800gs

lensuz said:

Anybody hear anything about BMW NA doing "something special" for those who had placed a deposit on the F 800GS? I caught a wiff of such a rumor today.

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I was under the impression that this entire thread was about the "something special" BMW did for those with deposits on F800GS'.

Tweety1 said:

Meanwhile, BMW has disenfranchised many F800GS buyers with a big SO WHAT! That spreads quite far and quickly.

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And this surprises you? How? (Can you say "final drive") IMO, for every "disenfranchised" prospective F800GS owner, BMW will find 1.5 willing to take their place and slap down cash the instant they're available.

lkchris said:

If the USA is indeed BMW's biggest market, they are in a bit of trouble because of the weakness of the dollar.

Perhaps BMW simply wants to sell F800GS in markets where they don't lose money.

Perhaps the delay is to given everyone a chance to forget the price originally floated.

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IIRC, I saw a press release from BMW at EICMA that stated they were tying their accounting/bookeeping, (whatever, I'm not a CPA so I don't know) to the dollar instead of the Euro for these very reasons. Which, AFAIK, means that they wouldn't be affected by a "weak" dollar, but actually stand to make more money in other markets if their pricing was attached to the dollar.

I think the most plausible explanation is that they haven't fulfilled worldwide orders for F650GS' and consequently can't get GS production up to speed to meet worldwide demand. Couple that with the red tape invovled with federalizing a new MC and there you have it.

From October BMW PressClub re company reorganization

Natural hedging and purchasing in US dollars to be expanded

In order to strengthen independence from currency fluctuations, the BMW Group will strategically step up natural hedging as well as purchasing, primarily in US dollars. By 2012, production capacity of the US plant in Spartanburg will be increased from 140,000 at present to 240,000 units. Plans for the expansion are already underway.

The BMW Group will also raise the Oxford MINI plant's capacity to 260,000 units per annum, without making additional investments. In addition, the company plans to take the first step to increasing capacities in China from 30,000 to 44,000 units a year.

An Eerie Resemblance: Herr Oliemuller's Release und a Deutschland Sudetenland Speech!

So, am I to understand freund Roy that if I take my $500 F800GS deposit moto money that was refunded to me somewhere else, such as for an Austrian KTM 690 Adventure, because BMW Motorrad AG und BMW North America cannot deliver the product that they promised me, I am somehow less virtuous? Gott im Himmel!

CourtFisher said:

Alex,
Not to put too fine a point on it, but that MOTORRAD long term test in issue 2008/ 2, is of an F800 S, not a GS.

Court

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Hi Court,

I don't have the issue in front of me, but it may have been the S.

Are the motors different? I don't know...someone mentioned something about a different cylinder angle. No matter...its unacceptable unless it was caused by the tester(s)....forgot to add oil or something. I doubt it though. In all my years subscribing to MOTORRAD, never have I seen pistons at that limit in all the tests I've browsed over.

The sun down here in Flordia is getting to be a bit boring. I'm glad I don't own a bike down here. The roads are too damn flat and straight.

So now it starts....800GS review(s)

Congrats to Vince/ BMW ON for getting the online press review(s) rolling...and for sending Rob Nye to do it:

http://www.bmwmoa.org/features/F800GS_SA_taste.htm

CourtFisher said:

http://www.bmwmoa.org/features/F800GS_SA_taste.htm

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excellent!

his story about alan cathcart reminds me of when i helped mark hoyer of cycleworld get out from under his fallen GSA.

can't wait to read the rest of the story... especially what this bike is like when ridden hard.

ian

CourtFisher said:

Congrats to Vince/ BMW ON for getting the online press review(s) rolling...and for sending Rob Nye to do it:

http://www.bmwmoa.org/features/F800GS_SA_taste.htm

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Darn shame Rob had to go all that way to ride the new GS.

Beemerdons said:

So, am I to understand freund Roy that if I take my $500 F800GS deposit moto money that was refunded to me somewhere else, such as for an Austrian KTM 690 Adventure, because BMW Motorrad AG und BMW North America cannot deliver the product that they promised me, I am somehow less virtuous? Gott im Himmel!

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You mean something like this?

Or taking the "rally" edition and modding it to this...?

Notice the dual rear saddle tanks...?

Its sitting in someones garage....Yours?

Kutcher: Thanks for taking the time to post those pictures of the KTM I'm looking for

I would be proud and happy to own any of those KTM's, I've reached the point where I couldn't care less if my motorcycles now have a Roundel on the gas tank!

I did have a recent turn of good luck, in a bad news & good news sort of odd way.

The good news is that I was able to buy back my 2006 Kawasaki KLR 650 from my company's young purchasing agent so now my summer Mexico adventure trip is no longer in jeopardy due to rat BMW screwing me over by yanking the F800GS.

The very bad news is that our company was bought out by a huge multi-national massive conglomerate! That is the reason that my young friend panicked and he sold me back my KLR. He has a non-working wife and two young children and he was concerned about his job during the new transition. I've been there for over twenty years and I know where all the bodies are buried. Ha! I'm safe for now!

I hope that the new ownership doesn't start to cut me back on my motorycle trip time. "Work is the Curse of the Motorcycle Riding Class!" - Das Kapital, Karl Marx.

Beemerdons,



...Enjoy the "ride"...Whatever it may be.

Another ride report...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2008/02/23/nosplit/mfbike123.xml