Brian wins Open Twin Championship

Deans BMW · 10-20-2008, 06:25 AM

Chris called last evening all excited and told me that Brian won hands down the last race of the season in Open twins giving him the championship.

The BMW HP2 Sport is an amazing machine. Brian ran some 200 miles of practice on Thursday and 75 miles the next day and they now have the bike set up perfectly, still running some 140 or so RWHP.

The prime competition in Formula twins is the Duc 1098, very few Buells, there was one KTM L8 or what ever they call it, blew up an engine, replaced it, finished last. Looks like the Ktoom has a bit of developement to do before it is competitive.

Brian placed 5th in Formula Pacific after a bad start. Formula pacific is full race GSXR 1000's.

For as little support as they get, the BMW R1200S HP2 Sport appears to be extremely competitive in a sea of supposedly faster sporting twins.

Guest24 · 10-20-2008, 06:31 AM

That's why I couldn't reach Chris on Friday Dean. Congratulations to SJBMW and Brian. N8 and Atlanta BMW hasd a good weekend in Daytona also. Not so well for Richard Cooper. He crashed in the ASRA Thunderbike race on Sunday. No word on how he faired. Anyone that knows, please post.

Skoeter · 10-20-2008, 09:51 PM

Congrats on a great performance!!!

Cheers

NakedRider · 10-21-2008, 06:42 AM

Great work by Brian and the whole SJBMW team. This is a very competitive class and a blast to watch.

Bob Hancock · 10-21-2008, 06:55 AM

Spanking a 1098 is worthy of note. Well done to Chris and his team!

R1100SPORTour · 10-21-2008, 07:45 AM

Congrats to Brian and SJ-BMW for beating up on all those AFM clubracers on way "faster" machinery...;-)!
Of course in AMA against faster riders on jap 600's it was a different story in Laguna Seca...
But anyways it would be nice if BMW actually could harvest some hay on those accomplishments with actually a bike you can buy!
The R1200S gone,the HP-S a almost 30K 50-bike-wonder for a few still independantly wealthy guys who actually like to ride.
How about a "HP2-RS" with a decent seized tank,optional 2-up seat,hardbags,
rack,centerstand and useful underseat storage with a real BMW toolkit for 10K less!?Leave the fancy carbon stuff,dashboard and electro gizmo shifter off and voila a bike that actually would sell!Hint,hint...
But I know we get RT's and GS's and the squids are already getting in line to blow their 14K burning holes in their pockets on the new S1000RR's...;-)
We'll see...

NakedRider · 10-21-2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R1100SPORTour

Congrats to Brian and SJ-BMW for beating up on all those AFM clubracers on way "faster" machinery...;-)!
Of course in AMA against faster riders on jap 600's it was a different story in Laguna Seca...
But anyways it would be nice if BMW actually could harvest some hay on those accomplishments with actually a bike you can buy!
The R1200S gone,the HP-S a almost 30K 50-bike-wonder for a few still independantly wealthy guys who actually like to ride.
How about a "HP2-RS" with a decent seized tank,optional 2-up seat,hardbags,
rack,centerstand and useful underseat storage with a real BMW toolkit for 10K less!?Leave the fancy carbon stuff,dashboard and electro gizmo shifter off and voila a bike that actually would sell!Hint,hint...
But I know we get RT's and GS's and the squids are already getting in line to blow their 14K burning holes in their pockets on the new S1000RR's...;-)
We'll see...

Not sure if you are kidding... I hope you don't think you could buy one of the 600cc bikes ridden in the AMA either.

Sounds like first you're upset that BMW doesn't make something fast you can buy then you mock the fact that they are coming out with exactly what you were looking for in the first place.

SergioK · 10-21-2008, 03:00 PM

Gee whiz... I never knew I was independently wealthy! So long suckers!!!!!!

Brian, if you are reading this, did you miss the centerstand... how bout the 6 gallon tank? If not, doesn't matter, kudos for kicing azz & taking names.

R1100SPORTour · 10-21-2008, 04:13 PM

Nakedrider yes I was looking for a faster bike but one that is still useful and affordable or at least available for that matter...

I was more thinking in terms of the R90S from 30 years ago.
Win on sunday,sell on monday and go sportouring on saturday...

If Brian wins against lesser riders that ride faster machinery that hardly convinces any of the squids watching Brian win to go out an buy a new RT or GS since R1200S is already gone and the almost 30K HP-S almost too or way out of reach for guys who like sportbikes and are mostly young and poor working stiffs opposite of me being an old(er) working stiff and maybe even poorer due to other expensive hobbies as in wife,house,etc...

Bob Hancock · 10-21-2008, 04:30 PM

blah blah blah

R1100SPORTour · 10-22-2008, 07:15 AM

blahblahblah...?Bob you tell me where the dealerships are that have new R1200S or HP-S bikes on the floor!Don't get me wrong it's great to see to see a guy like Brian win against italian twins and GSXR's on a $uper trick BMW Boxer in local roadracing classes as does Nate win against Buells and SV's in the east.
But to make it a commercial success they need to do the same against the big boys in AMA to get the exposure and have product to sell...
Otherwise the squids will hardly notice like they havn't bought an R1200S when the could get that R6 Ben Bostrom was winning on week in week out for half the price...

SergioK · 10-22-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R1100SPORTour

Don't get me wrong it's great to see to see a guy like Brian win against italian twins and GSXR's on a $uper trick BMW Boxer in local roadracing classes as does Nate win against Buells and SV's in the east.
But to make it a commercial success they need to do the same against the big boys in AMA to get the exposure and have product to sell...
Otherwise the squids will hardly notice like they havn't bought an R1200S when the could get that R6 Ben Bostrom was winning on week in week out for half the price...

Does a race prepped R6 or R1 that Brian/Nate run against costs half as much as the race prepped HP2S? How do you know that? What OEM components on the R1/6 stay on as opposed to the HP2S? I think the 2S keep more stock components than the Japanese bikes.

signit98 · 10-22-2008, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R1100SPORTour

If Brian wins against lesser riders that ride faster machinery that hardly convinces any of the squids watching Brian win to go out an buy a new RT or GS since R1200S is already gone and the almost 30K HP-S almost too or way out of reach for guys who like sportbikes and are mostly young and poor working stiffs opposite of me being an old(er) working stiff and maybe even poorer due to other expensive hobbies as in wife,house,etc...

...I quite frankly doubt that any of the Squids ARE watching Brian... period!

...even if, as you said... I don't think they are going to be impressed by him being able to keep up with bikes that have half the displacement...

The squids are looking (if at all) forward to seeing the 1000RR...

The point here is that Brian won a series, regardless... that means that he did better than his competitors... SCOREBOARD!

And, much like Nate, he does it on a nominally inferior bike... as you keep pointing out!

signit98 · 10-22-2008, 07:34 AM

Actually, in the ASRA Thunderbike Series, Nate was running against "Factory Built" Buells... costing in excess of $50K!

Mind you that his R12S was taken off the Showroom floor... turn signals, heated handgrips and all...

SergioK · 10-22-2008, 08:21 AM

Ya, I remember him posting soemthign about those heated grips... he stated he actually used them during the race to keep his fingers warm!

R1100SPORTour · 10-22-2008, 08:44 AM

Of course Bostroms R6 has only the Yamaha sticker on the tank in common with the one being sold to the average Joe...

But does Joe care?It's all about image!
That is the reason why BMW has problems moving 50 or so HP-S that came into the country while Ducati had no problem getting rid of all allocated 1098R and Desmodesici bikes.
Image for the squids usability for riders that are drawn to BMW's.
Unfortunately R1200S and HP fell a little short on both accounts...
And yes RT and GS riders are happy over a few brews at a campfires that they ride bikes that are better than all the crap outside the blue and white universe as Brian and the HP-S proved them.But they knew that already...
BMW ueber alles!Just ask Curve he knew it long time ago...

Regardless it is nice for BMW and Brian to put their names up there in the AFM history book as the boxer-underdog that beat the mighty japs and italians,no doubt about that!But as a factory or supporting dealership I would wonder how to capitalize on it and there is sadly not much...
The R1200S with a longer options list would have been that bike that could have turned the excitement into ca$h,but the rest of the story is already History...
That and nothing else was the point I tried to make!

SergioK · 10-22-2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R1100SPORTour

...BMW has problems moving 50 or so HP-S that came into the country while Ducati had no problem getting rid of all allocated 1098R and Desmodesici bikes.

Umm... maybe I'm confused on this as I understand it, right now, the demand side is currently outweighing the supply side.

R1100SPORTour · 10-22-2008, 09:37 AM

You mean demand is outweighing supply on the HP-S or Ducati?
If you meant the BMW it is only because people know that they can't get the bikes anyways...

It like the guy who comes into the dealerships all over the country and sits on the bike he really likes.He would "buy" it it the dealer has it in his favourite color.Of course his favourite color is always a different one from the one the dealer has sitting on his floor.I guess the slang for those guys is time-bandits,or dreamers...

I would plunk down the ca$h but I dream of bigger tanks,bags,rack,centerstand and full tool-kit.The dealer can't give me a red face looking for other excuses when he says we have your favourite color still unassembled in the box in the back room...

Bob Hancock · 10-22-2008, 11:06 AM

BMW Atlanta has a new R12HP2 Sport on the floor at MSP right now....today. FYI.

SergioK · 10-22-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hancock

BMW Atlanta has a new R12HP2 Sport on the floor at MSP right now....today. FYI.

What # is it? Curious to see how many N.A. bound bikes AG has produced.