mika
Still Wondering
Happy Birthday
US Forest Service: Fall color guide
urbanext.uiuc.edu: The Miracle of Fall ÔÇô About Fall Color
motorcycledaily.com: Kawasaki brings back full dress touring with the Vulcan 1700 Voyager
The contenders are beginning to launch their 1000s. This weekend the news was full of the street version of Aprilia's new superbike.
motorcyclenews.com: Aprillia RSV4 launch teaser
And more details on the RSV4 from hellforleather.com
wheels.ca: Motorcyclists have more respect for the road
Mr. Orwell here is your license. Please sign the ticket at the bottom 
motorcyclenews.com: Motorcycles to get speed limiters
Rumors that have graced this thread before are now INTERMOT Rumors found on Harley-DavidsonÔÇÖs door step
hellforleathermagazine.com: Harley trike leaning towards Intermot debut
motorradonline.de: Tri-Rod or Tri-Glide?
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supebike.co.uk: Aprilia 2009 RSV4 racebike WSB spec news
Superbike-news.com: WSBK rule changes for 2009
In the changes listed there is only one that appears may have a major impact on BMWÔÇÖs entrance into WSBK in 2009 and getting up to the same pace as the other teams.
Practice Restrictions ÔÇô Only 1 testing circuit for Superbike.
Every team is ostensibly held to the same restrictions. This appears to be somewhat similar to Formula 1. F-1 centers and largely restricts teams to testing at Jerez. It does allow testing on other tracks in a very limited and heavily restricted manner.
BMW and others entering WSBK will be slowed down in their climb up the team experience curve. The ability to test on multiple tracks allows for development under various conditions. These teams lack historical data the established teams have at there finger tips. Data of this nature gets moldy quickly as a result of rules changes and development of the motorcycles progresses. The new teams will catch up but it will serve to slow them down as they strive for parity then supremacy on race day.
Ouch!
topspeed.com: To BMW ÔÇô Sell your soul, lose your reputation
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the piece is it is a Australian newspaper reporting to its readers what is going on with a German companyÔÇÖs U.S. production plant in Alabama. We live in global times.
smh.com.au : Mercedes cuts production, work hours
wheels.ca: Mercedes, BMW hot for hatchbacks, VW to unveil Golf
freep.com: Chrysler to display an electric car
motoring.co.za: Skip the fancy stuff, just bolt on a turbo
INTERMOT has its motorcycle rumors and the LA Car show its cage rumors
egmcartech.com: BMW to show electric Mini Cooper at LA Auto Show in November
RETURN TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF MOTORSPORT - BMW AT THE 2008 GOODWOOD REVIVAL
09/19/2008
Munich. Every year, the Earl of March invites motorsport aficionados to the south of England for the Goodwood Revival, the most popular historic race meeting in the world. For many years BMW Mobile Tradition has counted among the regular guests at the Earl's country estate. BMW Classic is delighted to continue the tradition at the 2008 event, which takes place from 19 to 21 September and again brings to life motorsport's golden age of the 1940s to 60s. Cars and motorcycles amid the vintage racing ambience of those days, drivers and spectators in period costumes and an original circuit untouched by the modern era make this a truly unique occasion. For 2008, BMW Classic is dispatching three iconic models to the summit meeting of racing classics in the South Downs.
Lotus 23
The Lotus 23 developed by Colin Chapman made motoring history with its dazzling appearance in the 1,000 km race on the N??rburgring in 1962 with Jim Clark at the wheel. This last two-seater Lotus racer went on to celebrate triumphs in many more events. Its ultra-lightweight chassis, moreover, was ideally suited as a test bed for various racing engines. With assistance from the BMW factory, Toni Fischhaber had several Lotus 23 models fitted with 1.6 and 2-litre engines and entered them in numerous hillclimb events as well as several circuit races. At the 2008 Goodwood Revival, Marc Surer will be at the controls of a 1965 Lotus-BMW 23. The Swiss driver began his flourishing motor racing career in 1977 as part of the BMW Junior Team before advancing all the way to Formula One.
BMW R 5 SS (SuperSport)
In spring 1936, after a six-year gap, BMW unveiled another 500 cc sports bike at the Berlin Motor Show in the shape of the R 5. Its all-new engine with twin camshafts boasted output of 24 hp at 5,800 rpm and a top speed of 135 km/h. The newly designed, electrically welded tubular frame pointed the way forward for frame construction over the next three decades. On the basis of the R 5, a limited series of competition bikes was produced in 1937 for a select number of riders. This R 5 SS (SuperSport) delivered some 4 hp more than the production model and reached a top speed of 160 km/h.
BMW R 51 RS (RennSport)
The Six Day Trial of 1937 saw BMW fielding motorcycles with rear-wheel suspension for the first time. Alexander von Falkenhausen had been charged with developing this technology. Originally he was meant to take his lead from the British Norton, but then opted for an independent straight-travel rear-wheel suspension. With the established riders initially refusing to use these new bikes, Falkenhausen promptly entered the Six Day event himself and went on to take a gold medal. It wasn't just this success that proved the reliability of his design, it was also the way in which Falkenhausen achieved it. While his team-mates collapsed into bed in the evening in a state of exhaustion, Falkenhausen came across as remarkably fresh. The novel rear-wheel suspension had passed the acid test, and the following year it wasn't only the works riders who were swapping their bikes. One model in the new range was the R 51 with a sprung frame. It was the jewel in the crown of the pre-war range and replaced the R 5. Derived from the BMW R 51, the R 51 RS (RennSport) competition bike had a completely revised engine that produced 36 hp for a top speed of 180 km/h. This model rode to victory in numerous Grands Prix and national championships. At Goodwood, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell will head for the track astride a BMW R 51 RS owned by J??rgen Schwarzmann
Thread: BMW Motorrad wants to hear from you. Survey link enclosed.
Stuff
gas2.org: New energy efficient process turns sugar into gasoline
Motorcycle Resources: Motorcycle refinancing ÔÇô what you need to know.
trendhunter.com: Snail inspired cover
thenewcaferacersociety.com: The motorcycle in cinema ÔÇô Never Say Never Again
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NWQHlNaBVRM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NWQHlNaBVRM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Move over Monte Blanc
motoblog.it: Mechanized fast Arrabbita One and Two
howstuffworks.com: Is it worse to be near an explosion on land or in water?
MicrosoftÔÇÖs ad campaigns are news of late. The Seinfeld Gates ad series has been dropped after two weeks and now boingboing.net[url] and others are reporting their new set of ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm a PCÔÇØ ads were made using a Mac.
[url=http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSYD28732220080919?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews]reuters.com: Hundreds of species found on Australia reefs
Packers Blog ÔÇô jsonline.com
Packers.com ÔÇô News from the football shrine
Green Bay Post Gazette: Packer News, Commentary
Offical site of the Premier League
GasBuddy.com has gas temperature maps intended to let you see what gas prices are around the US and Canada. Areas are color coded according to the reported local average price for regular unleaded gasoline.
US
Canada
Wonderings
The business world is beginning a new week as you read this. It starts a new week after a tumultuous week in the financial sectors. Most likely the tumult is not over. Many of you will be accessing you business and personal standings and what must be done as your lives go on. Pundits will try and put the events into context and tell us what it means for our futures. I began to wonder what the pundits would say about BMW and the Motorrad segment in particular.
I started thinking about this while riding to take care of various errands this weekend. The four of us that ride inside my helmet quickly passed over the financial issues of the present and the day to day business in the immediate news and focused on the implications for the future.
The immediate market and financial conditions the Motorrad segment faces have not changed drastically. The strategy of plan Number One will continue to play out. The dayÔÇÖs news may modify the parameters but not the goals that need to be met.
The list of rumored new models found in a previous post will give us plenty to talk about. We will have new models. New markets and market segments will be plumb for sales and profit. But these product and market plans have been in the works for some time. We are seeing the new fruits of thoughts planning and development started several years ago. There in lies the core of my wondering.
What will we see in 2015 and beyond? There is nothing magical about the year 2015. It is an arbitrary year I selected to make us think forward.
Imagine you are the president of BMW Motorrad. You must manage in the present day, plan for the next fiscal year. You are responsible for making a profit from selling the products you have now, overseeing ones in the pipeline and the development for the future. How do you see the motorcycle world stacking up in 2015 and beyond? What does your trip ticket have in store for BMW Motorrad? How is your perception of the current motorcycle market and financial issues modifying what waypoints are included?
Imagine you are one of the marketing or one of the heads of a Motorrad area such as BMW NA. What are you telling the president about your view of the motorcycle market in general and your segment in particular? What are you going to tell him you need in product for 2015 and beyond for BMW to be successful?
Imagine you are a BMW motorcycle developer. Your work of the last several years is beginning to be released to the public at INTERMOT. You will bask in the glow of the excitement of the event then head back to your design studio to begin the process all over. The paper on your drawing table is clean; a new design file will be setup in your computers AutoCAD server. Now what?
Finally imagine it is 2015 or even 2020; will any of us remember 2008, its turmoil and the impact on the motorcycles we will be looking at on that day?
Bike Candy
THE END
US Forest Service: Fall color guide
urbanext.uiuc.edu: The Miracle of Fall ÔÇô About Fall Color
motorcycledaily.com: Kawasaki brings back full dress touring with the Vulcan 1700 Voyager
The contenders are beginning to launch their 1000s. This weekend the news was full of the street version of Aprilia's new superbike.
motorcyclenews.com: Aprillia RSV4 launch teaser
And more details on the RSV4 from hellforleather.com
wheels.ca: Motorcyclists have more respect for the road
Mr. Orwell here is your license. Please sign the ticket at the bottom 
motorcyclenews.com: Motorcycles to get speed limiters
Rumors that have graced this thread before are now INTERMOT Rumors found on Harley-DavidsonÔÇÖs door step
hellforleathermagazine.com: Harley trike leaning towards Intermot debut
motorradonline.de: Tri-Rod or Tri-Glide?
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZW-62AN-F88&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZW-62AN-F88&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
supebike.co.uk: Aprilia 2009 RSV4 racebike WSB spec news
Superbike-news.com: WSBK rule changes for 2009
In the changes listed there is only one that appears may have a major impact on BMWÔÇÖs entrance into WSBK in 2009 and getting up to the same pace as the other teams.
Practice Restrictions ÔÇô Only 1 testing circuit for Superbike.
Every team is ostensibly held to the same restrictions. This appears to be somewhat similar to Formula 1. F-1 centers and largely restricts teams to testing at Jerez. It does allow testing on other tracks in a very limited and heavily restricted manner.
BMW and others entering WSBK will be slowed down in their climb up the team experience curve. The ability to test on multiple tracks allows for development under various conditions. These teams lack historical data the established teams have at there finger tips. Data of this nature gets moldy quickly as a result of rules changes and development of the motorcycles progresses. The new teams will catch up but it will serve to slow them down as they strive for parity then supremacy on race day.
Ouch!
topspeed.com: To BMW ÔÇô Sell your soul, lose your reputation
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the piece is it is a Australian newspaper reporting to its readers what is going on with a German companyÔÇÖs U.S. production plant in Alabama. We live in global times.
smh.com.au : Mercedes cuts production, work hours
wheels.ca: Mercedes, BMW hot for hatchbacks, VW to unveil Golf
freep.com: Chrysler to display an electric car
motoring.co.za: Skip the fancy stuff, just bolt on a turbo
INTERMOT has its motorcycle rumors and the LA Car show its cage rumors
egmcartech.com: BMW to show electric Mini Cooper at LA Auto Show in November
RETURN TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF MOTORSPORT - BMW AT THE 2008 GOODWOOD REVIVAL
09/19/2008
Munich. Every year, the Earl of March invites motorsport aficionados to the south of England for the Goodwood Revival, the most popular historic race meeting in the world. For many years BMW Mobile Tradition has counted among the regular guests at the Earl's country estate. BMW Classic is delighted to continue the tradition at the 2008 event, which takes place from 19 to 21 September and again brings to life motorsport's golden age of the 1940s to 60s. Cars and motorcycles amid the vintage racing ambience of those days, drivers and spectators in period costumes and an original circuit untouched by the modern era make this a truly unique occasion. For 2008, BMW Classic is dispatching three iconic models to the summit meeting of racing classics in the South Downs.
Lotus 23
The Lotus 23 developed by Colin Chapman made motoring history with its dazzling appearance in the 1,000 km race on the N??rburgring in 1962 with Jim Clark at the wheel. This last two-seater Lotus racer went on to celebrate triumphs in many more events. Its ultra-lightweight chassis, moreover, was ideally suited as a test bed for various racing engines. With assistance from the BMW factory, Toni Fischhaber had several Lotus 23 models fitted with 1.6 and 2-litre engines and entered them in numerous hillclimb events as well as several circuit races. At the 2008 Goodwood Revival, Marc Surer will be at the controls of a 1965 Lotus-BMW 23. The Swiss driver began his flourishing motor racing career in 1977 as part of the BMW Junior Team before advancing all the way to Formula One.
BMW R 5 SS (SuperSport)
In spring 1936, after a six-year gap, BMW unveiled another 500 cc sports bike at the Berlin Motor Show in the shape of the R 5. Its all-new engine with twin camshafts boasted output of 24 hp at 5,800 rpm and a top speed of 135 km/h. The newly designed, electrically welded tubular frame pointed the way forward for frame construction over the next three decades. On the basis of the R 5, a limited series of competition bikes was produced in 1937 for a select number of riders. This R 5 SS (SuperSport) delivered some 4 hp more than the production model and reached a top speed of 160 km/h.
BMW R 51 RS (RennSport)
The Six Day Trial of 1937 saw BMW fielding motorcycles with rear-wheel suspension for the first time. Alexander von Falkenhausen had been charged with developing this technology. Originally he was meant to take his lead from the British Norton, but then opted for an independent straight-travel rear-wheel suspension. With the established riders initially refusing to use these new bikes, Falkenhausen promptly entered the Six Day event himself and went on to take a gold medal. It wasn't just this success that proved the reliability of his design, it was also the way in which Falkenhausen achieved it. While his team-mates collapsed into bed in the evening in a state of exhaustion, Falkenhausen came across as remarkably fresh. The novel rear-wheel suspension had passed the acid test, and the following year it wasn't only the works riders who were swapping their bikes. One model in the new range was the R 51 with a sprung frame. It was the jewel in the crown of the pre-war range and replaced the R 5. Derived from the BMW R 51, the R 51 RS (RennSport) competition bike had a completely revised engine that produced 36 hp for a top speed of 180 km/h. This model rode to victory in numerous Grands Prix and national championships. At Goodwood, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell will head for the track astride a BMW R 51 RS owned by J??rgen Schwarzmann
Thread: BMW Motorrad wants to hear from you. Survey link enclosed.
Stuff
gas2.org: New energy efficient process turns sugar into gasoline
Motorcycle Resources: Motorcycle refinancing ÔÇô what you need to know.
trendhunter.com: Snail inspired cover
thenewcaferacersociety.com: The motorcycle in cinema ÔÇô Never Say Never Again
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NWQHlNaBVRM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NWQHlNaBVRM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Move over Monte Blanc
motoblog.it: Mechanized fast Arrabbita One and Two
howstuffworks.com: Is it worse to be near an explosion on land or in water?
MicrosoftÔÇÖs ad campaigns are news of late. The Seinfeld Gates ad series has been dropped after two weeks and now boingboing.net[url] and others are reporting their new set of ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm a PCÔÇØ ads were made using a Mac.
[url=http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSSYD28732220080919?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews]reuters.com: Hundreds of species found on Australia reefs
Packers Blog ÔÇô jsonline.com
Packers.com ÔÇô News from the football shrine
Green Bay Post Gazette: Packer News, Commentary
Offical site of the Premier League
GasBuddy.com has gas temperature maps intended to let you see what gas prices are around the US and Canada. Areas are color coded according to the reported local average price for regular unleaded gasoline.
US
Canada
Wonderings
The business world is beginning a new week as you read this. It starts a new week after a tumultuous week in the financial sectors. Most likely the tumult is not over. Many of you will be accessing you business and personal standings and what must be done as your lives go on. Pundits will try and put the events into context and tell us what it means for our futures. I began to wonder what the pundits would say about BMW and the Motorrad segment in particular.
I started thinking about this while riding to take care of various errands this weekend. The four of us that ride inside my helmet quickly passed over the financial issues of the present and the day to day business in the immediate news and focused on the implications for the future.
The immediate market and financial conditions the Motorrad segment faces have not changed drastically. The strategy of plan Number One will continue to play out. The dayÔÇÖs news may modify the parameters but not the goals that need to be met.
The list of rumored new models found in a previous post will give us plenty to talk about. We will have new models. New markets and market segments will be plumb for sales and profit. But these product and market plans have been in the works for some time. We are seeing the new fruits of thoughts planning and development started several years ago. There in lies the core of my wondering.
What will we see in 2015 and beyond? There is nothing magical about the year 2015. It is an arbitrary year I selected to make us think forward.
Imagine you are the president of BMW Motorrad. You must manage in the present day, plan for the next fiscal year. You are responsible for making a profit from selling the products you have now, overseeing ones in the pipeline and the development for the future. How do you see the motorcycle world stacking up in 2015 and beyond? What does your trip ticket have in store for BMW Motorrad? How is your perception of the current motorcycle market and financial issues modifying what waypoints are included?
Imagine you are one of the marketing or one of the heads of a Motorrad area such as BMW NA. What are you telling the president about your view of the motorcycle market in general and your segment in particular? What are you going to tell him you need in product for 2015 and beyond for BMW to be successful?
Imagine you are a BMW motorcycle developer. Your work of the last several years is beginning to be released to the public at INTERMOT. You will bask in the glow of the excitement of the event then head back to your design studio to begin the process all over. The paper on your drawing table is clean; a new design file will be setup in your computers AutoCAD server. Now what?
Finally imagine it is 2015 or even 2020; will any of us remember 2008, its turmoil and the impact on the motorcycles we will be looking at on that day?
Bike Candy
THE END
