2009 BMW S1000RR – A Closer Look

[longride]

The Knuck rebuild is keeping me awake nights. So many manuals, so little time.

[sachiwilson]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

Too bad they don't offer 24 hours with the service manual. Jen would love that!

LR can get ALL the manuals he needs for a happy life here.

[longride]

Get all I need? Hell, I probably have more than they do right now!

[The_AirHawk]

"Uh, yeah man - you guys might want to take a look at the valves or somethin' - it was makin' this funny 'knocking' noise in the engine......."

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by longride

The Knuck rebuild is keeping me awake nights. So many manuals, so little time.

What? They still have manuals for those? I thought that papyrus doesn't last that long.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by longride

I don't care if they have Santa's elves assembling these bikes, they will not compete with the Japanese in either price or performance. That, I will bet the house on. If they get close, the Japanese will drop their prices further and still offer more performance. When BMW has to redesign the bike every two years that will be the end of them. Triumph doesn't compete head to head. They tried that at the 600cc level and got thier asses handed to them, so they made their own niche with a unique motor and went there. Smart move. BMW will get their asses handed to them here. They needed to find a niche the Japanese don't dominate to do well. This one ain't it. They are late to this game and can only catch up with a barrels full of money. Not the smartest move at this stage of the world economy. Problem #2 for BMW is that they have very few dealers. In Illinois, there are 3 BMW dealers in the whole state. Not real good for sales when there is a Japanese dealer every 10 miles. Like I said, I wish them luck, they will need all they can get and then some.

I wonder if Beemer wouldn't do better by offering these in GT style like the ZX-14 or Hayabusa. They do need to replace the old Bricks GTs/RSes

[longride]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

I wonder if Beemer wouldn't do better by offering these in GT style like the ZX-14 or Hayabusa. They do need to replace the old Bricks GTs/RSes

Damn, if that wasn't exactly what I was thinking. Make a price competitive GT that works, and enter that market area. You can draw from both older and younger riders, along with not having the burden of racing the thing. Like they said in the article, forget all the fancy do-dads and gee-gaws that boost the price. Just make a really good basic GT with optional hard bags and maybe electronic cruise that rips and is the same price range. The key here is 'the same price range'. Offer some high performance kits for it and call it a day. I have never owned a Beemer, but I would look at something like that for sure.

[Kevin_Duke]

You guys are aware of the revised K1300 lineup, right?

BMW introduces new models at Intermot - Motorcycle.com

[longride]

I have seen them. They still have goofy suspension, shaft drive, too many do-dads, and will be priced way too high. All the components of why they don't sell well here. Why can't they just make a simple one with all that power that can be priced slightly BELOW a Hayabusa? They would sell at least 15,000, which is the number they are shooting for with this new 1000cc racing machine. If they had such a machine I would buy one. With these new 1300's I wouldn't buy one because I really don't feel like spending 20 grand for a machine that offers less performance than a Busa or Zx-14 for just over 10 grand with real world pricing.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by longride

I have seen them. They still have goofy suspension, shaft drive, too many do-dads, and will be priced way too high. All the components of why they don't sell well here. Why can't they just make a simple one with all that power that can be priced slightly BELOW a Hayabusa? They would sell at least 15,000, which is the number they are shooting for with this new 1000cc racing machine. If they had such a machine I would buy one. With these new 1300's I wouldn't buy one because I really don't feel like spending 20 grand for a machine that offers less performance than a Busa or Zx-14 for just over 10 grand with real world pricing.

Whaddya think? BMW is maintaining their premium pricing while offering no better quality than the Japanese. With the home equity market on the skids BMW is looking at real trouble. Well, they all are, but BMW's overpricing pricing will mean disastrous sales next year.

Gas is $1.30 a gallon. The spike of bike sakes driven by $4 gas is over. Expect to see people trying to sell those bikes they bought the last couple of years as they try to stem personal bankruptcy. How do I know this? I'm looking at the local internet classifieds and the number of bikes for sale is as high as it was in the spring summer. Several people are desperate with "must sell to pay mortgage" ads. Asking prices are still way too high but that will change in a few weeks.

You may notice that the Euros have quit laughing at our financial problems because they are all in the same boat now with huge social programs that they can't possibly ever fund and with their looter populations demanding ever more. BMW might go bankrupt quite soon. Same for their cars. Luxury sedans will be the first to go. Same with the Japanese car companies. Acura is in deep shyt.