Former MotoGP racer Chris Vermeulen gave some first-hand riding tips to those attending the BMW GS experience demo ride on the Sunshine Coast this week.
Although known as a world-class road racer, Chris is also a very handy off-road rider spending hours training on dirt bikes on his Yandina property.
He was on hand at the second annual GS Experience where riders pay $39 to test any of the GS line of BMW adventure bikes.
Chris, who is a partner in MotoLife dealership at Caloundra, owns an F 800 GS which he has kitted out with all the bells and whistles.
His advice for riding dirt roads is to stand up and always look where you are going.
He performed several demonstrations of the ABS and traction control systems available on the latest GS models.
Chris and his wife, Toni, are expecting their first child in the next two months.
He’s not saying what sex the baby is, but he says his father, Pete, reckons boys can be more expensive, especially if they want to go motorcycle racing.
Chris didn’t attend the first GS Experience last month in Sydney and won[t be at the event on October 2-3 at Toolangi in the Yarra Valley, but has been attending BMW track days at Queensland Raceway and Darwin.
He says he rode a new R 1200 GS adventure bike and was able to lap riders on S 1000 RR. It just goes to show that it’s riding technique, not the bike, that makes you go faster.
If you’re interested in attending the Victorian GS Experience, you can register here, or call 1 800 813 299 for more information.
All GS models, including the new water-cooled R 1200 GS and the latest F 800 GS Adventure, will be on hand to test.
The demo rides last up to an hour and include tar and dirt roads.
Customers pay $39 for the test ride and also receive refreshments and a BMW Motorrad GS t-shirt.
If you buy one of the bikes within two months of your test, you get a whopping $500 voucher for BMW Motorrad rider gear.
BMW Motorrad Australia marketing manager Miles Davis says the GS Experience demo rides usually convert a few participants to new or used BMWs.
“Riders get to try them in their natural habitat to understand what they can do,” he says.
“You can’t test these bikes in a 10-minute ride around city streets.”