The General Motorbikers Discussion Thread

More expensive to own than a Ducati, and less reliable. Check out their recent recalls.

Right now BMW is dead last in reliability.

That K1200GT is from 2006..... and has 50K on the clock. how much could go wrong on a bike that has gone that far?
 
Some have overheating issues, airbox problems, throttle problems, fuel map issues that can result in uneven power delivery and that is just off the top of my head. Also the final drive is made out of glass and explodium, all the police departments that were running BMWs are switching to the ST1300 because they are spending as much as $6,000 per year per bike keeping them on the road. This year's entire run of ST1300 bikes are police models for the sate of California. They are replacing all their BMWs with Hondas. Dealers can't even get a 2014 ST1300 on the showroom floor according to my local Honda dealer.
 
He's not kidding about the final drive. It literally explodes and goes on fire. It's a horrible, horrible under spec'd design that was originally 'sealed for life' - unfortunately not only did their later quiet conversion to having drain and fill plugs again put the lie to that it turns out that frequent fluid changes cannot keep the final drive from failing. The problem seems to be grossly undersized bearings or was the last time I looked into it. The bikes also leak fuel - BMW's doing a 'fuel strip extended warranty' as a 'fix' for the problem, but they're replacing the part with another one exactly the same, which is going to have similar problems. Electrics are also an utter nightmare.

Don't believe us, even the BMW motorcycle fanboy forums are full of angry owners.
 
The new bikes are no better, BMW recalled all this 2014 K-bikes because "there was no guarantee the rear suspension would not collapse".

Buy a Moto Guzzi, it is more reliable and you can ask BMW guys with box twin engines why they have saggy cylinders.
 
I believe you.... But my question is do all BMW bikes have issues like this? There had to be a year(s) that the BMW touring bikes were good.... right?

I just feel that the ST1300 is much bigger and less sporty than the BMW K1200GT. I feel like I could do more by myself with a BMW, and the ST1300 would be just good for straight 2-up touring.

BTW< i am not trying to defend of argue about the bikes.... just asking information and conversing about the sport-touring bikes.
 
I believe you.... But my question is do all BMW bikes have issues like this? There had to be a year(s) that the BMW touring bikes were good.... right?

I just feel that the ST1300 is much bigger and less sporty than the BMW K1200GT. I feel like I could do more by myself with a BMW, and the ST1300 would be just good for straight 2-up touring.

BTW< i am not trying to defend of argue about the bikes.... just asking information and conversing about the sport-touring bikes.

Other way around. The BMW is much harder to service (part of why the CHP is dumping them is the labor requirements) and the aftermarket is smaller, not larger, for the non-dualsport/adventure models.

The last reasonably good BMW tourers according to many BMW owners seems to have been the mid production 1100s. The rot set in with the late 1100s, with the revised electrical systems and such starting to contribute problems. The bikes weren't terribly competitive with the other offerings on the market back then either.

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You might want to read this review, too: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/bmw-honda-yamaha-sport-touring-motorcycle-comparison

No, the BMW is not sportier. It may weigh less, but all the weight's up high and it actually feels heavier than the ~100lb heavier ST. Heavier effort to do anything and it really doesn't want to go into corners much. BMW hasn't figured out mass centralization yet.
 
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So I got my first taste of a cruiser today. And I liked it, although, I may have cheated with this particular example :p

New Indian Scout :D What a fun bike it was, flickable little thing, I just wish that I hadn't been stuck behind so many slow pokes so I could have really wrung it out. I'll be posting a short video later.
tYH7YAS.jpg


Verdict:
-Drivetrain is excellent, engine is very smooth and refined, as is the gearbox
-Brakes are a bit crap (never bothered with the rear)
-Handles adroitly, very light weight, IIRC 500lbs
-Rear suspension is a bit choppy

I still don't like forward controls, but the second Indian makes a standard, I'll probably buy one...

Also, this guy showed up :heart:
QWazTFI.jpg

I just had to look up what "adroitly" meant.
Thanks. :lol:
 
So, october marks my 6 months with riding a motorcycle 3-4 days a week. Now that I understand more about bikes, and the advantages of different bikes, I am looking for a bike for which would better suit my riding preferences....which would now fall under the line of "Sport Touring". Commuting some distance, while still being able to ride some nice backroads.

Considering selling my R6 and picking up a Honda VFR800. Any comments on this move?

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I also would really want this Honda. Want it so damn bad. it hurts me.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/mcy/4731058734.html

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2011/02/md-best-buy-1998-2001-honda-vfr800i/
Good review on the VFR 800 ;)
 
Heeeey, just remembered that my bike test is at the end of the month! I guess I should book a few rental hours before...
 
So I accidentally dropped my helmet from a height of roughly 1 meter on to cement. I tried to catch most of the impact on my foot but it still hit the ground. It seems most of the impact is on the top edge of the visor.

Is my helmet compromised now? Do I need to send it to AGV to have them inspect it?
 
So I accidentally dropped my helmet from a height of roughly 1 meter on to cement. I tried to catch most of the impact on my foot but it still hit the ground. It seems most of the impact is on the top edge of the visor.

Is my helmet compromised now? Do I need to send it to AGV to have them inspect it?

IANAExpert, but everything I've ever read basically says "yes, get a new one". Others may have more reliable feedback, though.
 
So I accidentally dropped my helmet from a height of roughly 1 meter on to cement. I tried to catch most of the impact on my foot but it still hit the ground. It seems most of the impact is on the top edge of the visor.

Is my helmet compromised now? Do I need to send it to AGV to have them inspect it?

There's a lot of other factors like how old the helmet is, how much use it gets, etc, which makes it impossible to give a yes/no answer. But it boils down to this: it might be fine, or it might have been compromised just enough to provide insufficient protection if you crash. Do you want to risk it? That's why most advice tells you to replace your lid if you have any doubts.
 
Helmet is 2.3 years old and for the last 1.3 years it's been used almost daily. What sucks is I don't really have the money to replace it at the moment, maybe in a few months but definitely not now.
 
Helmets should really be replaced every 3-5 years anyway, so at least you're not replacing a near-new one. It sucks because it can be a big expense (spare a thought for us in AU: the Arai RX-Q that's $650 on Rezvilla is over $800 here, and I can't legally use the one from Revzilla because it doesn't have the Aust Standard sticker), but think of it this way: How much is your head worth?
 
What about this?


I'm going to see if I can get a hold of AGV and see what they think.
 
Interesting - I assume that dude is a marketing/spokesperson for a helmet manufacturer. He makes a good point about the difference between crashing while wearing the helmet and just dropping the empty helmet on the ground, but I still think he's pretty brave stating categorically that a helmet would be OK after that sort of drop, and he goes against about 90% of advice.

Like I said, it might be OK, it might not. Even AGV might not be able to guarantee it's OK (or not). Getting it checked would be a good idea if you can.
 
I think you're all being a bit paranoid about this tbh. If a helmet would be worthless after dropping it on the ground from about a meter high I don't recon it'd do anyone any good in any kind of accident.
What's more important than the outer shell, is the padding/foam on the inside. It's that material that protects your head in an accident by cushioning the impact, reducing the G forces on your brain. That won't, can't get damaged from just dropping it as there's nothing pushing against it to deform it as the guy in the video explains.

Unless the outer shell is cracked, I really wouldn't worry about it.
 
For both my pre-learner and pre-provisional rider courses (mandatory in NSW), the instructor I got was a grumpy old bastard whose scathing instructions I'll never forget. If anyone rested their helmet on the seat of their bike he'd say something like "You work for a helmet maker do you, Einstein? No? Well get your bloody helmet off the seat 'cos if it hits the ground from there it's fucked."

It could be a case of hearsay/myth/rumour, or maybe helmet technology has progressed to the point where you don't have to be so paranoid, but I've always been paranoid about dropping my helmet.
 
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