Post by Max on Sept 29, 2020 13:44:51 GMT
Ducati have just introduced their Sixty2 Scrambler, a beautiful looking 400cc, retro styled, youth orientated effort to get a new generation being able to afford and get into this esteemed badge has certainly already been a big success for them.
Perhaps realising they are missing out on potential customers BMW have now come up with this interesting little 310cc engine in two guises. It is by far the smallest, cheapest way into joining the BMW club, albeit with fractionally poorer quality and I’m guessing the aim is to tap into the previously overlooked demographic who have long thought the badge was out of their budget.
The reason I highlight this BMW single is because of the nice idea of using the reverse mounted cylinder head. It means no down pipes going out the front of the engine making for much shorter exhaust pipe, so far less material and less weight. They claim it has allowed the engine to move a bit forward than normal and a slightly longer swing arm is used thus giving a perfectly balanced 50/50 weight split on the front and back wheels. It also means the shorter exhaust heats up the catalytically converter much faster which improves emission figures. The idea is certainly an appealing angle to get new riders on to BMW bikes.
Premium brand motorcycle companies are seemingly taking a new line of attack recently. Most people who get into motorbikes do so at a relatively young age, nowadays its cheap and cheerful moped scooters that appear to attract the first move to two wheels. Maybe it’s a necessary purchase for practical and cheap transportation purpose or maybe these people are already into bikes knowing they will progress after their test.
Affordability is a massive part of the decision process and the Japanese factories like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki all do a fantastic job and churning out huge numbers of smaller, amazing quality bikes for the global mass market to hit a certain price point. Once this hobby, lifestyle, transport gets you hooked (and it does!) then a good experience of a superb machine naturally tends to give you comfort and even a sense of loyalty to the brand that made your experience so brilliant. Traditionally European brands like BMW and Ducati have always gone in a different direction. Only offering larger capacity options, a far heavier hit on the wallet so it tends to be the over 40s new riders, or over 60’s returning bikers that lean more towards these marques, it certainly alienates the younger crowd.
The 310cc BMW will give a glimpse at introducing riders to the huge option packed, big world that the famous brand can take them to. Reasoning being start off on the little bike and, who knows, maybe eventually the rider want the 800 or the 1200cc with all the bells and whistles that goes with it and they buy into the ‘Charley & Ewan’ sector just as happened a generation ago.
Perhaps realising they are missing out on potential customers BMW have now come up with this interesting little 310cc engine in two guises. It is by far the smallest, cheapest way into joining the BMW club, albeit with fractionally poorer quality and I’m guessing the aim is to tap into the previously overlooked demographic who have long thought the badge was out of their budget.
The reason I highlight this BMW single is because of the nice idea of using the reverse mounted cylinder head. It means no down pipes going out the front of the engine making for much shorter exhaust pipe, so far less material and less weight. They claim it has allowed the engine to move a bit forward than normal and a slightly longer swing arm is used thus giving a perfectly balanced 50/50 weight split on the front and back wheels. It also means the shorter exhaust heats up the catalytically converter much faster which improves emission figures. The idea is certainly an appealing angle to get new riders on to BMW bikes.
Premium brand motorcycle companies are seemingly taking a new line of attack recently. Most people who get into motorbikes do so at a relatively young age, nowadays its cheap and cheerful moped scooters that appear to attract the first move to two wheels. Maybe it’s a necessary purchase for practical and cheap transportation purpose or maybe these people are already into bikes knowing they will progress after their test.
Affordability is a massive part of the decision process and the Japanese factories like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki all do a fantastic job and churning out huge numbers of smaller, amazing quality bikes for the global mass market to hit a certain price point. Once this hobby, lifestyle, transport gets you hooked (and it does!) then a good experience of a superb machine naturally tends to give you comfort and even a sense of loyalty to the brand that made your experience so brilliant. Traditionally European brands like BMW and Ducati have always gone in a different direction. Only offering larger capacity options, a far heavier hit on the wallet so it tends to be the over 40s new riders, or over 60’s returning bikers that lean more towards these marques, it certainly alienates the younger crowd.
The 310cc BMW will give a glimpse at introducing riders to the huge option packed, big world that the famous brand can take them to. Reasoning being start off on the little bike and, who knows, maybe eventually the rider want the 800 or the 1200cc with all the bells and whistles that goes with it and they buy into the ‘Charley & Ewan’ sector just as happened a generation ago.