darryl@ISM780.UUCP (05/15/85)
[] I THOUGHT YOU'D *NEVER* ASK! I've had mine for about a month now, just crossed 2000 miles last night. I had an '82 R65 until an unfortuante automobile accident at 56k miles, just for background reference. Also, since I live in California, I have the special California emissions model. The 797cc motor revs willingly to its 7400 rpm redline. Its still just the old flat twin, though, so don't expect low 10s in the quarter mile (BMW says 14.4). The enrichment circuit (not a choke) works better here than on my R65; the bike starts and can be made to run (once you learn the proper ritual, of course) without intervention on cold mornings (make that cool mornings, say, about 55 degrees -- this is LA, after all). BMW claims that the engine puts out 38 KW at 6500 rpm (thats 51 hp for you Brit bike fans). Sounds measly but it seems more than adequate. Also claimed is a flat torque curve from about 3000 to about 6500, where it falls precipitously, with a small bump right at 4000 that gets up to 58 Nm (43 ft lb). This bump is noticable when you rev up in one gear and shift up -- the bike moves away smartly. The new 2 into 2 exhaust system is a little louder than the old ones, and you still get blue exhaust pipes (actually mine go from a rich royal purple through blue and finally into a gold color!). They still give that lower, throaty exhaust note too. The crossover, which occurs just aft of the transmission, looks like a bacon fryer for a microwave oven. The transmission is WONDERFUL. Of course, you know that BMW transmissions are clunky, with a long throw. Missed shifts are not an unknown occurance. Well, this transmission still has a long throw, but it's quiet during shifting, and I haven't missed a shift yet! Two out of three is pretty good (and I never did mind the long throw). Although this bike has the old R100 tank shape, and BMW claims a 5.8 gallon capacity, the California models have a bunch of junk hiding inside as well as a spring loaded flap in the opening, and so my empirical measurements indicate only 4.8 gals. And the flap is irritating - when you fill the tank up and you pull the hose out, the remaining gas in the nozzle sits on top of the flap, so you have to push it open and closed a couple times to get all the gas you paid for into the tank. Also, there is this clever solenoid system that is supposed to vent the tank into the crankcase, which is then vented into the air box. My bike came with a broken solenoid, which causes a vacuum to build up in the tank. Eventually the bike starves. Right now I am violating the clean air laws and am riding with this system disconnected until the dealer can get the new solenoid (that's what you pay for being the first on your block...). As usual, the speedometer reads optimistically (mine is about 6% fast). The dual front discs have great feel and excellent stopping power. There is just a slight sponginess to the brake (on my R65 the lever got down to a rock hard bottom point beyond which it would not go; however, this is NOTHING compared to, say, the Yamaha Seca 750, which never feels like it is completely engaged and can be pulled right to the bar). Stopping distance from 62mph is 169 ft. This bike comes with a cast fork brace--this should slow the money flowing to San Jose and Telefix. The front springs are still fairly soft, so I intend to put in a set of Luftmeister antibottoming springs when they tell me which ones fit properly. The fork itself feels very solid. BMW's monolever suspension is very good. I thought my old R65 felt pretty solid back there, but this is something else. The stock shock is adjustable only for 4 preload settings. It is unusual in that it feels much stiffer than previous BMW shocks (even than the K100). I would like a little more rebound damping, though. Luftmeister says they will have a rebuildable shock with more adjustment as soon as they can play with a bike for a few weeks. And the cornering clearance is much better. It is possible to touch down but it happens much less frequently than with previous flat twins. The tires are tubeless; mine came with a Metzeler ME11 in front and a ME99A. These are a softer compound than the old Conti Twins, and seem to hold better out to the edges in the dry (no wet weather testing yet). Unfortunately, they hold the rain grooves real well too. After 2k miles, they seem to be wearing well, but I used to get up to 10k to a Twin rear tire. The tubeless tire fix kit seems real neat, but I haven't used it yet. It's the same one that comes on the K bikes, and which has gotten favorable reviews. The new Y spoke compound-cast wheels are very similar to the those on the K bikes. Even if they didn't do anything more, I would think them a tremendous advance compared to the old "snowflake" wheels. Have you ever tried to clean one of the snowflake wheels? (My R65 never did have a clean rear wheel after I took it off the floor). The fit and finish is up to the usual quality standards of BMW. The stylists did something abominable to the side covers, but the engineers put a screw in there to make sure you wouldn't lose the damn things. The sidestand, although still spring loaded, has more reach and puts the bike at a reasonable angle; just don't park facing downhill. And it can be deployed from the saddle. The centerstand is also much improved: the balance is better and it takes the touch of a fingertip to put the back tire down instead of the front while the bike perched up there. This fine balance makes it trivial to put the bike up. And the new stand has tangs that wrap around the outside of the exhaust pipes at the crossover, so they hold the bike and spead the weight better. The seat is much better than my old R65; it is firm but not hard, and seems to have plenty of padding. I am 5'9", and have no trouble reaching the ground, but I suspect that people under, say, 5'6" will have difficulty (claimed seat height of 31.8" unladen). Finally, there is a tremendous amount of room under the seat. The tray that sits on top of the battery now has a section that is behind it as well and holds 4l. There is a compartment in the tail that holds 5.5l. Both have covers on them to help keep out the elements. Although there is a helmet lock, it cannot be used when the saddlebags are in place. Do I sound like an enthusiast, or what? Anyways, any further questions, just write. Flames gladly accepted. --Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Corp. ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl The views expressed above are my opinions only. P.S. If this bike isn't your cup of tea, rumor has it (according to this month's BMW Owner's News) that BMW will announce a 3 cylinder 750 a la the K100s this fall, with 75 horsepower claimed.