Stefan Pierer’s acquisition of Husqvarna continues to baffle me. You will note I say Pierer, and not KTM, bought Husqvarna, since the Austrian CEO used Pierer Industrie AG in the transaction as a means to help side-step European antitrust issues. After all, we can’t have Europe’s largest dirt bike manufacturer, nay largest total motorcycle manufacturer, gobbling up even more brands in the two-wheeled world. But, I digress. Developing three road bikes (Husqvarna Nuda 900, Husqvarna Strada 650, & Husqvarna Terra 650), with three more concepts waiting in the wings (Husqvarna Moab, Husqvarna Baja, & Husqvarna E-G0), it is with even more confusion that we learn that Pierer & Co. intend to kill the Husqvarna Nuda project and its other street siblings.
In case you missed the story last week, Kevin Schwantz is preparing to race in this year’s Suzuka 8-Hour endurance race. For the race, Schwantz will be riding on a team formed by Yukio Kagayama, who in addition to having raced in the MotoGP, World Superbike, and British Superbike Championships, is also a previous Suzuka 8-Hour winner with the Suzuki Endurance Race Team (also joining the three-rider team Noriyuki “Nitro” Haga). Releasing a Q&A about his team’s Suzuka 8-Hour entry, Kagayama-san walks us through how the team came together, what equipment the riders will use, and his outlook on the team’s competitiveness.
A single-cylinder hooligan-maker, the KTM 690 Duke is 330 lbs (curbside without fuel) and 67hp of two-wheeled fun, and we hope that the Austrians bring the KTM 690 Duke R our way as well. While we are on the topic of things missing from KTM’s American line-up, a decent supersport is painfully obvious, yet we can’t see the folks at KTM following the paths of other brands. That’s where our friend Luca Bar comes to mind with his latest concept: the KTM RC4. Using the KTM 690 Duke platform and its LC4 engine, Bar has designed a super-single full-fairing sport bike that takes the Austrian company’s “Ready to Race” DNA and applies it to an idea that is not all that disimilar to the Ducati Supermono.
When I sat down with Claudio Domenicali at the Ducati 1199 Panigale R launch, the now-CEO of Ducati Motor Holding was still just the General Manager of the Italian motorcycle company. Four weeks after our interview though, Gabriele del Torchio would leave Ducati for Alitalia; and Domenicali, a 21-year veteran of both the racing and production departments of Ducati, would take his place at the top of Italy’s most prestigious motorcycle brand. After reading our interview from Austin, Texas after the jump, I think you will agree too.
That Yamaha is working on a seamless gearbox is no secret, with Yamaha’s test riders currently racking up the kilometers around tracks in Japan. Recently, however, Spanish magazine SoloMoto published an article suggesting that Yamaha has already been using its new seamless gearbox since the beginning of the season. My own enquiries to check whether Yamaha was using a seamless gearbox or not always received the same answer: no, Yamaha is not using the seamless gearbox. To test this denial, I went out to the side of the track on Friday morning at Jerez to record the bikes as they went by.
After a very public father/son break-up between Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr., a steroid-ring scandal involving Paul Sr., and finally a bankruptcy proceeding, it appears that Orange County Choppers is the impossible to kill multi-headed hydra of doom that we all knew it was, as the custom chopper shop is once again headed to the small screen and recruiting some talent, on and off the show. Looking for “someone who will work alongside Paul Senior, running the shop and helping build some of the best custom motorcycles in the world,” OCC says it will be back on television with a new show later this month. Please for the love of god, will someone give this man the attention he craves so dearly??! Or, just shoot us in the face.
We love us some concept bikes here at Asphalt & Rubber, and we have featured more than a few pieces of stunning design and imagination on our pages. Though, we can’t remember the last time one of these works of art were brought to us by a legitimate racing team, but that is what we have here with the Team Alstare Superbike Concept. A nod to the former Suzuki team’s return to the World Superbike Championship as the Ducati factory squad with Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini, Alstare has enlisted the help of designer Serge Rusak of Rusak Kreaktive Designworks to ink the shape of its futuristic Superbike concept, while Tryptik Studios handled the 3D modeling prowess.
If you didn’t watch Thursday’s pre-event press conference for MotoGP at Jerez, it is worth a viewing right to the end (assuming you have a MotoGP.com account). Building off the news about the NBA’s Jason Collins coming out as gay in a self-written feature in Sport Illustrated, my good colleague David Emmett had the courage to inquire about the culture and acceptance of the MotoGP paddock for homosexual riders. For the sake of accuracy, after the jump is a full transcript of David’s question, as put to riders Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso, Stefan Bradl, and Scott Redding, as well as those riders’ responses to David’s inquiry.
News that Suzuki plans on returning to the MotoGP Championship in 2014 should be old information for dedicated Asphalt & Rubber readers, and the Japanese company’s inline-four race bike was already spotted doing test laps last year by the eager eyes at Cycle World. Well the American print-mag has another set of eyebrow-raising high-quality photos of the 2014 Suzuki GSV-R to mull over from the Motegi race track, along with some technical insights provided by the venerable Kevin Cameron.
A surprise addition to BMW Motorrad’s 2013 model line-up, zie Germans have announced a new middleweight adventure-tourer, the 2013 BMW F800GS Adventure. Like its larger predecessor, the BMW F800GS Adventure is a more travel-ready and off-road capable build of the recently updated BMW F800GS motorcycle. Featuring a larger windscreen, panniers, and a bigger fuel tank capacity (2.1 gallons larger, for a total of 6.3 gallons of fuel), the BMW F800GS Adventure keeps the same 85 hp, liquid-cooled, 798cc, parallel-twin engine found on the F800GS, as well as the same chassis configuration. Pricing in the US will be $13,550 for the base model BWM F800GS Adventure.
I didn’t like the ad because the bike was not being ridden. I didn’t like the ad because you could tell the bike was never ridden. It was too clean and fresh to be ridden in the majority of locals that those pictures were taken. The bike was obviously trailered to each locale for each shot. So, if BMW can’t or won’t ride the bike in the ad to the places where they were shooting it, why should I think that I can or will. I also didn’t like the ad because it didn’t do anything for me in the excitement department.
“Rock music” and “quick-cuts” is exactly what draws the attention of young, new, potential sportbike customers. If you think that the people who create the ads your comparing this one to, don’t do their market research then you are mistaken.
Mr. Beeler, your critiques and comments on the industry as whole are (once again) biased by your enthusiasm for specific bikes, ads, etc. You have your own unique vision of what the industry should be instead of what it could be for everyone.
the only advertising with a meaningful point was the film of those 2 guys going across EU/RU/CN on their bikes. putting a $20,000 bike in desolate wastelands where 50cc mopeds and rusty bicycles, if not walking, serve as normal transport is just dumb. “oh great, yet another rich, white man and his overpriced toy doing whatever it is they think they’re doing in an area where people eek out a subsistence living”. Nobody under 35 (probably more like 45) buys an RG1200 anyway. Film the bike crossing those rivers, climbing up the rock pile, or navigating the goat track. It’s still dumb since nobody with any brain would bring a 600+lb behemoth to the outback but at least it would have a veneer of plausibility. Most of the market is USA and northern EU, why not film riding unpaved roads in AZ or CO or riding up/down the Alps or Bavaria or whatnot?
@ Bob
This commercial is excellent. You’re right, rock music and quick cuts draw the attention of young and potential sportbike customers. But, that is not what this bike is about at all. BMW aren’t looking for this bike to be a crazy sportbike that young people are going to buy. This bike targets a very specific market.
If anyone doubts that this bike has offroad capability, go and watch long way round.
I like the ad for it promises all the stories of ‘getting there’. And it sets a differnt tone, catering to the demographic. It’s a bit cheesy, at least in a german context.
Another good example of showing the product are the vids for both KTM Freerides: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5SqoyR8Ht0
Makes me want to grab one and conquer Berlin with it (I live here, so it’s ok).
I was 34 when I first bought my R1200GS Matt……… BTW Matt, it’s not a RG1200.
Oh yeah, Matt…….because someone can do (or buy) something doesn’t make it right or wrong.
BTW……I take my 1200 to dirt bike tracks and have people tell me I’m crazy but that’s not the point I guess. The point is that you don’t get the ad or a 1200GS.
Matt, here’s a link to a couple guys enjoying a 1200GS in deep sand on two track roads….. http://www.mcnews.com.au/NewsArchives/2010/September/GS_Daryl.htm
Matt, you fail.
I’ve ridden an R80GS, an R1000GS, and an R1150GS. As far as I’m concerned the original, simpler, lighter R80GS was the best of the bunch. They all feel clunky and industrial. Definitely too tall, too heavy. And the current models have less than stellar reliability according to my friends who own them. One of these guys told me “It used to be you could tour with a BMW and all you needed was the factory toolkit. Now you need a satellite phone and a tow truck.”
All you need to know about these behemoths was covered in the first episode of “Long Way Round”, when Charlie dropped his bike right in front of the garage which was the starting point of the trip. Charlie needed two helpers to get the bike upright…
Eep. This is THE ultimate “Get the hell outta Dodge” ad that sells lifestyle by the bucketload. You want the peace of an African sunset? Buy a 1200GS.
Funny how this 12ooGS ad completely translated to the 800GS PDF sitting in my documents folder. Visions of packed panniers above a growling Akrapovic …
*sigh*
re: Paulo, the point wasn’t that ‘nobody == 0′ but that it was a tiny, tiny number as to be the tail of the curve. And just because some customers are crazy enough to bring an inappropriate tool to the job because they can or the have the skill to overcome it’s limitations doesn’t make it suitable for the vast majority who do buy it. Good for you that you’re one of the young cohort and that there are fellow motor-heads crazy enough to take the BMW everywhere. Either way you’re outliers. Ads are targetted at mainstream, and there’s no way even 30% would venture off the pavement let alone into the wild lands.
Matt
Your arguments are completely redundant. You think everyone (and I don’t actually mean everyone, but the “majority” you talk about) that buy sport bikes take them to the track, where they were designed to be? You think people who have sportbikes can even squeeze 30% of their capabilities out of the bike? You think people who buy BMW M3′s, Ferrari 458 actually use even 20% of it’s capabilities?
Get a bloody grip with reality, the free market, consumerism, consumption. I may not like it as much as you, but this is it what it is. Sure the R1200GS is designed to do one thing, but most of the buyers may not actually do it. That applies to nearly everything, hell, even those $120 basketball shoes you maybe wearing you’re not making the most of.
When you advertise a product, a Ferrari, a M3, a Basketball shoe, or a R12000GS do you want to see some joe blow cruising around or walking around “hey, this car drives nice…” or “hey this shoe is comfy” or “yea this bike riding around town on asphalt is nice”. No, you want to see the cars on a track tail happy sliding around burning rubber, or have it sitting there at the side of a track in a picture esq setting. And you want some crazy basketball player doing dunks you couldn’t do if your life depended on it, and you want to see a bike you may want to buy in a super picture esq setting in a place you can’t be, but at least you know that bike you own perhaps could take you there.
Marketing 101.
But, Matt, if you don’t want to see what a product can do in an advertisement, then it is you who is the outlier, not everyone else.
This is why car reviews exist and journalism exists because these people are the ones who make a mundane lengthy layman review for the masses for those who care enough to read. And stats say most people don’t’ even bloody test drive a car before buying these days so guess what, it’s that 90 second ad or the amazing (“unrealistic”) picture that sells stuff these days.
Cheers
Interesting piece on marketing motorcycles, and the BMW GS launch: http://t.co/b3O5O6A2 from @Asphalt_Rubber
A&R – you wouldn’t happen to know what advertising agency created this ad?
Should be Serviceplan, Munich, as it is their lead agency.
Jensen, I enjoy your commentary on motorcycle marketing techniques. And, I appreciate the opportunity to post comments, as there are very few forums for intelligent discussion about the motorcycle industry.
You go on about the European brands and their ‘mastery’ of marketing. And I agree that the European brands generally ‘get it’, but BMW, Ducati, Triumph, KTM etc. all have limited product offerings, and similar demographics for all potential customers – ie mature enthusiasts.
I take issue however with criticism of the Japanese brands and their perceived ‘weak’ marketing efforts. Sure they could do better, but I task you to show the world a consistent brand message for Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki or Suzuki motorcycles.
Create an advertising plan that uses a consistent image or ‘feel’ or ‘emotion’ or make a ‘personal connection’ for an entry level commuter bike, and then do it for a Supersport bike, then for a cruiser, a Touring bike, then a Sport Touring bike, then for a motocrosser, then for a Scooter. And showing a stationary bike sitting in a romantic/scenic setting doesn’t count. Sometimes people just buy motorcycles, not ‘lifestyles’.
If it were easy, they’d all be doing it.
@Bob: Hello Bob, in one point you are absolutely right: The bike was very clean and very fresh, however, we did not think it too clean and too fresh and took it on an exciting ride anyway, as shown here in our video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liaWCLY_CQs&feature=plcp
It wasn’t so clean afterwards, but it sure was a lot of fun to ride. :-) Please watch more pics of the bike in motion on bmw-motorrad.com/gs. We’ll be releasing a Making-of-video shortly also.
Best regards from your BMW Motorrad Team
@BMW Motorrad:
Thanks for the link to the YouTube video. Lovely!