Inside a Motorcycle Factory: Exceptional Engineering & Super-fast Processes | FD Engineering

At the age of 17 I had the opportunity to have a personalized tour of that plant for an entire day the year was 1978! The material comes in one end and motorcycles come out the other! Several things blew me away, one was at break time, a person with a kart selling food items and beer, yes beer was sold I’m not kidding (only in Germany) the other was the engine assembly area. It was a large U shaped table/ area that started at one end with empty cases and at the other the nines would go through a door and put on one of three test cells the timing was amazing. The last one was the pinstriping, they three women hand pinstriping the tanks and if any type of mistake was made (very rare) they would throw out the tank, but that was true of any part of a bike! They never tried to repair anything in those days, if it wasn’t perfect it did not go on the bike! It’s a memory I will never forget!

I love how the sealant machine at 6:42 makes a mess right as the narrator says a human couldn't do it as precisely.

The BMW motorcycle production videos are the best in cycledom. I do prefer their un-narrated versions, however. I ride a BMW so this is especially meaningful to watch. Fabulous industrial engineering in setting up a plant like this one. Incredible.

Well that was great. When I was a teen I met Burt Munro in Christchurch New Zealand at a race meeting. I actually had a chat with him and yes saw his bike. I don't know how he could ride that thing it was so close to the ground. I also raced my bike on the beach at Invercargill where he did his work. It was a timed quarter mile I think. I stalled at take off silly me and was disqualified. Lovely days for me touring the country on my bike with mates. Cheers.

Got a chance to tour this facility back in 2018, mighty impressive.

I Am a Harley guy but i must admit bmw goes all out building these.great video

Very cool video. Personally I'd never buy a BMW bike. My 08 Zx-10 has been through hell over it's 15k miles. Only issue was the voltage regulator that Kawasaki covered via recall. Literally change the oil, race, change tires and enjoy. Oh... I had to replace the clutch cable one time. Every friend that had a BMW always had issues and messed up our rides.

Been a qualified bike mechanic and spent many years working in different dealerships, nothing beats the quality and performance of a Japanese bike, Europe’s bikes and even UK bikes have many issues and the price of parts! Not for me! I spend my money on Japanese bikes.

In December 2023 I had booked a few days in Berlin to see the Christmas Markets. I then found that BMW Motorrad offered factory tours and there was one during the time I was in Berlin, so I booked it. You don't get to see the engine manufacturing shop but you do get to see the bikes being assembled and some of the test stations. For anyone interested in manufcaturing or motorbikes, it's well worth it (IMHO). The BMW motorbike factory is in Spandau on the outskirts of Berlin

The way they make the big end by laser scoring them then cracking them apart is genius. I learned something. It will be tragic when all this engineering beauty is replaced by a battery and a motor.

By using the K5GSXR as a template; BMW hit a home run the 1st time out in 2010. It was Bike of the year too (‘10). This bike is the reason why the Big Japanese 4 went back to drawing board and made their bikes better than ever. Any year S1K is a solid choice for road/track. Most pick it if only 1 bike were in the garage. Nothing made 178whp in 2010 (999cc). Heated grips was a 1st on a SS from factory too.😊

Fantastic mechanical engineering and good documentary. No word, shot or time was wasted, just like efficient work pace and use of time in the factory. 10 stars 🌟

Part of being a biker is having a lovely sounding engine AND being able to switch off from the world n not having loads of data & connectivity from the world thrown in your face. The only thing you want is to have things that'll make your ride safer n that's it.

Tank lady needs a pay raise

Fascinating. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute.

90% of the comments are angry over grammar, or talking trash about BMW. LOL... dudes need to relax. Its just a video about manufacturing. If you split hairs this much, how can you even ride a motorcycle? frekin chill

I still say all the machines, robotics and how precision they have to be. Moreover the folks that keep all that infrastructure in order blows my mind. Hats off to those fine people.😂❤❤

This was like a big huge BMW commercial. Hope you were paired well.

The K46 hasn't been produced since 2018. So this video is at least five years old. Bring us the production video of the K67 please.

Quite an improvement over my 1954 BSA 650CC Golden Flash.