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**bluevolt** · 04-25-2011, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by Haroon View Post

Honestly, I am disappointed the way BMW-India has so far gone about doing things for selling their bikes in India. Unless I missed something, I never saw a proper press launch or road show or other promos. Here full marks to harley, Ducati, Aprillia etc for actually gone that extra mile to appeal to real bikers & bike enthusiasts. So it looks like rather than BMW-India selling the bikes, the bikes are being bought! Firstly the S1000RR should have been priced close to the R1 & CBR1000R etc since thats where BMW-Germany had originally positioned that bike & its pricing, so a 1-1.5 lac higher price tag over the R1 or CBR should have been perfect, whereas they have gone way over mark. Similarly the R1200GS should also have been priced max 16-18 lacs on road, whereas 22.5 lacs is way above what most serious touring enthusiasts would have hoped for a piece of german engineering.

Ofcourse, if I were to invest 10-20 lacs on any Harley today, atleast there is one additional factor I can be happy about - 20 years later, I still dont have an outdated machine

!!! Jokes apart the Harleys are much simpler to work on as well and the new ones are really reliable.

That is what happens when the dealer is in charge of selling the motorcycles and not BMW itself. The dealer is a retailer and will not be interested in building the brand. Ducati somehow started off like that with exorbitant pricing, but lately things have changed for the better. They are still sold through a distributor but at least they are creating the right kind of noises.

Perhaps BMW is still stung the bad experience with the F650GS back in '96 and maybe that's the reason for their lackluster approach.

**hensil** · 04-26-2011, 03:41 PM

Hi Haroon,
After learning about your concern with the fuel in India for GS1200, I am in 2 minds to buy the GS1200 or not. I have not yet committed to my colleague to buy his GS1200. I have another concern regarding its weight. If I have to use it off roads then the weight of nearly 250kgs is too much.
I am thinking on line with bluevolt of buying F650GS(800cc) and not F800GS. Will this bike also have the same fuel issue? And bluevolt, what was the bad experience with the F650GS back in '96?
Henry

**bluevolt** · 04-26-2011, 07:19 PM

Originally posted by hensil View Post

Hi Haroon,
After learning about your concern with the fuel in India for GS1200, I am in 2 minds to buy the GS1200 or not. I have not yet committed to my colleague to buy his GS1200. I have another concern regarding its weight. If I have to use it off roads then the weight of nearly 250kgs is too much.
I am thinking on line with bluevolt of buying F650GS(800cc) and not F800GS. Will this bike also have the same fuel issue? And bluevolt, what was the bad experience with the F650GS back in '96?
Henry

I like the F800GS better because it looks better than the F650GS, though both of them have the same engine.

When Hero Honda tried to sell rotax powered F650GS Funduro in 1996, no one bought it at the 4.5 lakh sticker price. Ultimately they had to dispose the bikes at less than 2 lakhs to people who were ready to pay.

**Haroon** · 04-28-2011, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by hensil View Post

Hi Haroon,
After learning about your concern with the fuel in India for GS1200, I am in 2 minds to buy the GS1200 or not. I have not yet committed to my colleague to buy his GS1200. I have another concern regarding its weight. If I have to use it off roads then the weight of nearly 250kgs is too much.
I am thinking on line with bluevolt of buying F650GS(800cc) and not F800GS. Will this bike also have the same fuel issue? And bluevolt, what was the bad experience with the F650GS back in '96?
Henry

As for the weight of the 1200GS, yes its a relatively heavy bike for off-road use and needs a certain level of off-roading capability by the rider. Personally I like the GS as a bike that is suitable for most kinds of terrain (I mean good roads, bad roads & once upon a time roads!), but I am not keen on doing hard core off-roading with the GS as I am neither interested in it nor possess the necessary skills and also I have to change to optional spoke wheels etc. However, for improving on general riding capabilities or if I were to ever embark on a himalayan/siberian adventure with either a 800/1200GS, I would love to do the 3-day off-road training at BMW Enduro Park in Hechlingen (they provide the bikes & fix them at their cost how many ever times you drop it!). Here is a look at what you learn:
YouTube - Enduro Park Hechlingen

As for the older generation F650 (650cc single cylinder engine), the 91 octane petrol is fine, but the new F650 or F800 (both with 800cc twin cylinder engines), the minimum fuel grade required is 95 octane. So that is again a big question mark.

**strider** · 04-29-2011, 06:20 PM

Originally posted by bluevolt View Post

Thanks.. but this being a populist regime, I doubt if the govt will even upgrade to 91 Octane considering the high fuel prices.

I am tempted by a lot of motorcycles, but the Harley XR1200X is making more sense to me day by day. I like the Bandit, but that bike lacks character from an aesthetics standpoint. And I am looking at the Intruder as well - something which I can tour on and put in low grade fuel to run it.

But the perfect motorcycle for me would be the F800GS - I would buy it today if it came out and was under 10 L.

Suzuki Bandit - made for India motorcycle,but as you said lacks that Character and Charisma(good in a way since not many notice the bike on the road like SBKs)

Ducati Monster - Somehow it didn't convince me(too vibey after 5000 rpm and lots of windblast after 100kmph) and expensive spares add to the misery

Originally posted by Haroon View Post

Honestly, I am disappointed the way BMW-India has so far gone about doing things for selling their bikes in India. Unless I missed something, I never saw a proper press launch or road show or other promos. Here full marks to harley, Ducati, Aprillia etc for actually gone that extra mile to appeal to real bikers & bike enthusiasts. So it looks like rather than BMW-India selling the bikes, the bikes are being bought! Firstly the S1000RR should have been priced close to the R1 & CBR1000R etc since thats where BMW-Germany had originally positioned that bike & its pricing, so a 1-1.5 lac higher price tag over the R1 or CBR should have been perfect, whereas they have gone way over mark. Similarly the R1200GS should also have been priced max 16-18 lacs on road, whereas 22.5 lacs is way above what most serious touring enthusiasts would have hoped for a piece of german engineering.

Of course, if I were to invest 10-20 lacs on any Harley today, atleast there is one additional factor I can be happy about - 20 years later, I still dont have an outdated machine

!!! Jokes apart the Harleys are much simpler to work on as well and the new ones are really reliable.

Just my opinion on what BMW India may think, the S1000RR and 1200GS are the most popular BMW bikes known even to non serious motorcyclists(unfortunately in India somehow they have the wallet to accommodate such bikes)

But I agree with you that 22+ lakhs for the BMW is a stretch for any serious biker

**Prashant Kadam** · 12-15-2011, 06:32 PM

Originally posted by Haroon View Post

Here in Saudi the Yuasa maintenance-free battery for my BMW is the equivalent of US$ 106, while an R1 battery is about US$ 80.

Hi Haroon,
I'll be shifting my base to Dammam in couple of months. Could you help me with the details of BMW showroom in Dammam? The website shows only for Riyadh. Also would be great if you have any details of Japanese bike showrooms in KSA as I couldn't find anything other than Kawasaki.

**kzoheb94** · 12-17-2011, 04:04 PM

lucky fortuners

since, this is my first visit on xbhp off website,i wonder wht i had missd out unfotunately,as a real blood & heart love for bikes,as lik i born to love these super sexy xoticas, past several years since my sences awake...
Bt i m her to covr up for pst severl years.....
i guess u r a real lucky guy who hv had these bikes to ride ... as for me ,still a dream to go for, bt as soon as you guys bcoming a frnd of bred & butter family dreamrs,we hope for atleast tak a ride on that super saddles for a while sum day... cary on, we pray to hv u mch mor for future

**kzoheb94** · 12-17-2011, 04:17 PM

lucky fortuners

since, this is my first visit on xbhp off website,i wonder wht i had missd out unfotunately,as a real blood & heart love for bikes,as lik i born to love these super sexy xoticas, past several years since my sences awake...
Bt i m her to covr up for pst severl years.....
i guess u r a real lucky guy who hv had these bikes to ride ... as for me ,still a dream to go for, bt as soon as you guys bcoming a frnd of bred & butter family dreamrs,we hope for atleast tak a ride on that super saddles for a while sum day... cary on, we pray to hv u mch mor for future

**Siddharth Jodh** · 12-24-2011, 03:07 PM

About the HP2 sport

If someone would care to explain something to me:
I want to know what is the deal with the BMW HP2. I mean I see only a fully faired, boxer twin with loads of tech goodies. Then what is so special about the bike that it costs almost as much or even more than even the S1000rr? (it costs around $25,000!!). It's performance figures are also only decent, nowhere like the S1000rr's. Anybody got the time to give me an explanation? Appreciate it..

**Haroon** · 12-26-2011, 04:41 PM

Sorry for the delayed response as me & wife were on a dream bike trip on another continent & just returned.

Originally posted by Prashant Kadam View Post

Hi Haroon,
I'll be shifting my base to Dammam in couple of months. Could you help me with the details of BMW showroom in Dammam? The website shows only for Riyadh. Also would be great if you have any details of Japanese bike showrooms in KSA as I couldn't find anything other than Kawasaki.

@ Prashant: BMW Motorrad only has a showroom in Riyadh which is about 400kms from Dammam. (Riyadh is about 950 kms from Jeddah, where I live). Anyways, when you arrive in Dammam, pls PM your mob and we shall be in touch for any assistance you need with motorbiking there.

Originally posted by kzoheb94 View Post

since, this is my first visit on xbhp off website,i wonder wht i had missd out unfotunately,as a real blood & heart love for bikes,as lik i born to love these super sexy xoticas, past several years since my sences awake...
Bt i m her to covr up for pst severl years.....
i guess u r a real lucky guy who hv had these bikes to ride ... as for me ,still a dream to go for, bt as soon as you guys bcoming a frnd of bred & butter family dreamrs,we hope for atleast tak a ride on that super saddles for a while sum day... cary on, we pray to hv u mch mor for future

@ Zoheb: Thanks. Welcome to xbhp and best wishes for your dream bike

**Haroon** · 12-26-2011, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by Siddharth Jodh View Post

If someone would care to explain something to me:
I want to know what is the deal with the BMW HP2. I mean I see only a fully faired, boxer twin with loads of tech goodies. Then what is so special about the bike that it costs almost as much or even more than even the S1000rr? (it costs around $25,000!!). It's performance figures are also only decent, nowhere like the S1000rr's. Anybody got the time to give me an explanation? Appreciate it..

@ Siddharth: The answer goes back to a little heritage of BMW. Infact, BMWs most successful engine platform for their bikes is their boxer engine. And prior to the introduction of their latest version K engines (from 2004) and later the S1000RR, BMW did all the high performance engine tweaking on the boxer platform. So naturally the HP2 sport was a tweaked boxer with high-end performance parts in the engine, premium suspension, lighter alloy wheels and some carbon fiber parts etc with a whooping price! Therefore the performance figures are higher than the standard boxer, but not something great compared to the other inline -4 engines. Besides, there are a whole lot of boxer engine lovers and also a special boxer cup etc. Therefore, this bike will appeal mainly to that crowd rather than normal performance seeking buyers. As a BMW affectionado, I love the boxer engine for its simplicity and reliability (esp for long distance touring), but beyond that I would prefer an inline-4 any day for hardcore performance stuff.

**Haroon** · 12-26-2011, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by Siddharth Jodh View Post

If someone would care to explain something to me:
I want to know what is the deal with the BMW HP2. I mean I see only a fully faired, boxer twin with loads of tech goodies. Then what is so special about the bike that it costs almost as much or even more than even the S1000rr? (it costs around $25,000!!). It's performance figures are also only decent, nowhere like the S1000rr's. Anybody got the time to give me an explanation? Appreciate it..

@ Siddharth: The answer goes back to a little heritage of BMW. Infact, BMWs most successful engine platform for their bikes is their boxer engine. And prior to the introduction of their latest version K engines (from 2004) and later the S1000RR, BMW did all the high performance engine tweaking on the boxer platform. So naturally the HP2 sport was a tweaked boxer with high-end performance parts in the engine, premium suspension, lighter alloy wheels and some carbon fiber parts etc with a whooping price! Therefore the performance figures are higher than the standard boxer, but not something great compared to the other inline-4 engines. Besides, there are a whole lot of boxer engine lovers and also a special boxer cup etc. Therefore, this bike will appeal mainly to that crowd rather than normal performance seeking buyers. As a BMW affectionado, I love the boxer engine for its simplicity and reliability (esp for long distance touring), but beyond that I would prefer an inline-4 any day for hardcore performance stuff. The HP2 Sport could be summed as a half decent sportsbike with probably the best brakes in the biking world...

**Siddharth Jodh** · 12-28-2011, 09:32 PM

Originally posted by Haroon View Post

@ Siddharth: The answer goes back to a little heritage of BMW. Infact, BMWs most successful engine platform for their bikes is their boxer engine. And prior to the introduction of their latest version K engines (from 2004) and later the S1000RR, BMW did all the high performance engine tweaking on the boxer platform. So naturally the HP2 sport was a tweaked boxer with high-end performance parts in the engine, premium suspension, lighter alloy wheels and some carbon fiber parts etc with a whooping price! Therefore the performance figures are higher than the standard boxer, but not something great compared to the other inline-4 engines. Besides, there are a whole lot of boxer engine lovers and also a special boxer cup etc. Therefore, this bike will appeal mainly to that crowd rather than normal performance seeking buyers. As a BMW affectionado, I love the boxer engine for its simplicity and reliability (esp for long distance touring), but beyond that I would prefer an inline-4 any day for hardcore performance stuff. The HP2 Sport could be summed as a half decent sportsbike with probably the best brakes in the biking world...

just what I thought, kinda of a niche bike, I think it looks more "BMW" than any other current bike from them.just my opinion..
thanks for clearing it up...

**Prashant Kadam** · 01-04-2012, 12:48 PM

[QUOTE=Haroon;751583]Sorry for the delayed response as me & wife were on a dream bike trip on another continent & just returned.

@ Prashant: BMW Motorrad only has a showroom in Riyadh which is about 400kms from Dammam. (Riyadh is about 950 kms from Jeddah, where I live). Anyways, when you arrive in Dammam, pls PM your mob and we shall be in touch for any assistance you need with motorbiking there.

Thank you for the help. Now I'm counting my days to reach KSA. Would be great to meet you Sir.

**mickrio** · 02-14-2012, 11:27 AM

The website shows only for Riyadh. Also would be great if you have any details of Japanese bike showrooms in KSA as I couldn't find anything other than Kawasaki.
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