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Engineering & Development Archives - Wunderlich America Complete Your BMW

Pikes Peak Blog Entry VI
Training at Pikes Peak

Within the next few days there weren’t a very large number of tasks, but we ended up being very busy regardless. At the time, it was just the four of us, but within the week nine more Germans flew in to join our crew. One of the first things we did was look around town to find some kind of hotspot device so our team here would be able to download & upload all their various videos and photos. This took longer than we thought, but was eventually managed. We had to stock up on food and especially beer before the rest of the Germans would come and clean it all out. Once we got some chores done, we registered everyone for the race and headed back to the RV. We finalized the night with getting some work done on our laptops, gathering outside the RV under the stars, like good German cowboys.    We were working and chatting outside past 10:30 p.m. when the park manager appeared and scolded us for being noisy. We didn't even realize that we were bad boys.  But the park manager wanted us to leave come sunrise.  This here RV park wasn't big enough for the both of us. We avoided a showdown and managed to ask for one more night to be safe in these wild western Rockies. We thought to ourselves that if he got mad at three of us sitting outside, it would be impossible to [...]

By | June 27th, 2017|BMW News, BMW Parts, BMW Parts & Accessories, BMW R Series, BMW R1200, Competition, Engineering & Development, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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Pikes Peak Blog Entry II
Wunderlich RaceR – Ankunft in Kalifornien!! The Beast has landed!!

It was after midnight at the Wunderlich America shop in NorCal and the employees and crew were anxiously awaiting the killer bike from Germany being trucked up from L.A.  Proprietor Willie stepped outside and gave an encouraging speech to keep the team awake and stoked to be a part of the upcoming race in Colorado: Finally, around 3 a.m., the awesome custom Wunderlich RaceR, “Number 10”, the German competitor for the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb on  July 25th, arrived at our NorCal Wunderlich shop. The Wunderlich crew stayed up late to take delivery of the RaceR, which had travelled Frankfurt to L.A. to NorCal on its journey to Pikes Peak. The Wunderlich team was gladly working overtime to “unpack” this beauty at 3 a.m. in the morning. Settling into Cali, RaceR will be on a tough work-out schedule and protein-oil diet in preparation for the upcoming challenge in Colorado. ? Stay tuned on this blog for a “diary” of the Wunderlich crew’s “Trek to Pikes Peak” from the California Coast to the Colorado Rockies in a convoy of motor homes, trailers filled with slumbering, gleaming, oiled beasts anxious to tear up the Hillclimb, and a savage team of riders on their bikes.  Take part in the adventure of scenic western rides, where you can almost smell the scent of oil & leather, camp fires in the desert, and tin cups of black coffee with sizzling steak & eggs. Think Quentin Tarantino [...]

By | June 9th, 2017|BMW News, BMW Parts, BMW Parts & Accessories, BMW R Series, BMW R1200, Competition, Engineering & Development, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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Wunderlich Enters Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

BMW motorcycle parts specialist Wunderlich is in the starting line-up at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on July 25th, featuring a highly customized BMW “RaceR” model for this race. As the only German team, the crew from Sinzig will be hitting the 12.42 mile long, legendary mountain track that leads through 156 curves and climbs up 4720 altitude feet to the Rocky Mountain 14,115 foot peak near Colorado Springs.  The high altitude’s thin air decreases the engine power from start line to finish.  For over a hundred years the best and finest road racers have competed on this mountain track, which only has been continuously paved in the last 5 years. Competitors and bikes must be in top shape and condition simply to finish, let alone win. Wunderlich’s “RaceR”, a radically modified BMW R 1200 R, will be piloted by multiple champion of the German Fischereihafen race, Thilo Günther. Scaled down to a weight of 429 pounds, and thanks to special custom motor parts, the “RaceR” boxer achieves 143 hp on its rear wheel. The custom beast is being flown in from Germany to Wunderlich America in California.   From there the awesome crew will make the trek out to Pikes Peak in a cool Wunderlich cross-country trek of motorhomes, trailers containing race bikes and of course, riders on BMW street bikes. Info Tickets [...]

By | May 31st, 2017|BMW News, BMW R Series, BMW R1200, Competition, Engineering & Development, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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Visit to Wunderlich Headquarters

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Wunderlich Headquarters, located in Germany between Koblenz and Cologne on the beautiful Rhine river. Driving up to the facility in the morning there was already a row of visiting bikes outside along with some riders who looked like they had come from afar, in gear mulling about.  Located in a quaint village, the Wunderlich facilities are a popular destination for BMW riders due to the picturesque roads through fields and woods and along the Rhine leading to the famed motorcycle parts shop. The facilities include the retail outlet, a conversion shop, warehouse and R&D department along with all things administrative: finance, sales and marketing. Felix Wunderlich was my gracious host and he gave me a tour of the premises. Wunderlich continues to be the premier aftermarket manufacturer and supplier of BMW motorcycle parts. The warehouse was chock-full, literally to the very high ceiling, with Wunderlich motorcycle parts. The loading docks had packages waiting to go out to England, France, Asia and I spotted a stack of crates destined for good old Watsonville, CA , home of our BMW motorcycle accessories shop, Wunderlich America. Meanwhile, the marketing department was busy with preparing promos of a Wunderlich-sponsored racer attending the Pike’s Peak race in Colorado in June. The order processing department was cranking away on computers and headsets fulfilling orders of happy motorcycle enthusiasts ordering everything from tank bags, wind deflectors, gps sunvisors  and handlebar risers to ergonomic [...]

By | May 19th, 2017|Engineering & Development, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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14 BMW Motorcycle Parts And Resources That Undeniably Improve Your Ride

Featured image courtesy of Benjamin Thompson. Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 SA.  BMW motorcycle enthusiasts know the importance of great parts, accessories, and resources. The riding experience is more than the sum of its parts, and that means that one small change can make or break it. The perfect glove can literally transform your ride into total comfort. The right tour company can change a rider’s life with an incredible experience. At Wunderlich America, we’re passionate about BMW motorcycle parts. We want BMW enthusiasts to have the best accessories in the world. In this post, we’ve gathered some of our favorite accessories and riding resources. We hope this article will help you take your ride to the next level. Read on! 1. Riding Gloves, Jackets, and Race Suits by HELD We have been wearing HELD gloves for as many years as we have been riding BMWs. HELD is a family-owned company in Southern Germany that actually started making work gloves. This eventually transformed into motorcycle gloves and today, HELD offers far more than just gloves, but excellent riding gear, apparel and much more. HELD has also developed Over & Under Technology, which allows riders to stay dry while wearing their HELD gear. This two-piece, detachable outer membrane can be slipped on quickly if it starts to rain. It offers the full flexibility which riders require. HELD jackets offer comfort, durability, and an impeccable sense of style. With numerous designs in the HELD catalog, there’s truly something for every rider. We can’t [...]

By | July 19th, 2016|BMW News, BMW Parts, BMW Parts & Accessories, Engineering & Development, LIQUI MOLY, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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The Making of a Tank Bag

Not off the peg The tank bags from Wunderlich are tailor-made for every make of motorcycle. Lots of time, expense and experience has gone into their development. When managing director Erich Wunderlich, works manager Peter Hoppe and product supervisor Felix Abel put their heads together, their creativity knows no bounds. They mull over ideas, make sketches and draft designs before ripping them up, getting into loud arguments and starting the creative process anew. The best example of this is the brand-new tank bag for the BMW F 800 GS. Equipped with years of experience in creating of new luggage systems, these three ingenious minds spent untold hours in Wunderlich's own R & D department as well as on the bike itself in order to find the optimal product for their customers' fuel tanks. The first rounds of discussion resulted in a comprehensive catalog, which contained in black and white all the innovative drafts, ideas and requirements – along with the first sketches and detailed representations of the new tank bag. This collection of ideas then went with the corresponding bike to the German partner company which the Sinzig accessory specialists use for the production of their luggage solutions. There the F 800 GS was given a custom fit-out as the very first sample, the only one of its kind. "This sample is just the basis for further discussion and analysis," explains product supervisor Abel, "We subject it to close scrutiny and always find potential for further improvements. These might, for [...]

By | April 3rd, 2015|Engineering & Development, Product Information, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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The Wunderlich WR2 Concept

Less is More. Wunderlich, with its concept motorcycle and technology mule WR2, has created an impressive bike boasting with unexpected ride characteristics. Hilly landscapes, rocky terrain, stone-covered mountain slopes and washed out dry river beds alternate here. It is hot, the air glints red, the hot dusty wind plays impatiently with ragged bunches of grass. Only the cries of circling vultures and the howling of the wind gusts can be heard in the lonely country side, until a thudding sound is heard in the background. It becomes louder, a trail of dust can be seen, approaching – and then the orange-colored Enduro emerges preceding it. Fishtailing, yet self-determined and with a clear goal in mind, bike and rider dash through the rough terrain. Giving the appearance of action, fun and adventure, is actually tough work. It has been almost four years since the four time Enduro champion, Dirk Thelen, battled through the rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada with an unusual Hard Enduro. Riding and testing were the objective, and man and material often reached their limits in this quest. All this was preceded by many innovative ideas and much engineering development. The goal was not only to significantly reduce the weight but also to eliminate the nose-heaviness of the bike, especially for off-road tours. What's more, the chassis would be tuned in a way that would simply provide more riding pleasure on any terrain. The result was the WR2 – a concept bike demonstrating what the motorcycle enthusiasts from [...]

By | February 13th, 2015|Engineering & Development, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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Product Testing on the GS

Every product that is handed over to Wunderlich's customers has been subjected to an intensive test phase. This particularly applies to the accessories for the large Enduros: the R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure. Whenever Dirk Thelen, four times Enduro master, goes on the hunt for trophies with the powerful two-cylinder in Enduro races in North Africa, it is a safe bet that his BMW has been modified with various parts from the BMW accessory specialist, Wunderlich. These parts are often prototypes that have only just been developed and that are in the middle of the trial phase. The path from the idea to the finished product is a long one. A large portion of this path involves testing, testing and testing again. A current example that is typical for the entire GS Enduro accessory range is the VARIO paralever strut. With this adjustable strut, the rider can choose between new dimensions of manageability or an excellent directional stability in a few steps. Recommending that the original strut is replaced with an aftermarket part engenders a lot of responsibility. The GS specialists can take this on at any time with a clear conscience. The first prototype had barely been individually milled and finished with silver anodized supports when it needs to prove what it is capable of. Enduro ace, Mr. Thelen, dragged his GS and its VARIO struts through the south of Spain for a good week. The modified chassis was spared no torture under the tough conditions on the stony pistes [...]

By | January 14th, 2015|Engineering & Development, Product Information, Testing, Wunderlich|0 Comments
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Research & Development at Wunderlich

Hundreds of high-quality Wunderlich brand products in our catalog are second nature for many BMW riders. The amount of development effort that lies behind every single part often remains hidden. Technicians, engineers and developers meet at least once each week. They rack their brains, create and review ideas, abandon, discuss and calculate them. When the developers meet at Wunderlich, creativity knows no limits. Erich Wunderlich considers his team a think tank. Most ideas relating to new, innovative products originate in-house or are developed together with selected partner companies. If the team deems an idea worthy, they address the question of whether the product has a chance on the market. Does something comparable already exist? What is the marketing team's opinion on it? And finally, is it feasible in the first place? Once a decision has been reached, the new product begins to mutate from theory to practice as a design drawing. If it is a turned, milled or bent sheet metal part, a 3D CAD drawing is already prepared at this stage from which a first prototype will be created in the two company milling centers or in the prototype workshop. Then, through meticulous manual work, a model is developed with which preliminary tests are usually performed. If it is a complex 3D product, the design, form and function are evolved on a volume model made from easily shapeable materials such as Claytone (a type of plasticine). This is where Wunderlich's state-of-the-art research and development department comes in: the finished [...]

By | January 6th, 2015|Engineering & Development|0 Comments
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