Ergonomics on the new BMWs

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Clive:

>* The engine is SMOOTH and punchy (about 13000km on the bike)

Yup.  With more torque than it oughtta have at most any RPM.   Still, I found
a pecular vibe when you put about 1/2 throttle on the thing...just unexpected,
but you can ride around this and I got very used to the bike after a while.
The one I rode had fewer miles and this may have made a difference.   My 1150
is smoother now with 20K miles on it than during the first 10K.

>* I was continuously sliding forward on the seat (lowest position
unfortunately and I didn't want to start rebuilding my friend's bike just
for a short ride)

My friend rode the other GS all week and the front part of the seat was on the
low setting while the rear was on the upper setting.   He rode it that way for
4 days!   I couldn't understand why he was bitching.  We finally investigated
and fixed it.   It's possible, even easy to set the front in a different level
from the back and it's not good.   I found my seat, correctly adjusted, to be
very good and not pushing me into the tank.  I had an 1100RT that did this
terribly with the stock seat until I shimmed the front, so I know what you
mean.

>* I REALLY had trouble operating the turn signals and found it impossible to
cancell them without half lifting my hand off the twist grip (starting with
the newer R1150's and both K bikes I have had some difficulty but the new GS
takes the cake).  I did not even try the horn!  Have the BMW designers and
the rest of the riders in the world all got double jointed thumbs?.

I, on the other hand, HATE the old canceling button that makes you press sort
of up with your right thumb.  It hits me right on the cuticle part of my
thumbnail and is really annoying.  The new button is much much better for me,
so are the turn signal levers.  I guess you can't please everyone.   Agree
that the horn is in the wrong place on both bikes.   Should be a right hand
control because I seldom use it and my instinct is with the right hand, not
the left.  It's very difficult on both the old and new controls.  I have to
think about it and usually look down.   Not good.

I also think that you should be able to flash the bright lights with the left
index finger like most sport bikes.   That trigger finger control seems easy
to use and doesn't get confused with any other controls.  BMW should make use
of this position.

>* The gear change was very good - again just the lever too high which I
trust is adjustable?

Not sure that it is adjustable.  Should be.   You my have found it too high
because you were being pushed to the front part of the seat, because the seat
was maladjusted???

>* The area around the front headlight, subframe etc seemed to vibrate (or
shake or even rattle) but it may be peculiar to this machine.

I think this is something that is easily fixed.   A dealer assembly issue.
Mine didn't do anything like that.

* The "modern" instrumentation offering 75% useless info also needs peering
at to see what's going on especially in adverse light conditions and for
those of us AARP members :)

Well, when you live with the bike a while, you start to use some of this
stuff, but I mostly agree with you.   They're using this stuff for three
reasons.  1. Sells bikes.  2. One of these readouts is actually cheaper than
an analog tach nowadays.   The electronics are getting unbelievably cheap, so
they can offer all these new functions for less than no money.   3. The new
way saves a lot of weight.  Well, not a whole lot, but a few pounds.   This
and the new brakes and the new digital network sort of electrical wiring
system make a lot of weight savings.

>I got back on my R850R to go home and it was soooo nice.  Engine almost as
smooth, bike (windscreen etc) smooth as silk, all controls very
ergonomically placed (except ABS and hazard flasher switches).

Well, 850s are smooth, but...Where's the beef?   My gawd, you've got 100bhp on
that GS and it weighs about the same or a little less than the R.   The things
you can do with these things after you get acquainted.   They're blindingly
quick and very very agile on and off road.

>The new RT is going to have to be a lot better than the GS to turn my head
(not to mention that it has to be better than my old RT as well)!

Well, the GS is better than you think.  I think you didn't spend enough time
on it.

- -TB

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