The new additions in the garage are the 2023 BMW 750 GS, 850 and 1250 GS and GS Adventure in Trophy color scheme, the 1250 RT, the 1000 XR and the almighty Suzuki V Strom. To get them ready and running for the 2023 season, we got together with our entire crew and thoroughly tested them out.

My pick for this year was the BMW R 1250 RT. And even though I was skeptical about its low center of gravity and top-heavy posture, it proved to be as agile as the GS. It corners wonderfully and packs enough torque to be really fun to ride. Not to mention the big windshield and heated seats, that really helped with my mood on a cold, foggy morning. And if you ever wondered if you can fit an entertainment system for a whole house into a motorcycle, you can, the RT does that too.

The morning started, as any early April morning would. Us standing around the garage parking lot, staring at the sky, wondering if we are going to end up wet and cold? But as soon as one of us started up the first bike all the wondering turned to action. We started with our morning briefing about the day, the route and of course, the coffee and lunch stop. We hoped on the bikes, hearing thirty BMW motorcycles rumbling around us, we were ready to.

Our route took us to the southern forests of Slovenia, over Gorski Kotar in Croatia, to Istria and finally to the coastal town of Portoroz back in Slovenia. Along the way we had the opportunity to do a little practice of our corner marking techniques and counting bikes backwards. Unlike riding motorcycles, you can quickly forget to do these things correctly. But we filed out the rough edges and got in the right rhythm.

In the beginning the roads where wet and everyone took it easy. No one wants to be that person who wrecks the new BMW R 1250 RT in Sport Blue color. So, we moved along in a praiseworthy manner, riding staggered formation and keeping a good distance from each other.

We arrived at our first stop in the heart of the Slovenian primal forest, Kocevje. We stopped at one of our favourite places on the Beautiful Balkans Adventure tour. The owner of a hotel and adrenalin park, greeted us with coffee and warm strudel. And here is where we shared our first impressions, about the motorcycles, riding, things to watch out for and many more. We could easily have had a four-hour-long discussion, since there where 30 of us, each with a treasure chest of experiences.

But time was ticking away and we still had a long way to go. So back on the bikes and onward to Croatia. After some technical riding across Gorski Kotar, we ended up on the sunlit coast of Istria. Folowing your Adriatic Riviera Tour. Here is where we made sure the cornering abilities of the BMW motorcycles where still up to our standards. And to no surprise, they were...oh boy.

As on all our tours, we believe that a hungry rider is not a happy rider. So, we treated ourselves to a wonderful lunch in the Istrian countryside. By now, it was early afternoon and the underlying layers on our jackets were coming off. Another 100 kilometres and we arrived in Portorož. The lovely Slovenian costal town. We parked the bikes and toasted to a great day in great company. As we have not seen each other in quite some time, the conversations and discussions lasted into the night.

The morning after, we rode the bikes right back to our BMW dealer, for their first service.

After a great weekend on the motorbikes, we are all ready for the 2023 season. We start by going to southern Italy on our South of Rome and Sicily tour, followed by the fully booked Tuscany, Sardinia, Corsica tour. We wish all the riders out there a great riding season and if you are booked on one (or more) of our tours, we can hardly wait to make your season even more memorable one.