England and Australia might be around 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometres) apart,
but the two countries share a lot in common, such as a love of cricket (they
have been playing each other regularly in the world famous Ashes series since
1882) and a passion for BMW motorcycles.
Even though England is in the grips of its coldest winter for 13 years,
and Australia is enjoying the start of a long, hot summer, BMW Motorrad teams
in both countries have just hosted their most important motorcycle shows,
with lots on offer for fans of the German brand.
The year's biggest British bike show, Carole Nash's Motorcycle Live, came
to a close on Sunday 5 December after nine exciting days during which the
BMW Motorrad stand was visited by many star riders. BMW Motorrad Motorsport
factory racers Troy Corser and Leon Haslam visited the stand to meet fans,
sign autographs and chat about their S 1000 RR race bikes. Both Troy and
Leon have been preparing for the 2011 season by developing their bikes inside
a wind tunnel and working on their fitness during the winter break. Troy's
WSBK bike was also on display.
Fellow S 1000 RR racer and two-time WSBK Champion James Toseland – recently
signed to the BMW Motorrad Italia team – also met the fans on the BMW Motorrad
stand. The first day of the show also saw the official launch of the Buildbase
BMW Motorrad team, which will contest three prestigious British championships
next year: Ulsterman John Laverty in MCE British Superbikes, Durham-based
Barry Burrell in the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class and Richard Cooper in the
Metzeler National Superstock 1000 series.
Alongside the riders, the star attractions on the BMW stand were the stunning
new six-cylinder K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL touring bikes, the new G 650 GS
single-cylinder adventure-sports bike, the R 1200 R and R 1200 R Classic
roadsters, the sleek new special edition R 1200 GS Triple Black and the new
Concept C scooter – all of which were making their UK debut.
Tony
Jakeman, BMW Motorrad UK's Marketing Manager, said: "We're very pleased with
the positive feedback from visitors to our stand. The new bikes – especially
the K 1600 GT and GTL six-cylinder machines – attracted a lot of attention,
the S 1000 RR, now coming into its second year, was just as popular as ever.
Troy Corser, Leon Haslam and James Toseland visited our stand and had a hugely
positive response from their fans. Expectations about next year's racing
are already very high. And judging by the visitors' interest in the new colour
versions of the S 1000 RR we had on the stand, interest in the bike is still
growing!"
Irish stunt star Mattie Griffin was also on hand, spending time on the stand
which displayed his F 800 R stunt bike for the duration of the show. Unfortunately
the icy weather meant Mattie couldn't show off any of his trademark stunts
and tricks.
There were no such problems with the weather 'Down Under' in Melbourne,
where the Australian Motorcycle Expo took place from 26 to 28 November. The
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted the three-day event which
featured close to 150 exhibitors from all areas of the motorcycle industry.
One
of the highlights of the show was a visit from BMW Motorrad Vice President
of Design, David Robb, who provided a unique insight into the design theory
behind the manufacturer's range of bikes. This was timely, given the fact
that during the same period, the S 1000 RR claimed 3 out of 4 prestigious
awards from the top two selling motorcycle magazines in Australia. Two Wheels
Magazine buyers voted the RR as the 'Readers Choice Bike of the Year', while
Australian MC News handed out two awards for the RR – 'Readers Choice Motorcycle
of the Year' and 'Motorcycle of the Year'.
"It was an extremely successful Motorcycle Show last week with the unveiling
of the K 1600 GTL, along with design talks from David Robb," said BMW Motorrad
Australia's Tony Sesto. "The opportunity to show off the pre-production bike,
along with David Robb being there proved to be invaluable, based on the positive
feedback from dealers, press and the public."