They are a celebrity couple few would have imagined, but as much as they challenge the conventions of red-carpet relationships singer-songwriter Jewel and her bull riding husband Ty Murray turn the stereotype of motorcycle riders on its head.

When multiple world champion bull-riding superstar Ty Murray announced that he was thinking of learning to ride a motorcycle, the last place you’d expect to find his wife Jewel Kilcher would be riding pillion. Knowing full well that she’d be in danger of losing this famous rodeo star to a new-found love for an ‘iron horse’, the acclaimed American singer, songwriter, actress and poet was determined to join him on her own bike and share this new world of adventure motorcycling.

After taking a motorcycle safety course in Texas, and with a desire to ‘hit the road’ the celebrity couple were advised by their instructor to consider the GS range of BMW bikes as the best option to allow them to realize their adventure travel aspirations. Jewel opted for an F 650 GS, while Ty secured the formidable R 1200 GS as his mount of choice.
 
After a few short familiarization trips, the couple headed out on their first big trip at the end of the year and put around 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) on their bikes – all inside Texas, the second largest state in the USA.

With plenty of bad weather around, they just kept trying to outrun the rain and fog, and headed wherever the sun was shining. This first adventure trip took them from the Permian Basin to the Big Bend National Park (pictured left), across the south plains of the Brush Country, and down to the historic King Ranch in the south of the State. After this, they rode all the way down to Padre Island, before heading back up through the hill country and home to their 2,100-acre ranch in Stephenville.

For Jewel, discovering adventure motorcycling has provided some escape from her hectic schedule of recording, writing and performing, which she has been doing constantly for most of her life. Being able to put on a helmet and become ‘just another rider’ was a welcome relief for the successful singer who has sold millions of records and is recognized almost everywhere she goes.

“Since I was 18-years-old, I have driven and flown around the world non stop and the last thing I thought I’d ever want to do with my time off was travel more, but I was wrong,” said the award-winning entertainer who writes all her own songs.

“Being on my bike is totally different because I feel anonymous – and I honestly feel like I did before I was famous. I have reconnected with my joy for travelling because it has brought back the innocence of discovery, which is a precious gift.”

Jewel’s F 650 GS is completely standard, albeit with lowered suspension so she can put her feet flat on the ground. Although she didn’t get any off-road training prior to setting out on this trip, she did visit the official BMW school in South Carolina while she was on tour there, and have some lessons with an instructor.

Having grown up in Alaska, spending lots of time riding horses in the vast, open countryside, being able to explore the ‘Lone State’ on two wheels has helped her discover a love of adventure biking that she finds particularly appealing.

“We had already heard BMWs were the best made bikes, but didn’t know much about adventure biking. But the more we heard about it, the more we knew it was for us. When we discovered we could have a bike that would perform well, be reliable and safe, and allow us to indulge our love for taking off on long road trips comfortably – while still allowing us to turn down a dirt road when we ran across one – well, we were sold! Adventure biking is like being on a horse, except you see a lot more country, a lot faster. But you still get to experience nature, and the country you’re riding through – all the smells and sensations of camping, riding horses and hiking, all rolled into two wheels!”

At the age of 23, Ty Murray became the youngest millionaire in rodeo history and went on to become the most accomplished rodeo athlete in the sport's 100 year history, competing and dominating in three of the roughest and most dangerous rodeo events: bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding. Having won seven ‘All-Around World Championship’ titles (an all-time world record in the sport of rodeo) and with a list of accolades almost too numerous to mention, Murray is now retired from competition and spends much of his time on his private ranch. With a deep love of the cowboy way of life and the great outdoors, Murray has quickly developed a bond with his GS and the places it has already taken him.

“The GS has surpassed my expectations in every way,” said the world champion bull-riding superstar who is often referred to as ‘King of the Cowboys’. “I had tried cruisers before but found the riding style uncomfortable. My instructor told me to go for a GS and I’ve never looked back since. There’s a connection between horses and motorcycles in terms of what you can experience, feel and smell when you’re riding, although you can see a lot more country on a bike. Unlike a horse, bikes don’t have an emotion that you have to deal with, so they are much easier to ride in that sense, plus I like the camping and cowboy element of adventure motorcycling, which is one of the best ways to experience the countryside.”

For someone who built his reputation in one of the toughest and most dangerous sports, sustaining a wide range of injuries, broken bones and undergoing reconstructive surgery on both knees and shoulders in the process – Ty Murray is obviously not fazed by the perceived dangers of motorcycling. In fact, he is just pleased to have found a shared interest that he can enjoy with his wife.

“It’s great to have discovered these extended trips that Jewel and I can do together,” he said. “For me, the love of riding is difficult to explain to anyone who hasn’t tried it before. It’s not about thrill seeking for me, but is about really focusing, paying attention and having a blast. We’ve both travelled for work our whole lives but being on a bike is different – it’s fun and engaging and, ultimately, great for a marriage!”

This is a view shared by Jewel, who discovered that riding her F 650 GS demands all her attention, "The reason I find riding my bike so relaxing is because I can’t think of anything except riding. It’s like an active form of meditation. Your mind has to focus on the tasks at hand and so all your other worries and cares just fall away. When I drive a car, I am able to let my mind wander to worry about work, or even to write a song. But on my bike, safety is first, and it forces me to focus and live in the present, and so the scenery and the day and the air and curve in front of me fill all my senses – it’s great. "

The next motorcycle trip Jewel and Ty are planning is to the neighboring state of New Mexico for a bull riding event. And with the release of a new album planned for June, Jewel is determined – for the first time in her career – to go on vacation as soon as it’s on sale, and is planning a big trip with Ty from Texas to the town of Homer in Alaska, where she grew up.

“We have given ourselves two months and are going with the attitude that we will take it one day at a time, and just see how far we go,” says Jewel. “If we make it, great, and if not, I know we will enjoy wherever we end up... That’s the great thing about biking – the adventure is the destination.”

Without a doubt, determination and a sense of adventure are two character traits Jewel has in abundance. Having made the journey to international stardom from singing in biker bars with her father as an eight-year-old, busking on street corners and living in a van in San Diego, to being discovered and signed just before her 19th birthday, Jewel has gone on to sell millions of records, support legendary artists such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young, write songs for motion pictures and even appear in films and on television regularly.

Her creative talents have seen her publish a best-selling volume of poetry and living the stereotype of the big-hearted biker, has even founded her own charitable organization – Project Clean Water – which organizes teams of scientists and engineers to bring safe, clean drinking water to impoverished communities worldwide.

With such busy careers, you might imagine that it is difficult for Jewel and Ty to find any time at all to travel together but this couple has a really refreshing attitude not often seen these days.

“Ty and I have really made it a goal of ours to enjoy life while we are young still. It is so easy to get caught up in our careers, in trying to stay ahead, or make more money," Jewel explains, "But we decided who cares about any of it if we aren’t enjoying what’s truly precious: each other and our health. So basically, we just make time. We turn things down so we can choose each other and get out and see this amazing world of ours while we still have the energy to see it!”

That’s adventure motorcycling in a nutshell, so BMW Motorrad has to ask other would be motorcycle enthusasts; 'What’s stopping you exploring your own unlimited horizons?'