I may be in the minority opinion here, but I think that BMW marketing themselves as a "premium" brand is a bunch of hogwash.
I spent four years delivering into and working with a BMW automotive factory. If their bikes are built anything like their cars... no thanks.
The great secret is this: The overwhelming majority of parts that make up BMWs (wheels, fuel lines, wiring harnesses, brakes, seats, etc.) are made by exactly the same people who make the parts for their competitors. Not "similar people in a factory down the street"... the exact same people. On the same production lines, with the same materials, using the same machines.
To wit, I'll give you an anecdotal example. For a year and a half, I ran on an account that manufactured rocker panels for the BMW X series cars. Those parts were made using the same plastic pellets, in the same molding machines (only the shape of the mold itself was different), using the same retaining clips, by the same exact people as the parts for the Chevy Suburban, various VW cars, Ford Econoline vans, Kia "Kappa" platform cars, and the Corvette. When I asked the Production Supervisor if there was any difference between the quality of the parts themselves between BMW and the others, he said "nope", even though the BMW parts were as much as 50% more expensive. When I asked him what justified the price difference, he said "more layers of a more expensive paint, and tighter quality control on the paint finish".
I was on the production line at the factory once (a pretty cool experience, actually), and spent about a half hour talking with one of the BMW engineers while the line was stopped. I asked him what the price premium gets you if the parts are made by the same OEM's, and he said "proprietary engines technology and better electronic gadgets".
So the moral of the story - as far as I'm concerned - is that BMWs (bikes or cars) are alright in as far as they go, but they are not "premium" or "superior" units to any of their competitors. In fact, I think I can make the argument that they may have better customer service when their bikes break, but I'd rather have a bike that didn't break.
One man's opinion. Flame away...
.
