March 26th, 2008 James
If you haven’t yet discovered the joys of riding with a GPS, it’s time to do exactly that. And the new BMW Zumo Motorcycle Navigator is one of the most advanced systems available. More importantly, it’s designed specifically for BMW motorcycle use. Compact, rugged, and supremely easy to use, the Zumo makes it easy to operate and program your ride, no matter where you’re headed.
Its screen is sensitive and easy to use, even while wearing gloves. Its controls are all on the left of the unit, perfect for motorcyclists. The BMW Zumo Motorcycle Navigator is also water and fuel resistant, shock and vibration proof, and includes Bluetooth wireless technology for phone communication. Add a high brightness, sunlight-readable, UV-display that’s always visible, BMW dealer database, and pre-installed mapping software of all of North America, and you’ll never be fumbling with maps, hi-liters, or asking whiskery gas station attendants for directions again.
But remember: the BMW Zumo Motorcycle Navigator is only available at your local BMW motorcycles dealership. Check it out today and never lose your way again.
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March 26th, 2008 James
The 2008 BMW Motorrad GS line includes three new models with the new from the dirt up F 800 GS and the upgraded R 1200 GS and GS Adventure. All models will be at the IMS shows this winter, beginning with the San Mateo show. You can see the R 1200 GS and GS Adventure in dealerships early spring and the F 800 GS in the Fall. But you can read about them all now.
2008 F 800 GS
In 1980, BMW Motorrad invented the adventure motorcycle category with the advent of the trailblazing R 80 GS, which won the grueling Paris-Dakar year after year. And now, over twenty-five years later, BMW Motorrad has created yet another revolutionary dual-purpose motorcycle that provides unprecedented levels of desert-devouring, roost-throwing performance: the amazing 2008 F 800 GS.
Fulfilling a need for a pure off-road oriented motorcycle that still has all the power, handling and reliability required for long-distance adventure touring as well as on-street handling, the F 800 GS is perfectly positioned as a middleweight dual-purpose enduro. Featuring an asymmetrical double headlight, its look is sleek, trim and 100% aggressive. With a compact 85-horsepower parallel twin engine, lightweight steel trellis frame and double-sided swingarm, not to mention a chain drive and longer front and rear suspension travel, there has never been a BMW dual-purpose machine offering such a unique blend of power, comfort and off-road muscle.
Torque is generous at 61 lb/ft, and with a six-speed gear box, switchable ABS, 42-degree turning radius, 400-watt alternator, wide foot rests and 4.2-gallon gas tank located under the seat for a low center of gravity, the F 800 GS has all the technology of a touring bike, while still possessing the optimum power-to-weight characteristics of a high-performance enduro. With a dry weight of just 392 lbs, the F 800 GS is lightweight and agile enough for precise handling, making it ideal for screaming around on the twisties or tearing through the dirt.
In the never-ending quest to exceed our own exacting standards, BMW Motorrad has once again reached an entire new level of engineering excellence with the F 800 GS, an adventure-hungry motorcycle that is destined to be a classic.
2008 R 1200 GS
Since its debut in 2004, the R 1200 GS has earned award after award, including Cycle World’s Best Open Class Street Bike and the International Journalist’s Panel “Best Bike in the World.” And for 2008, this go-anywhere motorcycle that’s equally at home in the dirt or on the street, gets several enhancements. The result of this dynamic upgrade is a dual-purpose motorcycle that offers everything the serious motorcyclist demands. And more.
The 2008 R 1200 GS is marked by a bold, rugged appearance. Stainless steel knee covers drape each side of the gas tank area, while technical surfaces like the slide tubes and cylinder head covers have been redesigned to include sporty new features. A new aluminum handlebar which can be mounted in two positions offers increased ergonomics, making its seated (or standing while off-road) position even more comfortable. Increased seat foam thickness also increases rideability.
But eye-catching style is only the beginning of the enhancements. Additional grunt is also part of the package, as the 2008 R 1200 GS offers 5% more power, topping out at a substantial 105 bhp with a maximum engine speed of 8,000 RPM, which creates an even wider range of power. Revised transmission ratios also mean quicker acceleration, better low-speed traction and increased revs.
In addition to being a stunningly agile street bike, the R 1200 GS is also a supremely capable adventure tourer, and to make reaching those faraway places even more doable, for the first time ever, BMW Motorrad is offering an off-road version of its famous ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) technology. Optional Enduro ESA is designed to meet the unique needs of adventure touring, and offers several options for whatever riding condition occurs: solo rider, rider with luggage and passenger. Three damper settings, Sport, Normal and Comfort give the rider the option of customizing both front and rear suspensions to his or her specifications. There is also an off-road mode that adjusts the front and rear preload and increases ground clearance for when rougher situations arise.
Featuring more power, rugged styling and advanced technology, the 2008 R 1200 GS sets the standard for the entire adventure bike category and will be a force to be reckoned with both on the road and off.
2008 R 1200 GS Adventure
When it comes to continent-crossing ability, the kind of epic riding that takes you to faraway places that others can only imagine, nothing comes close to reaching the ability of the rugged, totally unstoppable R 1200 GS Adventure. And for 2008, the R 1200 GS Adventure offers a number of significant new features that make it even more adept at riding to the ends of the earth.
In addition to new design elements including two-part, two-color hand protectors, the new 2008 R 1200 GS Adventure benefits from an additional 5% increase in power, raising its engine output to 105 bhp. A taller windshield, adjustable seat, extra wide foot pegs and optional ABS make long days in the saddle both comfortable and enjoyable. Add a generous 8.7-gallon fuel tank and covering immense areas of territory becomes easier and more worry-free than ever before.
The most significant new technological development found on the R 1200 GS Adventure is optional Enduro ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment). This feature gives the rider the ability to customize the motorcycle to his or her exact preferences. No matter what type of condition should ariseand where this bike travels to, just about anything can occurEnduro ESA lets the rider adjust both front and rear suspension to accommodate it. Settings include Sport, Normal and Comfort, and there is even an off-road mode that adjusts the front and rear preload and increases ground clearance for those inevitable sections of bumpy terrain that occur while touring through the vast unknown.
For those ambitious riders whose passion involves getting off the beaten path and discovering wild, untamed places miles away from the typical, the 2008 R 1200 GS Adventure, with its numerous enhancements, globe-conquering ability and increased power, is the only real choice.
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March 5th, 2008 James
The BMW Roundel, one of the world’s most recognised and revered commercial symbols, celebrates its 90th anniversary this month.
In July 1917 Franz Josef Popp registered the name Bayerische Motoren Werke, thus distancing the new company from the Rapp Motorenwerke. This was a necessary move if the new company was to find new clients and prosper. The name was registered but as yet there was no new logo…
It was on 5 October 1917 that the BMW trademark was registered with the Imperial Trade Mark Roll under No. 221388. It featured the circular design of the Rapp logo but with the letters BMW at the top of the outer ring. The inner featured quadrants in the Bavarian Free State colours of blue and white - but in the opposed order - as it was illegal to use national symbols in a commercial trademark.
The design was not in any way connected with aircraft engines or propellers. The idea that the blue and white had anything to do with spinning propellers comes from a 1929 advertisement, which featured aircraft with the image of the Roundel in the rotating propellers. This advertisement came at the beginning of the Great Depression, which coincided with BMW acquiring the license to build Pratt & Whitney radial aircraft engines. The advertising department used the Roundel and BMW heritage in an attempt to increase sales of the new radial motors.
The idea of the spinning propellers was given greater credence in an article by Wilhelm Farrenkopf in a BMW journal of 1942. This also featured an image of an aircraft with a spinning Roundel. These were powerful images and the legend of the spinning propeller was born.
The logo was registered on 5 October but it was in limited use prior to this date. On 1 October 1917 Franz Josef Popp was given a certificate confirming his appointment as General Manager and it was adorned with the now familiar BMW Roundel.
The basic structure of the Roundel has remained the same over 90 years but there have been subtle changes. In the original design the lettering and outline was in gold, but by the time the first BMW motorcycle - the R 32 - was released in 1923 it had changed slightly. The letters were still in gold but the font was bolder and letters closer together. This was the _style_ that was submitted to the German Register of Trade Marks in 1933, and the international register of trademarks in 1934. This did not however stop various versions being used.
One of the early BMW advertisements using the logo was in 1918 with the ‘Falling Roundels’, this was a positioning advertisement that was designed to establish the brand and give an indication to its current and future products.
Subsequent advertisements, posters and even cars and motorcycles also featured many _style_s of Roundel. The proportions changed, the shade of blue used, and the lettering could be in gold, white or silver with serif or sans-serif fonts in different sizes. There appears to be no reason for this variance except for product designers and marketing and communication staff using personal choice depending on application.
Through the 1950s there was a more concerted effort to standardise the Roundel. The use of white lettering was now standard and when used on cars and motorcycles it was silver. By the 1960s the serif font was replaced by sans-serif, and this was used on all motorcycles by 1966.
There was a subsequent change to a slightly bolder font and this has remained as the standard Roundel. There was flirtation with a ‘Motorsport Roundel’ in the early 1970s and ’80s which had the standard logo surrounded by the BMW Motorsport colours. In 1997 BMW moved to having the Roundel depicted in 3-D when used in the printed form. This gives the Roundel a new bolder and dynamic look.
The BMW Roundel is now ranked in the top ten of the world’s most recognised commercial logos and is an iconic symbol in its own right. The original design, in its simplicity and symbolism has stood the test of time.
Source: http://www.bmwmotorrad.co.za/bikes/news/default.asp?Id=812&tier=search
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