The New BMW R1200GS Press Launch - My "EPIC" Journey to South Africa

I've just read that the press launch has been postponed. I guess the OP is on his way home?

Yes. I'm sure more details will trickle out in the coming days / weeks.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/firstrides/122_1305_2013_bmw_r1200gs_first_ride/

Its that new beak that drives me nuts... too big again. Looks like some sort of cutter blade for getting through pedestrian heavy areas.

I'm a little concerned about how quiet the moto world is about this so far regards details of the accident. I guess it's a good thing ... respect the family and Kevin's memory.

BMW seems to have really put a lid on this. Very tight indeed. Did something happen that might reflect poorly on BMW ... or the bike? The Brit press are ruthless and I'm sure will be all over this as soon as some grieving time has passed.

I'm sure in the next week will get an eye witness account of this very sad drama. I've read Ash for over 20 years. One of the best ever. God Speed Kevin

Translation from www.motorradonline.de with some minor corrections.

"Motorcycle Tester Ash road with a group of fellow British motorcycle journalists on the new BMW R 1200 GS on a straight gravel road.
The trail was flat, but dusty, so that the individual riders had to hold significant distance from each other.
A BMW guide rode ahead of them and set the pace. The group rode with a maximum speed of 100 km/h, what was perfectly adequate
for the road conditions.
The fall, as reported by MOTORRAD head of testing Gert Thöle happened on the open road, for no apparent reason.
Thöle spoke with locals involved and assumes that probably exactly the harmlessness of the route was the reason for the accident: "I believe that Kevin,
who was not a fast rider taking any unnecessary risk, but a calm and careful rider, has been inattentive for a moment or has perhaps focused on
something different about the new bike. "He might have overlooked rain gutters that ran left and right of the road, and therefore lost control of the motorcycle.
According to the current investigation BMW flew it's own accident specialists to South Africa, it is clear that Kevin Ash's bike subsequently overturned.
The 53-year-old motorcycle tester was killed instantly"

Thanks for posting that account ... but note, the statement is from BMW employees.

If he was riding with other moto journos from the UK ... I'll await their take on the accident. They won't be doing any spinning.

Hard to imagine a guy with 50 years riding experience would just randomly ride off the road into a ditch ... but stranger things have happened. :eek1

Puzzling....perhaps an autopsy might reveal if he suffered a heart attack or something? No mention of the other down rider either.

Agree, but I think the above quotes are not from BMW but from Motorrad magazine employees who may have been present at the scene, but I could be mistaken.

That report is from "MOTORRAD" a German motorcycle magazine, not from BMW but of course far from being an official accident investigation report.
Maybe better to not speculate, however, to me it looks like a very unfortunate accident with a horrible outcome.

Another review http://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocia.../2013/january/-2013-bmw-r1200gs/#.UQJmEr-6cfU

Thanks for posting that. There is another report from Motorrad here.

A quote, in translation:

"The accident occurred on Tuesday during the second of two days of driving the British journalist group on the southern edge of the Great Karoo desert north of the South African town of George. Were next, the BMW planning, the German journalists to be your turn. MOTORCYCLE [i.e. Motorrad] for test-chief Gert Thöle had already left for South Africa, when the news arrived in the newsroom."

So it appears Mr Thole was still on his way to the launch when the incident occurred. He is openly speculating, and may not have all the facts.

So where is Shawn?
There is a mention about a second rider down. Hope Shawn is OK.

It wasn't Shawn, it was another UK journalist...I didn't recognize his name.

Kevin Ash !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...otorcycling-correspondent-Kevin-Ash-dies.html

I'll be interested to read the final analysis of exactly what happened to Kevin Ash. Of course, none of us have a clue - but a straight road, highly experienced rider, a controlled pace and suddenly he just crashes? Im seriously wondering if he had a heart attack, maybe passed out, had a sudden stroke? Apparently he made contact with another rider which would make sense if that guy was right behind him. Who knows??? Prayers for his family and colleagues.

Or had he activated the cruise control and not been able to turn it off quickly???

No word from Shawn for three days doesn't bode well for the launch. Such a shame to lose a well respected rider/writer on a new bike launch.

RIP Kevin

Dude, really! I know all that.
This guy was ape shit excited on Africa and the BMW test ride. Where the fuck is he? Have you wondered?
Shawn, I hope and pray you are OK. I have been deployed to 3rd world countries and know this, even a simple enterits can bite you for good. I am a Doc. !!!
You dont have to post a detailed report on the bike, but just a quick post that all is well would be fine.

Only wondering, why not give the OP a break?