Episode 154, in which we rent bikes around the world with Sebastian Schoepe

  • If you think it might be unusual to change industries completely when moving from one job to another, this might be the episode for you. Sebastian Schoepe was the CEO who rescued Gold’s Gym from bankruptcy and returned it to its iconic status in the bodybuilding and fitness world, and once he’d done everything he felt he could to bring GG back, he found himself looking for a new job. I’ll let him explain how that led to his hiring as CEO of Eagle Rider, a global motorcycle rental and touring company now sporting locations in the USA, Canada and Mexico, plus Brazil, Costa Rica, Northern Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. They offer dozens of motorcycles; Harleys and BMWs of course, but also bikes from all the Japanese manufactures and Royal Enfield, Triumph, Can-Am and more.

Whew, that took a long time to type out. Naturally, I had questions about how one manages a global corporation, but I also wanted to hear about Sebastian’s recent trip to Sturgis. (PS If you’ve never been to Sturgis, it’s one of those things you should do once in your life.)

Eagle Rider offers guided and self-guided tours in addition to motorcycle rentals, and all that info is available on their website. They recently opened a location in Boston, and until October 2024, they’ve got 40 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glides in their rental fleet—how else are you reasonably going to be able to afford to ride a $45,000 motorcycle?  You can also visit them on various social media platforms: Facebook | Insta | X | YouTube. Many of their locations have their own social media presence as well, but you’ll need to look those up yourself.

In the news, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali tells everybody waiting for a small-displacement street bike from his brand to quit holding their breath. It’s also time for EU manufacturers to start phasing out chrome on new bikes or face the regulatory consequences. Finally, motocross multi-champ Lauren Collingwood has kicked off an all-female motocross school called Girls That Moto. In electric news, BRP’s Can-Am brand is allowing down payments (which they call pre-orders, which are not “pre” anything, they are orders) for one of their two 2025-model-year electric motorcycles, the Pulse street bike or the adventure-styled Origin. Prices start at US$14,000; ranges top out at 100 miles per charge.

Since we don’t have a Patreon page for you to visit, the easiest way to support Chasing the Horizon is by joining the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Get yourself a Traditional Membership or even a Digital Memberships (for $10 less); each come with a wide range of member benefits, including access (digital or in your mailbox) to BMW Owners News, the MOA’s monthly magazine. You also get access to one of the best roadside assistance programs for motorcycles available (sorry, only applies to the US), become eligible for a $200 motorcycle training scholarship every year, periodic discounts on a new BMW motorcycles, discount tickets to great events and much, much more!