Another Long Way Down coming | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Another Long Way Down coming

I watch another because I will be entertained, but Boorman whining and blubbering his way across Asia was painful. The book was almost as much fun as Marley ands Me when they kill the dog. "my free bike trip around the world, with sponsorship and never ending payouts from my book and movie is just so hard, boohoohooo...." . The cast of pawn stars riding out to Sturgis was more real.
 
KTM had a lot of reliability issues back then. They knew their bikes wouldn't make it.

Don't buy into this BS .... the two BMW's had a list of issues as you could see in the movie. Who knows what didn't make the cut or wasn't even recorded ...

The one advantage BMW had over KTM is dealer's network ... but it's only advantage if you need one ....
 
KTM didn't want to give away 2 bikes and lost the advertising. They misjudged the impact. My guess anyways.
 
The series was fantastic advertising for BMW and they would be foolish to not continue supporting, though I do not believe that is the case. If Ewan and Charlie were going to do a Long Way Up I bet that BMW would be involved again.

There has been talk of a 3rd for a long time, I am not getting my hopes up though. I really enjoyed Round and Down.
 
The reason I have an ADV bike (BMW Sertao) is because of the "Long Way" series. So, yeah, KTM opting out, regardless the reason, probably cost them sales.

IMO, the big bikes they used weren't as much of a problem as the fact they were loaded to the nines; all that weight behind the wheel plus some awful roads meant there were going to be frame issues at some point. The KTM's are great bikes but I'm pretty sure they cannot handle the load on the frame the way the BMW can.

Ton's of great adventures on the ADVRider sight though, proving that anything with 2 wheels can be ridden anywhere.
 
Don't buy into this BS .... the two BMW's had a list of issues as you could see in the movie. Who knows what didn't make the cut or wasn't even recorded ...

The one advantage BMW had over KTM is dealer's network ... but it's only advantage if you need one ....

The BMW's GS 1200 is time-tested with proven reliability. The bikes were loaded to the nines with all the immediate amenities. The bikes did well, and BMW sold a ton of GS 1200's as a result. Advertising doesn't get any better than that. It was a win for all involved .

KTM however:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtUj3br21_E&sns=em

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZXOb_nDiI&sns=em

Never understood the hype behind this company. My RM 250 smokes their EXC and I'm not afraid of my frame snapping in half.

Ewan "hand to heart we chose the right bike." (BMW)

Charlie "**** this ****ing ****** company)." (as he tears their poster off the wall) "Fail..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX5O-ZlWe9g&sns=em

This is not good advertising!

Agree or not agree, KTM made a very bad business decision and paid the price.
 
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It's very hard to judge impact of a show on any sale of a particular motorcycle. Impossible to prove, it's all just speculation when someone contributes sales to a TV show. The GS has been, is and will be the best selling large cc adventure bike world wide (mainly in US I believe). Advertising wise surely, it was a win for BMW, but did it help significantly increase the sales, I seriously doubt it. Was it an advertizing flop for KTM, undoubtedly? Did it cost them significant sales? I doubt it, because any sensible person who does real and long adventure trips, with a lot of muddy off-roading and unpaved roads would pick the KTM anyways, regardless what Charlie and Ewan chose to suffer (and you have to admit some of the episodes were hilarious, I felt for them ....) through in the movie ....
 
It's very hard to judge impact of a show on any sale of a particular motorcycle. Impossible to prove, it's all just speculation when someone contributes sales to a TV show. The GS has been, is and will be the best selling large cc adventure bike world wide (mainly in US I believe). Advertising wise surely, it was a win for BMW, but did it help significantly increase the sales, I seriously doubt it. Was it an advertizing flop for KTM, undoubtedly? Did it cost them significant sales? I doubt it, because any sensible person who does real and long adventure trips, with a lot of muddy off-roading and unpaved roads would pick the KTM anyways, regardless what Charlie and Ewan chose to suffer (and you have to admit some of the episodes were hilarious, I felt for them ....) through in the movie ....

It's not hard to gauge at all. Just read the adv forums where guys outright write "I bought the BMW based on the LWD, LWR series."

You need to give this argument up. You've lost, as KTM did.

It would be interesting to see their sales figures pre and post the show.
 
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Last I heard from a couple years ago they were planning a Long Way Up, starting in Cape Horn and going north through South America from there.
 
Another sequel will likely never be made because;

  1. only Boorman talks about it and keeps the hope alive
  2. only Boorman has time on his hands
  3. only Boorman shows up (paid or unpaid?) at various bike shows around the world because of 2)
  4. McGregor on the other hand turns down more movie scripts than he knows what to do with and just doesn't have the time or desire
 
Another sequel will likely never be made because;

  1. only Boorman talks about it and keeps the hope alive
  2. only Boorman has time on his hands
  3. only Boorman shows up (paid or unpaid?) at various bike shows around the world because of 2)
  4. McGregor on the other hand turns down more movie scripts than he knows what to do with and just doesn't have the time or desire

Good points, but didn't they lull about during LWR and LWD 'till the right timing clicked? I'm positive they will make another, and soon.

As for McGregor, Hollywood isn't what it used to be. They ran out of ideas a long time ago. The future of any actor isn't as bright as it used to be.
 
I liked Long Way Around a lot and Long Way Down much less.

I would love to see a Long Way Around crossed with Trainspotting.
 
Another good read is "Investment Biker" by Jim Rogers. A little tough to get thru the numbers crunching stuff,but still worth reading.
 

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