Text: Andreas Hülsmann, Photos: Touratech partners
Touratech has been manufacturing motorcycle equipment for the most demanding requirements for 35 years. In addition to the company's in-depth expertise, feedback from numerous renowned motorcycle travellers contributes to the unrivalled quality of its products.
Since the company's inception, Touratech has been supporting selected motorcycle travellers with equipment. These professional globetrotters spend weeks, months or sometimes even years travelling the planet's most challenging trails with Touratech equipment and share their experiences with the developers. Travel Time introduces some of these important influencers and highlights their relationship with the company.
Dirk Schäfer has been involved from the very beginning and is now one of Touratech's brand ambassadors. ‘It was at a Tesch-Travel meeting in the mid-1990s when I first saw the IMO motorcycle computer – I was absolutely thrilled,’ recalls the globetrotter. At that time, Dirk was still in the ‘starting blocks’ of his journalistic and photographic career. Today, he is one of the most renowned travel and motorcycle photographers. His work is published internationally in motorcycle and travel magazines. His travel reports have a permanent place in Europe's largest motorcycle magazine. ‘Travel Time’ once stated that Dirk Schäfer's work as a photographer has had a lasting influence on the visual style of motorcycle travel reports.
DIRK SCHÄFER
Born: 1964
First motorcycle trip: 1984
Main travel destinations: The Orient, Australia, Namibia, the USA, the Mediterranean region, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia
Cooperation with Touratech: I met one of the founders of Touratech when he came to the Tesch meeting with one of the first IMOs. This led to our collaboration.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: Photo tank bag, ZEGA case system
What connects you to Touratech: The high quality of the products; you can tell that they are developed by people who know what they are doing.
Online contact: https://dirkschaefer.info
Andreas Hülsmann first came into contact with Touratech in the mid-1990s. He was looking for new panniers at the Dortmund Motorcycle Fair. His homemade aluminium ones had suffered greatly during his year-long tour of Australia and New Zealand and were looking pretty battered. Touratech had just left the folding table era behind and was represented at the trade fair in the Ruhr area with an impressive stand. The future editor-in-chief of MotorradABENTEUER had already researched several travel stories for TOURENFAHRER at the time and was about to go on another long tour. This time, the destination was South America. Andreas says today that two of his longer trips would not have been possible without the support of Touratech: "First, there was the Canning Stock Route, where Jörg Becker and I travelled 2,000 kilometres through three Australian deserts on two TT39 conversions. Then there was the Road of Bones, which I travelled with my wife Claudia and which is certainly one of the most challenging tracks for both people and equipment."
ANDREAS HÜLSMANN
Born: 1961
First motorcycle trip: 1981 Scotland
Main travel destinations: Australia, Central Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, Northern Europe
Collaboration with Touratech: We first made contact at the motorcycle fair in Dortmund sometime in the mid-1990s. The collaboration continues to this day.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: ZEGA pannier system, suspension from Touratech Suspension
What connects you to Touratech: Friendship with many people from the company.
Online contact: www.instagram.com/andreashuelsmann61
Today, Andreas Hülsmann enjoys travelling in winter and is often accompanied by Rainer Krippner. The manager of the Touratech branch in Kassel loves the winter atmosphere on his motorbike. ‘People say I'm crazy because I’m riding in extreme sub-zero temperatures, but the secret to not freezing lies in the equipment – and that comes almost exclusively from Touratech.’ Rainer has been riding on two wheels for almost half a century, initially only on asphalt, but for several years now he has been attracted to unpaved roads. During his 50-year motorcycling career, he has left no stone unturned. In addition to winter tours, his repertoire ranges from a Harley trip through Norway to off-road excursions on old military roads in the Alps to tours through Mongolia on small Chinese single-cylinder bikes.
RAINER KRIPPNER
Born: 1959
First motorcycle trip: 1977
Main travel destinations: Alps, Scandinavia, Mongolia, winter trips
Cooperation with Touratech: My first contact with Touratech came through Martin Wickert.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: Compañero Traveller
What connects you to Touratech: I have been the branch manager of the Touratech shop in Kassel since 2011. I am absolutely thrilled with the products, as I have used many of them extensively on my travels.
Online contact: www.touratech.de/touratech-kassel
It is no longer possible to say exactly when the collaboration between Michael Martin and Touratech began. ‘It must have been around the end of the 1990s,’ the photographer and public speaker believes. Michael has been travelling the world by motorbike for 40 years and reports on his experiences in talks, books and television films. To date, the photographer has published 30 illustrated books and other books, which have been translated into nine languages, and with more than 2,000 talks, he is one of the greats in the field of photographic art. His works have been awarded numerous prizes, including a medal of honour from the Royal Geographical Society. Most recently, he received the Gregor International Calendar Award and the ITB Book Award for his life's work. GEO magazine has dedicated a special issue to Michael Martin.
MICHAEL MARTIN
Born: 1963
First motorcycle trip: 1991 Africa
Main travel destinations: All 5 continents
Collaboration with Touratech: I can't even remember how the collaboration with Touratech began.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: The ZEGA case system
What connects you to Touratech: The quality of the products
Online contact: www.michael-martin.de
The end of the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium were very busy times for Touratech. In 1999, Joe Pichler joined the ‘test team’. He was preparing for his Trans-Sahara tour. He took ZEGA panniers and a navigation system holder from Niedereschach with him. Today, the adventure and travel journalist from Austria has covered more than 400,000 kilometres and travelled to every continent. Like Dirk Schäfer and Michael Martin, Joe is one of the most renowned public speakers and travel book authors in the German-speaking world.
JOE PICHLER
Born: 1960
First motorbike trip: North Africa Main travel destinations: Asia, Australia, Africa, South America
Cooperation with Touratech: We got in touch while I was preparing for my Trans-Sahara tour in 1999.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: ZEGA pannier system
What connects you to Touratech: I have relied on Touratech products for my travels for 26 years now, and they have never let me down.
Online contact: www.josef-pichler.at
Five years later, two men set off on a tour that sparked unprecedented media interest in the field of motorcycle travel. In 2004, Charley Boorman and his friend and fellow actor Ewan McGregor set off on ‘Long Way Round’. The journey around half the globe became a success story. ‘Long Way Round was the reason for my first contact with Touratech,’ the motorcycle globetrotter says. To him, this tour was the right idea at the right time. Today, Charlie is Touratech brand ambassador and likes to live out his adventurous genes by exploring new adventure country tracks.
CHARLEY BOORMANN
Born: 1966
First motorcycle trip: ‘Long Way Round’
Travel focus: I like to travel all over the world.
Cooperation with Touratech: Right from the start, the Touratech catalogue was like a bible to me. When we started preparing for Long Way Round, we contacted Touratech and explained what we had in mind. To our surprise, Touratech was immediately on board.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: Touratech develops and manufactures so many great products that it's hard to choose. But the Compañero is definitely at the top of the list.
What connects you to Touratech: I am Touratech brand ambassador, and that means a lot to me.
Online contact: www.charleyboorman.com
Simon and Lisa Thomas have also been involved for more than two decades. The couple travelled the world on motorcycles for 17 years. In total, they covered almost 800,000 kilometres on this trip. Of course, such mileage does not leave the motorcycles unscathed. ‘After my accident in Borneo, my R 1150 GSA was practically scrap. Touratech really helped us in this situation and supplied the most important parts to rebuild the motorbike,’ Simon explains. These parts included a frame and various engine parts. ‘This enabled me to reassemble my badly damaged motorbike.’ Lisa wrote to the managing directors at the time and asked how much they would have to pay for the spare parts. The reply came promptly by email. ‘Just keep going and share your experiences with other motorbike travellers,’ was the message from Niedereschach.
LISA UND SIMON THOMAS
Born: Lisa 1962 / Simon 1969
First motorcycle trip: Both have been riding motorcycles since the age of 16, which means Simon has been on two wheels for 39 years and Lisa for 46 years.
Travel focus: We spent 17 years travelling overland, visiting 82 countries and crossing 37 deserts.
Cooperation with Touratech: We have been working with Touratech since 2003, and what started as support turned into friendship.
This Touratech product is with us on every trip: ZEGA pannier system
What connects you to Touratech: Touratech is not just a brand or a sponsor for us. For us, Touratech is like family.
Online contact: www.simonandlisathomas.com
Another long-time companion of Touratech also comes from England. Nick Sanders, or ‘Quick Nick’ as many call him, has made a name for himself in the global motorcycling scene with his record-breaking circumnavigations of the world. The man is restless, and when he's on the road, he's usually in a hurry. He holds several world records, including one for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by motorbike. His fastest planetary lap took him just 19 days and four hours. When he rides his bike, he relies on equipment from the Black Forest.
NICK SANDERS
Born: 1957
First motorcycle trip: I've been riding motorcycles for 51 years now, and I can't even remember when I took my first motorcycle trip.
Travel focus: I don't really have one; I like to travel all over the world, usually very fast.
Cooperation with Touratech: I met the founders of Touratech many years ago, and the company has been supporting me ever since.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: The Compañero is with me on every trip I take. When I'm on the road, I live in this suit.
What connects you to Touratech: Over the years, our cooperation has developed into something like a friendship.
Online contact: www.nicksanders.com
In 2019, the British motorcycle adventurer was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his life's work. However, the award was not the starting signal for a quieter life. On the contrary: after the ceremony, the next tour was already waiting. He was the first person to ride a new Ténéré 700 around the world in eight months.
Let's stay in the UK for a moment. Sam Manicom is undoubtedly one of the most famous motorcycle travellers on the island. Sam's original plan was simply to ride through Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. He had planned to spend a few months on the trip. It turned into a journey that lasted eight years and took him across every continent. His memories of this time can be read in countless articles and four books. They are well worth reading, as the Brit is an excellent storyteller. Sam is not a cooperation partner for Touratech in the traditional sense. ‘There was no material support, but the guys from Niedereschach helped me a lot to promote my books,’ explains Sam. Even when it comes to his books, which he published himself, Sam always has the benefits ‘out there’ in mind. For example, he designed the pages so that they can be used as toilet paper or to light a fire if necessary. He is still connected to Touratech today, even though he doesn't see the people in the Black Forest as often as he used to.
SAM MANICOM
Born: 1959
First motorcycle trip: My first tour started in 1992 and lasted eight years.
Main travel destinations: World tour, Southeast Asia, USA
Cooperation with Touratech: There has never been any material support from Touratech, but I appreciate the quality of the products. Touratech has helped me a lot in promoting my motorcycle travel books.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: The suspension from Touratech Suspension
What connects you to Touratech: The Touratech product range is outstanding and provides the ideal basis for any long journey.
Travelling by motorbike and doing it for a good cause – that's Dieter Schneider's thing. The entrepreneur and author is the initiator of the ‘Fellows Ride’, a motorbike movement to raise awareness of mental health and depression support. But Dieter has undertaken several long motorbike trips in the past, such as his 2015 Trans-Africa tour, which took him all the way to Cape Town. His round-the-world tour kicked off in 2018. Two years later, he had clocked up another 120,000 kilometres. There will be another Fellows Ride season this year, with Touratech providing active support.
DIETER SCHNEIDER
Born: 1959
First motorcycle trip: 2015 Trans-Africa tour from Würzburg to Cape Town
Travel focus: Travelling all over the world
Cooperation with Touratech: After my Africa tour, I visited Touratech in Niedereschach, and over time this developed into a collaboration.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: ZEGA case system, Compañero, Touratech Suspension chassis
What connects you to Touratech: The brand of my motorbike may change, but Touratech is always a fixture on my travels.
Online contact: www.fellowsride.com
Rolf Lange's story is extraordinary. Rolf was actually very successful in his career, yet he quit his job, gave up his flat and went travelling, or more precisely, on a trip around the world. His global ride lasted 17 months, taking him through 42 countries on five continents. In the end, he covered more than 65,000 kilometres on his GS. Today, the globetrotter works as a management consultant, helping companies find their bearings in these fast-moving times, and he still benefits from his travel experiences in this job.
ROLF LANGE
Born: 1977
First motorcycle trip: After a few shorter tours, I set off on my world trip in 2014.
Main travel destinations: World trip, USA, Scotland, Southern Europe
Cooperation with Touratech: I first came into contact with Touratech in 2010 during a BMW Motorrad tour.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: I could list many products, but at the top of the list is the ZEGA Pro pannier system.
What connects you to Touratech: I have never perceived the Touratech team as salespeople, but always as motorcycle travellers who see themselves as part of the community.
Online contact: www.instagram.com/rlangestories/?hl=de
Martin Brucker is another avid motorcyclist. From 2010 to 2016, Martin spent six and a half years on the road, travelling around the world. He crossed 70 countries and covered more than 250,000 kilometres. Since returning from his trip around the world, he has been unable to stop travelling. Every year, the globetrotter goes on tour, including extreme adventures such as in 2022, when he followed the Yukon to Dawson City in winter. He was actually supposed to go to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, but Covid threw a spanner in the works. So, in early 2025, Martin set off again in winter to reach the Arctic Ocean.
MARTIN BRUCKER
Born: 1967
First motorcycle trip: I have been travelling by motorcycle since I was 19.
Main travel destinations: Ethiopia, world trip including Yemen, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Iceland, winter trip to Canada and Alaska
Cooperation with Touratech: I first made contact with Touratech in 1999, and we began working together intensively in 2009 when I went on my trip around the world.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: ZEGA pannier system
What connects you to Touratech: I really appreciate the good working relationship, and if I have any questions, there is always someone at the company I can contact.
Online contact: https://auf-dem-weg.jimdofree.com
However, benefiting from the experiences of globetrotting motorcyclists is not the only reason for these numerous collaborations. Marketing is another factor that should not be underestimated. ‘Of course, it has a positive effect when adventurers travel the world with our products and report on them,’ explains Martin Wickert, Chief Marketing Officer at Touratech. And a lot has happened in recent years, especially in this area of public relations. Until the late 2000s, magazines were the medium for publishing travel reports, but today most of the reporting takes place on social media. YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are now the places to showcase your motorbike adventures.
Renata and Dieter, travelling as Duo93Adventure, also make extensive use of digital media to report on their travels. A few years ago, the couple decided to leave their ‘normal’ professional lives as a manager and entrepreneur behind and travel the world on two motorcycles. They have already crossed more than 60 countries and covered more than 200,000 kilometres. Their adventures are now followed by around 20,000 followers on Instagram.
DUO 93 – RENATA PLESA, DIETER PLESA- ELTSCHKNER
Born: Renata 1967 / Dieter 1966
First motorcycle trip: We started travelling by motorcycle early on. The trigger for our wanderlust was a tour of Andalusia in 2019.
Travel focus: World tour, Iceland, the Balkans, the Baltic States, Scandinavia, the Orient, South America
Cooperation with Touratech: We first got in touch before our world tour. For us, there is no alternative to Touratech equipment.
This Touratech product is with us on every trip: Compañero World Traveller suit, Aventuro Traveller helmet.
What connects you to Touratech: Touratech is a highly innovative company with high standards. The spirit and enthusiasm are palpable among the employees.
Online contact: https://duo93adventure.com
Sandra and Fiona, who share their travels on the worldwide web at @ADV-Travelbug, are about to break the 100,000 follower mark on Instagram. The two have been ‘on the road’ since 2019. The adventurers love challenges, of which there are many along the roads and tracks. Where many travellers would simply give up in the face of problems, Sandra and Fiona rise to the occasion. Neither rough tracks nor annoying border guards can stop these tough ladies.
SANDRA STELIGA / FIONA CHENG
Born: 1986 Sandra / 1989 Fiona
First motorcycle trip: Sandra has been travelling on a touring enduro since 2018. Fiona obtained her driving licence in 2018.
Main travel destinations: Europe, North and Central America, Africa, Middle East
Cooperation with Touratech: We approached Touratech because we were looking for adventure gear that was suitable for hot climates, and that's how the collaboration came about.
This Touratech product is with us on every trip: For us, the Compañero Summer Traveller was a game changer, providing good ventilation even in very hot temperatures.
What connects you to Touratech: It's great to work with people who put their heart and soul into developing equipment for motorcycle travellers.
Online contact: https://advtravelbug.com
After the birth of her child, things have quietened down a bit for Lea Rieck. Understandably so. The adventurer set off on a world tour in 2016. As Lea herself says today, she had no idea about motorbikes and no travel experience whatsoever. ‘But somehow I made it back to Germany safe and sound after 18 months,’ she laughs today. Shortly before the start, she also began working with Touratech. More than a million people have seen her film ‘GOT2GO’ on her YouTube channel of the same name. In the summer of 2019, the world traveller rode one of the first Yamaha Ténéré 700s from Europe to West Africa. Because the Ténéré wasn't even properly on the market yet, Touratech only had a few prototypes of the pannier system. One of them was bolted onto Lea's twin and became a reliable travel companion.
LEA RIECK
Born: 1986
First motorcycle trip: World trip in 2016
Main travel destinations: Oman, Iceland, West Africa, USA, Canada, Bhutan
Cooperation with Touratech: For my world trip, I asked Touratech if they could equip me with a few things. They were crazy enough to say ‘yes’.
This Touratech product is with me on every trip: Compañero Summer Traveller
What connects you to Touratech: At first, I wasn't quite sure if my world trip was a good idea. The Touratech team supported me mentally in this regard right from the start.
Online contact: www.learieck.de
For 35 years, Touratech products have had to meet the demands of roads and tracks around the globe. The fact that travellers can rely 100% on the equipment from Niedereschach when it matters most is not least due to the fact that numerous experienced motorcycle adventurers contribute their expertise to the development process.
