Call us sceptics, but we wonder whether a stunt rider did some of the riding for Ewan McGregor in this Moto Guzzi promotional video for the new V85 TT.
It was filmed in southern Sardinia to promote the launch of the bike and Ewan as the bike’s ambassador.
Ambassador McGregor
Ewan has been a brand ambassador for Moto Guzzi for a few years now.
He says his father had a Moto Guzzi and he has several old California cruisers in his motorcycle collection.
In a previous Moto Guzzi promo video, Ewan rides a cruiser.
Ewan isn’t as skilful off-road as Charley who competed in the 2006 Dakar Rally, which makes us wonder about the riding in the V85 TT video.
His ambassador role is also one of the reasons preventing him from doing a proposed Long Way Up tour of South and North America with longtime friend Charley Boorman.
While the pair rode BMWs in their 2004 Long Way Round and 2007 Long Way Down, they are now ambassadors for different companies.
Charley has been brand ambassador for Triumph for several years.
Now Moto Guzzi has replaced it with the V85 TT, so there is at least a suitable adventure bike for Ewan to ride.
If Triumph and Moto Guzzi could come to an understanding, the pair could team up together again and ride different bikes.
Both companies have much to win from such a joint effort and a lot to lose — remember Charley’s tantrum when KTM pulled their support for Long Way Round!
However, Charley told us last year that Ewan’s relationship with Moto Guzzi would not necessarily foil their plans:
We’ve been talking about it a long time and if the stars align we will do something like a Long Way up from Tierra Del Fuego to Alaska in the next couple of years. It really is close now. Ewan’s always had a loose relationship with Moto Guzzi so there’s no conflict there.
MBW with Charley Boorman
Long Way Back
It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.
From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.
With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.
There are two things that have prevented Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman completing their proposed Long Way Up tour of South and North America.
There is the fact that Ewan is so busy with Hollywood movies he can’t afford a few months off and there is also the fact that Ewan is ambassador for Moto Guzzi and Charley is ambassador for Triumph.
The pair rode BMWs in their 2004 Long Way Round and 2007 Long Way Down.
Ewan tries the sleeping arrangements on the V85TT!
Now Moto Guzzi has replaced it with the V85TT which Ewan recently rode in Southern Sardinia.
If Triumph and Moto Guzzi could come to an understanding, the pair could team up together again and ride different bikes.
Both companies have much to win from such a joint effort and a lot to lose — remember Charley’s tantrum when KTM pulled their support for Long Way Round!
However, Charley told us last year that Ewan’s relationship with Moto Guzzi would not necessarily foil their plans:
We’ve been talking about it a long time and if the stars align we will do something like a Long Way up from Tierra Del Fuego to Alaska in the next couple of years. It really is close now. Ewan’s always had a loose relationship with Moto Guzzi so there’s no conflict there.
MBW with Charley Boorman
Long Way Back
It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan and Charley.
From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.
With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.
Festival Director Peter Woods says the number of new attractions planned for the free event would help attract more than 6000 people.
“This year we are presenting a big focus on adventure hike riding, Peter said.
“Adventure motorcycling is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people opt for taking their bike off road,” he says.
“We are going to celebrate everything to do with adventure bikes and riding, and hopefully inspire riders to get out and give it a go.”
Billy Biketruck
Billy Ward
Helping to inspire riders will be Charley Boorman’s sidekick Billy Ward, or Billy Biketruck as he is known.
we met Billy when he joined Charley several years for a motorcycle tour to the Flinders Ranges and he is an extremely funny and entertaining speaker.
He’s also a very competent adventure rider who has recently returned from a filming trip through Afghanistan with Claudio von Planta who filmed Charley and Ewan McGregor in Long Way Round.
Billy (left) and Claudio
“It started – as so many good stories do – with excessive alcohol consumption, and ended up with a trip through a war zone,” Billy says of his Afghan trek.
“Though standing on the front line in Mosul surrounded by military of one type or another, listening to the coalition jets above made me ponder ‘What the feck am I doing here?’.
“An incredible journey into the Middle East with Claudio opened up my eyes to many things — political, social, economic, power and control. Our legacy, if we have one should be our understanding. My story is about how I fell into this adventure and how wonderfully good and bad, people can be.”
Billy will tell his story at the festival and present some videos and photos of his trip in what he calls an exciting, funny and sad story, with only a little bit of nudity!
Catch Billy at the York Mill on the Saturday at 3pm, and Sunday at 1pm.
Billy with Chris Vermeulen and Charley Boorman
Free York festival
The family-friendly free festival includes the usual Mt Brown vintage hillclimb, show and shine competition, vintage collective markets, children’s bike rides, displays of new bikes and products, and the Harley-Davidson family concert in Peace Park from 4pm.
Aussie stunt rider Lukey Luke will stage stunt shows burning up South St on his new BMW F800R on the Sunday and champion trials rider Neil Price will demonstrate his amazing skills.
Lukey Luke
If you want to joinin the fun, you can enter the hillclimb. Riders get two timed passes and need to replicate the next three timed passes as close to their nominated time as possible.
The York Motorcycle Festival will raise funds for beyondblue with a charity ride for on the Sunday from Midland Gate Shopping Centre carpark, Great Eastern Highway, from 8.30am.
Cost is $10 per rider, $5 per pillion, and all money goes to beyondblue.
There is plenty of motorcycle parking available on Avon Terrace and throughout the town.
The York Motorcycle Festival is supported by Department of Tourism Western Australia, Department of Regional Development, Royalties for Regions and the Shire of York, and proudly sponsored by Shannons Insurance, Harley-Davidson, 5 Star Yamaha and Indian Motorcycles.
