Last month, we published spy photos of what appeared to be some prototypes of the 2014 BMW R1200RT sport-tourer undergoing testing somewhere in southern France. Unfortunately, the photographs were captured from far away, preventing us from seeing many details apart from the new water-cooled Boxer engine from the new GS and what appears to be the adaptive headlight from the K1600GT and GTL.

Thankfully, a new video has surfaced, providing an up-close look at the new R1200RT. The German blogger who captured the video calls these new models the R1200GT, which may turn out to be the name of the new model. BMW may opt to use this new name to create a brand connection with the K1600GT as the two models share the same headlight design.

At EICMA, BMW revealed a new F800GT which replaces the F800ST in BMW’s 2013 lineup, so it’s conceivable BMW would change another model’s designation to be another “Grand Tourer”. The RT is the only current BMW touring model to use  “Reise-Tourer” (German for “Travel-Touring”) designation, so changing it to GT would bring it in line with the other models. On the other hand, BMW may do exactly what it did with the new R1200GS and keep the existing R1200RT name. Continue Reading »

BMW Motorrad Goldbet racer Chaz Davies scored his first career World Superbike double victory, taking both races at Spain’s Aragon circuit. The wins were the second and third of Davies’ WSBK career (the first came last year at Nurburgring for the ParkinGo Aprilia team) and the second ever double in the series for BMW.

The Welsh rider and former AMA Pro Racing competitor has had some success at Aragon, getting his first career WSBK podium at the Spanish track in 2012. Davies continued his good form, taking third in the Superpole to start on the front row. Continue Reading »

BMW announced it has signed a long-term agreement with Indian manufacturer TVS Motor to develop and produce small-displacement motorcycles.

The two companies have been in discussions for several months now, but alliance is only now official. Under the agreement, BMW and TVS will work together to develop a new model with an engine displacement smaller than 500cc. Each company will then produce its own version of this new model, not just for India but for international markets. The new models will be produced in India.

The partnership is similar to the arrangement between KTM and Bajaj Auto which saw the introduction of the KTM 200 Duke and the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS. The new BMW-TVS motorcycle will mark a slight departure from both of their product offerings. The smallest engine in BMW’s current lineup is the 647cc parallel-Twin engine used in its C600 Sport and C650GT scooters while TVS’ lineup are all smaller than 250cc. Continue Reading »

Zero Motorcycles announced the addition of Pieter De Waal as the newest member of its board of directors.

De Waal provides Zero with more than 30 years of experience in the automotive and motorcycle industries. Formerly of Nissan, Delta (General Motors), Mercedes Benz and, most recently, BMW, De Waal has experience dealing with many facets of the industry, from engineering to sales.

In addition to joining Zero’s board of directors, De Waal will also be a consultant on future business strategies including powertrain initiatives. The move follows Zero’s pattern of attracting experienced motorcycle industry executives. Previous additions include hiring AMA Hall of Famer Scot Harden as vice president of global marketing. Continue Reading »

A new survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center finds BMW and Harley-Davidson  owners are much more likely to report major problems with their motorcycles than owners of Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha motorcycles.

The survey, which will appear on the April 2013 issue of Consumer Reports, says one in three BMW owners reported experiencing a major problem with their bikes in the last four years. Harley-Davidson owners were slightly better, with one in four reporting serious issues. By contrast, only one in 10 Yamaha owners reported serious issues with Honda and Kawasaki owners having similar numbers.

And yet despite the issues, BMW and Harley-Davidson owners are more likely to buy their motorcycles again, if given the chance to do it over. According to the report, 75% of Harley-Davidson owners say they would definitely buy still their motorcycles if given the chance to make the decision again. BMW owners were nearly as loyal with 74% saying they would repeat their purchases, all things considered. Continue Reading »

With the new 2013 BMW R1200GS now launching worldwide, it really should be no surprise BMW is working on more models using the GS’s new liquid-cooled boxer engine.

A contributor to French site MotoMag happened upon a crew of test riders on heavily camouflaged test mules of what appears to be the 2014 BMW R1200RT. The swirly camo pattern does little to hide the new “precision cooling” liquid-cooled engine, easily identified by the pipes exiting from the bottom of the cylinders.

The fairing appears to be new, with a different nose and front air intake ducts. The headlights have also been updated to resemble the K1600GT‘s headlight. It’s appears the 2014 R1200RT may inherit the K16′s Xenon adaptive headlight with dynamic leveling. Continue Reading »

BMW released its year-end 2012 financial report, reporting revenues of 1.49 billion euros (US$1.93 billion) from its motorcycle business in 2012, up from 1.44 billion euros in 2011. The increased revenues came in a record year for BMW with the company selling an all-time record of 106,358 motorcycles in 2012.

Despite the increase in sales revenue, BMW reported a much smaller profit from its motorcycle business, earning 9 million euros (US$11.6 million) in 2012, compared to 45 million euros in 2011. The decrease is mainly due to the sale of Husqvarna to Pierer Industries announced earlier this year. BMW says it decided to sell Husqvarna to focus on urban mobility and electric-powered vehicles, though a shrinking market for off-road models was another contributing factor. The sale is still subject to Austrian merger control authorities, which are expected to approve the sale in the first half of 2013. Continue Reading »

The International Motorcycling Federation has updated its homologated model list for the 2013 World Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Endurance racing seasons. The list is largely unchanged from the list released in February with the exception of a couple of additions.

The Superstock 1000 and Formula Endurance World Championship list now includes the 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale R and the MV Agusta F4 RR. On the previous list, the F4 RR’s status was listed as being “in progress” while only the S version of the Panigale was initially homologated for Superstock 1000 and Formula Endurance.

Also worth emphasizing is the 599cc Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R remains homologated for the FIM’s Supersport and Superstock 600 championships but the 636cc version is not eligible for those classes. The homologation list distinctly includes the Ninja as the “ZX 600 R F” but not “ZX 636″. AMA Pro Racing differs in this regard, including the 636cc version on its list of eligible racebikes for 2013. Continue Reading »

Earlier this week, we wrote about reports in the Italian media of a delay on deliveries of the 2013 BMW R1200GS because of an issue with the suspension. Transport Canada has now issued a recall notice on BMW‘s new GS – the third to come from the Canadian government agency – that would explain the delay.

According to Transport Canada, the threaded plugs securing the fork tubes to the upper triple clamp may come loose over time on some units. This may cause a fork tube to detach, posing a serious crash hazard. According to MotorradOnline.de, the issue was discovered during BMW’s internal testing, after a GS was put through 60,000 km on the test bench.

The solution seems simple enough. BMW will crimp-lock the fork tubes’ threaded plugs, creating a more secure connection. Continue Reading »

BMW has reportedly delayed delivers of the revamped R1200GS in Italy to correct a problem with its Telelever front suspension.

According to Motociclismo.it, BMW discovered a problem where the Telelever meets the steering plate. BMW reportedly has a fix, but it requires some special tooling.

The delay affected some early deliveries to customers and also prevented many Italian dealers from offering demo rides this past weekend when the 2013 BMW R1200GS was to start appearing in showrooms. Continue Reading »