BMW Other Motorcycles in Chicago, page #38

Moto blog

Moto 3, Oral Engineering and the 2012 BMW S1000RR

KTM and Honda may have been the main players at recent Jerez Moto 3 test but GP newcomers, Oral Engineering, weren’t too far behind with our very own Danny Webb posting the 15th best time. Italian based Oral are supplying engines to Mahindra Racing (Danny & Marcel Schrotter) and Ambroggio Next Racing (Simone Grotzki & Giulian Pedone). Mahindra have their motor housed in an all new, Italian tubular steel chassis, while Ambroggio have gone down the more economic route of using their 2011 Aprilia RSW 125 chassis.

WSBK: 2012 Phillip Island Results – Video

Max Biaggi won the opening race to the 2012 World Superbike Championship while defending champion Carlos Checa came back from a high-speed crash in the first race to win the second at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. Reigning champion Checa of Althea Ducati had a stunning high-side crash while leading on the sixth lap of Race One. The WSBK paddock was already in shock with the death of 17-year-old Oscar McIntyre in the Superstock 600 race the day before but thankfully Checa was not seriously injured.

Limited Edition 2012 BMW R1200GS ABS Tom Luthi Announced for Switzerland

It’s not unusual for motorcycle manufacturers to produce special edition models to honor a racer. It is unusual when that racer doesn’t compete on one that manufacturer’s machines though. Nevertheless, Interwetten Racing‘s Thomas Luthi, who rides a Honda-powered Suter machine in the Moto2 World Championship is a BMW brand ambassador, and thus, the German manufacturer has produced a limited edition R1200GS in his name.

NHTSA Fines BMW $3 Million for Late Recall Reporting

BMW has agreed to pay civil penalties of $3 million for failing to report safety defects in a timely manner to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By U.S. federal law, manufacturers are required to notify NHTSA of safety defects or noncompliance issues within five days of discovering the issue.

BMW Declares New January Sales Record

BMW announced global sales of 5,237 motorcycles in January, a new record for the first month and an 11.1% increase from the 4,714 units sold in January 2011. The record month follows a banner year for BMW which sold a record 104,286 motorcycles in 2011. “After a record year in 2011, the new year has started very pleasingly for BMW.

BMW Design Chief David Robb Steps Down; Edgar Heinrich Named Successor

David Robb, the man responsible for BMW‘s split-face motorcycle design, has left the German manufacturer. A native of Boston, Mass., Robb joined BMW as its design chief in 1993, and over the ensuing 18 years expanded the company’s product line to include the top selling R1200GS, the six-cylinder K1600GT and GTL, and the S1000RR superbike (that’s him on the far right in the picture above). The 56-year-old’s latest design to enter production are the C600 Sport and C650GT maxi-scooters.

2013 BMW C650GT Canadian Pricing Announced – Sort Of

BMW has started production of its new C600 Sport and C650GT but still hasn’t officially released pricing information for its two new maxi-scooters. BMW Canada however may have let slip pricing for the C650GT: CA$11,900 BMW Motorrad Canada is holding a contest to give away a C650GT, and the contest rules list the scooter’s MSRP. Of course, the $11,900 price tag is subject to change, especially as the scooter isn’t expected to arrive in Canada until late 2012 as a 2013 model.

European Motorcycle Market Down 38% Since 2006

New motorcycle registrations in Europe decreased 8.9% in 2011, reaching its lowest level in a decade. And with the state of the economy in Europe, things might get worse. According to provisional numbers released by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, Europeans registered 1.72 million motorcycles, scooters and mopeds in 2011, down from 1.89 million registrations in 2010.

Training with Marco Melandri

New BMW World Superbike recruit, Marco Melandri has been using the Bavarian manufacturer's connection to Husqvarna to get himself a nice new motocross bike for the off-season. Melandri has been riding the Husky TC250 in preparation for the 2012 season, whilst the winter testing ban was in effect. Commenting on riding motocross the Italian said: “I ride a lot, almost every week, I like riding with friends, mainly just to have fun.

BMW K1600GT Named International Bike of the Year 2011

The BMW K1600GT has been voted International Bike of the Year 2011 by a panel of motorcycle magazine journalists representing 25 publications from around the world. The six-cylinder BMW K1600GT received a score of 41 points from the jury to top all contenders. Second place went to the Ducati Diavel at 32 points.