Just a post to show what BMW is capable of doing. Amazing success and rear wheel HP for a new effort. BMW has introduced its HP4, the company's first four-cylinder in the HP family and - with a dry weight of 373 pounds, including ABS - the HP4 is five pounds lighter than the S 1000 RR that it's based on. Weighing just 439 pounds with a 90 percent full fuel tank, BMW claims the HP4 is the lightest four-cylinder supersports bike in the 1000cc class. The HP4 joins the boxer model HP2 Enduro, HP2 Megamoto and HP2 Sport in the HP (as in High Performance) family that started in 2005.
BTW been riding a friends K1300 and it is also a technology laden wizard bike that is a fantastic ride. The front non-forks are awesome IMHO. Exactly like this...
Ben Spies back to WSBK, with BMW long term contract, development time......with Melandri as well. Then BMW joins the Moto GP circus....with a new youngster alongside a vet.
BMW struggled for the first few years in WSBK. They had a great bike, but it chewed up tires for breakfast. Troy Corser nearly always had the holeshot because BMWs traction control was so much better. But as the race wore on, he'd fall to 2nd, then 3rd, 4th, 5th... eventually averaging a 10th place finish. Once in a while, he'd have a good race and finish 5th. I think he scored one podium in 2-3 years on the Beemer. It was disappointing. He worked and rode so hard only to be denied at every turn. But with another year of development, Marco Melandri is reaping the benefits of Corser's work. He's been doing great this year and Leon Haslam is doing pretty well, too. The BMW S1000RR has become THE street bike to have among the more serious street riders. I have several friends that ride one, two of whom are exceptionally good riders (they're in the A group on track day). The HP4 is the premium version of the S1000RR. The power, handling and especially the technology in the bike are incredible.
I'm glad I sold my 04 Aprilia RSV 1000 Factory and got back into the dirt or that would put a dent in my wallet!
OOooooh...I can't wait for them to cut this engine in half and stick it in a supermoto platform ...preferably with an H instead of a B on the gas tank...
i like em but if i were to throw some cash down on a new crotch rocket itd probably be on the new duc with the bmw commin in a close second
Nice looking streeters ... Building a dirt bike that can get behind an ama starting gate is probably too trivial for them to pursue ...
Good point. To the list of "too trivial" I'll add "speccing a 650 single that doesn't weigh nearly as much as their four cylinder superbike, despite making mebbe one third the power", " and "making stuff that looks like it's been designed, rather than just thrown together from a bunch of leftovers." The HP4 is a beaut - proof that they have at least one artist in Munich, amongst all the bloody accountants!
bmw certainly has top, top engineers ... And there must be lots of them or they work long hrs to cover all that bmw has going on ... That new Husky 2T machine might be outta this world when it arrives depending on who is driving the design ...
