It has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $8,255 (excluding freight). The Standard Package, offered at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $9,760, (excluding freight) includes heated hand grips, Anti-Lock Brakes, an on-board computer, and white turn signals. The 2009 F 650 GS is available in three colors – Flame Red, Iceberg Silver Metallic, and Azur Blue Metallic.

Ideal for on- or off-road riding, urban commuting and any rider looking for a fun, efficient and reliable motorcycle. Its rigid steel tube trellis frame, double-sided swing arm and chain drive offer reliability. A low seat height and narrow design make navigation through the worst traffic a breeze. Cast aluminum wheels and telescopic forks keep the ride smooth and precise at all times.

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The three motors are all based on the same 80 degree, four-valve per cylinder, liquid-cooled, V-twin cylinder lay-out. The smallest is 500cc making around 33bhp, the next is a 650 belching out around 55bhp while the top of range will be 800cc that kicks out 75bhp. According to the factory moles, any thoughts of front-wheel drive have been ditched by the firm in order to keep costs down. Paralever suspension seemd on the cards for the entire range though.

Jean-Michel Cavret, director of the division motion of BMW France, said: “The president of the division BMW motion, Hendrik Von Kuenheim is convinced that we must make a scooter, therefore we are working on the project. We want to be open to new markets and it is for that reason that we produce the motor of the G450X for Kymco and the G650X to the Loncin Chinese factory.”

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This proves that the fertile engineering minds at BMW haven’t stopped trying to improve the basic two-wheels-and-an-engine ethos of the motorcycle. Using a flexi-frame which pivots and hinges at most any conceivable location, the computer controlled chassis would be able to right itself even when the rider or outside influences would dictate a crash. Unfortunately for now we don’t have much information.

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The four cylinder K1200 series has given BMW an image-bike that further cements it into the high performance race, and now the R1200S HP2 Sport will take the BMW brand back to the race track in style. Starting with the R1200S as its base, already BMW’s sportiest model, the HP2 adds new 4-valve heads sporting dual overhead cams.

Redlining at around 9,500 RPM, the power output of the engine has been increased to 128 horsepower, and the 85 ft-lb. of torque makes this engine very powerful for an air-cooled boxer-twin. Routing that muscle to the rear wheel is a six-speed gearbox featuring a quick-shifter that allows the bike to survive full-throttle up-shifts and performs quicker than what we can do in a car.

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“Vehicles just don’t give officers the accessibility to the pedestrian traffic the Inner Harbor is known for,” Acting Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said in a statement issued this morning. “A police officer on a bike is more visible to the public as well as a strong crime deterrent.”

Police officials said that BMW has donated bicycles in the past two years. Officers use bicycles and other small vehicles to patrol the tourist area. Sales representatives from three area BMW dealers will be at the noon presentation at the harbor. Baltimore is grateful for the support they receive.

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It’s padded with soft-touch materials on its underside, so it’ll be comfortable to whomever chooses to wear it, and the use of lightweight materials keeps it from becoming too cumbersome. Developed with the aid of a physician, the brace helps keep the rider’s neck from moving too far forward, backward, or laterally, and also helps absorb energy coming down to the spine from the helmet if the impact is coming from above.

According to BMW, at no time does this device inhibit the rider’s normal range of movement. The system will cost £325 in the UK, and unfortunately, we don’t have any info on when/if it will be available in the US, and what our pricing would be. We are however, pretty confident that it will be an important peice of gear for motorcyle riders and that no one will have any problems with it.

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The bike might be expensive for an under-performing 800, any sports 600cc will show it a clean pair of tail pipes, but, as shown by the the Bavarian marque’s strong sales, buyers are willing to pay a premium for a machine wearing that blue-and-white badge. The F800 is a middleweight sports tourer and doesn’t pretend to be anything that will light up a racetrack. It’s basically a commuter-cum-tourer for those who find the F650 GS a bit under-powered but who can’t afford one of BMW’s larger offerings.

The single-cylinder F650 will see 160km/h on a good day but the twin-cylinder F800 is good for more than 200km/h. More importantly, it also has a great deal more overtaking punch. The 798cc engine is a brand-new parallel-twin with four valves per cylinder and fuel injection developed jointly by BMW Motorrad and Austria’s Bombardier-Rotax, the company that makes the F650’s engine.

The 800 has a flat torque curve rather than hang-on-for-dear-life pace. Its 62.5kW at 8000rpm (it redlines at eight-five) falls far short of the 85kW-plus made by sports 600cc bikes but its healthy peak torque of 86Nm at 5800rpm is about 20Nm higher. So, while it’s not something that will shunt your eyeballs deeper into their sockets, the Beemer will accelerate with satisfactory pace and deliver a very linear powerband that makes frequent downchanges unnecessary. Its engine is notably smooth and vibration-free engine but the standard exhaust has little aural charisma.

The six-speed transmission is linked to the rear wheel by a quiet, long-life toothed belt that needs no lubricant and replacing only every 40 000km. The 16-litre fuel tank should be good for more than 300km, if ridden conservatively; BMW claims of 4.4 litres/100km at a steady 120km/h. The front wheel hangs on a standard telescopic fork whle the rear spring has a handwheel within easy reach to adjust pre-tensioning. There’s a single (and very neatly styled) swingarm and the rear brake disc, interestingly, is mounted inside the wheel rim.

Though it will not be the first choice for the knee-scraping brigade I can vouch that the F800 is a ball of fun around a racetrack. It displayed a lot of agility for a 182kg sports tourer (add five kg for the ST) around Pretoria’s tight Zwartkop circuit and both versions felt very predictable and manageable when thrashed. The bike has an easy-turning nature, strong disc brakes and the fuel tank is under the seat to lower the centre of gravity.

What surprised me was that the more touring-orientated ST felt no less agile around the track than the lighter S with its lower bars. Other riders echoed this somewhat heretical observation; some even said they preferred the ST which, they felt, inspired more confidence around the track. The track session was followed by a trip on public roads where, because of being a mostly superbike rider, I found the S had the more comfortable (lower) riding position. Other riders, more accustomed to perching on touring bikes, felt the ST was comfier. Horses for courses.

Wind protection in each case is adequate and the bikes slip through the air without your head being buffetted like a ping-pong ball on a straw. There were no pillion riders on the launch but the shape of the seat and location of the rear footpegs (identical on both versions) suggested an F800 would make a fine tandem machine.

The trip data computer, standard on each bike, is comprehensive and fiddling with it should help to break the monotony of long stretches in the saddle. You can scroll through average speed, fuel consumption, range, and air temperature on the easy-to-read digital display that also, usefully, shows the current gear selection.

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But there’s nothing sensible or cautious about the K1200R. This is an imaginatively styled, highly tuned and defiantly different motorcycle that takes BMW in a whole new direction, one designed to appeal to a new and younger audience. Essentially the K1200R is a stripped-down version of the K1200S supersport that caused such a stir last year. The S-bike, with its inclined transverse-four, aluminum-spar frame, radical Hossack-style front suspension and innovative electronically adjustable rear suspension, was a bold step for BMW, and it generated both positive and negative headlines.

The R-model looks totally different, not only relative to the 1200S but to every other streetbike on the road. Its broad and muscular front end sweeps back to a narrow rear end and offers up a truly burly image, all of which is enhanced by liquid-cooled cylinders canted a radical 55 degrees from vertical. The front end, with its different-size and -shape twin headlights, hints at previous BMWs, but the details remain fresh and visually arresting. Mechanically the R is similar in most ways to the K1200S.

The intake system is subtly different, though. BMW’s use of a single duct on the right side (instead of the S’s dual ducts) reduces peak output by 4 bhp to 163 horsepower at 10,250 rpm, and maximum torque by 2 pound-feet to 94 at 8250 rpm. The shaft-drive’s overall gearing is slightly shorter, though the six-speed cassette-style gearbox remains untouched.

BMW retained the S-model’s aluminum frame, with a slightly modified Hossack-style Duolever fork that places the legs a half-degree steeper, with 11mm less trail than the S for, BMW says, an improvement in maneuverability. Like the K1200S, the R comes with BMW’s optional and innovative Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) and ABS for its triple-disc brake system.

This R-bike’s riding position is slightly more upright than the S’s thanks to higher and wider handlebars. Instruments are based on the R1200GS’s, with an analog speedometer and a smaller tachometer that redlines at 11,000 rpm. The reasonably low and narrow dual seat will allow most riders to get both feet flat on the ground, and BMW offers a no-cost optional seat that reduces seat height from 820mm to 790mm for the vertically challenged.

Despite the R’s horsepower and commendably smooth manners, there’s a distinct difference between the way it works and other naked multis in the category. This is mostly due to the relatively high claimed weight of 522 pounds, which is heavier than many of the bikes in its class. It’s also got a mammoth wheelbase of almost 62 inches, nearly 5.6 inches longer than the Speed Triple’s.

This makes the R a bit of a handful at slower speeds and not particularly keen on wheelies; it will lift its front wheel, but it needs a dab of clutch or a serious yank on the handlebars to help it. A first-gear crack of high-rpm throttle is more likely to send the bike screeching forward ahead of a black streak of rubber.

Almost ironically, the big Beemer comes into its own at higher speeds, a place where most naked bikes aren’t overly happy due to their lack of wind protection and lower overall gearing. The bike’s minimal wind protection enhances the sense of big speed, but not uncomfortably so. But despite the bike’s ability to produce insanely high speeds, the combination of a small but useful flyscreen and slightly leaned-forward ergonomics keeps riders comfortable much longer than anyone expected.

As with the 1200S, a press of the button varies damping between three positions, and can be done on the move. A longer button press (with the bike stationary) alters front and rear spring preload, also through three options. At the track, putting both preload and damping on the firmest settings makes the bike feel significantly tauter and substantially improves its cornering clearance, to the point where the pegs no longer touch down despite the excellent grip of the Bridgestone BT014s.

Most other 1200R options offer enhanced practicality, including K1200S-style saddlebags, heated grips, the luggage rack worn by all the test bikes, and a larger windscreen, which was fitted to some of the machines. Along with the ESA and ABS, those substantially increase the price of a bike that’s already plenty expensive for a naked roadster. But as BMW might doubtless point out, the K1200R is unlike any other motorcycle on the planet. It’s a stunningly powerful, utterly unmistakable, improbably versatile and, most of all, highly entertaining machine that brings a new dimension to the world of unfaired motorcycling.

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Nate was also a rider on the San Jose BMW team that won the inaugural Sun Trust MotoST Eight Hours of Daytona last year, helping BMW grab their first win at Daytona since Steve McLaughlin’s first AMA Superbike victory back in 1976. This off season race will be Kern’s first time racing on the west coast.

“I’m excited to have the chance to prove the BMW’s credibility as a serious sport twin.” Nate also added that he is very excited to share the success he has had on the east coast with west coast BMW motorcycle owners. “There’s nothing like the community of BMW riders. I’m grateful for all the support they’ve given me recently.”

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Powered by a 652cc Single, the new designs represent the lightest-powered machines in the Beemer inventory. Although any kind of dirt-oriented Beemer grabs a lot of attention, the new 650 series won’t be one-dimensional, as there will three different versions available: a dirt-oriented enduro labeled the Xchallenge; a supermoto street machine dubbed the Xmoto; and a dual-sporty ride named the Xcountry.

A constant on all three versions is the single-cylinder powerplant, now claimed to be 4.5 lbs lighter than the earlier 650 engine. The liquid-cooled mill is claimed to crank out 53 horsepower at 7,000 rpm with torque performance peaking at 44 lb-ft at 5,250 rpm. The 650 thumping away in the heart of the new series was derived from the Single powering the F650GS models, but Motorrad engineers claim modifications to reduce weight and boost performance have upped the power numbers by almost 3 ponies. The juice squeezed out of the Single is delivered to the back wheel via an O-ring chain.

An aluminum radiator remains intact from the F650 design, as well as the gearbox. The stressed-member engine benefits from a lighter crankdrive while a balance shaft remains to ensure smoothness. Other components such as the alternator and starter cover are comprised of magnesium to further reduce weight. Meanwhile, a stainless steel exhaust system, equipped with an oxygen sensor and three-way catalytic converters, ensure the new designs exceed stringent Euro 3 standards.

All three 650s sport a bridge frame constructed out of tubular steel with cast aluminum sections to the side and an aluminum rear frame bolted on. An aluminum-alloy double swingarm rounds out the skeletal design. A 2.1-gallon fuel tank is positioned within the frame triangle beneath the seat, a carryover from the F650 design, and provides an operating range of 155 miles. Strong forged aluminum is used for the foot controls and the sidestands on the Xchallenge and Xmoto.

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