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Archive Wunderlich
Report: Wunderlich company portrait
The story of the BMW tuner Wunderlich
The story begins with ingenious valve lubrication for the Yamaha XT-Single. 25 years later, Erich Wunderlich is one of the best-known BMW tuners. A visit to the Eifel.
What works at the Nurburgring can also be used in the rest of the world!" The truism of the region seems to be Erich’s corporate maxim W.to be edible – small, fine, but extremely effective and with a corresponding portion of understatement. This runs through the product range of the 47-year-old BMW specialist, which has now grown to 1,500 catalog pages: hand levers, footrests, windshields, seats. Erich Wunderlich particularly intervenes where, in his opinion, the unity of man and machine is bad. Wunderlich, so his environment says, is very methodical, has experienced the deficits of motorcycles in series production extensively and then looks for a solution with the help of a popometer and instinct.
She can then, for example, like the "Variolever" look: a hand lever that can be adapted to almost any need. Tinkering with small but crucial things is a tradition at Wunderlich. It started in 1986. At the center back then: the popular and very widespread XT generation from Yamaha. The stability of the robust single cylinder, according to Wunderlich’s idea, could be increased considerably by means of direct valve lubrication. The scene was flabbergasted, the first laurels for the young company had been harvested.
In the meantime, Yamaha’s XT series has long since fallen from the globetrotter throne. But now BMW’s GS series is at home on almost all slopes in the world, but especially on the dusty ones. Accordingly, Wunderlich has carefully coordinated its portfolio with the successful brand from Munich. For Wunderlich himself, the R 100 GS marked the turning point. For him she was the source and catalyst of his creativity. The name that Wunderlich had developed among the XT drivers was increasingly heard among the discerning BMW clientele. With the success in this sector, the tasks and challenges of giving the white-blue bikes that special Wunderlich touch grew. Which in turn had consequences for the Yamaha parts business: In 2004, Yamaha dropped out of the program, and from then on, Wunderlich was a 100 percent BMW specialist. His numerous refinements of BMW bikes have exotic animal names such as Piranha (S 1000 RR), Tarantula (R 1200 RT) or Jararacca (R 1200 GS). A homage to its origins. Erich is the child of German emigrants from Brazil. The South American way of life, it is said in the circle of friends, shapes him to this day: It shows u. a. by the fact that ideas bubble out of him every second, he can thievingly look forward to successful experiments, but also accepts his own mistakes painlessly.
Archive Wunderlich
The Wunderlich test workshop. The prototypes land here for testing.
Long-term employees say that his management style is also shaped by this intercultural mix. Managing Director Alexander de la Motte, who is responsible for finance and controlling in the company and is therefore very fact-oriented, has to repeatedly certify a high level of visionary accuracy to his boss: "I would not have dared to bring many a product onto the market. But looking back, I have to admit that his nose was right." And finally adds with a grin: "Vision versus calculation, emotion versus ratio, that’s almost our daily bread here." Wunderlich itself maintains a cooperative dialogue with its employees – above all Peter Hoppe, who has been at Wunderlich’s side since the company was founded and who is now in charge of the management of the medium-sized company.
Wunderlich himself is an important pillar of the company: "I can only sustainably secure the quality of the products through human qualities." Before Erich came to Germany at the age of five, his grandfather was able to inoculate him with the two-wheeled bacillus in distant Brazil. The basis was laid on a worn-out Vespa: here the throttle grip, there the brake and first gear is enough. In the meantime, of course, Wunderlich has stepped up a lot. In the future with Yamahas again: "Old love doesn’t rust – at least not with me", he laughs, glancing at an old XT. He probably has another new idea ready…
numbers, data, facts
Archive Wunderlich
The Wunderlich halls.
That is strange
From garage mechanic from Ahrweiler to internationally successful BMW tuner. In 2010 the company celebrated its 25th anniversary in the Eifel.
1985 Company foundation: first shipment of parts for Yamaha SR and XT models.
1986 Development of valve lubrication for Yamaha single cylinders.
1988 hired the first employee.
1991 Presentation of the first Wunderlich BMW R 100 GS .
2004 Yamaha program discontinued. BMW accessories will in future be looked after by 42 employees at the Sinzig location.
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