R18 Boxer Coffee Machine

[Petrus]

Just my opinion and of course you are entitled to yours, but I don’t think BMW Motorrad wanted to conquer the US market, it goes beyond that. Here is what I think.

BMW is very much a worldwide brand. Although the German horme market is strong it is in absolute numbers quite limited in the ww perspective. Europe and includes countries beyond the EU, is more important for them than the US yet still not their begin and end all.

As you have pointed out the prices have gone up steeply and they are selling even at that.
The R18 coffee machine is imo highlighting that the model has moved upwards in the market appreciation.

Obviously, being big twin home turf, the US is a different mrket for bruiser cruisers and even more obviously the english language motoring press is not going to go kamikaze against their customer base. Mind, that is both the big twin manufacturers and the buyers. The HD thing is a huge industry. It is clothing industry, tuning, tourist, heck even financing! BMW may sell more and more diversified better made motorcycles, the importancefor the US motorycle related industry is negligable. As such reading between the lines in their motoring press that the R18 is a worthwhile addition to the pallet, is ... stunning.
I mean, I am very much standing at the side lines with VERY wide motorcycling experience and was rather surprised about the negative perception by a lot of people as Í read the articles as very positive about the R18.

Back on topic this product prooves that the R18 has risen into the ostentacious end of the market.

 

[Gr8adv]

Everyone should realize that bmw motorrad is much different that almost every other motorcycle manufacturer.

The bmw motorrad division is 100% dust on the screen for BMW as a company. Bmw made motos before they made cars and symbolically they have made the decision to always make motorcycles, regardless.

The R18 is basically an outlier in the successful adventure and racing rich brand. Although it is still run like a business of course, the idea that one outlier motorcycle in a business division that is overall insignificant to the company is not a well placed idea.

 

[Cu Dubh]

The BMW Motorrad market research failed to diagnose the market in USA for a cruiser, so they failed consequently.

However, the engineers did a fantastic job.

Now they want to make a few buck by selling a cheesy product which, will fail again.

Now that is a positive, profound, and I suspect, a trolling comment. Well done. Not. I also presume you will be selling your own "cheesy product".

 

[Petrus]

Everyone should realize that bmw motorrad is much different that almost every other motorcycle manufacturer.

The bmw motorrad division is 100% dust on the screen for BMW as a company. Bmw made motos before they made cars and symbolically they have made the decision to always make motorcycles, regardless.

The R18 is basically an outlier in the successful adventure and racing rich brand. Although it is still run like a business of course, the idea that one outlier motorcycle in a business division that is overall insignificant to the company is not a well placed idea.

Very well pointed out.
The company started out in 1910 the Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik in the Kingdom of Bavaria, which was a state of the German Empire. The blue and white emblem is a representation of a spinning propellor.
Fast forward to today to modern Germany and Valentino Rossi as driver of the M4 GT3 selling more cars than R18s produced

Stepping back to motorbikes, BMW made a huge change to rácing, lauching p.e. four cilinder in line engines and went Superbike racing. Looks like this year may be their second word championship.
About growing from there BMW boss Markus Flash said:
“We are constantly working on our motorsport strategy - GP is one option, off-road is another option. Also, WSBK is not such a bad thing - it’s just very European.¨

 

[Noelpolar]

Get a grip guys.... it really is mostly an ECM product and they are only making 80 of them.... just a fun collaboration..... BMW probally went to the dumpster outside and gave them a few cast off's..... it's not like they don't have R18 leftovers.

And fwiw.... ECM are sort of a BMW equiv coffee machine company with manufacturing facilities in both germany and itally.

This (Coffee'oxer) is a man shed, dealership, or "rich tragic boxer fan" thing.... and fwiw, the coffee making part of it is a equiv to a ECM $2000us/euro model.... though I could see a couple of possibilities..... maybe mounting one on the rear of my R18...... or when I blow up my R18 motor I could.....

And fwiw.... I run a pavoni in the back of my 4wd off a 1500w inverter and lithium battery with solar on the roof so I'm use to doing extreme expresso.

This is my wife having an expresso.... pavoni on the pier.... with 20m extension lead to car....

 

[Red64]

Get a grip guys.... it really is mostly an ECM product and they are only making 80 of them.... just a fun collaboration..... BMW probally went to the dumpster outside and gave them a few cast off's..... it's not like they don't have R18 leftovers.

And fwiw.... ECM are sort of a BMW equiv coffee machine company with manufacturing facilities in both germany and itally.

This (Coffee'oxer) is a man shed, dealership, or "rich tragic boxer fan" thing.... and fwiw, the coffee making part of it is a equiv to a ECM $2000us/euro model.... though I could see a couple of possibilities..... maybe mounting one on the rear of my R18...... or when I blow up my R18 motor I could.....

And fwiw.... I run a pavoni in the back of my 4wd off a 1500w inverter and lithium battery with solar on the roof so I'm use to doing extreme expresso.

This is my wife having an expresso.... pavoni on the pier....

Well said.
However the 20m extension lead got me thinking? How come the wife needs an extension lead? but then looked at the photo.
Definitely an Aussie image!

 

[Petrus]

I run a pavoni in the back of my 4wd off a 1500w inverter and lithium battery with solar on the roof so I'm use to doing extreme expresso.

Yes, pretty extreme.
I looked at mobile solution too some 20 years back but very good espresso is pulled at every bar/venta here so there is no need. Same thing camping gear. One can find overnight stay all over and camping is not much if at all cheaper anymore. I bought a 40l. hold all for a week trip but could have done with 25l. and still had space for a laptop&charger.

 

[Noelpolar]

Well said.
However the 20m extension lead got me thinking? How come the wife needs an extension lead? but then looked at the photo.
Definitely an Aussie image!

It would be nice to be able to unplug her from time to time....

 

[Anibal]

Ahh, I am sure you don’t mean that

 

[R18CentennialRider]

Everyone should realize that bmw motorrad is much different that almost every other motorcycle manufacturer.

The bmw motorrad division is 100% dust on the screen for BMW as a company. Bmw made motos before they made cars and symbolically they have made the decision to always make motorcycles, regardless.

The R18 is basically an outlier in the successful adventure and racing rich brand. Although it is still run like a business of course, the idea that one outlier motorcycle in a business division that is overall insignificant to the company is not a well placed idea.

BMW Motorrad has a higher profit margin than the automotive division.

Despite motorcycles making up just under 2 % of revenue, their ~€210 million contribution represents a meaningful earnings engine within the BMW Group—thanks to strong margins (EBIT margin of 12 % for Motorcycles versus 6.2 % for Automotive)

BMW Motorrad only generates 2.9 percent of BMW revenues but 6 percent of BMWs profits. So BMW Motorrad is essentially a halo brand that is significantly profitable.

 

[Petrus]

BMW Motorrad has a higher profit margin than the automotive division.

Despite motorcycles making up just under 2 % of revenue, their ~€210 million contribution represents a meaningful earnings engine within the BMW Group—thanks to strong margins (EBIT margin of 12 % for Motorcycles versus 6.2 % for Automotive)

BMW Motorrad only generates 2.9 percent of BMW revenues but 6 percent of BMWs profits. So BMW Motorrad is essentially a halo brand that is significantly profitable.

Thanks for that perpective @R18CentennialRider .

It highlights that the motorcycle division may be rélatively ´small´ but the absolute numbers and the profit margins are not. It is definitely not an ailing branch.

 

[kate_brett]

In 2020, BMW clarified that the blue and white logo is based on the state colors of the Bavarian flag , not a myth about a spinning aeroplane propeller.

 

[Anibal]

In 2020, BMW clarified that the blue and white logo is based on the state colors of the Bavarian flag , not a myth about a spinning aeroplane propeller.

Yup. The myth was born after an advert. The BMW logo's meaning comes from two main elements: the blue and white colors are derived from the Bavarian flag, the German state where BMW was founded, and the circular shape with the outer ring was borrowed from the previous company, Rapp Motorenwerke, the firm from which BMW emerged. While many believe the logo depicts a propeller, this was the result of a 1929 advertising campaign and not the original intention.

 

[Petrus]

Yup. The myth was born after an advert. The BMW logo's meaning comes from two main elements: the blue and white colors are derived from the Bavarian flag,

After WW2 the Berlin (Eisenach) plant was in the Russian zone.*
Logically they resumed production under the same name, using the same emblem.
After Munich legally got the upper hand, in 1952 they changed to EMW and red instead of blue in the emblem. Red because of communism.
In `53 they even entered F1. Only one fruitless race but still a triviality.

* some designs also ended up on the other site of the iron curtain forcing Munich to redesign and renumber to R24 to revive their R23 in 1948.

Below the EMW development of the R23 single into 350cc R35.




The Berlin plant history baffles me a bit though. BMW write that they started production in 1969 which was still DDR time with Spandau being in the West zone.