hpn
HPN. What is HPN? Or what does it stand for? It simply stands for the last names of three motorbike enthusiasts from a small town in the southern part of Germany. They have specialized in making something good a little bit better: BMW’s GS series of motorbikes. Alfred Halbfeld, Klaus Pepperl and Michael Neher were the one’s who prepared the motorbikes for BMW in the early eighties for the Rally Paris-Dakar. Ever since they are legendary. Mr. Halbfeld and Mr. Pepperl still run the company. They focus on research & development and on improving the early versions of BMW’s so successful G/S series (it’s now called GS).
HPN’s reputation for quality craftsmanship goes all around the world. Their fans can be found in Denmark, South Africa, Japan, etc. and hopefully not too far in the future in Canada, too :-) Hopefully I will have some time this year when I am back in Germany to pay HPN a visit. There used to be times when you had to wait a year for your bike. One reason is that they were simply extremely busy. Another reason is their dedication to quality. And they never sacrificed that for profit. Something that cannot be found that often anymore......
If you like traveling - it doesn’t have to be on a motorbike - this one is for you. It shows you what kind of adventure can still be experienced in today’s world.
There’s also another set of DVDs called “Long way down”. I haven’t seen it. But it is supposed to be not as good. It’s their second trip, this time to Australia. It’s said that it is much more organized, more professional and more kind of a business. I rather prefer the “raw” and unprofessional kind of thing. Decide yourself :-)
I have been looking at their bikes for soooooo long. And I feel that it is time for me to make it happen. Slowly but surely though ;-) They are not what you might consider as cheap. Of course. But since they are custom-built, it is you who decides how much it gonna cost you. But you get what you pay for. You will not just get a customized motorbike. It will be a rock-solid and reliable motorbike that is big like a mountain (some might also call it old-fashioned...). Without any fancy electric stuff. Almost just pure, working mechanics which will last forever.
In the same context I would like to mention another thing. There is a DVD of two guys going on a adventurous trip around the world. On motorbikes of course. Not HPNs but at least BMWs. The title is “Long way round”. One of the the guys is the well known actor Ewan McGregor. The other one is his actor-friend Charley Boorman. One day they decided to go together on a trip with their motorbikes. As a matter of fact, they did not come up with the idea of going around the world right away. The initial idea was to go for a couple of days. Maybe to Spain or so. But then it turned into this idea of big boys. Some of you will know how things like that usually start. Probably after a few beers, right guys?
The DVD is about the adventure of going around the world on motorbikes. You will see how they start planning, get the necessary equipment, which obstacles they had to overcome, etc. Once they are on the road it is just wonderful. It makes you wanna go to your garage, get on your bike and enjoy a quick ride.
