Bench Racing & The Morning Reads

Highlights of the new BMW R 1200 RS:
.
Sporty and dynamic sports tourer design.
Aerodynamically styled semi-fairing with adjustable windshield.
Torsionally rigid tubular steel bridge frame with engine as self-supporting element.
Classic wheel suspension concept using upside-down telescopic fork at the front and EVO Paralever at the rear.
New intake air duct and central radiator for ultra-compact front silhouette.
Upright, sporty yet relaxed seating position for a dynamic riding sensation combined with excellent seating comfort for longer tours.























Exhaust system in pentagonal design.
Automatic Stability Control (ASC).
?Rain? and ?Road? riding modes.
Riding mode Pro offering two additional riding modes, ?Dynamic? and ?User?, for optimum adaptation to prevailing riding conditions as an ex-works option.
Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) as part of the Riding mode Pro option.
Latest-generation Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) as an option for optimum riding dynamics in any situation.
Powerful braking system with radial four-piston callipers and ABS.
Lightweight 10-spoke cast wheels.
Gear Shift Assistant Pro for fast, clutchless shifting as an ex-works option.
Sophisticated instrument cluster offering a wide array of functions and wealth of information.
Keyless Ride for supreme ease of use as an ex-works option.
Innovative colour scheme with two individual characters, classically sporty in the basic colours and sporty and exclusive in the ?Style 2? variant.

THE REST OF THE KIT



Extensive range of optional extras and special accessories available ex-works.

mika said:

THE REST OF THE KIT

Click to expand...

If it stays in the line-up for a few years, I might consider it when my 1999 RS turns 20. I wonder if the rider protection will be as generous as the oilhead RS with Aeroflow?

I wonder how it will compare to the riding position of the old R1100s. I have been thinking of an S for a while, but this may trump. Who knows...

jstrube said:

I wonder how it will compare to the riding position of the old R1100s. I have been thinking of an S for a while, but this may trump. Who knows...

Click to expand...

How tall are you? In 99 when I was last shopping, I sat on the R1100S and the salesman said, I should buy an RS if I was going to spend any time on the bike. I did as he suggested and I've been comfortable.

I'm 6'-1".

36654 said:

How tall are you? In 99 when I was last shopping, I sat on the R1100S and the salesman said, I should buy an RS if I was going to spend any time on the bike. I did as he suggested and I've been comfortable.

I'm 6'-1".

Click to expand...

5'10. The S is a nice feeling bike. I have an RT, want something sporty, but not an RR. Maybe an R...

I am 5' 11.5" and ride an R1200S. I love it!

I am 6'4" and a bunch of fractional change. The protection and value of it with any of the bikes being discussed, including the new RS, is greater than my Roadster but depends on adjustments and the gear you select. For example when I have have had RS type brand X bikes I wanted my full face helmet out in the open thus worked on setting the airflow over the wind screen to allow that. In the case of the new RS, I think, with minimal tweaking, the protection will work just fine for my needs and wants. That leaves me still with my saddle concerns as I carry most of the fractional change in my butt.

mika said:

fractional change in my butt.

Click to expand...

It's the integers, I hate.......

I am writing at a stand up desk set up to look out a window of my garden level home. The placement of this vantage point causes me to look out and up. in front of the window A mat of yellow brown and gold leaves spreads out taking my gaze, first to the left and the fence draped with the large yellowing leaves of a grapevine. Then scanning right is the garage lined with mixed green and variegated hosta along the at the base of its white stucco walls which reach up to the eves filled with leaves from the gray brown shingled roof. This takes my gaze to the morning the sky which is a crisp fall blue colored canvas with trees rendered with leaves splashed with yellows and greens, no doubt in honor of this past weekends Packer victory, and streaked with vibrant reds that blend with shades of yellow, white, and blues that create a color wheel collage.

During the past weekend I traversed the walkway that leads from side door and leads to the gate between the fence and garage. From there I filled the time excursions to soccer games at the local colleges, shopping, conversation rich dinner and drinks with fiends and more. Each time traversed the path I checked in with my landlord who was busy each day. First a bit of touch up painting, then some caulking to seal up for what happens after the color wheel goes away. Each round trip and conversation reminded me why I have always preferred condos and townhouses and their association fees.

Excursion travel, as the weekend progressed, took on a multi-modal nature. I walked to one game but road a bike to another. Several trips were by motorcycle while shopping and transporting people made the TurdMobile the proper choice for some. An evening out found me using a combination of Car2Go/light rail/bus to complete.

Sunday evenings are normally spent with some media droning on in the background while I do laundry, plan and ready myself for the coming week. I am a slob. Before I could begin my normal evening routine I needed to pick up and put away the pile of clothing on the floor. Like an archaeologist excavating some ancient garbage dump, I worked through layers of helmets, hats, hoodies, vests, sweatshirts, gloves, and socks until I finally reached the floor. In the process I reflected on how and why they had ended up there. Where the archaeologist would make formal notes and drawings of such a dig; I made mental notes on the value of garments in the pile rating them on how they over / under protected me in the situations I selected them for. Did they keep the wind out? This one was too hot while this item left me cold. Some were selected with layering in mind.

A noise made me look out the window then chuckle. Bathed in the glow of the yard light, my bundled up landlord, caulk gun in hand, was moving a stepladder along the garage. Leaves flew out of the eves with a wave of his arm revealing a gutter seam that had started leaking. The site, once more, reinforced my feeling my ownership choices over the years.

What made me chuckle was another thing. Seeing him bundled up made me reflect for a moment. Over the weekend no doubt he had built up a pile of clothing on his floor. Work on the duplex had stretched from early morning to evening for two days. As temperatures and tasks would change so would his attire to meet the needs for mobility and keeping or letting in the elements. His work had been broken up to exercise. He is a long distance runner and ventures out daily. Over the weekend I had seen him dressed in everything from t-****, shorts and running shoes to the heavy Buffalo Bills hoodie, slouch hat, jeans, boots and gloves. I chuckled as I realized the piles on each our floors were attempts to properly cloche an and caulk our bodies to deal with changing needs and season conditions.

It's caulking season in Fly-Over-Land!

I tell you this story for two reasons. First, I am the OP of this thread and can. I have fun playing with ideas and words. Some of this play is filed away never to see the light of day, some shared with the pit crew, some is published, and some is inflicted on you gentle readers here. The second is to use it as an introduction to the another portion of BMW's INTERMOT 2014 press conference and explain why two things caught my eye.


BMW-Motorrad Rider's Equipment for 2015


INTERMOT and EIMCA shows alternate hosting the launch of BMW's line of branded gear. Click on the hyperlinked heading above and you may spend time reading the press release and scrolling through the photos supplied in the price kit. To see the gear in person head off to a dealer or one of the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows. This is where you can find the Roundel label on almost everything you see; allowing you to press or sew a MOA logo-ed decal or patch and meet your riding needs.

The official video and press release feature the new BMW helmet. The bill, visor and cooling vents in the chin bar make interesting. More and more of my riding is in purely urban. The openness of the helmet, ventilation and chin bar continue cause me to consider helmets like this. The bill visor combined with a good set of DOT approved sunglasses/eyeware sound good for a summer day. However, it is Caulking Season here so that decision can wait until spring or summer.





What is not clear from what I have read is if this helmet is DOT approved. A good question to ask when I go to one of the Progressive shows.

The helmet decision can wait until spring but there are two Caulking Season Appropriate pieces of gear that caught my eye.

bandanna


I like bandannas more than balaclavas. With a size 8 melon I wear my silk balaclavas only on the coldest winter rides. The majority of rides find me wearing a bandanna. They keep my neck warm on cool rides. I can wear them like a cowboy train robber, crack my visor and not have my helmet fog up.
I am apparently still growing in stature since each year I am becoming to tall for more and more or my hair. A bandanna will fill in quickly for a forgotten hat while cheering your niece on and sitting in the stands on the sunny side of the field. (Just don't expect her to acknowledge your presence when they win the game.)

My collection includes bandannas the AMA gave out at SuperBike races back in the days Wayne Rainey and others were still racing motorcycles instead of running motorcycle racing series. I have MOA rally and RA bandannas.

Material and size matters when it comes to bandannas, and not just because I have a giant economy size head. Pit crew members are constantly walking off with my favorite one. This is a very old yellow affair. Material pairs with old here. With many washes over the year the once stiff bandanna has become comfortably soft. Some of the AMA ones, though newer, are fragile now due to the material quality. Size matters. This one is a big 20?x20? square of cloth. Some are as little as 1x1 smaller and in the process don't match up.

The Roundel and German Eagle in the RA logo catch the eye of many of the Pit Crew members. I can't see either while I am wearing it so please don't take this as an opening for the logo debate here. This is purely to say this is my favorite bandanna to wear and the real world riding reasons why.



If bandannas are good gear scarfs are great gear. You are able to do everything you can with a bandanna and at least one important thing more. Wrap the scarf around your neck to do any of the work described for the bandanna and the left over ends, with just a bit of care, will drape down your torso protecting you from those pesky wind leaks every jacket (no matter how good the zipper overlap protection design is) has. Sunday evening this was sorely missed on the ride home. On the way out I was fine but on the way home I was trying hard to remember what pit crew member had last taken my favorite scarf.

A word of caution. Resist the temptation to were it as Snoopy would his on his Sopwith Camel dog house or his arch nemesis, the Red Baron, would while flying is red tri-winged Fokker. A great cartoon or Hollywood image in real life is something else. At best the flapping tassels will bang on your helmet giving your helmet. At worse, a pillion rider will not be receptive to apologies or planned overtures planned for when you reach your destination. Obviously...YMMV.

Observant readers will see confirmation of what to expect from BMW at the EIMCA show in November. As River Song is fond of telling Doctor Who...
SPOILERS!

Scroll past this if you don't want to know.

The press leaks leading up to INTERMOT made it clear BMW would be releasing five new models this year. The Cologne show may have you wondering; how Germans count to five when speaking motorcycle?

1: S 1000 RR
2: R 1200 R
3: R 1200 RS
4: C 600 Sport Special Edition ???
5: C 650 GT Special Edition ???
To the casual observer we have been given the five world premiers the press promised. The BMW Rider Gear press release makes it clear that Milan will have at least one more world premier in store for us. What is not clear if there will be a second motorcycle world premier in Milan and what that might be or alternately do two scooters equal one motorcycle world premier. Some more speculation in another post soon.


BMW Motorrad presents the C 600 Sport and C 650 GT special-edition models. Exclusively clad maxi scooters.

The sketchy motorcycle math speak appears to lean toward two more introductions at the Milan show. Presenting two scooters to mark INTERMOT 2014 wording in this press release does not have the same World Premier ring that the S 1000 RR release, for example, has. However you parse the wording and the implications these continue the BMW commitment to growing their share of the world maxi scooter market.

The C 600 Sport SE has the look of its motorcycle class brothers. It is a offered in two new tones and hotted up with an Akrapovic silencer. [Is that an oxymoron turn of phrase?]

The C 650 GT feature special edition paint and a Highline package made up of an LED daytime running light, seat heating for rider and passenger, heated grips and the RDC tyre pressure monitoring system.

At the previously mentioned Paris show, BMW focused on their BMW C evolution which had made its debut with a Barcelona launch back in May. The Barcelona C evolution was preceded by a 2013 presentation at MiliPol 2013 of a police version of the scooter.

Thanks for all the intel. Nice seeing the mock up models coming together.

That Roadster really has a remake and should catch some attention...no, not your dad's naked R of days past , but a youthful version for those that are or at least feel that way .
Helen saw it and said Aprilia ...but she likes it maybe too much

and where's my caulk gun?

Tuesday, 21 October

By now most of you, like the Doctor regularly ignores River's advice about spoilers, have gone into the photos which accompany the BMW Rider's Gear ? 2015 press release and have found the baseball style hat, t-shirt and this key fob.



Articles like this one in Cycle World have been circulating spy photos for months. While I was excited by the trio of motorcycles released at INTERMOT, I was equally, if not more, disappointed the XR variant did not make its appearance too. I popped out to the various BMW-Motorrad sites to see if there was any hint of a leak while ignoring the Rider's Gear release I had downloaded when it first became available. I am not much on logos, preferring to cut them off or avoid them all together when possible. I knew I would post something about the Rider Gear release but it could wait. So too did my tour through the picture attachments.





The S 1000 XR is coming to Milan and some day somewhat soon to a dealer near you.

The Cycle World article asks some pertinent questions that many of you may be asking too.

What do you think: Would you like to see BMW build the S1000XR? Is it really needed? Is the R1200GS with its traditional boxer engine unable to effectively compete with the Multistrada, Caponord, and KTMs?

Good questions, Let me take them on in order and explain my responses as I see them, but not in that order.

Would you like to see BMW build the S1000XR?

Obviously, yes I would like to see BMW build the S1000XR, and yes it is needed. At least in my view. You see BMW built this class of motorcycle previously in another form. I, and riders like me, liked the idea but for a variety of reasons we didn't buy the R80ST.

Monday through Friday, during my college days, my gearhead friends and I would attend class, study in the library, shoot pool, playing chess and drink barley pop together. On weekends we split into four groups. Group one had girl friends and or needed to go home to do laundry. Group two were motorcyclist that road what we called dirt bikes in those days. They would load them up into pickups and head off to destroy the bikes and themselves doing what ever it was the dirt bike group did. The third group were the car guys. The fourth were the cafe race type crowd. I bounced between group three and four. We worked our way through college. No matter the sub-class we self identified with, we needed to go home and do laundry but wanted to find a girlfriend who would allow us to join group one, in what every they did that made them smile so much, while keeping our roots in the other sub-classes we broke down in. Eventually we graduated.

After graduation jobs brought more money for a variety of things. My sports car was sold and a more practical car that could haul my girlfriend and our camping gear was acquired. The cafe bike moved to the back of the garage. Then BMW introduced the first R80GS models. These were snapped up by my dirtbike rider friends. They could play in the dirt, wash themselves and the bike afterward, and then go pick up their girlfriend or wife and ride into the sunset. Great for them but I fall over in the dirt and hurt myself and the bike way to much for that model. Enter the R80ST into the BMW lineup.



BMW introduced the R80ST in 1982 and caught my eye right away. I shared many of the features I liked in the GS but traded the 21 inch wheel in for a 19 incher (still those cool wire ones) to help with sport handling, a bigger tank to use to ride to the fun roads, and a comfortable saddle. I had been lusting after the BMW RS model but could not convince myself I could afford the sticker price and still have money to ride the thing. The R80ST came in at a more livable price in the range of $4500 out the door. In theory R80STs should have been flying out the door changing the motorcycle world as we knew it then and today. In theory.



As firmly as may believe in that, the theory does not take into consideration the market of the day. In the real world the market was flooded with UJMs and their variants. When I rode my cafe-d Honda F looking for an ST to see and test ride I found all sorts of other bikes for far less money. In the end a Honda 750C joined the F and the hunt for the ST ended. I was able to buy the C, improve the suspension, add a Shoei GP2 fairing, some sportier bars and have a sport tourer parked along side the cafe bike and space for roughly $1500 dollars left in my pocket. The R80ST wire wheels were far cooler than the C's ugly composite wheels but with a four cylinder engine rated at 72hp (tweaked a bit in the processes for even more), compared to R80ST's less than 40hp, was rationalized as a fare trade off.

Eventually the Hondas went away to be replaced by my first Roadster. Then my sporty type car was traded for a practical sedan to transport a wife and two pit crew members. The Roadster had more power than the R80ST but still less than the either Honda, but the Snow Flake wheels were really cool. By that time apparently enough riders had gone through their versions of ownership along my lines. The R80ST was dropped from the line. For those of us that had strongly considered it we spent our money at the BMW parts bin and on aftermarket parts to bend our Roadsters into our visions of what a R xxxx St would have been.

Is the R1200GS with its traditional boxer engine unable to effectively compete with the Multistrada, Caponord, and KTMs?

I think the R1200GS with the new boxer engine and drive train can kick their butts. What the author does not understand, and hopefully BMW does, is that I, and a fair number of riders like me, don't want any of the bikes in the question or in that class. They may and no doubt are wonderful but I don't want them. They have become ponderous in size. I have no need of aluminum panniers and all that sort of kit.

I am not riding over all sorts of paved/non paved roads or trails, while long distance or RTW touring. The majority of my riding is on the paved and pot holed streets of the urban jungle. I want a motorcycle that allows me to sneak away and play on the Great River Road, explore double letter and Rustic Roads in Wisconsin or squiggly lines I find on my Delorme maps of various states. I need to be able to strap my backpack on the motorcycle when I zoom up to Grand Portage to catch a boat to Isle Royal for a couple of days of hiking and camping. A decent sized dry bag doubles for canoeing and riding to my daughters home in SW Iowa. RTW for me involves a jet plane and renting to tour the world when I arrive.

Is it really needed?

I can only speak for myself. Life is to short to keep buying the same motorcycle. I have rationalized the differences to allow the purchase of three different boxers. I don't want to buy a fourth. So to the author's question the answer is yes. I just hope BMW has it right because I see only four other options on my short list each with its own concern.

The Suzuki DR-Z400SM


I have spent some time on the S dual sport version and test drove the SM. For my purely urban adventure riding and messing around on double letter and squiggly line roads the SM would be a blast. While great in town or once I arrive at the squiggly line playground, the getting there is what concerns me. I have even more trouble seeing myself zooming off to Superior's north shore or Iowa's SW corner on this. Top of the urban part of my list and bottom of the rest.

Ducati Hypermotard



There are several of these plying the streets and traffic around my home. Observing then talking with the riders the bike seems very capable for most of my riding needs. Our conversations never reached beyond urban streets and squiggly line riding. The power and larger tank make me believe I could make it work beyond that. I must confess the major obstacle is in my mind. I am not certain I am young enough and patient enough to cope with a bike with and Italian temperament like those I have ridden in the past.



A Used Triumph 1050 Tiger



The first version of the Hinckley Tiger was introduced in 1993. It grew in engine size but not in popularity until 2006. The RTW crowd did not like the chain drive. The styling was just off enough not to be pleasing. The tiger stripe accents were down right weird. In 2007 the Tiger received another increase in size and a makeover. Be still my beating heart and hide the wallet. The press found a new motorcycle to fawn over. Cycle World named it its Best All Around Motorcycle. I named it my next.

I have written about my affairs with 1050 Tigers in the past. Any time I could I took advantage of appearances of the Triumph test ride trailer. I was lucky enough to borrow one for a weekend. I really liked the motorcycle but these were just affairs. I still loved and went home to my Roadster.

The article is correct in its observation that for all its pluses it never achieved great sales traction in the U.S. the a motorcycle with its attributes could or should have. However, I would argue that in the UK and EU the 1050 Tiger picked up where the R80ST left off in defining this odd urban adventure motorcycle class. The BMW GS continued as the big seller in the large bike class in these markets fueled by the RTW rider and wanabe crowd. The Tiger carved a niche between the naked Suzuki Bandit and the Honda Fireblade and did it with an adventure/supermoto flair. The early Ducati efforts in this niche segment were often cast by the European press as trying to win and control this part of the sporting segment.

BMW had me in mind with the R80 ST. Used R80ST models are out there. I just don't want to buy a fourth boxer. A well cared for and properly priced 1050 Tiger could be just the thing. My youngest daughter, from first day of ownership, has said she wants my Roadster. Working together we might start a European bike stable to along the lines of my Japanese one of years ago. This day dream brings us to Milan in November of 2014.

EIMCA 2014: BMW S 1000 XR vs Honda CFR 1000



Honda was mentioned in the opening post of this INTERMOT 2014 series of post. Big red fairly quiet by all accounts. Will they be so quiet in Milan. It is the big 100th edition celebration show. A CFR1000, albeit under various names such as African Twin or Trans Alp, has been rumored for some time. What market niche they are going after is not at all clear. Most think it will be RTW or at least dirty in nature. Still it could have some appeal to the strange market niche I seem to inhabit. Either way, if a CFR1000 is released in Milan it will serve as a counter point for comparison with a BMW S 1000 XR; garnering lots of press for both in the process.

HOW DO GERMANS COUNT TO FIVE WHEN SPEAKING MOTORCYCLE?

The question remains. Three were released at INTERMOT. The fourth was leaked with the Rider's Gear ? 2015 press release. Rumors promised five. The scooters were updates with different wording in their releases than the Premiers of the motorcycle trio. The updated S 1000 R standard version of the S1000RR was a candidate. But wait. Head over to the BMW website. The Make Life A Ride video will blare away at you and you will find the 2015 S1000R listed there along with the other INTERMOT releases. How does one Premier a motorcycle that has already been released? I will make my pitch for answer in my next post. (That assumes no fun yet idle banter before then) Until then, I leave you with this.

Bike Candy

This segment will return if and when this thread takes on what passes for a normal life once again. Today I leave you with the BMW genesis bike of this thread.

John, you're a good guy.
This is great
Thank you

Wednesday, 22 October

Six is the perfect number ... Fred Krugger and NURB?s in detail









ON THE TRACK

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On the Street

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Up-Close with the Kawasaki Ninja H2R
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2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT/ABS First Look
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British Motorcycle Collection Joins Bonhams
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Daimler to buy 30m stake in MV Agusta
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The MotherShip PressClub

BMW Motorrad achieves new all-time high in the third quarter of 2014. 100,000 units sold as of September for the first time.
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FWIW

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Bike Candy : FWIW

SEARCHING FOR THE HIGGS BEEMER

If you haven't noticed, I am very capable of heading off on obsessive tangents. I weave together things I have picked up over my gearhead and riding years with my nerdhead side that spends time pulling disparate bits and bites together from books (Yes I do prefer hard or soft bound turn the page with your thumb and forefinger made out of trees books.) I have read and the ideas they generate. Some things I find my self as I read the online newspapers and magazines I follow; some are found as I sort through items snagged up by the news feed aggregation programs I use. The majority of time this is fun. Yet on occasion I find myself wondering if I have wandered to far down a tangent trail and joined Alice as she falls down the rabbit hole. While chopping vegetables and other prep work for my evening meal I wondered if I, once again, was catching up with Alice.

I have heard writers call them hooks, teasers and other things. You know, the things they use to tie a series of paragraphs, chapters, articles or books together with one central theme. They are intended to keep you on the track the writer has set and wanting more. My lame hook for these threads has been asking how Germans count to five when speaking in motorcycle. Slicing through a purple onion I asked myself, five, where did I pick up the number five? I was certain I had read it in several articles published by sources I had come to trust over the years. But which ones. I could not remember. In that instant I thought about Alice.

Fortunately I didn't think about her long. I may be tumbling down the rabbit whole again but if I wanted all my fingers when I landed at the bottom I better pay closer attention to the chef knife and onion. Puff, Alice was gone. Diner was prepared. A walk was taken on a crisp Caulking Season evening. Hulu caught me up a two shows I follow. The coffee pot was set up for the next morning. Finally one of those paper book thingies read me to sleep.

I woke feeling refreshed this morning. I shelved the paper book thingie, flipped Mr. Coffee's switch and pressed my computers start button on my way to the biff. Cup of coffee in hand when I returned to look at the screen, I discoveredd Alice had sent me a BMW press release and a xkcd cartoon.

100 years of EICMA ? with a double BMW Motorrad premiere

Milan is not just a symbol of fashion and design, it's also the absolute hotspot for motorcyclists once a year. The international motorcycle trade fair EICMA has now been existing for 100 years, and numerous new products will once again be presented to the approximately 500,000 visitors to mark this anniversary.

BMW Motorrad already presented three world premieres at INTERMOT in Cologne and will now surprise the motorcycle world with two more unveilings at the EICMA. These can be admired in the middle of Pavilion 14, directly near the large MOTO Live Area.

The EICMA is open from 10 am to 6.30 pm every day from November 6th to 9th, with an extension to 10 pm on the Friday: it offers everything motorcycle fans simply love. Entrance tickets cost between EUR 12 and EUR 18, and admission is free for children aged under 6.

In addition to the BMW Motorrad premiere, this 100th EICMA has lots of other exciting live events to offer.

BMW Motorrad looks forward to seeing you Milan!

Germans speak increasingly fluent MaxiScooter but they don't mix it with Motorcyclese while they roll their Rs and mix them with Ss and count to five. Three were released at INTERMOT. We found, with minuscule bit of digging, a clear confirmation of what the fourth will be. What will be the fifth?



A well written mystery novel will may multiple paths in route to its conclusion. Plots will twist. Characters will appear, disappear only to return again after the author helped you forget them. All will pushed the reader through the pages to the climax when the solution is revealed. The book may end at that point or with an epilogue. The reader may think, boy I didn't see that coming, yet on further reflection look back and see the winding path the author had led them to reach their inevitable conclusion.

Is the process of manufacturing motorcycles analogues to writing a mystery novel? Perhaps.

Product lines are developed with a linear development arc in mind at the onset. The real world unfolds and those development plans twist.

Look at yesterday's post and the R80GS and R80ST. A linear progression was no doubt envisioned for them. Market changes resulted in the GS thriving over the following years while providing plot twists that bent Munich's straight line plan in to a twisting adventure GS path. The same market helped the ST model development to halt. Like the character that disappears from the plot line the ST seemed to disappear, at least from our view. In the interim decades that its GS sibling thrived in public the authors in Munich reshaped and thought threw the ST back story. Apparently the plot line has it resurfacing in S1000XR form at Milan.

Kawasaki once built two stroke motorcycles. Market forces killed them and the company moved to four stroke two wheeled versions of muscle cars with their KZ then Ninja lines. They raced in MotoGP and all the SuperBike series. Once again the market changed with the economic down turn. Big Green disappeared from the MotoGP grid. Ninjas faltered on the SuperBike grids. The company kept churning out KLXR and 250 Ninjas. Slowly things turned around. They won poles, then races and finally SuperBike titles again. They came to INTERMOT with the H2R, a hyper plot twist exclamation on upward development arch. Milan will be the epilogue for Big Green. They are a serial writer and will introduce the WSBK homologation based H2 at Milan. Thus setting up the next book/chapter in their story arc.

Italy is the EU's biggest market for sport bikes. The EIMCA show often is the epicenter for manufacturers to unfold their latest plot twists in that genre of motorcycles. 100th Anniversary edition will definitely have that feel.

While they were working on reshaping the the ST's back story, did the authors in Munich find another character to bring back? BMW will emphasize the S in the S1000XR model name when they unveil it in Milan. A character whose story arc we were given a glimpse of in concept form. Economic changes took place sending this character either to rewrite or a pigeon whole. Introduced at the 2009 as a concept, will this be the year the Concept Six puts a HyperBike exclamation point to BMW Motorrad's sports lineup as a production model?











The original Concept Six authors and editors.



Orrrr maybe not. Stay tuned for further installments. Until then, Pass the Mustard and Up the Revolution!

Speaking of Alice; I wonder how Hodag and the Parade Princess are?

EXCELLENT info! Thanks for posting, John.

wezul said:

John, you're a good guy.
This is great
Thank you

Click to expand...

This is gold.

chasman said:

EXCELLENT info! Thanks for posting, John.

Click to expand...

Good stuff, eh?

Thank you for all for the kind words.

Thursday, 23 October

ON THE TRACK

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A doctor who treated Michael Schumacher for nearly six months after his brain injury says the F1 champion has made "some progress".
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On the Street

2015 Triumph Street Triple Rx ? First Look Triumph unveils a new special edition of the Street Triple R.
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Husqvarna To Release Three Street Models at EICMA
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FWIW

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Reference Library

Bike Candy

Minority Customs Cub Green....found on Returnofthecaferacers.com

Thanks for resurrecting. It's much appreciated.

Welcome back John! Great stuff, as we've come to expect, and has been sorely missed.