BMW The Ultimate Riding Machine

New model presentations, test rides, stunt performances, fashion shows, dancers, ‘vintage’ photo-shoots, workshop tests, a rock band, caricature artists, face-painting, and much more were packed into a fun-filled programme of New Season Launch activity at BMW Motorrad’s flagship store in central Munich.

Every year, the BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna dealership with its 9,000 square metres showroom area has gained a reputation for putting on a show – and this year the bar was raised even higher. More than 1,000 visitors came from far and wide to see and try the 2011 model ranges for the first time, including the new K 1600 GT and GTL six-cylinder luxury tourers, the R 1200 R standard and Classic roadsters, the G 650 GS single-cylinder enduro and the new Husqvarna SM511 road-legal Supermoto machine.

Despite cold, unsettled weather in Munich, plenty of test rides left the prestigious BMW AG-owned dealership and those who braved the freezing conditions were able to take advantage of some hot food upon their return. Inside though, the temperature was constantly rising, thanks to some excellent performances by the danceworx alexandra martens*style in motion team, who presented all the lines in the 2011 BMW Motorrad Style collection, including the Logo, RR, GS and Heritage collections.

With the Husqvarna brand very much part of this innovative dealership, the dance troupe also created separate fashion shows for the two Husqvarna clothing lines on display – the Race and Vintage collections – with unique choreography performed to a pulsating beat.

Children were also kept busy (leaving mum and dad free to browse at leisure) with a range of activities that included face-painting, kiddies’ bikes, a TV corner and even hand painting a full-size BMW K 1300 GT that now looks like an Art Bike and will remain on display in the showroom for several weeks.

Representatives from the German GS Trophy team set up a special adventure motorcycling area and presented pictures about their experiences at last November’s GS Trophy event in South Africa. This time, they didn’t have to travel so far, as two of the team (Dirk Remmel and Werner Modelmann) actually work in the Motorrad Zentrum dealership. In fact, the multi-talented Werner Modelmann also performed stunt shows throughout the day on a G 650 Xchallenge.

Part of the store’s workshops were given over to a big catering operation, ensuring that nobody went hungry, while on the work-benches, aspiring mechanics and technicians had the opportunity to test their skills in changing the wheel and repair the tyre of a K 1300 S against the clock.

In the basement of the building, a studio had been created, where a special ‘vintage’ photo-shoot was taking place with the R 1200 R Classic. Using an evocative backdrop, photographer Betty Sommerer took pictures of roadster fans on this latest ‘classic’ boxer-twin from BMW Motorrad. Then, using Photoshop software, she was able to retouch the pictures to produce a vintage effect and create the illusion of taking both the motorcycle and motorcyclist back in time.

Commenting after the long day reached its conclusion, an exhausted but elated Director of the BMW Motorcycle Centre in Munich Michael Sommer, couldn’t have imagined a better start to the New Season:

“It was a really great day. We had a lot of visitors and so many new models and highlights to present. Fortunately, we had Sport1 commentator Eric Engesser as a presenter and Gerhard Müller, head of the development of the six-cylinder models, presenting the K 1600 GT.

“The dancers were incredibly professional and very well prepared, we had cartoonists who made ‘caricatures’ of people on their choice of BMW bike, a cap embroidery service, and great music from Janine Hoffmann and her band. We were also very proud of the ‘vintage’ motorcycle shoot, which was an incredible success. In fact, all the pictures that were taken were published on our Facebook site within an hour, so people could log on and see the results and share them with friends. All in all, it was a busy day for our team, but well worth all the effort.”

For more information, comment and pictures from this New Season Launch event, please visit http://www.facebook.com/BMWMotorradZentrum