This week I was in Sardinia for the press launch of the all new Aprilia Caponord 1200 and WOW they have produced a stunner!

Aprilia have slotted a 1200cc V twin engine into a new lightweight frame and developed a host of sophisticated electronics; ride by wire system with three engine maps; switchable two channel ABS; traction control (ATC) with three user settings; Aprilia Dynamic Damping (ADD) with 4 predefined spring preload positions and a very nifty automatic setting where the bike works out the loading and sets the damping accordingly.

There's also a very effective cruise control (ACC) which holds the desired speed up or down hill without having to adjust the throttle.

A height adjustable windshield for better wind protection. Even the exhaust silencer is height adjustable to give more ground clearance when the styled panniers have been removed and you fancy a back road scratching session!

A full review will be in the next issue of Adventure Bike Rider magazine out at the end of April don't miss it!

It’s competition time, ABRs, and you do not want to miss out on a chance to win this week’s prize; a fab pair of Armada Gore Sidi Boots, SRP £279.99!

In the 1970s, SIDI began specialising in cycling footwear and boots for off-road and on-road motorcycling. Dino Signori, founder of SIDI, combined a passion for cycling with more than 50 years’ experience manufacturing innovative sporting footwear and that pedigree is still very much alive in the company’s latest offering to the motorcycle market, the Armada Gore.

There’s no doubt that the smart phone era is here to stay with regular upgrades to the ranges from all the mobile phone companies which will help you stay in touch with the digital world from e-mails and social networks to taking quality photo’s and video’s and surfing the net. You may even want to make a telephone call!

The Twisty Ride Apple iPhone mount is for the most popular phone on the market. This one fits the 3G, 3GS, 4 and 4S with different insets for the two different shapes of handsets. (The iPhone 5 model will be out later in the year). It is a waterproof/shockproof case which is RAM mounted on to either your handlebars or the bikes brake or clutch housing, which will let you see and use your iPhone while on the move.

Thank you to all of you who entered our recent ABR online competition to win tickets to the annual Prescott Bike Festival which will take place on Sunday 7 April 2013 . Adventure Bike Rider teamed up with Bloodbikes to offer up 3 pairs of admission tickets, and the opportunity for one lucky reader the to ride the famous Prescott Hill Climb.

We asked you, why does Prescott Bike Festival take place?  The answer is: to raise awareness and funds for the Nationwide Association fo Blood Bikes (NAAB) charity.

The lucky winner of admission tickets plus the famous Prescott Hill Climb is..... Paul Devall.   Congratulations, Paul.

Congratulations also to our runners up, Jonathan Perry and Mike Potter who each win a pair of tickets to the Prescott Bike Festival.

If you missed out, why not check out our latest competition to win a complete set of Oxford aqua waterproof luggage?  The competition closes on Thursday 14th March so get your entries in soon.

Good luck, everyone!

An ABR from Kent is planning a 15,000-mile adventure across Africa. Departing April 2014, Michael Atkins’ route will see him ride across 22 countries and two continents aboard his Triumph Tiger 800 XC in aid of two cancer charities.

Michael’s adventure, which he’s calling ‘Eat, Sleep, Bike’ will take him from Morocco in the north of the continent, into West Africa and around the Bulge, before eventually heading south via Victoria Falls.

Described by Adventure Bike Rider as “A Bike with KTM’s core values at heart combined with a high level of touring comfort, high performance and high tech gizmo’s” the KTM 1190 Adventure series have rolled off the KTM production lines and are on their way to Colwyn Bay Motorcycles. There’s really only one way to fully appreciate these new 1190s so call Colwyn Bay Motorcycles now to pre-book your test ride (01492) 535959.

It’s competition time again!

Oxford has introduced a fantastic new range of waterproof luggage to add to its market-leading range of products and you could be one of two lucky winners to snap up a full set of Aqua luggage in this week’s ABR online competition.

The new Aqua range is a convenient, lightweight luggage option using water-resistant zips and a roll top opening, ensuring maximum protection in all weather. Designed by a team of enthusiasts, which Oxford says ‘understands the specific requirements of life on two wheels’, the luggage has been engineered to be user-friendly when mounting it to the bike and comes with compression straps, to ensure stability when attached.

Like all Oxford luggage, the product’s item number (e.g. Aqua 20) signifies the approximate capacity of the bag in litres. All bags in this range feature a front pocket with water-resistant zips for easy access to small, essential items, use electro-welded seams for waterproofing and reflective inserts for increased visibility.

CCM Motorcycles has announced the launch of the new CCM GP 450 adventure bike in May 2013. This 450cc adventure sport model is regulation capacity for the Dakar and other desert rallies and CCM boats that the new GP450 meets all the criteria expected in this type of bike.

"Our target market is the adventure sport sector in the UK, Europe and other markets,” said a CCM spokesperson. “For three years now the Dakar Rally has been restricted to 450cc, and this has paved the way for a new opening for a quality, very capable entry level product."

The third annual Prescott Bike Festival will take place on Sunday 7 April 2013, and organisers have said that it will be even bigger and better than before, with many more bike manufacturers involved, a large display of rare historic, modern and race bikes in the paddock, plus huge support from biker clubs, biker personalities and lots of live demonstrations, rock bands, thrilling passenger experiences and more than 100 trade stands.

Phoenix Motorcycles is having an open day on Sunday 3 March. Based in Grangemouth, Falkirk, this is a great opportunity to meet like-minded riders, chat bikes, chow down on some buffet, and check out the latest offerings from Honda.

Regarded by many ABR’s as the definitive multi use on/off road tyre, the Conti TKC80 Twinduro size range is growing even wider with the addition of new sizes for the 2013 BMW R1200GS and KTM 1190 Adventure.

The TKC80’s tough compound delivers good on-road mileage and the tyre profiles and casing designs give good stability and handling both on and off road. The tyre’s simple, self-cleaning tread design ensures excellent off-road traction, even in difficult conditions.