quote:
Originally posted by Ian Bungy
I called into the BMW Dealer here in Chiang Mai today and They had the New GX650 MOTO on Display, Great Looking Bike, Great Price as well 650.000 Baht !!! I expected them to be a bit cheaper or the same as the GS650 with current Exchange Rates but T.I.T.
The usual marketing strategy of counting on the novelty factor to charge more for a new model (the G650X series) than for the old model, the F650GS. If for a moment we forget marketing forces at play here in setting the price, a G650Xmoto should not be significantly more expensive than the existing F650GS models, given that:
(1) the engine is still the same old Rotax-developped unit as in the F650GS, just some minor changes in mapping and cams to find an extra 3 HP (the new model is higher revving, power and torque have shifted 500 revs up the RPM curve), so no major spending on R&D here as engine development takes up the bulk of R&D budgets. The G650X has also a smaller alternator, 280w output compared to the old F650GS's 400W unit.
(2) production costs of the new G650X series should be lower as they are entirely built by subcontractors (engine by Rotax, the rest and final assembly by Aprilia) compared to the old F650GS series which are assembled by BMW in Germany.
(3) as Ian pointed out, the trend in the FX rates for the strengthening baht should yield lower current prices.
Basically, BMW Thailand charges more because they can get away with it. So far, they have no competition in this country.
quote:
Originally posted by Ian Bungy
The Guy claims they are 65HP which is Pretty Good...
65 HP!: too good to be true...
T.I.T., and as all too often is the case, sales staff in Thailand, whether at BMW or elsewhere, have no clue what they are selling.
BMW claims only 53 HP for the G650X engine.
(FYI, check out the comparison of the specs for the G650Xmoto, G650Xchallenge & F650GS Dakar at the following page:
http://www.bmw-motorrad.com/com/en/index.html )
quote:
Originally posted by Ian Bungy
The Xchallenge is the one i want to see (Enduro Version) which should be here within the Next 2 months they say.
I agree with you, Ian, as I consider the G650Xchallenge the first Beemer that might actually be a suitable bike for off-road touring/riding. Just too bad its 9.5 liter tank is so ridiculously small for that purpose. Even the 'old' F650GS Dakar's 17.5 liter tank was considered too small for long-distance touring into remote areas. Acerbis, IMS, etc. are going to make big bucks coming up with a (no doubt expensive) solution. Makes you wonder who BMW has in mind as a target market for the Xchallenge? Surely not the hard-core enduro market, with 144 kg dry weight the Xchallenge is about 30 kg too heavy to be a serious challenger for the Japanese enduro bikes or KTM, Huskie, etc. But then again, BMW has always called their GS series 'enduro' bikes (see their website). Talking about a misnomer...
