BMW M CarTypically, car news is a little beyond our scope. After all, we are Ultimate MotorCycling, but when the MotoGP is involved, consider our interests piqued. If you’ve watched MotoGP, you might notice that a BMW filling the role of the official safety car, which again looks pretty awesome despite the fact that it isn’t a motorcycle.This was going since 1999. Back in 2014, Dorna Sports and BMW M Division came to a cooperation agreement that is set to expire in 2020. We can appreciate when businesses show loyalty to one another and in this case, it seems fitting. On one hand, you have the leading motorcycle manufacturers pitting top-tier riders and high-performance prototype machines against one another in the most prestigious motorcycle racing league in the world.
On the other, you have the BMW M class, which since its inception has been based on similar principles, performance, and technological advancement alongside impressive styling.The BMW M2 MotoGP Safety Car, which will make its debut this coming 2016 MotoGP season, uses all of the various safety features in its arsenal to keep MotoGP riders safe while out on the track. The Safety Cars are specially modified at the BMW M factory for their use as lead cars on the motorcycle racing circuits.BMW M Division’s commitment to MotoGP includes some incentives both for fans and riders. Since 2003, the BMW M Award has been presented at the end of the season to the best MotoGP qualifier. Last year, that was none other than Marc Marquez.The BMW M MotoGP Experience allows race goers to see MotoGP in ways that most never are able. BMW M MotoGP experts offer exclusive, first-hand insights on the race and any other questions that fans might have. On selected Grand Prix weekends, BMW M Division also has its latest models on display for everyone to check out.
Honda CRF-E2 Electric + Dale Schmidtchen and the $50M V-Rod
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome to Ultimate Motorcycling’s podcast, Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s episode is brought to you by Yamaha YZF-R7. The R7 lives up to its legendary name, as a high-performance supersport machine. Check it out at at your local Yamaha dealer, or of course at YamahaMotorsports.com.
In this week’s first segment, Editor Don Williams and I chat about electric bikes and the electric bike revolution that is likely the future of motorcycling. Actually this episode is specifically about Honda’s new CRF-E2… an electric dirt-bike for kids. We asked our tester, 8-year old Avery Bart to put the E2 through its paces and according to Don, she loved it. Honda has stated that the company goal is for 50% of its sales to be electric by 2030—an ambitious goal for sure, and the CRF-E2 is the first step in that direction.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my Aussie motorcycle industry friends—Dale Schmidtchen. Dale has worked for most of the major moto factories globally during his career, and his take on his CF Moto ADV bike is interesting. Beyond that, one his many projects is currently helping to sell the world’s most expensive motorcycle—a Harley V-Rod worth around 50 million dollars. Yes, that’s 50 million with an ‘M’.
Dale also owned a race team in the 1990s and helped bring several well-known Aussie racers to the world stage. He’s a very modest, matter-of-fact guy, but I always really enjoy chatting with him; I hope you enjoy listening.
Incidentally, if you’ve got around fifty mill burning a hole in your pocket and you fancy owning the so-called ‘Mona Lisa of motorbikes’—contact us at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll put you in touch with Dale.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!