Morning Reads: 8 September 2007

[mika]

Today’s Birthdays / Calendar

BMW in the News

seattlepi.newsource.com
Scoping out bikes – Starting with BMW

TED: Ideas worth spreading
TED Blog,Conferences, Themes, Talks and Speakers



Page 2:
BMW Press: News and press releases from the official BMW sources


News:

bnet.com
Harley-Davidson cuts Q3 shipping expectations

insidebikes.com
Hyosung’s UK sales grow

kosman.net
Via- thekneeslider.com
ZX-HD Special Fabrication

about.com:motorcycles
H-D stock takes another hit

amadirectlink.com
Puerto Rico passes strict new laws regulating motorcyclists

cragvetter.blogspot.com
Craig Vetter on Motorcycle Design

This a bit of an oxymoron – The Latest News from oldbikemart.co.uk
The article of interest, to me at any rate, is the “Triumph – going to India?”
Packer News

jsonline.com
Packers Plus Online


The News-Record – Gillette Wyoming


Bike Reviews:

motorcycle.com
2007 Air-cooled Twins Comparo

onewheeldrive.net
Ducati GT 1000 – A little bit of history repeated.


Blog Update

Foreign Language Blogs


Gear:

topspeed.com
Accessories for K1200R Sport by AC Schnitzer

Ducati Kickstand Idea via Twisting Asphalt


webbikeworld.com
V2 sponge visor cleaner

Motorcycle Repair and Care:

focuser.com
Anodizing Aluminum
via The Kneeslider.com

Over Heard in New York | Voice of the City




Today’s RoadFood.com



Woot

Todays Woot

The Blog


xkcd A webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math and Language

Sluggy Freelance


Bike Candy:

From: Vintagebike.co.uk – Picture of 1957 AJS Model 16

THE END

 

[mika]

Page 2

BMW Press: News and press releases from the official BMW sources

PressClub Canada

I posted this earlier this week when it came out as what I thought was a gimmick. Now it is running as a BMW PressClub item!

The Power of Driving vs Driving Power. A BMW car and motorbike compete in a speed contest against golf balls.

Chicago. The intense golfing rivalries between Europe and the United States were to be set a new challenge during the 2007 BMW Championship with an unusual contest between a golf ball, a car and a motorbike.

At the BMW Championship Stewart Cink, four-time winner on the PGA TOUR and three-time President's Cup team player, launched golf balls with various clubs while a BMW M5 car and a BMW K1200R motorbike roared off from a standing start. The object: to see if the car and the motorbike can match or beat the pace of the golf ball. This replicated a similar contest conducted last year in Munich, Germany in the lead-up to the BMW International Open. British pro golfer and 2004 Ryder Cup player Ian Poulter along with TV presenter and passionate amateur golfer Sonja Zietlow went up against racing driver Hans-Joachim Stuck and world motorcycle stunt champion Chris Pfeiffer.

In Chicago, Cink pitted his skills against two motorsport personalities - Graham Rahal and Nate Kern. Graham Rahal is a Champ Car World Series driver as well as the son of former open-wheel driver and Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal. Graham Rahal, 18, is the youngest ever podium finisher in Champ Car history following a second place finish in only his third race of the 2007 season. Nate Kern is a reserve rider for the factor BMW Motorrad Motorsport teams and has been selected as reserve rider for the forthcoming World Endurance Championship event at Oschersleben.

The physics of propelling a 1.5-ounce golf ball are very different from accelerating a 4,000lb BMW M5, or a 522lb BMW K1200R motorbike. The golf ball achieves its highest speed as it leaves the face of the club (up to 190 miles an hour with a driver) and then slows as its travels through the air. The 507 horsepower BMW M5 can rocket from a standing start to 62mph (100km/h) in just 4.7 seconds, while the 163 horsepower BMW K1200R motorbike needs just 2.8 seconds to reach this speed. Unlike the slowing golf ball, the car and the bike keep accelerating under the thrust of their powerful engines.

But, is it enough to outpace a golf ball? When this intriguing experiment was conducted in Germany last year, Poulter and Zietlow used a sand wedge, a 6-iron and a driver. The high, relatively short flight of the sand wedge saw the motorbike beat the golf ball against both players. Poulter's shot went 113 yards against the bike's 153 yards, while Zietlow's ball flew 101 yards against the bike's 174 yards. The car achieved 98 yards against Poulter's shot and 50 yards against Zietlow's.

When the golfers selected their 6-irons, Poulter's shot went 187 yards and Zietlow's 124 yards. The BMW K1200R came close to Poulter at 185 yards and easily outran Zietlow's shot at 204 yards. The BMW M5 made 109 yards against Poulter and 97 yards against Zietlow.

Similar outcomes were achieved when the players hauled the drivers out of their bags. Poulter's drive of 279 yards was nearly matched by the motorbike at 271 yards, while the car reached the 133-yard mark. Zietlow's drive went 209 yards to the BMW M5's 122 yards, while the BMW K1200R sped to 251 yards.

"It was really impressive to watch how the BMW M5 and the BMW motorbike battled it out with my golf ball," said Poulter. "I was almost certain that no vehicle could keep pace with a golf ball in flight."

When Cink, Rahal and Kern were put to the test in Chicago, Cink's drive of the golf ball was able to outpace the BMW M5 and BMW motorbike for each of three runs. During the first run, Cink led the trio, winning by approximately 30 feet with Kern coming in a close second followed by Rahal. During each of the next two challenges, the golf ball also came away the winner, finishing ahead of Kern by approximately 15 feet on the second run and approximately 20 on the third run.


BMW Motorrad Wins National Canadian Thunder Championship

Whitby. With Michael Taylor fighting to first place in the Canadian Thunder Championship on September 2, 2007, the BMW Motorrad Canada racing team secured their first championship - the first National championship for the BMW R1200S.
The win gaveTaylor 293 points for the season, 24 points more than second place Buell rider Michael Leon. BMW rider Michael FerreiraÔÇÖs debut season with BMW Motorrad Canada also proved successful, with Ferreira earning 190 points and sixth place overall in the championship.

The BMW Motorrad Canada Race Team came into the final round of the Canadian Thunder Championship in second place, down 5 points to the championship leader, but highly energized from their victory in the previous round.

The final round took place at the ÔÇ£birthplace of championsÔÇØ, Shannonville Motorsport Park, located 2.5 hours east of Toronto. SMP is a multi use facility that boasts four different race track layouts with BMW competing on the 1.5 mile PRO Track formation ÔÇô a configuration highly suited to the BMW R1200S race bikes and the ÔÇ£two MichaelsÔÇØ.

Qualifying on Saturday produced a competitive scenario that has become commonplace in Canadian Thunder racing with 7 riders less than a second apart battling for the extra 4 championship points and pole position. Michael Ferreira quickly set the pace in qualifying, breaking the lap record sitting in first place after only 4 laps. Waiting in the pits to see if another rider could beat the early pace set, Ferreira waited for another 15 minutes before the other riders could come close to matching his pace. With the final 2 minutes in timed qualifying, BMW team riders Taylor and Ferreira swapped the pole position with American Dave Estok on the Deely Harley Davidson Buell.

As time expired, Michael Taylor was the last rider to cross the line with a hot lap to take the pole position and a new lap record for the Thunder class. Dave Estok on the Buell was second; Michael Ferreira settled for third and beside him on the grid was the reigning champion Darren James on the other Buell. Two BMWÔÇÖs and two BuellÔÇÖs secured the front row for the final race of the season but most importantly, Taylor had moved to within 1 point of the championship lead.

Race day saw another beautiful day, sunny clear blue skies with low humidity and temperatures in the low to mid 20 degrees Celsius range ÔÇô perfect conditions for racing air cooled twins! With no rain in the forecast the final round enjoyed full grandstands, loyal race fans looking for poster autographs, and a championship waiting to be decided.

As the lights went green, both BMW R1200S race bikes launched into the lead with the front wheels in the air. Another great start from Michael Ferreira saw him take the lead over his teammate Michael Taylor in second place. With Taylor thinking of the title he quickly settled into a comfortable fourth place spot by the end of the first lap while Ferreira was charging at the front.

Still in the title hunt, reigning champion Darren James engaged Ferreira in a battle for the lead until a lap 4 incident took James out of the race. Word quickly came down from race officials that Michael Ferreira would be penalized for a jump start. A four position penalty was accessed and shown to Ferreira who then started to fade as the race went on.

Michael Taylor, still close to the front, was running a consistent pace and reeling in the leaders. By Lap 10 Taylor took the lead of the race from Dave Estok and never looked back, continuing on to take his fourth win of the season and the National Canadian Thunder #1 plate for 2008.

This championship was history in the making for the BMW Motorrad Canada team. The first national championship for the BMW R1200S, the first championship for BMW Motorrad Canada, and the first championship in Canadian Thunder to a non-Buell rider.

BMW Motorrad Canada race team is proudly sponsored by BMW Financial Services, Original BMW Parts, Parts Canada, HJC Helmets, Alpinestar, Pirelli, Flexi-glass, and DP Brakes.


BMW Group is once again number one in corporate sustainability

Whitby/ Munich ÔÇô Munich. The BMW Group is the world leader in corporate sustainability in the automobile industry. This was the conclusion reached by the SAM Group in its current evaluation for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI). This makes the BMW Group the only company in its sector to have been listed in these important sustainability indexes every year since they were established in 1999.
ÔÇ£We are delighted that the BMW Group is industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the third consecutive year. This result proves once again that sustainability is firmly rooted in our corporate processes. We are convinced that sustainability throughout the value added chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to saving resources are all an integral part of the companyÔÇÖs success,ÔÇØ said Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

With its sustainable mobility strategy, ranging from efficiency enhancements and the increasing electrification of the power train to the long-term use of hydrogen, the BMW Group is reducing the CO2 emissions of its whole fleet. The result is that, starting in the autumn, around 40% of all the new vehicles launched by the BMW Group in Europe will emit 140 grams of CO2 or less per kilometer. At BMW Group production sites environmental impact is being minimized and resources saved. In this way, for instance, it has been possible to reduce the energy used in production by more than 26% over the past ten years. High social standards for the employees of the BMW Group have been implemented at all locations for decades. More detailed information is available at
www.bmwgroup.com/responsibility

The SAM Group analyses the economic, environmental and social performance of approximately 2500 companies and selects the best in each industry for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. General sustainability criteria are considered as well as industry-specific challenges such as climate change. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index was the first global sustainability index to be created, in 1999, and has since been published each year by the SAM Group, based in Zurich, in cooperation with Dow Jones Indexes and STOXX Limited. More information is available at www.sustainability-indexes.com

BMW Group Canada, based in Whitby, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI. BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 38 BMW automobile retail centres,18 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 22 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.


PressClub USA

BMW GROUP WORLDWIDE SHOWS DOUBLE-DIGIT INCREASE IN AUGUST

Volume sales increase by 13% compared with the same month last year.
Munich. The BMW Group is continuing to race ahead with its sales. In August, the number of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce automobiles delivered to customers rose by 12.9% to 99.755 (prev.yr.: 88,391). As in the previous months, all regions contributed to this positive development. The largest individual market in August remained the USA, with 30,638 automobiles sold (prev.yr.: 25,673). Here, the number of deliveries rose by 19.3%. This was followed by Germany with 19,253 vehicles sold (prev.yr.: 17,373) and a rise in sales of 10.8%. In the United Kingdom, the third-largest market, the BMW Group increased its sales in August by 15.8% to 6,672 automobiles (prev.yr.: 5,763).

Amongst the established markets, France recorded particularly strong growth rates. Here, 3,910 automobiles were delivered to customers in August, which is 78.7% more than in the same month last year (2,188). In the month under review, very high increases were also recorded by Poland, at plus 92.3% to 273 vehicles sold (prev.yr.: 142), and Russia, at plus 75.5% to 1,358 deliveries (prev.yr.: 774). In India, starting from a low level of sales last year (20), the company actually increased the number of sales more than five times over (+470.0%/114).

For the period from January to August inclusive, the BMW Group achieved an increase in sales of 7.1%. This meant that 952,929 (prev.yr.: 889.348) BMW Group automobiles were sold in the first eight months of the current year.

In the month under review BMW brand sales rose by 11.1% to 85,003 vehicles (prev.yr.: 76,497) in comparison with the same month last year. Up to and including August, 811,388 BMW automobiles were sold
(prev.yr.: 760,237/+6.7%).

MINI brand increases by 24%
In the face of continuing high demand for the new model generation, MINI brand dealers sold 24.0% more vehicles to customers in August (14,452) than in the same month last year (11,832). For the year to the end of August 2007, the number of MINI sold thus reached 141,082 units (prev.yr.: 128,711/+9.6%).

Rolls-Royce delivered 82 vehicles to customers in August (prev.yr.: 62/+32.3%). In the first eight months, 459 cars were delivered (prev.yr.: 400/+14.8%).

Dr. Michael Ganal, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for sales and marketing: "We are still in first place in the competition amongst suppliers of premium automobiles. We have undertaken to achieve sales growth in 2007 in the upper single-digit percentage range. We are well on the way to meeting this objective. From next week, at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, we will be showing the products that are generating success- because, here and now, they represent just the right combination of performance and consumption."

Sales of motorcycles in August 2007 reached 6,963 vehicles
(prev.yr.: 6,279/ +10.9%). Up to and including August, the number of
BMW motorcycles delivered rose by 5.2% to 75,114 (prev.yr.: 71,411).

BMW Group sales in/up to and including August 2007 at a glance
In August 07 comp. w. prev.yr. Up to & incl. August 07 comp.w. prev.yr.
BMW Group automobiles 99,755 + 12,9% 952,929 + 7,1%
BMW 85,003 + 11,1% 811,388 + 6,7%
MINI 14,670 + 24,0% 141,082 + 9,6%
Rolls-Royce 82 + 32,3% 459 +14,8%
BMW motorcycles 6,963 + 10,9% 75,114 + 5,2%


BMW Sauber F1: Website

BMW Motorsport

BMW Yachtsport

BMW Golfsport

BMW Oracle Racing

BMW Sport website