Klaus Nennewitz

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

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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

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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

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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

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A Life of Design: Heinrich Full Interview

Edgar Heinrich worked at the BMW Motorrad Design Studio, apart from a short interruption, since 1987. At the end of 2023, he decided it was time to retire from his leading position and handed the design department’s reins over to Alexander Buckan. Without any conspicuous image cultivation, at his

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How Salvo Pennisi Shaped Pirelli’s World Class Tire Testing Practices

His business card reads: "Pirelli Head of Outdoor Testing and Technical Relations, Motorcycle and Bicycle." However, it’s impossible to explain Salvo Pennisi's job in one sentence—let alone who he is as a person. Perhaps a little anecdote, told during a dinner by the sea

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The Thunderstorm: Aprilia Tuono and I

I was struck by the world of racing at the age of 12 when the local motorcycle club organized the European enduro championship race in my hometown. All of a sudden, life came into the secluded world of the German state of Hesse on the edge of the Iron Curtain.

Nov/Dec '23

Review: 2023 BMW R 18 Roctane

The BMW R 18 was quite an audacious move from the Munich-based company, bringing it to a new market segment. BMW has explored the cruiser category before, but without substantial success—although the R 1200 C from 1997 has a large fan base today and the prices for used machines

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A Professional Globetrotter: Royal Enfield's Paolo Brovedani

At the age of 63, when most of his colleagues are already enjoying their retirement, Italian engineer Paolo Brovedani packed his bags and moved from Peugeot in France to the Royal Enfield development center in England. After a successful introduction, he then moved to Chennai, India, in 2020 where he

Motorcycle Review

Review: 2022 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special

The first impression is always the most important, whether you’re visiting your potential mother-in-law for the first time, going to a job interview, or seeing a brand-new bike at a motorcycle show. The Harley-Davidson Pan America sure made an impression when it stood undisguised and naked in a glass

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Riding the 2024 Kove Rally 450

A few years ago, I was at a motorcycle trade show in Chongqing, one of the world’s largest cities in the heart of China. It was a chaotic affair, and the noise and strange bikes probably traumatized me a little. The event almost made me lose interest in the

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The Future of Motorcycling: Interview with Head of BMW Motorrad, Dr. Markus Schramm

RoadRUNNER recently had a rare opportunity to sit down for a chat with Dr. Markus Schramm, the head of BMW Motorrad. During the interview, he shared his views on the current motorcycle market and what the future might hold, both for BMW and motorcycling in general. Grab a nice cup