BMW Motorrad's new head, Hendrik von Kuenheim, has set some ambitious growth targets for the German motorcycle manufacturer- including a sales increase of some 50 percent by 2010, totaling 150,000 units.

Von Kuenheim says that positioning BMW Motorrad as a more sporting and dynamic company will be key in meeting these goals. "We are specifically entering market segments where BMW Motorrad was not represented so far. We have already taken the initiative in this respect with the HP2 models and the F Series. Now we are taking on the competition to an increasing extent with brand-new, innovative and sporting products, moving ahead strongly also in international motorcycle racing" he commented.


Enter the S 1000 RR Supersport. It's the latest rocket-bike which will help BMW take on the competition in the Supersports segment- both on the road and at the track. The Japanese manufacturers are two decades of Motorrad in this class, but BMW remains confident that they'll be on par with their competition.

"Our development team is highly motivated to achieve our goals. And I can tell you today that the status we have achieved so far is very promising. We are confident that we will be able to start the Superbike World Championship next year with a convincing all-round package, and that our series motorcycle will be just as convincing. In both terms of both its technology and price, our Supersports will be absolutely competitive" Kuenheim said.

The S 1000 RR promises riders a high-performance machine with outstanding rideability, performance and ergonomic qualities on both road and track. Motorrad has announced that the bike will use an inline four cylinder engine with a trick head, and that it will not use the company's Duo-Lever suspension because of packaging constraints. It is also known that a special traction control system will be available, though further details at this point are scarce.


Photo Credit : BMW