Rolex Vintage Festival, September 2006 - BMWSuperBikes.com

The K1200GT isthe most luxuriousSuperbike everdesigned. It offers along list of comfortfeatures includingheated seats andcruise control,wrapped around a152 hp power plant.38 • The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW

BY SHAHRAM SHIVABMW Motorrad has undergone a majortransformation in the past 2 years. Theyhave placed every one of their well-handling,highly engineered bikes on a strictdiet and exercise routine. They managed toshed as much as 85 lbs on some bikes andgain up to a whopping 37 horsepower onA NewRenaissanceat BMWMotorradothers. This total overhaul has broughtabout a renaissance for this time-honoredbrand and their efforts seem to be payingoff. BMW bikes are appearing in majorHollywood movies and on prime time TVshows. The push for hipper and morepowerful bikes has also been very wellreceived by the print media. For the firsttime in recent memory BMWs are receivingmuch-coveted “Bike of the Year”awards. Their new sexier models haveappeared on dozens of global two-wheelPHOTOS COURTESY OF BMWpublications’ Top 10 lists and BMW’s mostpopular machine, the R1200GS was pickedas the 2005 International Bike of the Year.The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW • 39

This year BMW Motorrad turned 83,although they are one of the oldest manufacturersof motorcycles, they offer some ofthe youngest fleet of bikes anywhere.Almost all their 2005/2006 machines arecompletely revamped from the ground up.Their latest offerings sport new frames,engines, final drive, electronics and comfortoptions.“Change or die” is the new mantra forold time automotive manufacturers. For abrand to survive the shift in demographicsand market trends it would need to completelyrevamp its product line every 15years or so. The alternative is too grim tothink about. The automotive history ispaved with the carcasses of well-knownmarques that failed to shift with the times.Most major American and Europeanautomobile and motorcycle brands havehad to deal with the recent shift inThe R1200GS isBMW’s most popularbike. New from theground up for 2005, ithas proven its dominanceon andoff-road with a 100 hpengine and a maintenance-freefinal shaftdrive. The buyer has theoption of alloy or wirerims, ABS, heated gripsand unique expandablehard luggage.demographics. The problem is the leading edge of the babyboomers is approaching 60 and the younger buying public requiresa complete new thinking in product and performance design. In thesame way that in 1960s, the youth flocked to the new Mustang andthe “muscle cars” to establish their own identity and avoid drivingtheir father’s Oldsmobile, today they rather not drive their father’sBMW, Cadillac or Harley-Davidson either. The first 10 years ofthis century can be dubbed the “decade of the big shift” for automotivemanufacturers.In addition to BMW Motorcycles, another prime example of asuccessful metamorphosis in the automotive industry is the new lineof Cadillac’s. Cadillac totally embraced the younger buyer with brandnew styling, more powerful, better performing cars and spiked theiradvertising with the help of Led Zeppelin. This shift of focus toyounger buyers adopted by BMW and Cadillac is being exercisedacross the board by most other brands. Harley-Davidson’s averagerider is 57, and they have actually chosen a two-fold approach for thesame dilemma. Harley released a new line of faster, water-cooledmodern cruisers to appeal to the younger buyers and is nowembracing the minority riders (African-Americans, Hispanics andwomen) to expand their falling growth rate.40 • The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW

Back at BMW the focus is to competeglobally. It is no longer adequate that theirmotorcycles can outlast others; they shouldoutperform them as well. Dominance onand off-road is the new key phrase. BMW’snew K1200R, which was named Bike ofthe Year by a few major two-wheel publications,has the privilege of being the mostpowerful naked bike on the planet. With163 HP and a top speed nearing 170 MPH(with little wind protection), it has raisedthe bar for the entire industry. BMW’sother new 4 cylinder machine the K1200Sset a world land speed record in the1000-1350 cc stock, partially streamlined,naturally aspirated motorcycle class atUtah’s famed Bonneville Salt Flats in 2005.BMW’s push for performance-drivenbikes is not yet complete. Following thetrend set by their automobile division, theyplan to offer a smile line of “M” bikes.These new high performance bikes aretagged aptly “HP.” HP line of motorcyclesThe K1200R hasbeen voted the Bike ofthe Year by several twowheelpublications.Boasting a high revvinginline-4 engine with163 hp, it is the mostpowerful naked bike onthe planet.will be offered along side production bikes as performanceenhanced,race-ready models. Similar to the “M” cars, they willfetch a premium price, but in return they will offer exclusivity combinedwith higher performance. The first of such bikes was releasedin 2005 as R1200GS-HP2 (2 is for 2 cylinder). The HP2 is about80 lbs lighter, yet offers 5 more horsepower than the R1200GS it isloosely based on. It retails for about $20,000. The price may seemsteep, however this premium desert-runner is ready to go racingright out of the box. In fact it was so successful racing off-road inEurope and in Mexico’s Baja 1000 that it is now scheduled tocompete in 22 off-road events in 2006.Other HP models are on the way. Although it is unclear at thetime of writing this editorial if most of their models will be offeredin this high-performance package, it is safe to assume that at least3 or 4 models, such as the new R1200S will carry the HP badge inthe future.Lighter weight and more power heal most marketing pains, butBMW is not stopping there. They are also launching bikes withgroundbreaking comfort features. This spring BMW offered thesecond generation K1200GT. The GT’s list of comfort, safety andweather protection options surpasses even that of Honda’s 1800 ccGold Wing. The K1200GT which weighs only 620 lbs fueled up, isabout 300 lbs lighter than the Gold Wing, yet it offers, heated seats,42 • The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW

heated grips, electric windshield, electroniccruise control, electronic suspensionadjustment, ABS, electronic tire pressuremonitoring system, Xenon lighting, GPSnavigation and color-matched hard luggage,all wrapped around a 152 horsepower4 cylinder engine. The new K1200GT isthe first motorcycle to match such amenitieswith Superbike performance numbers.The youth market hasn’t been leftbehind in BMW’s master plan either.They’ve also launched a brand new lighter,less expensive, smaller sport bike gearedBelow left: The new for2006 R1200S is thefastest two-cylinderBMW has ever designed.With the optional, selectableABS and 122 HP atthe crank, this bike canbe taken straight fromthe showroom floor tothe track.The R1200GS-HP2 is BMW’s latestdesert-racer. Introducedlate last year, it alreadyhas several off-roadvictories to its credit. TheHP2 puts out 105 hp on avery light 385 lbs body.directly at the Generation Y. F800 has a new parallel-twin engine(boasting about 80 HP) that sends the power to the rear wheel viabelt final drive. F800 due to release by early 2007, may have aMSRP as low as $10,000. ABS, trick luggage and heated grips areoffered as options.Although BMW motorcycles have traditionally been known fortheir durability, reliability, long distance comfort and safety, theirsuccessful new renaissance has placed them at the top of performancecharts as well. BMW seems to have successfully recreated itselfas the motorcycle brand to beat in the 21st Century. ✜Meet the Authors44 • The Rolex Vintage Festival Presented by BMW