In a move that is sure to raise eyebrows in the motorcycle industry, BMW has announced that it is changing the way it builds motorcycles in order to stay competitive in today's world economy.
"The problem we face is that our machines have become too perfect," reports Jon Helm of BMW motorsports development. "All of these years we have strived for perfection and we have achieved it."
As good as this may sound, the result of building perfect bikes has been devastating. BMW has seen a marked decrease in machines returning for service which has impacted the bottom line for many dealers forcing many of them reduce staff and cut back on hours of operation.
"You can't make money changing tyres and oil," laments a BMW shop owner who wishes to remain anonymous. "BMW bikes are flawless. They never return to the shop so now my mechanics mop floors instead of replacing push rod seals."
BMW has heard the woeful cry from its store owners and has decided that they must do something drastic to change this disturbing trend.
"Our engineers will be touring competitors facilities to see how to build inferior machines," Helm states. "We'll be starting with Triumph,Ducati,Honda and Yamaha. We just can't afford to build machines as good as we do anymore."
Asked if BMW engineers would be touring Harley Davidson facilities, Helm responded that BMW does not want to take any giant leaps backwards.
"We really need our machines to be able to be ridden off the showroom floor and make it home," he stated. "Although we are keenly interested in H-D's ability to continually repackage an old idea and sell it as new."
Helm further eluded to secret talks with Toyota but would not elaborate on the nature of their discussions.
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