Chris 'Teach' McNeil on board BMW F800 GS

Chris "Teach" McNeil proving the BMW F800 GS sure aint no old mans bike. A lucky escape too.

DTM in the 1980s: The Golden Era

Check out this uber-cool footage from the late 80s of the German DTM Championships or Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. Slo-mo's, jumps, crashes- this video has the lot! Thanks for the heads up Lex!

German Touring and Road Car Hillclimbing

Featuring saloon, hatch back and road cars we all recognise, this feature length footage of a German hill climb event is proof the Germans do things properly.

Custom Pattern BMW R1200R

I've seen this bearded guy riding his Eley Kishimoto custom painted BMW R1200R around Goodge St before- I think his name is Mark Eley, but was very pleased to find him on Lulu Kennedy's blog. By the sound of it he's also fitted some fruity, free-breathing mufflers.

Return of the BMW Art Car

BMW's 'Art Car' is back. Artist and Sculpturist Jeff Koons has taken on the responsibility of designing the paint job for the 18th version of the famous collaberation between racing BMWs and breakthrough 'creative types'.

Dubbed the 'rainbow' treatment, Koons' brush strokes will follow in the footsteps of famous names such as Andy Warhol and David Hockney. The car underneath the rainbow is rather special too. BMW's latest GT2 M3 GTR V8 will compete at Les Mans 24 Hours in 2010, cementing it's place in the history books.

BMW S1000RR Tablecloth Trick

I cant make my mind up whether this is staged, but staged or not, it's a mighty fine piece of advertising!

Bonhams Auction- The Pamplona Collection

Bonhams hosted the auction of the Pamplona Collection at the RAF Musuem in London last weekend. The Spanish owned private collection of approximately 100 classic and vintage motorcycles, the majority built before 1950, included many rare models from names including Indian, Harley Davidson, NSU, BMW, Terrot, Peugeot, Wanderer, Griffon and many more. 

Also included in the sale were several in-line four cylinder machines from Henderson, Ace and Cleveland. The feature bike of the auction was a 1931 Brough Superior SS100 with a reserve set at £120,000. Hosted light heartedly by auctioneer Malcolm Barber, a very high percentage of the bikes sold successfully, although the Brough failed to sell with bidding reaching £85,000.

The RAF Museum in Hendon provided a fascinating back-drop for the Bonhams Pamplona Collection, this Phantom F4 fighter sharing hanger space with 1913 Griffon 350cc V-twin pedal assisted machine. The French built Griffon sold for £6,500 plus commission.

Fantastic 1926 Harley Davidson 74ci-1200cc Model J OHV racer was my pick of all the lots. Engineered to perform, this machine boasted an overhead-valve conversion, straight through pipes and with a wonderful period patina, provided an exceptional ownership proposition. Good value at £26,000 plus fees.

BMW was well represented with a range of single and flat twin engined machines including Lot 40, a beautfully presented 1936 494cc R5 reaching double it's estimate at £13,500 plus commission.

Beautifully demonstrated by Pops is this 1937 Czechoslavakian Bohmerland 603cc Langtouren boasting a long, low frame and for the first time on a motorcycle, cast alloy wheels. This ultra rare leading link front forked machine fetched £31,500.

Very rare 1923 Mabeco 596cc V-twin 'Indian Copy' received plentiful interest with a hammer price of £11,500

1931 'Streamline' Henderson 1300cc KJ Four capable of 100mph fetched £31,500 plus commission. 

This stylish 1936 NSU 494cc OSL sold for £5,750 plus commission.

2010 MCN London Bike Show

I've just returned from the MCN Bike Show held at Excel in London and took it on myself to photograph some of the tastiest and newest bikes to go on sale this year. The highlights for me included the BMW S1000R, the new Norton Commando series and an impressively fabricated twin engined Tri-2-ton.

BMW MMMMMMs..........

Two new BMW 'M' variants have appeared today including what may well be the replacement for the previous E46 CSL. Dubbed the 'Competition Package' the latest version of BMW's beautifully balanced two door V8 Coupe will go on sale as a cost option on standard cars in 2011.

With a drop in ride height of 10mm, drool worthy 19 inch wheels and a louder, meaner exhaust the Competition Package is rumoured to cost a premium of approxiamtely £4,000. Inside a full dose of alcantara will finish off the leightweight theme. There is also talk of a full manual gearbox option for those who prefer the full driving experience.

If it looks anything as good as the track biased GTS (above) that appeared towards the end of last year, the M3 Competition Package should be an option worth ticking.

Next on the BMW menu is the latest version of the legendary M5, caught winter testing by a World Car Fans spy photographer. Gone is the raucous and hugely thirsty V10 and in slots a 'greener' twin turbo 4.4 litre V8 packing over 570 hp. Torque figures are up to 531 ft lb and the 0-62 mph time is estimted to drop t0 a paltry 4.4 seconds. You almost feel sorry for the tarmac..

Top Second-Hand Buys for Under £10,000

2001 Porsche Boxster

Considered by many as the definitive roadster, Porsche's mostly mis-conceived entry level sports car has a lot going for it. Excellent build quality, reliability and a badge to be proud of are just several reasons why Boxster ownership is rated so highly. The 3.2 litre flat six 250hp motor in the 'S' is the one to go for, but all engines perform well. Gearboxes, brakes, and suspension are all top quality items, whilst the electrics and fabric hood require careful inspection at purchase. The driving experience, especially the handling, roadholding and balance are in a class of their own for this sector.

Pistonheads Classified: 2001 Porsche Boxster 3.2 S £9,995

BMW Z3 M Coupe

The BMW Z3 M Coupe has always been a favourite of mine and with prices now beginning to dip below ten grand, almost all of the depreciation has been suffered. The striking 'bread wagon' appearance did not appeal to everyone but you couldn't ignore the muscular rear arches, increased rigidity over the Roadster and practical boot. Sold in the UK with the E36 M3's 3.2 litre straight six, the little two seater coupe had 315hp to play with.

Pistonheads Classified: 2000 BMW Z3 M Coupe £10,000

Corvette Engined BMW E30!

Yes you read correctly, it's an old, very lightweight Beamer E30 carrying a 5.7 litre Chevrolet V8. This retro faced two door saloon was always a fine drive and the thought of over 350hp on tap, sends genuine shivers.

Not only has this American father and son combo fitted the whole LS1 motor and transmission into the old rep-mobile themselves, they've produced a video explaining exactly how you do it! Get in! Visit BimmerForums for all the details.

We've all heard the long winded reasons why this sort of umph in this little BMW shouldn't work, but come on, you would..

ROAD TEST: 2004 BMW 1200 GS

First impressions of the famed 'Round The World Bike' centre around its size. This is a big bike, I'm nearly 6"2 and throwing your leg over is still a tricky yoga move. Once aboard though, BMW have mastered a near perfect riding position with the GS. Wide, thin gauge bars provide such a delicate feel when seated that at first the GS belies its 200kg dry weight. The wide protruding cylinder heads remain distinctive but also add to the wind protection on offer.

The hand controls retain the BMW quality but still lack imagination when it comes to innovation (except the love 'em or hate 'em indicators), at this price.

Pulling away on a light clutch and selecting second rewards with a positive and reassuring clunk, and as the revs rise the 105hp flat twin immediately catches your attention with a torque rich surge through every gear all the way to illegal speeds. In fact, no matter what gear you happen to be in, a firm twist of the throttle sees you hunkering down and searching out the next planet to conquer.

Sheltered behind the adjustable windscreen, the effect of wind buffeting is highly reduced which in turn allows the innate ability of the GS to carry the rider at speed over less than perfect surfaces with consummate ease. The thought of riding the big BMW day after day is a pleasant one, which for me explains why this bike has been so popular. A bike famous not only for it's TV appearance but because it takes you places you never thought you could reach.