190/190

[Deans BMW]

[blkvelvt]

Looks promising

[ESokoloff]

I heard this as a rumor.

Looking a bit more realistic.

 

 

more discussion here

[sgendler]

Cool. I guess that means that next year we'll be able to buy a superbike that almost keeps up with the Japanese bikes on the track, but with ABS and heated grips, and all that for a mere 2x the price.

 

Color me a cynic when it comes to sporty new models from BMW these days. I hope they prove me wrong.

 

--sam

[ncsonderman]

 

Motorcyclist did an article about this last month. It turns out that the project was aimed at dethroning Ducati back in the late nineties. They have "spy shots" and a bunch of other data that points to a decade old machine that was very competent but never rolled out.

 

Unfortunately, I think that they may be right.

 

I would like to see the bike though! Imagine the hassles of getting a sportbike serviced with the small dealer network

[duckbubbles]

I, too, have reservations about the viability of this bike. I'd love to see it and see it succeed. But I question BMW's commitment to racing motorcycles. Sure, lately they've been visible with the R12S. But beat the Japs for a little bit and see them crush you in competition. It's what they do, to each other and anybody else. Ducati is the exception, but Ducati has a racing tradition as long as the Japs. The BMW effort is just a regime change away from a fond memory. The board of directors can see a fall in the bottom line, maybe short term, and that's it. It would take a catastrophic development for that to happen with the other five. A decade ago Ducati was on the ropes financially and still was racing in World Superbike. I can't see that with BMW.

It has been reported that BMW's intent is to have "the best performing motorcycle in every class". Apretty tall order when the Japs completely re-design every two years or so. Even Ducati has had to react more quickly with new models. I'd love to see it, but I don't think BMW has the cojones to stick with it through a few hard times.

 

Frank

[Deans BMW]

Oh ye of little faith.

 

Sounds like a lot of glass half empty folks in here.

[outpost22]

Motorcyclist did an article about this last month. It turns out that the project was aimed at dethroning Ducati back in the late nineties. They have "spy shots" and a bunch of other data that points to a decade old machine that was very competent but never rolled out.

 

Unfortunately, I think that they may be right.

 

 

I believe the bike they covered was a boxer twin, not the K bike 4 cylinder featured here. Looks very different.

[Deans BMW]

Outpost, you are correct. The new project is entirely different...............and will be extremely competitive.

[duckbubbles]

Oh ye of little faith.

 

Sounds like a lot of glass half empty folks in here.

I suppose you could categorize my remarks that way. But I feel I am talking with history on my side. Remember BMW's run at the Paris-Dakar a few years ago? A couple of wins and then a competitor shows up and where is BMW? How about the R1 spoken of in this discussion? A regime change canceled it.

 

I would LOVE to see BMW grind the Japs to dust, but the realist in me doesn't think it will come close to happening. You might see several years of effort, but the cost to maintain and keep developing a competitive machine is, in my opinion, beyond BMW's capabilities and, in the long run, will.

 

I will profusely apologize in a decade if I am proven wrong, but will cheer on any success in the present.

 

Frank