BMW Riders Needed
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Now That's Original
Didn't Yamaha start doing this "actual owner in the photo" theme last year? Or was it H-D that started doing it 20 years ago? Oh well. Kudos to BMW for highlighting actual riders instead of pretty-boy models who don't know a shifter from shinola.
GOB
Didn't Yamaha start doing this "actual owner in the photo" theme last year? Or was it H-D that started doing it 20 years ago? Oh well. Kudos to BMW for highlighting actual riders instead of pretty-boy models who don't know a shifter from shinola.
GOB
I always wondered about BMWs "being the best bike
on the street"...
BMWs have a reputation for being long lived, but
I always wondered if that was more a reflection
of the demographic that buys the bike more than
anything else.
BMWs are pretty pricey, so I would assume
that they are purchased by more mature/wealthy
riders. I wonder if these folks are more likely
to properly maintain their bikes than the
average rider...and therefore their bikes
last longer than the average...
The Brit bike mag "Ride" does a massive reader
survey each year ( 12000+ people ), and I
believe that last year they found out that
BMWs tend to have a fair amount of initial
quality issues. ( I don't have the stats/mag in
front of me, but I seem to recall that it was
around 40% of BMW's new bikes have a problem
that requires dealer intervention. Honda was
much lower.)
I'm not trying to start a flamewar (really! - I almost
bought an RS, so I'm not a BMW-basher ) but
I've always been curious about this.
Are BMW's better built than, say, Honda?
Comments?
-- Michael
on the street"...
BMWs have a reputation for being long lived, but
I always wondered if that was more a reflection
of the demographic that buys the bike more than
anything else.
BMWs are pretty pricey, so I would assume
that they are purchased by more mature/wealthy
riders. I wonder if these folks are more likely
to properly maintain their bikes than the
average rider...and therefore their bikes
last longer than the average...
The Brit bike mag "Ride" does a massive reader
survey each year ( 12000+ people ), and I
believe that last year they found out that
BMWs tend to have a fair amount of initial
quality issues. ( I don't have the stats/mag in
front of me, but I seem to recall that it was
around 40% of BMW's new bikes have a problem
that requires dealer intervention. Honda was
much lower.)
I'm not trying to start a flamewar (really! - I almost
bought an RS, so I'm not a BMW-basher ) but
I've always been curious about this.
Are BMW's better built than, say, Honda?
Comments?
-- Michael
Jealous of Bavarian Money Wasters? Not likely... besides, I like some BMW's, I just happen to think (and it's a personal opinion) that the GS 1150 is easily the most butt-ugly bike I've ever seen. If you have one, and it makes you happy, then good for you.
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13 Posts
just look at the sales numbers, Honda regained the top sales in the US beating H-D and well over BMW, BMW needs to stick with car what they do best. I guess you have a heated seat too yea your a real biker. Jap bikes rule and we dont have to pay those outragous prices for quality.
Joined
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53 Posts
no.
ooh, this is intelligent. Volume = quality. Er, no.
Just like 'the Honda Accord is the best selling car in America'....snore. Average quality components. Average lifespan. Well designed and executed build. Nothing to get excited about. Same as Toyota and Nissan, Suzuki, Kawasaki, etc. The Japanese engineering philosophy is different. As is the American and German approach.
BMW - simple proven design, applied technologies as appropriate, use best quality materials, put them together, sometimes force fit them together. Target low volume premium markets. They cater to the real riders who need machines that run big miles all year in all conditions. The customers will maintain the machines well and are open to fixing some of the character issues from the engineering approach as long as the machine stands up to the use.
Honda (Japan) - make everything fit together nice and be functional and easy to build. Use lower quality materials that corrode and fail over time but can be cheaply replaced. Make initial quality and perceived quality most important. Cater to people who ride low to medium miles and not subject machines to adverse conditions. These customers also think low-no maintenance = high quality so make tradeoffs accordingly.
US - ummmm - Harley?
Just like 'the Honda Accord is the best selling car in America'....snore. Average quality components. Average lifespan. Well designed and executed build. Nothing to get excited about. Same as Toyota and Nissan, Suzuki, Kawasaki, etc. The Japanese engineering philosophy is different. As is the American and German approach.
BMW - simple proven design, applied technologies as appropriate, use best quality materials, put them together, sometimes force fit them together. Target low volume premium markets. They cater to the real riders who need machines that run big miles all year in all conditions. The customers will maintain the machines well and are open to fixing some of the character issues from the engineering approach as long as the machine stands up to the use.
Honda (Japan) - make everything fit together nice and be functional and easy to build. Use lower quality materials that corrode and fail over time but can be cheaply replaced. Make initial quality and perceived quality most important. Cater to people who ride low to medium miles and not subject machines to adverse conditions. These customers also think low-no maintenance = high quality so make tradeoffs accordingly.
US - ummmm - Harley?
Small, now exactly why would somebody be jealous of a bike that decks the ground with their cylinder heads???? Boxer motors? HAHAHAHAHAHA. There is a reason BMW no longer makes a serious roadracer: they have fallen off the pace of technology. Oh sure, they can slap heated handgrips and ABS on a roadhog, but it seems that is all they do now. Actually i like BMW's, I just dont like people who try to force their ignorance unto others.
Everything that I've seen written about Honda
Accord quality/longevity has suggested that
the only other vehicle in its class that is
comparable is the Toyota Camry.
I know of several people personally that have
driven these cars to pretty high mileages
( 200,000+ ) with remarkably few problems.
Same goes for the bikes. VFRs, STs, and Goldwings
are known for being able to run forever. ( Granted,
VFRs have the voltage regulator "character
issue"... )
"Ride" ( or was it "Bike"? ) found the CBR900 to
be the most reliable bike made. Didn't SportRider
have an article on a '93 900RR that had been
used as a commuter and had gone 300,000+
miles?
I imagine that high mileage CBRs are more
infrequently seen than high mileage BMWs
for the simple fact that as sportbikes they
probably get crashed out more frequently.
Honda isn't above reproach, but they seem
to have an enviable record. They seem to make
high quality products for a fair price.
-- Michael
( And I don't own a Honda motorcycle BTW.
I have two Kawasakis. )
Accord quality/longevity has suggested that
the only other vehicle in its class that is
comparable is the Toyota Camry.
I know of several people personally that have
driven these cars to pretty high mileages
( 200,000+ ) with remarkably few problems.
Same goes for the bikes. VFRs, STs, and Goldwings
are known for being able to run forever. ( Granted,
VFRs have the voltage regulator "character
issue"... )
"Ride" ( or was it "Bike"? ) found the CBR900 to
be the most reliable bike made. Didn't SportRider
have an article on a '93 900RR that had been
used as a commuter and had gone 300,000+
miles?
I imagine that high mileage CBRs are more
infrequently seen than high mileage BMWs
for the simple fact that as sportbikes they
probably get crashed out more frequently.
Honda isn't above reproach, but they seem
to have an enviable record. They seem to make
high quality products for a fair price.
-- Michael
( And I don't own a Honda motorcycle BTW.
I have two Kawasakis. )
Yes .. . . Lets have some of that new BMW winning F1 engine technology in a lightweight motorcycle frame with Ohlins all round (Yamaha-permitting) from your Swedish friends . . .forget the tele-lever this time.. ..and you will have riders crossing the world to ride the baby in any commercial. Make it a v5 engine if you HAVE TO be original. But one more thing .. . . . the Japanese brothers - Sochiro Honda's boys wouldn't have much problem with you borrowing some 'unique' body-styling ideas from them. . .. . look around my german buddies. . .everybody is ripping off car & bike design since Daimler built the first of each in 1885 and 1886 respectively across the way from you there in Stuttgart. Style the body like a Jap bike - It doesn't get better than that. God Bless the work!
I don't know, to me the GS is just weird. What's the deal with that higher front fender anyway? Their bikes just don't appeal to me, especially for the price. Great cars, though.
To me, the ugliest bike is the MV Agusta Brutale. Great name for a naked Monster-type bike, but just plain ooglay.
To me, the ugliest bike is the MV Agusta Brutale. Great name for a naked Monster-type bike, but just plain ooglay.
I'm curious, too. You claim to have driven 26,000 miles on a CBR1000F in less than a year--including a break-in period when you bought it in May--riding constantly ("..24/7...") in all kinds of weather. Let's see.....since you ride farther than 65% of all Goldwing riders, how in the world do you find time to post all of these comments on this and other boards, and still have time to ride "constantly?" For example, today, April 26, your first post was at 9:31 PDT, and your last was at 15:11 PDT, a six hour time span, with two posts in between. Either you typed your first post, ran out and drove 100 miles or so, came home and typed another post, ran out and drove another 100 miles or so, and kept doing that for six hours, or you have some kind of a mobile computer unit in the tank bag of your sport bike. Please let me know, because I'm curious.
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