australia's motorcycle parts & accessories industry - Bike Business ...

A TRIUMPHANT GRAND OPENING!
The grand opening of Triumphs’ new
flagship store in Melbourne ‘City Triumph’
was held on December 16. The crowd
started to gather at around 6.30pm for
the 7.00pm opening and cutting of the
ribbon, and by mid evening it was strictly
‘standing room only’ as an estimated
800-1000 Triumph fans packed the
store to take advantage of some
great opening specials and listen to
the sounds of bands ‘Peter Gawith
and Band’ and ‘Tantalum’.
The evening was extremely well
received, with regular raffle draws
and a dyno shootout for those who
thought that their bikes were up to
the task.
The building where City Triumph is
housed is steeped in history, having
been involved in the motor industry
for 100 years.
Sixty years ago, on December 17 1948
the first post-war BMW motorcycle rolled
off the Munich production line. The singlecylinder
R 24 was the motorcycle that
would bring BMW back from the brink of
extinction.
At the end of WWII Germany lay in ruins
with industry destroyed and the population
dislocated and dispirited. BMW plants
were badly damaged and there was an
Allied plan for the company to be broken
up. The future looked bleak. However
the American army was in need of a
vehicle maintenance base and BMW had
a trained workforce, some buildings and
equipment, so the company was given the
contract. This arrangement would keep
the Americans mobile, give much-needed
employment to the German people and
give BMW time to work on a future.
Under Director Kurt Donath, BMW
gained a manufacturing licence to
produce pots and pans, agricultural
equipment and bicycles but behind the
scenes, company management was
working on plans to return to motorcycle
production.
In 1946 BMW was given approval to
produce motorcycles up to 125cc. Work
began on the creation of a two-stroke
Boxer and the R 10 was quickly developed
to a running prototype. Donath, believing
that the capacity restriction would be
lifted to 250cc, had Alfred Böning and
The building is heritage listed, and City
Triumph has painstakingly restored the
art deco brass façade full glass front, as
well as many other strong period design
features.
Also the early period undersized brick
BMW Motorrad Turns 60
his engineering team secretly begin work
away from Munich on a new motorcycle.
This would be a difficult task as all the
production plans and technical drawings
were either destroyed or located at the
Eisenach plant, which was in the Sovietcontrolled
sector and out of BMW control.
A pre-war R 23 was located and it was
disassembled and every part measured in
order to produce new plans.
The restriction on capacity was
increased to 250cc and work on the new
model continued at an increased rate.
Designing the motorcycle was only the
first step; there were other problems to
encounter such as sourcing production
equipment and the raw materials needed
for manufacturing, as both were in short
supply and rationed. Donath went about
gathering all the much-needed machinery
from businesses in worse condition than
BMW.
In March 1948 the R 24 was unveiled
at the Geneva motor show and the initial
reaction from the press, public and
motorcycle dealers was positive. In May
the R 24 was again on show in Hanover
and by the end of the exhibition there were
over 2,500 forward orders for the new
single. There was now a sound economic
basis for the rebirth of BMW.
The R 24 looked very similar to the R 23
but there was considerable redevelopment
in the M225/1 motor and - for the first time
n e w s
work has been maintained as has the
beautifully rounded glass corners of the
front windows.
It’s been revived to its former splendour
and saved from the commercial pressures
that may have seen it converted into a
multi-level anonymous office or a
residential block.
Much like the Triumph brand,
the new home of Triumph is a true
classic that has stood the test of time
and will remind us of a time when
quality, passion and style was more
important than a balance sheet, glitz
or the modern sterility demanded of
most other brands.
We think it is the type of place that
only a product like Triumph can or
should be displayed.
For more information visit
www.citytriumph.com.au
- a four-speed gearbox.
Much of the technical improvement
came directly from the wartime R 75 as
well as the two-piece rocker cover, giving
a clean and up-to-date style. The 12 hp R
24 was a quality motorcycle.
The first R 24 was not destined for life in
a museum. There was a draw from within
the BMW workforce to see who would own
this historic motorcycle.
The winner was Mr Erdinger but
unfortunately nothing more is known of
him or the fate of the first R 24.
The R 24 was the most expensive
motorcycle available in Germany but by
1950 when the R 25 replaced the model,
12,020 had been sold.
It was an undoubted success and
paved the way for the return of the
Boxer in 1950 and the restarting of car
production in 1951. December 17 is
indeed a day to celebrate.
BIKEBusiness
5 January 2009 b u s i n e s s t o b u s i n e s s