My motorcycle is in the shop for some warranty work, so I spent some time Saturday browsing at the local BMW showroom. I looked at a BMW R1100S Boxer Cup Replica with a "Don't Touch!" sign, a couple of F650 singles displayed indoors on a trailer, sat on an R1150RT with Sharon, and looked very closely at several K1200RS models. And clothing - there was lots of all-weather clothing on display.

Of particular interest to me is the new K1200GT, with it's heated seat and grips and improved weather protection. The salesman explained that it's simply a K1200RS with a European Police package, which consists mostly of the added-on wind deflectors. He also said that parts can be mounted onto a current K1200RS, so maybe the choice between RS and GT would simply boil down to money and what paint job I, errr, a rider liked better.

On the drive home I started thinking about what makes a BMW a BMW. What's so special about bikes with the roundel?

It's not that they're necessarily built in the BMW factory - the F650 single isn't built entirely by BMW. Really, no BMW is. Bosch supplies electronics for BMW, and Getrag supplies transmissions. I think that Mahle supplies pistons. Various companies supply shocks and tires. I suspect that the closer you looked, the more components that you'd find that are outsourced by BMW, and that BMW is moving more and more toward the automotive ideal of performing assembly of the finished product while simply subcontracting out more of more of the components.

Now, is this a bad thing? No, not really. Bosch is a global leader in electronics, Getrag a global leader in transmissions; other BMW suppliers are leaders in their fields as well. It simply makes sense to hire the best expertise you can find, rather than to try to create everything from scratch "in house". It's cheaper and it results in a better product. More profit for the corporation, and a better product for the consumer.

So again, what makes a BMW a BMW?

I can only go by my own experience, what turns me on when I look at or ride a BMW. But here's my list, starting with what I can see and ending with what I can feel:

1. Nice paint: Granted, we all claim to ride BMW's because we're function driven. And it's well known that you can't judge a book by its cover. But it certainly helps if the cover looks nice, because then you're more likely to read the book.. Late model BMW's have some very snazzy paint jobs.

2. Beautiful parts: By this I mean that when you look at the engine and chassis parts on a BMW, they appear to be almost sculpted. They look as though somebody along the way cared about getting the shapes just right, with no rough edges or casting flash. The wheels are a delight to look at, as are the passenger peg brackets, the cylinder heads, the front and rear swingarms..

3 Innovation: BMW has transformed itself from a company selling a simple and rather stodgy product (some might say antiquated) in the late 1970's to a company that is currently on the leading edge of technology in many areas. Where else can you find all the following on one motorcycle: alternative front suspension, linked power-assisted brakes, ABS, EFI / electronic engine management systems, catalytic converters, Pare-lever rear suspension, single-sided swingarms, heated seats and bars, and adjustable ergonomics? Some of these features are available on other brands, but BMW is the only company that offers all of the above across most of their product line.

4. Integration / slickness: The various components and features actually work well, as though people in development used them and smoothed the rough edges before they were released to riders. Saddlebags locking with the ignition key and easily adjustable suspensions are two items that come to mind.

5. Ease of maintenance: Usually. The R-bikes and K-bikes both have cylinder heads that are easy to access, though in the case of the K-bikes you do have to remove some bodywork. Even so, it's still easier to access the engine on a large BMW than on most of the bikes they compete with. Easier maintenance means maintenance that is more likely to be performed, potentially resulting in longer engine life and fewer scraped knuckles.

6. Unique ride, handling, and comfort characteristics: This one is harder to quantify, and if you haven't ridden a modern BMW you may not follow, but I'll explain. With state-of-the-art suspensions front and back, ABS, and adjustable ergonomics; a rider ends up on a machine that feels tailor-made for him / her. A machine that helps the rider avoid mistakes with it's ABS, a machine that allows braking over bumps while maintaining front suspension travel, a machine that keeps the rider's hands and bottom comfortable despite cold weather. In short, a machine that coddles the rider and helps the rider along.

With new factories being built in other countries, will the above still hold true? I think so. As long as engineering and marketing continue to hold with the same philosophies they cling to now, i.e., provide riders with a unique machine that coddles the rider and is durable in the long run; I think a BMW will be a BMW no matter where it is built.

Will a BMW still be a BMW if it's powered by hydrogen, a fuel-cell, or an electric motor? I think so. Note that most of the above features aren't engine features, and that all motorcycles are moving away from even showing much of the engine. So when you finally design an engine that is vibrationless, produces great power and fuel economy, and is mostly invisible to the rider, will that rider care whether it's a Boxer, a Brick, a fuel-cell, or whether it consumers gasoline or something else? I doubt it. Most of the features above could still exist no matter what engine you mate them to. A fuel-cell motorcycle could still be every bit as beautiful as the current K1200RS, and still have handling and ergonomics unique to BMW.

So, here's to BMW! Let's hope they continue to turn out products that we want to buy, regardless of whatever else the future may bring.

douggrosjean@wcnet.org