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BMW Sets New Annual Record for Motorcycle Sales – With One Month Still to Go

BMW announced sales of 108,872 motorcycles and scooters, shattering last year’s company record for annual sales by 2.4%. Even more impressively, BMW reached that mark by the end of November and still has a whole month’s worth of sales to pad its record. In 2012, BMW sold 106,358 motorcycles and scooters to set a new company record.

2013 Long Beach International Motorcycle Show Report

Today the motorcycle press descended upon the Long Beach Convention Center to attend media day at the annual International Motorcycle Show. After feasting from a continental breakfast buffet the discerning journalists set to the task of reporting on the bounty of new model motorcycles – most of which has been previously showcased in our November EICMA reporting. If you missed anything from that show here’s a run down of what to look forward to: Triumph Thunderbird LT Suzuki V-Strom 1000 Can-Am Spyder Royal Enfield Continental GT Zero KTM Super Duke R – KTM confirmed the retail price to be $16,999 BMW R NineT Ducati Monster S 1200 Honda Valkyrie Kawasaki Z1000 Husqvarna A cool item of interest included a reproduction TZ750-powered flat tracker King Kenny Roberts made famous.

BMW R nineT Track Grinder by Urban Motor

Earlier this week, we wrote about BMW inviting some special guests to witness the start of production for its R nineT roadster. Along with a couple of German celebrities such as television chef Horst Lichter and actor Ronald Zehrfeld, the guests included custom motorcycle shop Urban Motor. BMW tasked Urban Motor with creating the first custom R nineT to highlight the motorcycle’s potential.

2012 BMW K1600GT, K1600GTL Engine Stall Recall Announced for US

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall for 2,475 units of the 2012 BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL in the U.S. because of a software problem causing engines to stall. A similar recall was previously announced in Canada but we now have more information about the problem.

2014 BMW R nineT Production Begins

The first production models of the BMW R nineT roadster have rolled off the assembly line in Berlin. The R nineT is a special model for BMW, representing the company’s 90 years in the motorcycle industry, so it’s no surprise the start of production was made with much fanfare. BMW invited 100 guests including the team from German customization studio Urban Motor to watch assembly of the first three units of the R nineT including the final dynamometer testing where more than 1,000 different parameters are measured before a motorcycle can be released.

BMW Begins Motorcycle Production in Thailand

BMW has opened a new motorcycle assembly line at the company’s factory in Thailand. The facility will initially only produce F800R roadsters from complete knock-down kits for the Thai market, though BMW plans to eventually make the facility a production hub for other Asian markets. The Thai facility is BMW’s first wholly-owned motorcycle assembly plant outside of Germany, though the company does share facilities in Manaus, Brazil with local manufacturer DAFRA Motos.

46,061 Motorcycles Stolen in US in 2012

An average of 126 motorcycles were stolen in the U.S. every day in 2012, according to a report released by the the National Insurance Crime Bureau. That’s from a total of 46,061 motorcycles reported stolen that year a 1.3% improvement from the 46,667 motorcycles reported stolen in 2011.

Michelin Launches New Pilot Road 4 Sport-Touring Tire

Coming in 2014 is an all-new range of motorcycle tires from Michelin, available in three versions: the Michelin Pilot Road 4, Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT and Michelin Pilot Road 4 Trail. Covering virtually every category of sport-touring motorcycle, the Pilot Road 4 line is well suited for motorcycles over 600cc. They were designed to deliver maximum safety in the most common conditions of use, especially on wet roads and in particular when braking. In its press release Michelin also claims extended tire life, which we assume is in comparison to the Pilot Road 3.

2014 BMW K1600 GTL Exclusive Revealed

When it comes to moto-touring in the lap of luxury, BMW’s K1600 GTL Exclusive, the latest iteration of the K1600 lineup, promises the kind of high-class riding experience BMW is known for. The K1600 GTL Exclusive takes luxury touring to another level, both visually and functionally. As with the rest of the K1600 line, the lynchpin of the model range is the uber-sweet 1649cc inline-Six capable of 129 ft.-lbs. of torque, 70% of that is available at just 1500 rpm.

BMW C Evolution Police-Spec Electric Scooter Concept

BMW will present a new police-spec version of its C Evolution electric scooter at an upcoming police and state security trade show in Paris. Debuting at the Milipol 2013 show Nov. 19-22, the police edition BMW C Evolution concept will illustrate the potential of electric scooters for police, rescue or escort activities.