Parked out front – Touratech-USA https://blog.touratech-usa.com Gear, Parts & Accessories for Adventure Motorcycle Touring Tue, 12 Jul 2022 21:59:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.3 Touratech-USA East: A Look Within the New East Coast Shop https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2022/07/05/20566/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2022/07/05/20566/#respond Tue, 05 Jul 2022 19:02:55 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/?p=20566

By Ron Lieback

Touratech-USA has expanded to the east coast, providing riders east of the Mississippi an opportunity to interact with the products and expert staff personally.

 

 

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Launched in 1990 by German world travelers Herbert Schwarz and Jochen Schanz, Touratech became the world’s first adventure-motorcycle-focused aftermarket accessories brands.

The products, highlighted by Zega pannier systems and motorcycle protection for the top-selling ADV models, garnered the worldwide attention of serious long-distance tourers and weekend warriors alike.

Soon Touratech shops began spreading around the globe. To date, Touratech is now represented in 45 countries, including the USA, where stateside operations called Seattle home. Due to the brand’s popularity among American riders, Touratech decided to spread its ADV love to the East Coast, opening another shop in Brookfield, Connecticut.

The store allows something many ADV riders crave before purchasing—hands-on time with higher-priced items such as the Zega Evo Pannier system or Garmin GPS units or trying on Touratech Adventuro modular helmets or Klim gear. The shop acts as a storefront with many of Touratech’s latest products on display, including crash bars, skid plates, suspension, luggage, GPS, and of course, apparel.

But it’s not only Touratech products; many other brands associated with Touratech are sold at the Touratech East shop, including Garmin, CruzTools, Backcountry Discovery Routes, Sidi, Ram, Butler Maps, and others.

The shop also doubles as a distribution center, which reduces shipping times and costs for customers east of the Mississippi; all customers west of the Mississippi receive their products from the Seattle shop.

The storefront also has a few adventure motorcycling experts on hand to answer any questions.

 

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We talked with the man who helped get the shop on 67 Federal Road up and running and now manages it, Steve Pospolita.

The central Connecticut native has spent over 30 years in the automotive/powersports/motorcycle industries, including much time with products like Holley Performance Products. He also spent 16 years at a popular motorcycle magazine and has a huge passion for the Touratech brand and its products.

Speaking of the opening of the Touratech-USA East, Pospolita, General Manager of Touratech-USA East, says “The popularity of ADV bikes has exploded recently. The versatility and comfort of ADV bikes are finally being recognized. New England and east coast riders are realizing the potential of riding ADV bikes on and off-road. Riders love when a company caters to their passion, and Touratech does just that. The company is now represented on the east coast, becoming a destination for many riders up and down the east coast.”

Although the store has only been open for two months, it has already become an ADV stopover for many travelers. Pospolita says part of Touratech’s goal is to have the shop become a stop for long-distance travelers, and many have already made the store a stopover on their ADV treks. The store was recently visited by a group traveling from Florida to Canada and a solo rider traveling from Pittsburgh to Maine. “We also get regular customers from Albany, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The word has spread quickly!”

 

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Although the shop doesn’t provide parts installation, Pospolita has a toolbox in the back to help out. He has provided wrenches to customers who have installed parts on their motorcycles right outside the door’s entrance.

Customers experience a wide display of products, including a fully kitted BMW R 1250 GS and Yamaha Ténéré 700. The store has sections dedicated to models like the KTM 1290 Super Adventure and Harley-Davidson Pan America. There’s also a red display with basically every CruzTools available and a green stand dedicated to the Backcountry Discovery Routes, including Butler Maps, DVDs, and stickers that long-distance travelers crave, among other things.

The back of the store acts as a distribution center that gets a visit from delivery service trucks twice daily—products come in just as quickly as they are shipped or sold within the store.

Speaking of the success of the store so far, Pospolita says, “We’ve had a soft launch and only open a couple of weeks, but the positivity is flowing—something expected of adventure riders with happy attitudes. So far pannier cases and riding gear—especially gloves—have been the top sellers. And many are happy they can come touch a product before making a purchase. That’s just the nature of this type of product-based market. We just heard a customer quote at the front counter ”everything I need within 150 miles of my house. Oh yeah!”

Looking to visit? The store follows the same schedules popularized by automotive and motorcycle dealerships within the New England area, offering a Tuesday through Saturday.

 

Touratech-USA East, Brookfield

67 Federal Rd.

Brookfield, CT 06804

 

Phone: (800) 491-2926

 

Store Hours:

  • Tuesday–Friday:9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET
  • Saturday: 8:30 a.m.– 5 p.m. ET

 

 

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2022/07/05/20566/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: As Seen From the Sidecar https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2018/09/07/parked-out-front-as-seen-from-the-sidecar/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2018/09/07/parked-out-front-as-seen-from-the-sidecar/#respond Fri, 07 Sep 2018 17:48:44 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/?p=18614

Every once in awhile some riders roll into Touratech USA that are just too interesting not to share with the world! Meet Matt and Reece. They’re circumnavigating the globe on a scooter….with a sidecar! They don’t exactly fall into the Touratech brand scope in accessories, market bike or gear, but they sure do in spirit. These guys are on an amazing adventure.

As Seen From the Sidecar

Here is their story:

We (Matt and Reece) are a couple of normal guys who thought up the idea to circumnavigate the globe on a scooter with a sidecar back in 2015. At the time, we had absolutely no idea how to ride a motorbike, let alone how to drive a scooter with a sidecar around the world. We came up with the idea when we were sat in our dingy flat in North London complaining about the state of the world and how we were doing nothing to change it. After much deliberation on how we could make the world a better place, we decided that circumnavigating the globe on a scooter with a sidecar to raise awareness of modern slavery was the only solution.

A year after we thought up the idea, we set off on a two week London to Lands’ End  to John O’Groats ride, in the middle of December, on our learner bikes, to see if we had what it takes. 10 months after that, we set off from Ace Café London with 65 others to ride through to Paris as the first day of our circumnavigation attempt and to raise awareness of Unseen UK,who run the UK Modern Slavery Helpline. Now 6 months later we’ve (unofficially) broke the Guinness World Record for the longest journey by scooter and sidecar and have driven from London to Cape Town. Next, we’ll drive from Chile to Alaska on this completely inappropriate vehicle.

On route we meet with different charities and NGOs who fight modern slavery where they are and we fundraise for them on our donate page. We also raise awareness in other ways where we can, which has included talking in a Slovenian school and telling everyone we’ve met on the trip so far that slavery still exists and you can change it.

As Seen From The Sidecar isn’t just the two of us that sit in this stupid vehicle everyday though. It’s a group of generous sponsors, dedicated volunteers and incredible supporters that get us around. Daily, we call on someone else to help us on this crazy mission to get around the world and whether they’re a helpful local or somebody back home, we’re never stuck for support.

Check out our donate page to find out how you can fight slavery or get in touch if you think you’ve got some time to spare or a skill to share.

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]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2018/09/07/parked-out-front-as-seen-from-the-sidecar/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: Helge Pedersen on 3 Wheels! https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2017/04/28/parked-out-front-helge-petersen-on-3-wheels/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2017/04/28/parked-out-front-helge-petersen-on-3-wheels/#respond Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:53:26 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/?p=17627
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Helge Petersen has traveled the world over on two-wheels. He truly is the godfather of ADV motorcycle touring and it’s awesome for us to live in the same region because he stops by the shop on occasion! Yesterday, he rode to Touratech-USA on a GS with a sweet side-car rig from DMC Sidecars. He’s trying it out for a week After that…who knows? Stay tuned!

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]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2017/04/28/parked-out-front-helge-petersen-on-3-wheels/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: Tanja and Philipp https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/08/09/parked-out-front-tanja-and-philipp/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/08/09/parked-out-front-tanja-and-philipp/#respond Tue, 09 Aug 2016 22:35:30 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/?p=16861
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Touratech sponsored riders, Tanja and Philipp stopped by Touratech-USA Headquarters in Seattle today. They’re from Rottweil, Germany and riding 2-up on their BMW F800. It’s fully equipped with Touratech accessories including suspension and they’re sporting the new Companero World 2 riding suits and Aventuro MOD helmets!

The pair started their adventure in Anchorage, Alaska on May 11 with plans to tour Craft Breweries throughout North and South America. You can see photos and read more about the ride at www.aroundpanamericana.de

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/08/09/parked-out-front-tanja-and-philipp/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: Heiko Gantenberg https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/05/25/parked-out-front-heiko-gantenberg/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/05/25/parked-out-front-heiko-gantenberg/#respond Wed, 25 May 2016 17:25:24 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/?p=16772
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Heiko Gantenberg is in Seattle this week on his way to Alaska. He’s a Touratech sponsored rider from Germany and he’s ridden over 50,000 miles through 18 countries since hitting the road in 2014. He’ll be outfitting his classic Africa Twin with some new Touratech Suspension before heading up north. He’s funded a lot of his trip using his amazing tatooing skiils and you can read more about Heiko at his website!

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/05/25/parked-out-front-heiko-gantenberg/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: Alfred https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/04/08/parked-out-front-alfred/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/04/08/parked-out-front-alfred/#respond Fri, 08 Apr 2016 20:56:18 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/?p=16618
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@alfred.3 stopped into the Touratech-USA showroom today en route to Alaska. He makes his home in New Hampshire, but rode to Florida before heading north. He’s put 9,000 miles on his GS this trip to date and he’s spending the summer working in the Yukon as a firefighter. Nice work Alfred!

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2016/04/08/parked-out-front-alfred/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: Travis McCaig https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/09/02/parked-out-front-travis-mccaig/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/09/02/parked-out-front-travis-mccaig/#respond Wed, 02 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/09/02/parked-out-front-travis-mccaig/ Today, Vancouver BC's Travis McCaig stopped by Touratech-USA on his KTM 1190 Adventure R. He and his girlfriend Kana Iwabuchi are riding to Bolivia where they're relocating. Now that sounds like an adventure!

]]> Today, Vancouver BC’s Travis McCaig stopped by Touratech-USA on his KTM 1190 Adventure R. He and his girlfriend Kana Iwabuchi are riding to Bolivia where they’re relocating. Now that sounds like an adventure!

Travis is aware of the challenges of riding long miles with a fully loaded bike and a passenger so he purchased the Touratech Extreme Rear Shock. He’ll be glad he did! He also picked up a black set of Zega Pro panniers and Upper Crash Bars…  After that, he did all of his own installations outside the building!

Nice to meet you Travis and Kana. Have a great ride and good luck in Bolivia!

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/09/02/parked-out-front-travis-mccaig/feed/ 0 The Flying Dutchmen Invade Seattle https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/07/07/the-flying-dutchmen-invade-seattle/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/07/07/the-flying-dutchmen-invade-seattle/#respond Tue, 07 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/07/07/the-flying-dutchmen-invade-seattle/ While in Peru, Willson and his wife, Brayde stopped at the Touratech-Peru shop to do some work on their bikes and they ran into a couple of guys from Holland, Jeri Lubbers and Dagowin Hettich. They were on a couple of ancient Africa Twins and were in the midst of a motorcycle odyssey of their own.

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When Touratech-USA’s Matt Willson was riding through South America last fall he met a lot of interesting people and personalities. He often says that the relationships he made down there were the true treasures he brought home from his trip. While in Peru, Willson and his wife, Brayde stopped at the Touratech-Peru shop to do some work on their bikes and they ran into a couple of guys from Holland, Jeri Lubbers and Dagowin Hettich. They were on a couple of ancient Africa Twins and were in the midst of a motorcycle odyssey of their own.

The two Dutch guys were in Peru for over a month while they waited for parts to arrive that would help them get back on the road. The Willson’s and the Dutchmen hit it off and Matt told them that if they made it to Seattle to get ahold of him and they’d have a place to stay if they needed it. Fast-forward to June and Dagowin and Jeri arrived. They had some more work to get done on their bikes and and were hoping to make some extra money too.

The Willson’s were glad to have them and Touratech-USA put them to work around the shop and over the week of our Touratech Rally. They worked tirelessly in the heat of the Rally and on a bunch of other projects. We’ve had a great time getting to know the Dutchmen and were sad to see them go as they rode north this week for Alaska. We wish them safe travels and hope to ride with them again soon!

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/07/07/the-flying-dutchmen-invade-seattle/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: Scott Davis https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/06/04/parked-out-front-scott-davis/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/06/04/parked-out-front-scott-davis/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/06/04/parked-out-front-scott-davis/ The brand new KTM 1290 Super Adventure has finally hit American soil and Scott Davis of Kenai, Alaska traveled all the way to Gresham, Oregon to pick his up!

]]> The brand new KTM 1290 Super Adventure has finally hit American soil and Scott Davis of Kenai, Alaska traveled all the way to Gresham, Oregon to pick his up! On his way back up to America’s last frontier hes stopped into Touratech-USA to pick-up a new GPS mounting set-up. What a gorgeous bike, enjoy Scott!

]]> https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/06/04/parked-out-front-scott-davis/feed/ 0 Parked Out Front: The Return of the Willson’s Motorcycles https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/05/21/parked-out-front-the-return-of-the-willsons-motorcycles/ https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/05/21/parked-out-front-the-return-of-the-willsons-motorcycles/#respond Thu, 21 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://blog.touratech-usa.com/2015/05/21/parked-out-front-the-return-of-the-willsons-motorcycles/ Brayde and Matt Willson rode their motorcycles from Seattle to Tierra del Fuego from November 2014 through February 2015. Today their bikes finally arrived back in Seattle.

]]> Brayde and Matt Willson rode their motorcycles from Seattle to Tierra del Fuego from November 2014 through February 2015. They’ve been sharing the adventures on our blog. They dropped the bikes off in South America to ship home on February 24 and it only took until today (May 21) to arrive in Seattle… Almost as much time as the orignal trip took! 

 

 

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