View Full Version : Long Way Down movie?
mattsdakar
21st January 2008, 14:50
What did ya think?
Awesome ride by moaning twats??
Should Ewan have invited his missus??
I personally didn't enjoy it as much as the longway round, again I think they were riding the wrong bikes (too heavy) but I guess they were contracted to ride the beemers although after the success of the first movie they could probably have approached any manufacturer for free bikes.
Charlie's constant moaning got on my tits and I felt that rushing thru Northern Africa was a mistake as I thought Libya/Egypt/Sudan would have been amazing to explore a bit further.
I have a copy if any Christchurch based riders want to borrow to burn
Rgds Matt
cooneyr
21st January 2008, 15:50
What did ya think?
Awesome ride by moaning twats??
Should Ewan have invited his missus??
I personally didn't enjoy it as much as the longway round, again I think they were riding the wrong bikes (too heavy) but I guess they were contracted to ride the beemers although after the success of the first movie they could probably have approached any manufacturer for free bikes.
Charlie's constant moaning got on my tits and I felt that rushing thru Northern Africa was a mistake as I thought Libya/Egypt/Sudan would have been amazing to explore a bit further.
I have a copy if any Christchurch based riders want to borrow to burn
Rgds Matt
Its kinda got to the point of being a travel show where transport is motorbikes rather than a motorcycle adventure taking in a bit of culture etc. The whole trip was to rushed (or at least that is the feeling you get from the DVD).
Somebody should shoot Charlie and put us out of our misery. Race to Dakar put me right off him and every time he opened his mouth in this one is was to bloody moan. ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH
Eve's presence could have been handled better. She needed more training and she being there should not have been a reason to split the group. Was really a bit inexperienced to be involved but good on her for giving it ago.
Bet BMW and probably the riders too wished that they could have put it off till the new 800GS came out. Would have been brilliant marketing for the 800 if it could have cut the mustard.
Cheers R
bart
21st January 2008, 16:16
It amazes me how these guys want to go on an adventure, yet they seem to be scared of gravel and sandy roads. Ewan does nothing but whinge. It wouldn't be an adventure without some hardship.
Worth a look if you like travel shows. 5 and a bit out of 10.
Certainly proves how robust those big beemers are, (except for the suspension).
HenryDorsetCase
21st January 2008, 16:22
I got given a copy for Crimble. I liked it certainly for the price. The scenery was amazing and concur with what others have said re rushing. There is one bit where they admit to having a major falling out, things kind of improved from there on.
Ewan is the one who doesnt "do" offroad. Charley seemed (to my untutored eye) to have some offroad skillz.
They have so much stuff on their bikes theres no wonder that the suspension (Ohlins even!!!) broke plus the bikes are behemoths. I bet they weigh well over 300kg ready to rock n roll, even before the rider gets on.
I liked Russ, he seemed calm and a bit sensible.
gunnyrob
21st January 2008, 16:34
They had to rush to catch a ferry in Africa that goes once in a blue moon. I would have taken the extra week or so & enjoyed the trip.
The Bikes (R1200GS Adventurea) are certainly heavy-ish if you compare them to something like an Xt660, but are 25kg lighter than the bikes (R1150GSAs) they used in the long way round, and are pretty reliable & can handle long distances & crap roads.
I'm certainly weighing up the options (yuk yuk) when it comes for luggage for the R1200, I'm starting to look at Plastic as opposed to Aluminium panniers (possibly Krauser). Also compact camp gear would help too.
Got to love heated grips!
A good series. Get it & get inspired.
scrubs
21st January 2008, 16:37
Its a shame. what tiny bit of sense of adventure was in the first series is lost completely in this one. I find watching two blokes ride round with two back up vehicles, a medic with a mobile defibrillator, body guard, armed guards
leading through sections, fixers for every country etc, tedious to watch.
it leaves no element for supprise whatsoever - which in my eyes is what
makes up a huge part of an adventure. for anyoneone who hasent
still seen Mondo Enduro or Terra Circa - those are documentrays definitly worth watching and a lot of the routes used by Ewan and Charile were copied (or inspired) by the Mondo boys.
MaxB
21st January 2008, 16:39
There are some other comments over on:
65375
FWIW I reckon your bike (650GS) would have handled the conditions better. Although to be fair it was the Ohlins aftermarket shock on all three bikes that gave the most trouble. Plus all extra weight. Those Touratech panniers have some ridiculous weight rating.
Transalper
21st January 2008, 16:59
There are some other comments over on:
65375
FWIW I reckon your bike (650GS) would have handled the conditions better. Although to be fair it was the Ohlins aftermarket shock on all three bikes that gave the most trouble. Plus all extra weight. Those Touratech panniers have some ridiculous weight rating.
Umm... that is this thread.:blink:
NordieBoy
21st January 2008, 19:10
I enjoyed it.
It was more of an adventure for all of them rather than LWR's adventure for just Ewan and Charlie.
MaxB
21st January 2008, 22:58
Sorry, it should be:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=64494
Its the long way down dvd thread
MVnut
21st January 2008, 23:02
I liked is but 'Long Way Round' was way better, and Ewan's missus should've stayed on the couch. This was a Boys' trip.
Bikernereid
22nd January 2008, 05:52
Didnlt think that Ewan's Missus should have gone. If they want to do a trip together in thier own time that would have been better and her skills left something to be desired.
Libya look awesome and as a fan of that region I really want to have a good look around there. I liked that they didn't always sugar coat the poltical and societal issues in some of the countries although the trip was a little rushed and could have been given more time.
Don't all men winge :shifty: why should Charlie be any different?
What did ya think?
Awesome ride by moaning twats??
Should Ewan have invited his missus??
I personally didn't enjoy it as much as the longway round, again I think they were riding the wrong bikes (too heavy) but I guess they were contracted to ride the beemers although after the success of the first movie they could probably have approached any manufacturer for free bikes.
Charlie's constant moaning got on my tits and I felt that rushing thru Northern Africa was a mistake as I thought Libya/Egypt/Sudan would have been amazing to explore a bit further.
I have a copy if any Christchurch based riders want to borrow to burn
Rgds Matt
Mint Sauce
22nd January 2008, 08:29
For me it seems to be Ewan doing the most moaning about the tight time schedule. This is a bit ironic as it is his filming schedule and other commercial activities that tend to dictate the time available most. It was the same for teh Long Way Round and he has not learnt from that experience. I think it is Ewan and his complaints that get to Charley.
Anyway whatever the choice of bike and whatever the shortage of adventure riding skills, a factor I share, it is a great to watch two mates having time out together. I tend to agree Ewan and his missus should have sorted out their own trip and not have interrupted the flow of this one.
The best part for me though is seeing the good work of UNICEF, Riders for Health etc. and the attention and money these good organisations gain from the exposure.
cooneyr
22nd January 2008, 09:23
It is interesting that some think that Ewan was the biggest moaner and others Charlie. Ewan moaned about the roads but was quite open about the fact that he is not an off sealed road rider (not really off road riding, more crappy gravel road riding). Charlie moaned about where he was i.e. boarder crossings and what they were doing i.e. schedule (though that probably is Ewan's doing).
Bit "gay" (read not macho), but they both needed to talk more about the day to day plans, during the planning phase and about Eve's involvement (seems Charlie pretty much got told it was going to happen). The end result potentially becomes very boring to watch rather than annoying though - cant bloody win.
Cheers R
426crasher
25th January 2008, 18:25
I got the dvd for crimbo and just got around to watching it. Was quite eager to see some sections of it as i did a ride from Hull, east yorkshire, down to northern Sudan in 1991 and this ride by the moaning duo covered areas i did. Have to agree with most that it seemed a tad rushed and after LWR it became a little predictable. Still it was entertaining to watch and brought back great memories of my ride. Egypt, Isreal, Syria and Lebanon are just awesome places to ride. Shit it just makes me want to do it again!!
nallac
25th January 2008, 18:56
Just reading the book about it now, it does seam like they're rushing a fuck load more than they should be.
sounds like it'd be a awesum adventure to do if ya could take ya time.
Oh to have money and 3 months off work..........
Mort
25th January 2008, 19:23
I liked it but it was far too rushed. It didnt feel like the adventure they had when they did Long Way Round.
gav
25th January 2008, 20:12
Yeah, but they both admitted they didn't want to be away as long as the first trip. Secondly Ewan breaking his leg probably didn't help planning. Meeting with the husband and wife team when they were still camping in the UK sort of put it in perspective. Those two had done the trip with no back up and no media circus etc, wonder if the boys had a thought about how soft they looked!
Also that hard Aussie bastard pushbiking through the middle of nowhere!
Steam
25th January 2008, 20:29
Yeah,...
How have I been on here for two years and never noticed you, Gav? Are you a member who has just changed his name?
gav
25th January 2008, 20:35
Nope .......
Two years? OK, guess you're still new then ....
OV Lander
26th January 2008, 20:40
So for me it was not the bike selection, but the bloody Nissans!
Now don't get me wrong, I am into my 4WD's have my own Nissan compete in competitions and do heaps of Hard Yakka trips all over the country, but these vehicles where on the wrong tyres, dangerously overloaded, poorly equipped, driven by incompetent drivers and to be frank, the bastards would simply not leave the bikes alone - as in LWR.
I thought this was supposed to be 2 blokes, 2 bikes and 20,000kms (and a cameraman!). Not "'West London' goes on safari with the McGregor Family".
Keep the parents out
Keep the brother out
Keep the production crew away from the bikes (like 1,000kms away!)
Keep Eve out
... and for God's sake let's have BIKE adventure next time!
Alpha Solo
31st January 2008, 08:20
"the husband and wife team when they were still camping in the UK sort of put it in perspective"
- I totally agree, I cant believe the amount of support crew they had - let's not forget the 'fixers' in each country and local vehicles, the helicopter shots etc... and didn't they have plenty of production meetings in the UK planning the route etc? They shouldn't moan when they dictated their pace etc... I just wish they haden't done it as the world now thinks they invented adventure riding, :bash:
- respect to Chris Scott etc!!!
For the real story check out Mondo Enduro and Terra Firma! ! !
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