Metzeler riders Antoine Meo and Christophe Nambotin take EWC wins in Chile

In the first round of the 2012 Enduro World Championship—held in Talca, Chile, Metzeler riders took two class wins thanks to Antoine Meo who was unbeatable in E1 and to Christophe Nambotin, who won both days in E3.

Antoine Meo was sick all week but was able to secure first place on each day. Just before the second round in Argentina, the Frenchman had 40 points, eight ahead of his closest competitor, Honda / Metzeler rider Rodrig. In Enduro 1, Rodrig Thain was able to grab a 2nd and 3rd place this weekend, while Simone Albergoni finished 2nd place on the podium on the second day. It was a perfect weekend for the Metzeler riders—who rode on Metzeler terrifically capable Six Days Extreme enduro tire.

Metzeler riders also took honors in Enduro 3. Christophe Nambotin, on his Six Days Extreme-equipped KTM took wins both day. Like Meo in E1, Nambotin has 40 points and is 8 points ahead of his closest opponent, Aigar Leok.  Metzeler tires also wound up on the 2nd step of the podium thanks to David Knight and his performance on Day 2.

The Chilean weekend has delivered four wins for Metzeler (two with Meo and two with Nambotin), three second places (Knight, Albergoni, Thain) and a third place (Thain).

For his EWC debut, Metzeler rider Manuel Monni, ex-Crossman, made a good first impression with two 8th places, while HM Honda rider Karl Svensson was able to grab a 5th place in Day 1.  Kevin Benavides made a brilliant start on his continent with a 4th place in Day 1 and a 5th place in Day 2.

During the opening GP of the 2012 EWC, the Metzeler Six Days Extreme has made an impressive debut, with four riders in the top three spots in E1 and E3. For sure, the Grand Prix of Chile was a great one for Metzeler riders and they hope to repeat their success next weekend in San Juan, Argentina.

Saturday:

E1 Class: Antoine MEO (KTM, Metzeler), Rodrig THAIN (HM Honda, Metzeler),

Marc BOURGEOIS (Yamaha);

E2 Class: Juha SALMINEN (Husqvarna), Ivan CERVANTES (Gas Gas), Oscar BALLETTI (Beta);

E3 Class: Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM, Metzeler), Aigar LEOK (TM), Oriol MENA (Husaberg).

EJ Class: Mathias BELLINO (Husaberg), Dany MCCANNEY (Gas Gas), Alexandre QUEYREYRE (Yamaha).

EY Class: Benjamin HERRERA (TM), Giacomo REDONDI (KTM), Stefano CAIMI (Yamaha).

Sunday:

E1 Class: Antoine MEO (KTM, Metzeler), Simone ALBERGONI (HM Honda, Metzeler), Rodrig THAIN (HM Honda, Metzeler);

E2 Class: Pierre-Alexandre RENET (Husaberg), Ivan CERVANTES (Gas Gas), Alex SALVINI (Husqvarna);

E3 Class: Christophe NAMBOTIN (KTM, Metzeler), David KNIGHT (KTM, Metzeler), Aigar LEOK (TM).

EJ Class: Mathias BELLINO (Husaberg), Victor GUERRERO (KTM), Dany MCCANNEY (Gas Gas).

EY Class: Giacomo REDONDI (KTM), Benjamin HERRERA (TM), Santiago ISAZA (KTM).

Pictures from redbull.com

Check out our new timeline on Facebook!

We’ve updated our Facebook page to the new timeline layout, and it is now easier than ever for you to learn about salient events in Metzeler’s company history.  On the right side of the page is the timeline.  Click anywhere on it to learn what was happening at Metzeler that year. For instance, the above photo is of Walter Schneider and Hans Strauss competing in the 1959 World Sidecar Championship on Metzeler sidecar tires—they won the championship.

We’ve also created a new app—Wallpapers & Covers—to give you the opportunity to download images of bikes on Metzeler tires doing what they do best, and in several sizes (for wallpaper, timelines, etc.).

Some highlights:

2011 – Pole Taddy Blazusiak wins for the 5th time in a row the extreme race Erzberg Red Bull Hare Scramble, his 3rd time AMA Enduro Championship and his 2nd time the World SuperEnduro Title. His weapon of choice? A Metzeler-shod KTM.

2000 – Metzeler’s now-legendary ME 880 XXL debuts as a 240/40R18. Back then, the 240 XXL was the world’s widest tire for custom motorcycles

1979 – Italian Eugenio Lazzarini rides his Metzeler-equipped Kreidler to victory in the 50 cc World Championship.

1937 – World motorcycle speed record is set on Metzeler tires at the speed of 279,5 km/h.

2011 – Pole Taddy Blazusiak wins for the 5th time in a row the extreme race Erzberg Red Bull Hare Scramble, his 3rd time AMA Enduro Championship and his 2nd time the World SuperEnduro Title. His weapon of choice? A Metzeler-shod KTM

2010 – Metzeler introduces MetzelerMaps, a free web application which allows bikers to find, upload and share their favorite rides

2010 – Metzeler Racetec renews its commitment to be the exclusive official tire supplier for the British Superstock 600 and 1000 Championships

2010 – French rider Ludivine Puy wins the first edition of World Women Enduro Championship aboard her Gas Gas and on Metzeler tires

2009 – Metzeler presents the innovative Interact Technology, which offers the best possible performance for any riding style. A new patented carcass with a variable tension 0° steel belt went into the upgraded Racetec line. This technology was then carried over to the new Metzeler Sportec Interact™ M5 and Roadtec Z8 Interact™ models, and provides maximum performance and riding safety for the high-quality Supersport and Sport-touring segments

2009 – Finn Mika Ahola wins the World Enduro Championship E1 on his Honda, which runs Metzeler tires.

2008 – Metzeler releases the Feelfree Wintec, a new all-season scooter tire which gives an extraordinary grip in cold and wet conditions

2008 – The Metzeler corporate blog Ridexperience debuts. The blog is a permanent virtual ride where all riders can read about two wheels and share their experiences, photos and videos

2007 – Spaniard Ivan Cervantes wins World Enduro Championship E3 on a Metzeler-shod KTM

2005 – Metzeler introduces two tires which would be extraordinarily successful: the ultimate Supersport Sportec M3 and an Enduro F.I.M. tire, the MCE 6Days Extreme. Metzeler also reveals the new Lasertec for mid-sized motorcycles and vintage models

2005 – Manxman David Knight wins the World Enduro Championship E3 aboard a KTM running Metzelers

2004 – Metzeler introduces the gummy Racetec K, an innovative, soft compound Road Racing tire, a road version of the Racetec is now standard on BMW’s S1000RR

2003 – Metzeler presents the Roadtec Z6, a new Sport Touring performance tire benchmark

2000 – Metzeler’s now-legendary ME 880 XXL debuts as a 240/40R18. Back then, the 240 XXL was the world’s widest tire for custom motorcycles

1995 – Italian Giovanni Sala wins the World Championship – Enduro 250 cc on a KTM running Metzelers

1994 – The first edition of the Metzeler Classic Calendar is sent out: 12 months of black and white images about the elephant’s brand

1992 – Metzeler produces ME Z1, the world’s first rear motorcycle tire with 0° steel belt technology

1990 – Belgian Eric Geboers wins the World Championship – Motocross 500 cc aboard his Metzeler- equipped Honda

1986 – Metzeler launches the new ME1, the first rear tire with an arrow parabolic tread pattern

1982 – Metzeler develops ME 33 Laser, the first tread pattern with crosswise grooves. During the same year, Metzeler starts production of the first bias-belted motorcycle tires

1979 – Italian Eugenio Lazzarini rides his Metzeler-equipped Kreidler to victory in the 50 cc World Championship.

1978 – Metzeler develops the first airless motorcycle tire in Europe

1976 – Helmut Dähne rides his Metzeler-shod Yamaha to victory in the 1000 cc class of the German Championship Rally

1961 – German rider Sebastian Nachtmann wins the International Six Days Enduro on his Metzeler- equipped BMW R69 S

1959 – Team Walter Schneider and Hans Strauss win the World Sidecar Championship on Metzeler sidecar tires

1954 – Metzeler sets six world records with 500 cc BMW RS at Monthéry in Paris

1937 – World motorcycle speed record is set on Metzeler tires at the speed of 279,5 km/h.

1935 – Metzeler tires take German racer Joseph Mueller (BMW) to victory in the International Six Day Enduro Race

1933 – Metzeler’s innovation continues with the creation of a groundbreaking synthetic rubber

1892 – Metzeler begins producing tires for bicycles, motorcycles and cars

1863 – In Munich, Robert Friedrich Metzeler founds OHG Metzeler & Co, a company specializing in technical rubber goods and sports equipment

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The best custom paint we’ve ever seen: Looney Tunes GSX-R

On the way home from work last week, we spotted this ridiculous (-ly cool?) custom-painted Suzuki GSX-R. It cracked us up because not only was it covered in Looney Tunes, but each one had a corny joke on it.

A red-eyed Daffy Duck saying “I swear I’ll never drink and ride again.” On the side of the bike there was a drawing of Wile E. Coyote grabbing Road Runner and exclaiming “Nothing is faster than a Suzuki, Silly Bird.” Elsewhere, Sylvester screams “Help me, this Suzuki is too fast, I need a Harley.” Somewhat shallow captions for an incredibly imaginative bike, but the point was surely the art, not the comics themselves.

The Gixxer was so over-the-top that it was impossible not to walk around it and pour over every drawing—even the seat had a comic on it. We love seeing projects like this, and would have loved to chat with the owner to learn more about it, but alas, this work of art was just sitting on the side of the street, somewhere in NYC, with no owner in sight.

The seat!

This bike had the fanciest seats we’ve ever spotted. Here’s the passenger seat:

On Being Rescued: Hijinks on the FDR

Last Friday, the Cub ran out of gas on FDR drive in Manhattan (it was on reserve, but we didn’t believe the Cub could run out of gas).  Not 5 minutes later a gentleman on a KLR stopped and offered us a lift north to Houston St. for some gas. The manager of the gas station wanted $20 for a gas can, so we bought and emptied a bottle of grapefruit juice instead.  The manager flipped out, and noted that it is illegal to fill an unapproved gas container.

Little did he know that the Cub will go about a mile on an ounce of gas—we pulled a hose off the KLR’s carb and drained eight ounces into the bottle before heading off to replenish the Cub.As were riding back across Houston, the KLR guy said “oh, did you have your bike on reserve and forget to turn it back when you filled it?” The answer was “no, we turn the gas on and off each time we ride, in the hopes that it will help get us accustomed to being very methodical.”  He thinks for a second and says “that’s great, but you still ran out of gas.  How methodical is that?”  Still, when things go well—as they did here—it can be fun to run out of gas. You never know who you’ll get to meet.

When nobody stops to help, however, it can be a nightmare, especially in the rain, in the countryside, or at night.  It got us thinking about how we respond when we see stranded bikers on the side of the road.  Unless we’re in a rush, we stop to offer help.  The generosity of the KLR rider, however, convinced us to leave a little earlier on our trips, just in case we do spot someone in need of help.  It is such a relief to see a friendly face pull out from an endless flow of traffic—we can’t wait to give that experience to someone else.

We made it this far on the 8oz of gas, from the FDR to a friends BBQ…

And then onward, before sputtering to a stop at this BP Gas pump which, luckily, hadn’t run out of gas.

This is what a $10k scooter looks like: BMW’s C650GT and C600 Sport

BMW has just launched two new maxi-scooters.  They cost £10k in England, and are expected to cost just over $10,000 in the US—by all measures, a jaw-dropping amount for a scooter, even a 650 cc BMW (after all, BMW’s banzai S1000RR costs $15,050)

There must be something to it.  It’s worth looking at the features that go into such a fancy scooter.   The GT is—as you might expect—more luxurious than the Sport.  It helps make cold weather tolerable with a heated seat, and keeps fingers working with its heated grips.  As a nice surprise, it adjusts the temperature according to the air temperature and speed, so it’s not necessary to make constant adjustments.  Anyone who has driven behind BMW’s excellent rain-sensing car windshield wipers will have confidence that they can get the auto-adjusting seats just right.

Other features?  The GT has an electrically adjustable windshield, a parking brake, central locks.  Both bikes have LED running lights, ABS, and massive amounts of storage.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5V8m0OtwUo]

Both bikes are powered by a four-valve, twin-cam 647 cc parallel-twin.  They’re fuel-injected, have catalytic converters, and satisfy the coming Euro-4 emissions limits.

For people who don’t have racing or touring aspirations, these maxi-scoots would actually be quite a nice way to get around a city.  There’s enough room inside for a helmet and some beer, a woman could just about ride one in a skirt, and a business man would have some protection from the elements.

They’re made in Berlin, has 60 bhp, ABS, and is a BMW.  They’ll carry you and your stuff around town, keep you warm, comfortable, and completely safe.  If you’re not absolutely motorcycle-crazy (but have money to spare), what more could you want from a bike?

BMW’s official page for the C650GT and C600 Sport

More info at MCN Australia