RossHarper
Well-known member
I have a headlight out at the moment, so popped in to dealer thinking they would be reasonably priced on something as small as a bulb.
Wrong - £15.70. Coming home I took the bulb out to discover it's an OSRAM (12V55w H7 ofcourse) looking online I can get exactly the same OSRAM bulb for £3.95. Talk about dealer profit margins.
Then when putting the plastic bulb cover back on I noticed "Made in Slovakia".
So starting this as an information thread on where parts of our bikes are actually made. Some of us early buyers might remember when the S1000 came out, there were rumours that the bike was made in china (mostly on Ducati and Kawasaki owner forums). But BMW issued a press release saying they were all "made in Germany". Of course legally being classed as "made in" only means they have to be assembled in Germany.
So in my time I've discovered:
Plastic around front fairings/headlight area and dash plastics - Slovakia (written on bike)
Bearings - Japan (engraved in bearing casing)
Wheels - cast in china (told by dealer)
Plus:
Brake calipers - we all know brembo are italian but have several factories all over the globe.
Nissin cyclinder - Nissin have plants in Thailand, United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brazil, India
Now I for one don't care where parts are made, most of you know I lobby for cheaper Chinese parts, but solely for curiosity have any of you found "made in" on your bike when stripping it down.
Wrong - £15.70. Coming home I took the bulb out to discover it's an OSRAM (12V55w H7 ofcourse) looking online I can get exactly the same OSRAM bulb for £3.95. Talk about dealer profit margins.
Then when putting the plastic bulb cover back on I noticed "Made in Slovakia".
So starting this as an information thread on where parts of our bikes are actually made. Some of us early buyers might remember when the S1000 came out, there were rumours that the bike was made in china (mostly on Ducati and Kawasaki owner forums). But BMW issued a press release saying they were all "made in Germany". Of course legally being classed as "made in" only means they have to be assembled in Germany.
So in my time I've discovered:
Plastic around front fairings/headlight area and dash plastics - Slovakia (written on bike)
Bearings - Japan (engraved in bearing casing)
Wheels - cast in china (told by dealer)
Plus:
Brake calipers - we all know brembo are italian but have several factories all over the globe.
Nissin cyclinder - Nissin have plants in Thailand, United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brazil, India
Now I for one don't care where parts are made, most of you know I lobby for cheaper Chinese parts, but solely for curiosity have any of you found "made in" on your bike when stripping it down.
