From September 10th to 16th of last year, I had the distinct honour of participating in the BMW ADV-X 2023 rally in the magnificent landscapes of British Columbia. A memorable and unique experience for me.
But what is the BMW ADV-X, you might ask? Well, it’s a 5-day adventure rally reserved for BMW GS owners, from the small G 310 GS to the stately R 1250 GS Adventure.
The BMW ADV-X is inspired by the BMW Safari Australia, a motorcycle travel concept for the brand’s Australian customers launched in 1994. The Canadian inaugural edition was held in British Columbia. It took participants from Abbotsford, southeast of Vancouver, to the renowned Sun Peaks ski resort (where legendary Canadian skier Nancy Greene, Olympic Giant Slalom Champion at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, has her school). The route covered more than 1,880 kilometres through some of Canada’s most impressive natural landscapes: the majestic Coast Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Cariboo Mountains, the northernmost section of the Columbia Range, and across part of the Okanagan Valley.
This adventure rally was organized conjointly by BMW Motorrad Canada (https://www.bmw-motorrad.ca) and Enduro Park Canada (https://enduroparkcanada.com/), an on- and off-road riding school that designed the itinerary and managed the event. To ensure participants were in top shape and ready for this 5-day journey, Enduro Park Canada offered the opportunity, for a reasonable fee, to take an off-road initiation or improvement course. This included off-road training, day excursions to refine skills, mechanic workshops, and much more. The training took place in early September at the BMW Motorrad Off-Road Training Centre at Enduro Park Canada in Victoria, British Columbia.
The BMW ADV-X was sponsored by Importations Thibault Ltd, which also showcased some of its flagship products, including Continental TCX70 Rocks tires, Interphone communication systems, Dainese clothing, and Scorpion adventure helmets, including the brand-new EXO-XT9000 Carbon.
“The BMW ADV-X rally was born out of a need but also out of an opportunity,” recalls Alex Welsh, Marketing Director for BMW Motorrad Canada. “When we decided we would no longer participate in the GS Trophy event for strategic reasons — the 2024 edition will take place in Namibia (editor’s note) — we considered different ideas to replace this iconic event. Inspired by the BMW Safari organized for nearly 30 years by BMW Motorrad Australia, we decided to create the ADV-X. This is a prestigious rally for our customers, allowing them to experience extraordinary adventures with their GS and share memorable moments with the BMW adventure community. And since this first edition of the BMW ADV-X coincides with the renewal of our GS range — BMW has just launched its new F 900 GS and unveiled the highly anticipated R 1300 GS on September 28th (editor’s note) — it couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”
And the BMW customer base responded positively to the manufacturer’s invitation: “We are pleased with the number of registrations,” says Ryan Austin, the rally organizer and owner of Enduro Park Canada. “In all, 42 riders registered for the event, including 31 paying customers, one of whom was a woman, as well as around ten instructors and BMW representatives. For a first edition, this is quite encouraging, especially when you consider that the rally was held in the western part of the country, which is far from home for many GS owners living in the central part of Canada, and even more so for those in the Maritimes. Analyzing the geographical origin of the participants reveals that the most represented provinces are British Columbia and Ontario with 15 riders each, followed by Québec with five, Alberta with four, Saskatchewan with two, and Manitoba with one. We had no representatives from the Maritime provinces or the federal territories.”
Two journalists, Doug Firby, correspondent for the Globe & Mail in Alberta, and myself were invited to cover the event. For the occasion, BMW provided us with two 2023 R 1250 GSA bikes — a Trophy for Doug and a Rallye for me — so that we could participate in the rally under the best possible conditions.
The instructor team from Enduro Park Canada, certified by BMW Motorrad, was responsible for accompanying and advising participants as needed. They led two groups of about fifteen riders each, while Doug and I formed an autonomous team with Jean-François Taylor and Marc Belcourt from BMW Canada. We were supervised by Dave Parker, a bilingual guide from Regina, Saskatchewan, whose talent and professionalism were matched only by his kindness and availability. Being part of a smaller team gave us some freedom of movement, but more importantly, it allowed us to receive personalized advice that we could put into practice right away. That helped us negotiate steep climbs by slightly slipping the clutch to optimize traction, go down steep slopes using engine braking, riding standing on the footpegs, overcoming obstacles, or fording streams (personally, I skipped this difficulty). All of this was done safely and with an ever-increasing level of confidence.
Even though the BMW ADV-X Rally was open to riders of all skill levels, the difficulty level of the course ranged from intermediate to challenging. However, it could be completed without major difficulty by riders with little or no off-road experience. Proof is I completed the rally without any serious accidents, though I did experience a number of harmless falls during that magnificent week. “You’re becoming a pro!” I was told in a somewhat ironic tone. Fortunately for us, the weather was good throughout the week. Indeed, if rain had come into play, some sections could have become a real challenge, especially for the less experienced riders.
Regarding the off-road riding skill level of the participants from the customers group, it was distributed fairly evenly between experts, intermediates, and novices. However, everything went smoothly, in a friendly and camaraderie-filled atmosphere. During the five days of this expedition, I witnessed many instances of solidarity and mutual assistance among riders, some of which were directed towards me: for example, when I couldn’t lift my motorcycle alone after a fall, or when I was stuck in a dead end, unable to turn around on my own.
I also met some colourful characters, like Jean Richer and Karl Boivin, childhood friends originally from Québec, now living in Ontario, who have been riding motorcycles together for about thirty years, and signed up for the rally at the last minute. They had to postpone the motorcycle trip they had planned for months in order to be here. There’s also Jacques from the Drummondville area: there he rides a BMW R 1250 GS Adventure, but he also lives part-time in Costa Rica, where he owns a recent model GSA. Jacques had a bad fall into a ravine on the third day of the rally, reducing his GSA to a wreck. Fortunately, he came out unscathed, with just a few bruises and scrapes.
The first day was the longest, with a total of over 620 km (2/3 road, 1/3 trail) taking us from Abbotsford to Sun Peaks, our base camp for the next days. The following days ranged from 280 to 450 km on average and were mostly made of trails: rocky and dusty forest roads, bumpy cow trails, gravel or dirt roads, and a few single-track trails. They constituted a very representative sampling of what British Columbia has to offer to adventure motorcycle enthusiasts. All of this in an idyllic environment with breathtaking panoramas.
For BMW, this event aimed at several objectives: getting GS owners to discover off-road riding or improve their skills, showing owners new ways to use their BMW, discovering a beautiful region of Canada, and sharing good moments with other GS community members. Accessorily, it also contributed to dispelling certain stereotypes about GS owners, as Welsh points out. “Users of big adventure bikes – and especially GS owners – are subject to some negative prejudices. Like SUV drivers, they carry the not always deserved reputation of never putting their wheels off paved roads. Yet, when they do, they realize that this machine is particularly capable off-road and that it can face all the challenges one might encounter on a trail. Despite their size and weight, both the GS and GSA excel off-road and can venture anywhere. All you need is a bit of experience and technique. Within the community, there are even extreme off-road riders who achieve extraordinary feats on their GS. True adventurers. It’s important to emphasize this but, above all, to encourage it. And the BMW ADV-X rally is an extraordinary means to achieve this, in a safe, supervised environment.”
Personally, this is the point that surprised me the most during this week. Being a neophyte in off-road riding myself, I was astonished at discovering the trails I could go through, the difficulties I could overcome, and the accomplishments I achieved on my R 1250 GS Adventure. To be honest, I thought I could not do it. And I must admit I was worried when I received BMW’s invitation. In the weeks leading up to the rally – and during it – my sleep was disturbed by recurring dreams in which I inevitably found new ways to destroy my bike and seriously injure myself. Yet, I managed better than I initially thought and dramatically improved my riding. If I were to participate in another adventure-type event in the future, I would be more confident and better prepared. I wouldn’t feel like I was facing an insurmountable challenge. Or like I am an impostor. This being said, I remain aware of my riding level and know that I still have a lot to learn. In this regard, I plan to take one or two courses next year to further improve my skills.
Adventure tourism has been in vogue for a few years now; in fact, this is the motorcycle sector that registers the fastest growth, in North America as well as in Europe. A quick look at the number of new releases every season in this category makes you realize that it is a significant trend, which is unlikely to decline anytime soon. From this perspective, BMW’s initiative to organize such an event comes at the right time. Being the leader in this sector, with nearly 30% of all adventure motorcycle sales, BMW positions itself as a frontrunner. Of course, other adventure events are organized across the country, but none have the scope or prestige of the BMW ADV-X rally. This event is set to have a bright future and attract a growing number of participants in the coming years. “The measure of our success will be in the percentage of original participants who will repeat the experience next year, assuming the rally is renewed, as well as in the increase in the number of participants,” acknowledges Alex Welsh.
Both Ryan Austin and Alex Welsh are confident that the experience will be renewed in the years to come, likely in a modified form. Similar to the BMW Safari Australia, which is a travelling rally, the legs of future editions could be held in different cities, and the route could go through an entire region. It might also take place in other provinces to open up to a larger number of BMW GS owners across the country. Some participants I spoke to said the rally could be less structured, allowing riders to travel alone or in small groups – GPS tracks for each leg are provided to participants every evening – , or become more road-focused for some, or more adventurous for others, including legs with a bivouac stop with camping and self-sufficient meals. The possibilities are vast, and organizers will need to consider participant feedback, as well as their needs and desires for adventure, in planning future editions.
Adventure comes in different forms, as BMW Motorrad Australia understood very well. They now offer their Safari (https://bmwsafari.com/) in three distinct flavours for different customer preferences: BMW Safari TS (Touring), BMW Safari GS (Adventure), and BMW Safari GS Enduro (Extreme Adventure).
As for me, I am ready to repeat the experience if invited, regardless of the chosen format. It could be a great opportunity to try out the new BMW R 1300 GS Adventure!
GENERAL INFORMATION
This year, two options were available: the Adventurer Package (single occupancy) priced at $5,395 and the Explorer Package (double occupancy) at a rate of $4,895. Participants also had the option to have their motorcycles transported to British Columbia by a designated dealership in their province for a flat fee of $400. Travel fees to reach Vancouver were at the participant’s expense.
ALL PACKAGES INCLUDED:
- 5 days of motorcycling adventure, covering over 1,880 km
- 5 nights of accommodation
- Daily route guidance by lead motorcyclists
- Roadbook and GPS file for additional navigation
- Official technical support from BMW Motorrad
- Medical support
- Luggage support
- Emergency tire service
- Full tire services available
- 4 dinners
- 5 lunches
- 5 breakfasts
- Extended video coverage
- Event photographer
- Event welcome kit
REQUIREMENTS TO REGISTER:
- A BMW GS motorcycle
- A valid motorcycle licence and insurance
- Off-road riding safety gear: adventure suit with protections, helmet, gloves, MX goggles
- Off-road boots strongly recommended (e.g.: GS Comp Boots, Venture Grip GTX, or similar)
- Off-road tires (can be ordered and fitted on-site)
- Optional GPS capability
- 1 soft waterproof bag with a maximum capacity of 55 litres
- The desire to have fun riding your GS!
For more information, visit the BMW Motorrad Canada website at https://www.bmw-motorrad.ca and Enduro Park Canada at https://enduroparkcanada.com/.
