BMW 450 enduro (merged) threadfest...

[Max Kool]

Originally Posted by evanphoto

one to rival the drz's and perhaps kick the te510 and the ktm 525. let's see. anyone have any word on it?

I think it's more meant to be competitive against top of the 450 class enduro bikes, EXC450, TE 450, WRF, CRF-X and the like. At the moment when it doesn't break down, it's a top 10 finisher.

Rock on BMW!

[kutch]

some shots I have not seen as of yet.
Enjoy!

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http://www.adbmag.com/news_show.php?id=1524#

[kutch]

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/etc/ut...ewscat=general

[Max Kool]

it official guys, BMW has bought Husqvarna:

Munich. BMW will acquire the renowned motorcycle company Husqvarna Motorcycles. Dr. Herbert Diess, General Director of BMW Motorrad, and the Italian industrialist Claudio Castiglioni signed a contract on 19.07.2007 in Italy. The contractual agreement will come into full effect upon final approval of the EU cartel authorities. Both parties agreed that the purchase price was to remain confidential.
For BMW Motorrad the acquisition of Husqvarna Motorcycles is a logical step in enhancing the company's activities in the field of light, sporty motorcycles, which has recently been reinforced with the new models of the BMW G 650 X series. Commenting on BMW's decision to acquire Husqvarna Motorcycles, Diess, General Director of BMW Motorrad, stated: "With the Husqvana models targeted at the sporty competition, we will be able to extend the BMW Motorrad range to include younger groups of customers as well as the entire off-road and supermoto sector much more quickly and effectively than with our core brand alone. This transaction also provides us with direct access to a worldwide sales network in the off-road segment."

BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a separate enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the current workforce, will remain in place at its present location in the region of Varese in northern Italy.

Just as BMW Motorrad, Husqvarna Motorcycles is steeped in tradition and one of the most renowned motorcycle companies in the world. Motorcycles were initially produced in Sweden from 1903 and in Italy from 1986. Today the company is one of the leading suppliers of sporty off-road motorcycles. In the course of its history, Husqvarna Motorcycles has achieved numerous international racing victories including European and World Championship titles.

BMW Motorrad produced and sold over 100,000 motorcycles for the first time (production: 103,759 units, delivery 100,064 units) in 2006. The production program includes only large-volume motorcycles over 500 cc. BMW Motorrad is the largest European manufacturer in this segment. In 2006, BMW Motorrad achieved sales of 1,265 million euros, with pre-tax profits of 66 million euros. BMW Motorrad employed an average of 2,816 staff worldwide in 2006.

Husqvarna Motorcycles is part of the Italian company MV Agusta S.p.A. and produced some 12,000 motorcycles in the capacity range of 125 to 610 cc in 2006. The focus of the company's model program is on sporty off-road motorcycles which are equipped solely with single cylinder engines. Husqvarna Motorcycles employed a workforce of approximately 240 in Italy in 2006.

[GSJack]

Well Fellas,
Just went down to the Motorrad Days in Garmisch, Germany (if you ever wanted to travel to europe, this is the reason to come) on July 6,7,8.
4 different versions of the 450 where on display, and they did demo rides by the factory guys 2 times each day. You could walk right up to the tent and see them. I'll get some of my photos on in a few days. Hope they build it and sell it. They where getting big air on the test track(along with the HP2 and the Xchallenge) and it was a cool show. But the best thing was that you could sign up and drive the X challenge and Xcountry on the same track. The track had many types of surfaces(sand, clay, water, logs, mud) and I ended up(due to being there on Friday when attendance was lowest) riding 5 different times, all for free. Me and some of the better riders even began to sign up together and started a kind of controlled race(the BMW instructors are there to keep thing under control, but they where pretty cool about letting em hang end out) which was the Shi-ite. I am going to build something like that in my back yard now!! I also rode the GS enduro track 4 different times. Since it was raining and alot of weanees dont want to get dirty the instructors kept pushing me and about 4 other guys faster and faster(but not out of control). Once you learn some proper technique on the big bike(yes there is rules associated with the big piggy-R1200GS-physics) it is amazing what you can do with it. I've always been a bit hesitant on my old R100GSPD off road, but with proper training they can really dance !! I spent alot of time talking to the instructors and plan on going to the Hechlingen GS school in October(well thats pretty easy for me as I retired from the Army here and live like 1 hour away) to learn some of their JU-JU Magic. Next up was the test rides, I sighed up and rode the R1200S, K1200GT, Adventure, and the 1200RT.

Awesome event, 30000 riders, none of the crap of a Harley rally(you know, I be the toughest guy in the world with a shaved head, gotee, and Oakley wrap arounds-sans helmet too) nice layout, beautiful scenery, great food(though pricey), great beer and just a great all around time. Save your pennies, fly into Munich, bring tent, and sleeping bag, rent a car and drive down, well worth the trip!! Email me for any advice on staying or planning your trip, I'll help with what I can.
Jack in Bavaria