BMW Death Valley Photo Shoot
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Well, at least they're riding whilst my 2nd gear is still broke.
I think I foundthe answer to the question, can you ever have too much hp... from a gearbox standpoint... yes.
Whilst I'm whining... anyone have any thoughts on what I should do... If I'm replacing a gear, should I get allthe others undercut? Aftermarket parts or OEM... I've never replaced internal gear stuff before
I think I foundthe answer to the question, can you ever have too much hp... from a gearbox standpoint... yes.
Whilst I'm whining... anyone have any thoughts on what I should do... If I'm replacing a gear, should I get allthe others undercut? Aftermarket parts or OEM... I've never replaced internal gear stuff before
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You want to make your bike more reliable? Sell the Gixxer and buy a VFR ;-) You just discovered the reason why "unparalleled performance" and "unparalleled reliability" are rarely heard in the same sentence.
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oh yeah...this article is about BMWs. How about I rewrite my post with "Sell the Gixxer and buy an R1100S"?
Scene at BMW NA HQ:
"Hey, Larry, it's the ad agency. They say they want us to provide 20-30 GSs for extras to ride in the background in Death Valley while they shoot the new catalog. What should I tell 'em?"
"Cripes! Do you know what that'll cost? And we'll have to pay all the extras, most of whom probably don't know how to ride anyway, so they'll trash the bikes. And then there's fuel, and food and lodging for the extras. We're talking a small fortune here!"
"But what else can we do? Tell 'em to get another background? Do it digitally?"
"Nah! I've got an idea! We'll turn it into a BMW owners event, and get real BMW owners to bring their _own_ bikes and ride 'em. That way we get experienced riders and we don't even have to provide the bikes."
"How will we get them to come?"
"We'll, um, feed 'em lunch. Yeah, that's it! A big ol' barbecue lunch. And lead 'em around to all the locations and call it a "Ride". Heck if we work this right, I bet we can even get 'em to pay for their own gas and lodging just for the 'honor' of being in the shoot!"
"Man, Larry, you are amazing! No wonder they pay you the big bucks!"
"Hey, Larry, it's the ad agency. They say they want us to provide 20-30 GSs for extras to ride in the background in Death Valley while they shoot the new catalog. What should I tell 'em?"
"Cripes! Do you know what that'll cost? And we'll have to pay all the extras, most of whom probably don't know how to ride anyway, so they'll trash the bikes. And then there's fuel, and food and lodging for the extras. We're talking a small fortune here!"
"But what else can we do? Tell 'em to get another background? Do it digitally?"
"Nah! I've got an idea! We'll turn it into a BMW owners event, and get real BMW owners to bring their _own_ bikes and ride 'em. That way we get experienced riders and we don't even have to provide the bikes."
"How will we get them to come?"
"We'll, um, feed 'em lunch. Yeah, that's it! A big ol' barbecue lunch. And lead 'em around to all the locations and call it a "Ride". Heck if we work this right, I bet we can even get 'em to pay for their own gas and lodging just for the 'honor' of being in the shoot!"
"Man, Larry, you are amazing! No wonder they pay you the big bucks!"
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Ha Ha!
Probably one of the the *best* comments I have read on this website! AyCaramba! Wait till someone from BMW reads this, they'll flip! ;-)
Probably one of the the *best* comments I have read on this website! AyCaramba! Wait till someone from BMW reads this, they'll flip! ;-)
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48 Posts
Re: Gixxer gears
Go for OEM gears...actually I'm not aware of anyone making aftermarket transmission gears for GSXRs. Undercutting is not a bad idea, and is best done while everything else is taken apart. It also lessens the chance that this'll happen again
-a nominal squid-
Go for OEM gears...actually I'm not aware of anyone making aftermarket transmission gears for GSXRs. Undercutting is not a bad idea, and is best done while everything else is taken apart. It also lessens the chance that this'll happen again
-a nominal squid-
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486 Posts
That's actually really good for any bike of the unadulterated sportbike genre--Suzuki or any of the other Japanese 4. But I worry that Suzuki made _too many_ weight-saving, performance enhancing tweaks on the latest GSXRs, and so I won't be surprised if they start dying within five years.
It's all a tradeoff in the end.
It's all a tradeoff in the end.
My 1989 R100GS has been with me on snow covered Montana roads, dirt ranch roads, 1000 mile road trips and daily commuting. It'll wheelie with a simple twist of the grip in 1st right off idle and just about ride to the edge of it's enduro tires.
In short it's fun anywhere, and the Death Valley rendezvous would be a great addition to my experiences on this bike. (It is not so over priced when you consider what it will do -- and keep doing year after year.)
In short it's fun anywhere, and the Death Valley rendezvous would be a great addition to my experiences on this bike. (It is not so over priced when you consider what it will do -- and keep doing year after year.)
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I'm assuming that I'm "Mr. VFRider," as you put it. I don't ride a VFR. I can't afford one, (I'm starvingstudent, remember?), nor could I afford ANYTHING that BMW sells, even their 650 single that somehow costs $8000+. I recommended the VFR and the R1100S because the guy rides a GSXR--do you think he wants a swiss-army-knife bike, or a sportbike? I was merely naming sportsbikes that, though they aren't as extreme as the GSXR, have a reputation for lasting forever.
Not everybody likes the same genre of bike, not even swiss-army-knife bikes.
Not everybody likes the same genre of bike, not even swiss-army-knife bikes.
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486 Posts
Oops--didn't notice that the real VFRider had posted something, openly bashing BMW. So my post makes no sense. Never mind.
Nice to hear that from someone else. I often wonder about these super short skirt pistons, super skinny valve stems, etc, etc. What's the longevity like at 14k rpm?
On the other side, my bike (a hundred years ago!) was the lightest, craziest, cut the weight of engine components to the max machine available... It's still running strong - though drag racing and a clumsey shifter foot didn't do much for 2nd gear.
It will be interesting to see how far material technology and engineering has come based on how long the latest GSXR/ZX/YZF/CBR crop lasts.
How's the VFR doing? I've loved those bikes for years and now that I'm married - something different than the GSXR11 is needed for rides over an hour long two up!!!
On the other side, my bike (a hundred years ago!) was the lightest, craziest, cut the weight of engine components to the max machine available... It's still running strong - though drag racing and a clumsey shifter foot didn't do much for 2nd gear.
It will be interesting to see how far material technology and engineering has come based on how long the latest GSXR/ZX/YZF/CBR crop lasts.
How's the VFR doing? I've loved those bikes for years and now that I'm married - something different than the GSXR11 is needed for rides over an hour long two up!!!
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486 Posts
Actually, I don't have a VFR--I never really clicked with sportbikes myself (different bikes are right for different people, and every bike has a place). I ride a Honda Shadow 600, which feels right for me (it feels right when I ride it in a way that the CBR600 and other sportbikes I've test-ridden don't) and is well suited to the slower-pace, watch-the-scenery riding that I like to do. I dropped the VFR's name because if you have more failures after this second-gear issue, a VFR can give you 80-90% of the performance with much greater long-term reliability.
In terms of riding with your wife--have you thought about picking up a big-bore sport-standard as a second bike? Something like a Bandit 1200 or an FZ-1 have all-day passenger accomodations, while still supplying great performance and handling. They also aren't too expensive to buy and they're cheap to keep running, so you could probably afford to have one of them _and_ a focused sportbike for solo riding.
Good luck getting that second gear fixed,
Starving Student
In terms of riding with your wife--have you thought about picking up a big-bore sport-standard as a second bike? Something like a Bandit 1200 or an FZ-1 have all-day passenger accomodations, while still supplying great performance and handling. They also aren't too expensive to buy and they're cheap to keep running, so you could probably afford to have one of them _and_ a focused sportbike for solo riding.
Good luck getting that second gear fixed,
Starving Student
Thanks SS
Yeah thought about the Bandit (test rode one... very nice) but the budget leads toward an older one or an older zx11. Yup, I'm a sucker for punishment.
Good on ya for riding what you like - shadow's a nice bike and I bet the back and shoulder cramps I get on the stupidbike don't affect you!
later.
Yeah thought about the Bandit (test rode one... very nice) but the budget leads toward an older one or an older zx11. Yup, I'm a sucker for punishment.
Good on ya for riding what you like - shadow's a nice bike and I bet the back and shoulder cramps I get on the stupidbike don't affect you!
later.
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