The new ABR blog; it's easier to use, looks better than the old one and there's the opportunity to make a few quid if you've a Google adsense account - not that anyone gets rich via adsense but then something is better than nothing.

Why blog on ABR?

Blogs can function as on-line diaries, soapboxes, journalistic ventures or internet scrapbooks and as it's on ABR you're sure to get a lot more readers than setting up your own stand alone site.

It's also free to blog on ABR and we're on hand to help. Also, if you're looking to attract sponsors for that big trip they'll be a lot more interested when you tell them your blog will be on a popular and relevent site.

What can you blog about?

You can blog about anything as long as it has a motorcycle or travel theme.

If you just can't be out of touch, need music on the move or you're having an affair with the voice on your GPS you might want to check out the Interphone F2 City Bluetooth Wireless Motorcycle Entertainment System.

Priced at just £99.00 including VAT, the F2 City comes with features normally found on systems costing twice as much, and offers quick and easy connection to a mobile phone or satellite navigation system without messy wires.

The Interphone F2 City can be paired with two Bluetooth enabled devices simultaneously, such as mobile phone and satellite navigation, enabling the rider to make and receive telephone calls hands-free, while getting clear GPS directions, without the need to switch between devices. It can also be connected to a range of portable music players via the stereo plug-in facility - so riders can add their favourite soundtrack to their route.

It's the start of the motorcycle touring season when thousands of Brits pack on up and ride on out over to the continent. And the good news is, the £ in your pocket hit an 18 month high against the Euro yesterday, which in lay mans terms means...more beer money.

Talk to someone who toured in the EU zone last year and they'll no doubt tell you tales of financial woe as sterling looked to be heading towards parity with the Euro. Today the £ buys you 1.21 Euro and the word on the street is that it's likely to move higher in the short to medium term as the Euro Zone battles with the financial irregularities between its member states.

Forget Icelandic volcanoes and check out the adventure motorcycle opportunities on this island in the middle of the north Atlantic.

About 10 years ago I picked up my backpack and flew to Iceland with a couple of mates. We took a bus to the northern coast of the island disembarked and then started to hike through the interior to the southern coast.

Along the way we had to cross huge expanses of wilderness and swollen glacier melt rivers and at the time I thought 'I'd love to do this on my motorcycle'.

In the following video keep a look out for the river crossing with the camp site in the background, this is the start of the The Landmannalaugar Trail which heads over to Thorsmork and then up and over what is now an infamous volcano, Eyjafjallajokull. This is where we finished our walk and stood on top of the volcano which is now causing all the air travel chaos.

I've just updated my video kit and took the plunge and bought Oregon Scientifics ATC5k, I did this because alot of people i know and trust have got previous model Scientifics and they seemed the most robust,  Essentially the series 5 is very similar with a couple of added new features, The viewing screen is a major bonus so you can check the angles and set up of your recordings, The expansion to 16GB is also very good especially if your going to go on a trip, and the new remote control feature sounded good.

 Having tested it this week i am delighted and would recommend this to anyone, i have rated the key areas below hope its of interest

Last weeks video showed you what it was like to ride up Erg Chebbi, the biggest dunes in Morocco, on a motorcycle. All great fun but what happens when it works the other way, when those dunes decide it's pay back time and decide to ride all over you.

You'll not come across sandstorms that often, especially on a bimble through the Cotswolds, but there's always a possibility that you'll encounter one when riding through the Middle East and North African countries such as Morocco. Many years ago on a hike through the Sahara with three mates I got caught out in a sandstorm during the night, having viewed this video I'm glad it wasn't during the day. If I'd seen this monster coming my way, I'd have bricked it....

BMW is recalling over 120,000 motorcycles for the second time to check for possible brake faults. The company said 100 bikes had been found still to have problems in brake fluid lines following a recall two years ago. The latest announcement affects the popular Boxer Tourer and Enduro models, including its best-selling R 1200 GS, and the four-cylinder tourer K 1200 GT.

A spokesman for BMW Motorrad said that in the worst case, the front brakes could fail if all the fluid leaked out. He said the company was not aware of any accident linked to the problem.

"There appears to be no danger to riders, so the (recall) measure can be done without the involvement and supervision of (German motor vehicle department) KBA," BMW said, citing a letter from the authority.

After three years of owning a Harley Davidson, during which I rode less miles than on any machine I'd previously owned, I needed a bike to bring a smile back to my face and energise my diminishing passion for motorcycles. Enter the Triumph Sprint 885, and the re-birth of my life in the saddle.

With that in mind I'll always have a soft spot for the Sprint and any new release is of great interest. So, five years after the introduction of the 1050cc Sprint ST sports tourer comes a new model with greater practicality and more emphasis on the ‘touring’ aspect of ‘sports touring’: the new Triumph Sprint GT (Grand Tourer).

2010 has been an exciting year for motorcycle innovation with the Ducati Multistada leading the way with electronically adjusted power, suspension, traction and breaking.

Now it's Honda turn to show us what they can do with the launch of a revolutionary new technology – Dual Clutch Transmission - which could revolutionise the future of motorcycling by offering both a ‘traditional’ manual gear change operation, but by hand rather than foot, and also, a fully automated style gearbox with two different modes for riding preference and variety.

Historically, the use of a left-foot operated manual-shift gear lever and left-hand clutch lever has been an integral part of the motorcycle experience and, mastering clutch control and gear shifting at the same time has been one of the unique skills that a motorcyclist has to master. However, just as alternative gear-shift technologies have appeared in race cars and more recently on road-going cars and, quick-shifter systems are in use on racing motorcycles, the use of such innovative technology has never really made it to the street on two-wheels successfully: until now.

The new Yamaha XT1200Z (the new big twin Tenere) is the strutting, pouting cover girl of MCN's adventure special issue. Inside, chief test rider Trevor Franklin's 'World First Test' covers 6 pages in which he recounts his experiences with the Tenere at the press launch en route from Toulouse to Madrid via the Pyrenees.

All in all our Trev is impressed but sums up with a verdict that reads as if it's been subbed by a politician who specialises in trying to please all comers and in the process manages to satisfy none. One day, maybe, we'll read a verdict that reaches a sharp point rather than having the feel of a blunt instrument.

I've been in the publishing game long enough to spot a lazy, no-brain space filler in a magazine or newspaper. I'm talking about the sort of feature that takes less than ten seconds to dream up and about half that time to craft. Without putting too fine a point on it, I'm talking about taking the piss out of readers.

In fairness to MCN, I've yet to come across a magazine or newspaper that doesn't abuse reader intelligence now and again but the adventure special 'Bike Camping Made Easy' article extracts the urine and then blasts it right back in your face, with venom.

If you're into adventure bikes then stop whatever you're doing right now, take a deep breath, and head on down to the newsagents pronto and pick up a copy of Motorcycle News. This weeks issue is MCN's 'adventure special' and it's packed with stuff about travel and motorcycles.

I'll be posting up views and observations on the individual features over the coming days but in summary; some are inspiring,others useful and a few are comical value only – for example Jasper Winns 'Survival of the Smartest' (15 things you should know before embarking on a dream trans-continental adventure ride).

A few weeks back I spent 7 days bashing through the mountains and deserts of Morocco on a 1500kms off road tour with the motorcycle adventure company Motoaventure. One of the highlights of the trip was riding to the top of the highest dune in the Erg Chebbi - Erg Chebbi is what most people think of when they visualise the Sahara; mile after mile of huge sand dunes.

It would be fair to say that when you're sitting on your bike looking up at this huge pile of sand it's hard to think anything other than 'no way will a motorcycle make it up there'. Amazingly, it's a lot easier to ride to the top than you'd think. Power on, and on, and on and don't let those revs drop until you're safely on the top ridge.

What:  16 day off road motorcycle tour in Mongolia

When:  Saturday 3rd July – Sunday 18th July 2010.

Who with:  Great Motorcycle Tours www.greatmotorcycletours.co.uk

How much:  2650 Euro per person twin share (non riders can join the support crew 2300 Euro) flights not included.

What's included:  16 day motorcycle tour of western Mongolia. Hotel in Ulaanbaatar, traditional Ger tents and own 2-man tent during the ride. All meals included on tour. Tour leader and tail rider carrying Sat phone and GPS. Support vehicles carrying fuel, food, water, first aid spares and luggage.