MOTORCYCLE – BMW 1Q Cycle Sales Up 18.8%

Munich-based BMW says it sold 21,304 motorcycles worldwide during the first three months of the year, an 18.8% jump from the 17,935 units sold during last year’s first quarter.
More than half of the three-month total — 11,793 motorcycles — went to customers in March. The company says March sales were up 10% compared to sales of 10,720 units in March 2004.
BMW’s best-selling motorcycle during the first three months of the year was the R 1200GS. The company delivered 6,772 units. In terms of volume, the K 1200S was the second best-selling bike, with 2,230 units sold; and the R 1200 RT came in third with 2,183 units sold.
All BMW motorcycles currently are built at the company’s lone motorcycle manufacturing facility in Berlin. In March, BMW said it signed a deal to have a bike built by Piaggio’s Aprilia.

HP2
In related news, Powersports Business has learned BMW Motorrad is planning to introduce a new enduro in September. The first of BMW’s HP High Performance series, a new range of motorcycles to be produced in limited numbers and expected to be pricey, the bike is labeled as the HP2 (“High Performance 2-cylinder”).
In technical terms, the BMW HP2 is based on the R 1200 GS. However, the company said it designed the bike from the ground up with the purpose of presenting a powerful, lightweight bike to off-road enthusiasts.
Said to have a dry weight of 385 pounds, the HP2 will have a 1,170cc flat-twin engine (similar
to the R 1200GS) feature 105 hp and 85 lb-ft. or torque at 5,500 rpm. Long-travel male-slider telescopic forks have 10.6 in. of travel, and BMW says the redesigned Paralever rear suspension has the world’s first spring/damper system running exclusively on air.
BMW Motorrad supports and manages a private racing team which will be entering the HP2 in various off-road events, including the German Cross Country Championship (GCC), the Baja 500 and the Baja 1000 in Mexico, and possibly the Erzberg Race in Austria.

K 1200R
A bike expected on BMW dealer showfloors earlier than the HP2 — sometime in the summer, according to BMW — is the K 1200R, a “naked” featuring technology carried over from the 2004 K 1200S.
Weighing just 523 lbs. unladen and without ABS, the K 1200R’s 1,157cc straight-four produces 163 bhp at 10,250rpm, and maximum torque of 94 lb-ft. at 8,250rpm.
The mechanics of the engine are identical to those in the K 1200S. Also shared between the bikes are the silencer and exhaust manifold; the transmission, although with a final drive ratio of 2.91:1 instead of 2.82:1 on the S; 115mm front and 135mm rear spring travel; 320mm front and 265mm rear brakes; and the on-board computer network.
While the instrument faces are new, the instrument cluster with its speedometer and rev counter is based on the same concept as the instrument cluster of the R 1200GS. As on the K 1200S, the displays in the info-flatscreen provide ongoing information on coolant temperature, the fuel level, time, as the gear currently in mesh. On machines equipped with ESA as an option, the info-flatscreen provides additional information on the current set-up of the suspension, total mileage, trip mileage, and the range remaining on the fuel available.
Options on the K 1200R include BMW Motorrad’s Integral ABS; ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment); sports wheels; heated handles; a sports windshield; white direction indicator lights; a luggage rack; a 31.1-inch rider’s seat; and an anti-theft warning system.
Other options available from BMW include a main stand; a second power socket; set of sports cases; watertight tank rucksack and tank bag; watertight sports softcase; preparation for BMW Motorrad Navigator II; and BMW Motorrad Navigator II.
BMW also is taking the K 1200R racing. Just like the BoxerCup, this brand trophy features lightly prepared stock bikes and is held on racing weekends of the MotoGP.
BMW Motorrad USA has not released pricing for the HP2 or K 1200R.