-gallon fuel tank?

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BMW ASA Transmission—A Smooth operator

BMW is gearing up to launch  the Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) automatic transmission for the GS motorcycle family in the second half of 2024. In an ASA-equipped GS bike, the foot shift lever is still present, but the clutch lever is missing. This technology has already been incorporated into the

Mar/Apr '24 Premium Content

Germany and Austria: The Walk of Fame

Sadly, you can celebrate a centenary only once every 100 years. I’m saying that because one could get used to high-class events like BMW’s 100th anniversary tour in the German and Austrian Alps. The three-day 100 Years of BMW Motorrad Anniversary Tour went from Munich to the Grossglockner