for some strange and weird reason i am not able to see the pics 'full' they open half and that is it,
else i can see all pics in all threads, tried accessing via mozilla(use chrome though) and using a bsnl broad-band

don't make too much effort though, shall check all of it, the next time i am in cal

Superb Pics.. and the icing on the cake was that your better half is also a bike Enthusiast

As always, the Ducati stole my heart. 1198 in particular.

BTW thanks for all these. Hope to see more of them.

No worries Sheel...it wont be any trouble for me. Once I'm done uploading all the pics, I'll make sure I have the thumbnails up as well.

Hi. Yup, it sure is the icing on the cake that my better half is fond of two-wheelers too!

And as I've said, the Ducati stall was "Wow" all the way. More pics and stands coming up soon.

.....Simba

Long overdue, but nevertheless, finally ready...

BMW Stand live in a couple of hours

.....Simba

The last & certainly not the least…..

The BMW Stand:

Before anyone asks why I reserved the last part of this post for the German manufacturer, well…..there’s no particular reason for this. I did harp about a certain breed of motorcycles at the very beginning of this write-up…the 8th paragraph to be precise…and yes, I was talking about Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works). And yes, I did spend the maximum amount of time here, I re-visited this stand the maximum number of times, and I clicked the maximum photos at the Beemer stand. In a nutshell, they took my breath away.

But probably the best way to describe my writing about the BMW stand at the very end would be similar to the way we’d react if we had 10 varieties of chocolates in a plate in front of us, and considering that we’d have to eat all the bars. In such a scenario, after having a nibble on each bar, we happened to discover that there was this single bar which was way more mouth-watering & tastier than the other 9 bars. Am sure most of us would leave that best bar to be devoured at the end. I guess the BMW stand was that mouth-watering premium chocolate bar for me!

Never ever would I have anticipated that so many bikes at a single manufacturer stand would bowl me over! Never before have I come face to face with so many bikes at a single conglomeration which ooze so much high quality from their every nut and bolt. You have to see them in flesh to understand what I’m talking about here. The Japanese machines are amazing in every respect, and we all love them justifiably…..but what I’m trying to indicate here is something way, way above just amazing. I’m talking top-of-the-line stuff here (not an ounce of disrespect meant to any Japanese bike owners out here though…..it’s just that I’m too overwhelmed by BMW). Now I understand why there is that characteristic authoritative thud of metal when a German-made car door is closed shut, as compared to the sound we hear when a Japanese car door is closed. It’s all about the build quality.

I agree that seeing a bunch of stationary bikes at a bike show gives you only half the picture as far as the superiority of the bike is concerned, and besides the build quality, the engine, performance and technology behind the bikes also matters. But as far as “half the picture” is concerned, BMW in my opinion are far ahead of most of the competition. Besides, the huge amount of people buying BMW products despite their steeper prices definitely means that these guys at Germany are doing something right!

Now coming to their motorcycles…..many xBhp-ians out here are much more informed about BMW and their motorcycles, many out here even own some of these wonderful products, and one of the more interesting BMW threads I had read out here was Haroon’s “My tutorial on BMW bikes” ( http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/superbik...many-pics.html ). Very informative and covering so many aspects about BMW step-by-step was truly praiseworthy. There was also another thread or post specifically about the GS, but I can’t find it anymore. However, it was only after I landed up at this BMW stand did I truly understand the supreme quality and features behind these bikes. And now having touched, felt, fiddled and sat on quite a few of the bikes, I can totally appreciate every single detail Haroon mentioned and showed us in his BMW thread.

Enough of blabbering…..I’ve kept everyone waiting long enough, myself included, for this final subject of mines. And though I am tempted to simply let the photos do the talking, I’ll have to justify the photos with a few lines here and there, ‘cos neither am I a great photographer nor a brilliant writer. For those tired reading my words, just skip forward to the photos. Hope my photos have done justice to the BMW design and engineering…..

The BMW stand seemed to have the largest collection of them all…their entire range…..they even had a Chris Pfeiffer Replica F 800 R!!!

The BMW battalion comprised of the following warriors:


The actual G 650 Xchallenge which did the 2009 Dakar;
the HP2 Sport;
the F 800 R;
the Chris Pfeiffer Replica F 800 R;
the F 800 ST;
the F 800 GS;
the K 800 R;
the R 1200 R;
the R 1200 RT;
the R 1200 GS;
the R 1200 GS Adventure;
the K 1300 S;
the K 1300 GT SE;
and of course the phenomenal S 1000 RR.

Now that’s a pretty exhaustive list I’ve assembled here. But its not the list, nor the number of bikes at this BMW stand which I wanna talk about…..it’s each and every individual bike holding its own ground, each one mesmerizing me on its own, which I wanna talk about. But to keep things short, so that I can post this at the earliest, I’ll harp only about my favourites…and as for the other bikes, I’ll just put up photographs.

Chris Pfeiffer Replica F 800 R:

It was extremely difficult standing there in front of this machine and wondering how it was humanely possible for someone to do such crazy stunts on something with 2 wheels. Moreso, how was it possible for a machine do endure such extremes of gravity and balance defying! Besides these thoughts of mines, this bike is a beauty, especially in the Pfeifer colours. The F800R stunt replica also includes an Akrapovic exhaust, heated grips, the BMW road computer, a cover for the passenger section of the seat and LED turn signal lights.


R 1200 RT:

Sports Tourers have always been a niche class, and lately they’ve become better looking then their earlier counterparts too. Comfort and long distance cruising power have been their forte, and they’re getting better by the day. This R 1200 RT is easily one of the better ones out there. Have hardly seen a big and bulky Sports Tourer look so beautiful and elegant. This would be that perfect bike if you’d want to explore a massive country like ours in pure luxury. This 1170cc boxer engine tourer equipped with two overhead chain-driven camshafts (DOHC) per cylinder has a host of features like Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA), with damping, spring base and spring rate adjustment possible at the touch of a button. ABS is standard, and there’s the electronically controlled windshield as well. An audio system with interfaces for Ipod, Mp3 player and USB is present, and with what they call a “Multi-Controller”, which is a control fitted on the inside of the left handle bar, one can operate this audio system with a control similar to a computer mouse. Optional extras are endless…heated grips, seat heating, cruise control, anti-theft warning system…..to name a few. The comfortable seats tend to tempt, and getting on the bike initially did seem to be a bit of a hurdle (because of the massive 32 litre hard luggage cases on either side), but once seated, you couldn’t feel more snug. The only intimidating thing about this bike is the enormous frame and size, and people like me used to seeing bikes on our Indian roads daily will find it hard to fathom how we’d ever be able to handle such dimensions.













F 800 ST:

This bike seems to be a more conservative tourer when compared to the R 1200 RT. It features a unique belt drive which is intended to offer a lower service interval than a conventional chain.












K 1300 GT SE:

An even bigger brother tourer than the R 1200 RT; I wonder how much bigger and better they’ll get.





K 1300 R:

When it comes to naked bikes, lately we always hear people raving about bikes like the Honda CB1000R; the Ducati Monster and Streetfighter; the Kawasaki Z1000; the Yamaha XJ1300; the Suzuki B-King and Gladius; the MV Agusta Brutale, etc. But why on earth don’t we hear anyone talking about this beast, the K 1300 R? I’ve heard of this bike before and it’s not necessarily a new bike from the BMW stables. But once I saw it and felt it in flesh, I had to admit that it was one of the smartest, nicest and most aggressive and masculine looking naked bikes I had ever seen. The orange bike is as stunning an orange naked bike will ever look, and it has all the regular BMW extra features, some as standard, some as optional, thus making it the most equipped and loaded naked bike on the planet. The dual headlight setup looked amazing too, and the 1300cc engine accelerates from 0-100kmph in 2.8 seconds! It also features the new HP Gearshift Assistant which enables the rider to shift up without operating the clutch or backing off on the fuel, and that too without any interruption of power and traction!













R 1200 GS Adventure:

Yes, we all know about this bike…..that is if you’ve seen “Long Way Round”. And come to think of it, the GS almost never got famous. If it weren’t for KTM ditching the 2 riders, this BMW bike wouldn’t have been able to demonstrate to the world its fantastic capabilities. Nevertheless, this is one mean bike and a tourers dream machine. It’s a take-it-anywhere contraption which is touted to be virtually indestructible. And technology-wise, it’s as loaded as it can get. But what took me by surprise was its appearance. Yes, cosmetically there have been slight upgradations to the 2010 version, and I always found it to be a decent looking bike. However, the off-road element about its appearance never caught my fancy…..until of course I saw it in flesh. What struck me first was its incredible street-fighter stance, coupled with its intimidating size, and amazing colours coupled with that superb paint finish. I took a seat on it, and it instantly gives you that feel of total dominance, and that feeling that you can take on any road confronting you. A bike which can give the rider this kind of a commanding feeling simply by sitting on it, really speaks volumes of BMW and their engineering and design. The 2010 version also comes with a more powerful engine with two overhead, chain-driven camshafts (DOHC) per cylinder. I had come pretty close to riding this bike for real during this trip of mines, but it didn’t materialize due to weather issues. But after this one-on-one experience with the 2010 GS, I’m now all the more eager to experience this bike on the roads. Hope this happens sooner or later. Now I know why Bunny swears by this bike.




G 650 Xchallenge:


HP2 Sport:










K 1300 S:




Some of the other BMW machines:



(BMW S 1000 RR coming up in a few hours...)

.....Simba

Hats of to you for the Pics

Woowww.. This is a Morning Breakfast for me,,, ..
Now not in a mood to have the real one.. :P..

BTW the pics are really nice and I specially liked the K1300 GT SE.. Its Huge and i guess its loaded with loads of goodies like Intergral ABS,Adjustable Seat and Handlebar etc.. This is what a Touring machine should be like.. ..

Also the K1300 R is a Superb Naked Bike seen for a quite time after the Japanese and the Italians.. This can surely give a run for money to all the Japs. 0-100 in 2.8sec Man-O-Man this is something brutally fast.
Read Somewhere that BMW recorded consistent 0-100km/h times of 2.9 seconds for the K1300R, 0-140km/h in 4.3 seconds and 0-200km/h in 7.9 seconds. BMW themselves claim a 0-100km/h figure of 2.8 seconds.

Hats of to you for all these pics. The wait was worth every second.

HAKOONAMATATA!! Who the hell want's to go home from such a gathering!! I'm really amazed to see that in one of the pic the Lady has griped the clutch lever perfectly !!

Eagerly eagerly waiting for the S1000RR to come up

Hi Mav,

Nice you liked the photos. And you're right, as far as perfect touring machines go, BMW seem to be right up there on top. And be it 2.8, or 2.9 seconds, either way, it really is brutally fast!

S 1000 RR coming up in the next hour

.....Simba

The BMW S 1000 RR:YouTube - BMW S1000 RR. Dinner for RR.


Parting Thoughts:


(In certain portions of this write-up, in order to share spec and feature related information with you, I have referred to technical data from a handful of websites. They are as follows:
www.motorcyclenews.com
www.webbikeworld.com
www.kilometermagazine.com
www.inter-bike.com
www.cmgonline.com
www.bmw-motorrad.com

Photographs are all taken using my trusted Canon Powershot G9, unless otherwise mentioned)


.....Simba

Awesome pics there mate!!!

May I say I'm Acid green with envy!!!


Excellent writeup too. Some users of the S1000RR at Xbhp can throw some more light on the characteristics of the bike

Simba, you've had one the best vacations!!!

This is simply droolicious stuff!! Thanks for sharing Simba!! Pure high grade octane

MCN did say that the BMW S1000RR was built to annihilate competition, be it pricing or entire package!! With so many features packed in, so much power, so less weight and so much customization to suit your riding style. Even the seating of the bike is race oriented, you can customize it according to street riding comfort and that too with the ignition key....

and this is BMW's first liter class Super Sports bike

Great collection of pics

This is Awesome man.... sheer Divinity.

Treat to the eyes and soul.

Now to the bikes ....



^This is the love of my life... my dream, however I have never seen it in flesh. A friend mentioned this would be to high for a guy like me (5' 8"). Whats your say. Please use your words with circumspection, as it may hurt my feelings.



^Who else thinks this looks like Crazy Frog.... or am I the only crazy one.

Thanks Simba for the amazing text, photographs and the updates. This is really fabulous. Poeple do not talk about the BMW coz they do not know about them. They are pricey vehicles but not that much pricey. Besides, BMW does not fit the bill of the regular Indian customer who is looking for a lot of fairing and plastics! Also, the height is a factor. The average Indian male height is 169cms, which is not ideal for riding the GS for example. Someone like you will be totally at ease on a BMW. When I sat on the GS, I could not reach the ground on either side! Imagine how I would ride it in lets say crowded Shyambazar in the middle of the those vehicles and tram lines or in Chandni Chowk!But if you are looking at figures world wide, for 500+cc motorcycle sales in 2009, even in a recession hit market with sales plummetting by 40%, Harley Davidson and BMW dominate sales figures. (To verify, please check on webbikeworld.com with the motorcycles statistics)

The K1300R looks really futuristic. And with the 0-100 figures at 2.8 secs, it equals the figures of the R1! Stupendous to say the least!

I liked your phrase Yes, I love the S1000RR too.

Do I see a paradigm shift here? If so, I fully understand. And if you are looking forward to some future plans, let me tell you, there might be some interesting news... not immediately but still!

Simply awesome! Thanks.

can u upload Nortons cafe racer pics.