The new Neckmike headset should resolve the two biggest problems with wearing earphones connected to your phone when riding.
The problems are that the microphone supplied with most smartphone earphones is usually useless against wind noise on a bike and the bulky earbuds are often uncomfortable under a tight helmet.
Neckmike has a microphone that attaches to your neck and works like those fighter pilots we’ve seen in many war movies, cutting out all wind and ambient noise.
The earbuds are also small and the type that slot right inside your ears to reduce background wind noise so you don’t have to turn the volume up ridiculously high to hear.
(Now we know some riders are totally against this sort of communication/entertainment while riding. However, there are other riders who love music and being able to stay in touch. Plus there are professionals who need to be in contact for work while riding such as couriers and moto-journos like me!)
Neckmike
Neckmike is the product of a two-person Swedish company that produces headsets for military and first responders.
Co-founder Carl Franzén tells us they have now developed a civilian version suitable for active use such as motorcycling, skiing, jogging and cycling.
Carl models the Neckmike
They have launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding program to help get the product to market.
There are three types of headset:
C30 unit
The C30 costs $US109,99 (about $A155) and is designed for use with a smartphone, although it does not have a lightning connection for the iPhone so you have to use the adapter that comes with the phone. You can also plug it into some Bluetooth intercoms that feature an external speaker socket.
The C50 ($US129.99/$A180) is the same headset but with a lower volume output to meet CE requirements.
Top of the range is the Neckmike M4+ bundle at $US209.99 (about $295) which contains a Neckmike C20 and a M4 bluetooth intercom. It’s good value as you also get a handlebar controller for easy access to controls.
Bundle comes with M4 intercom and handlebar controls
Carl says the units are completely waterproof and the earbud speakers are made with hi-fi elements from a “renowned Danish company”.
While Neckmike can be connected to many communication devices, a number of versions with different cable sets will be released soon.
We also hope to test one of the units when they become available.
Each year, tens of millions of tourists visit New York City to take in the sights, experience the city’s melting pot culture, catch a Broadway show, visit one of the world’s leading museums, shop on Fifth Avenue, walk through Central Park, and so much more. In fact, there’s so much to do in New York City at all times that even if you lived there your entire life, you’d never be able to see or do it all. Still, that’s no reason not to try to do as much as possible! With so much to do in one city, you’d be missing out on a lot by sticking to just one or two areas. And that’s where traveling by motorbike comes in to help you see and do more.
Perks of Touring New York by Motorcycle
Over the years, motorcycles haven’t really been the transportation method of choice for New York visitors or residents, even though there are many benefits to choosing motorcycles over other options. In a congested city like New York, traveling by motorbike will inspire you to check out all of the five boroughs — instead of just Times Square, which is where tourists usually stick to — and unlock a world of excitement. You’ll be able to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge or Highline, visit the Natural History Museum, and catch a Yankees game, all in one trip. It’s also cheaper than taking cabs everywhere, and more scenic than traveling around by subway.
Looking for more sights to check out? Here are a few other places you should visit when touring New York City by motorcycle:
Coney Island
Traveling by motorcycle might take you about the same time as traveling by subway, but it’ll be a far more pleasant experience — and more scenic! You’ll get a nice shot of the Manhattan skyline as you head into Brooklyn, and you’ll get to see how the neighbourhoods change. Once in Coney Island, you should set some time aside to lounge on the beach, hit up the amusement park (including the Cyclone, one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the US), and stop by Nathan’s for one of their world-famous hot dogs.
Getting to Flushing by taxi or subway can be nearly impossible sometimes — many taxis won’t leave Manhattan, and there are frequently long train delays or other issues. Luckily, you can avoid all of this when traveling by motorbike. Flushing is home to some of the best Chinese food you’ll find in New York. You’ll also find plenty of other great food in the area (and nearby) such as Mexican, Greek, Thai, Japanese, and so much more.
If you’re looking for more food options, head to the Queens Night Market nearby where you’ll find food from more than 80 countries. There’s also live music and plenty of art to check out. When you’re done, head to the Queens Museum for visual arts exhibits or Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a stroll.
The Met Cloisters
Located in Washington Heights’ Fort Tryon Park along the Hudson River, this is a must-visit museum for medieval history lovers. The museum features art and architecture from medieval Europe, in additional to beautiful gardens. The Met Cloisters also features rotating art exhibits and numerous events, including concerts.
Once you arrive here, you’ll forget you’re in New York City. This zoo is one of the largest zoos in the the US at 265 acres. Millions of people from all over the world visit the zoo every year to see the zoo’s extremely diverse collection of wildlife. It’s so big in fact that you’ll have a difficult time seeing the whole place, so it’s best to pick a few areas that you want to focus on and stick to those. If you’re able to, try scheduling a trip to the Bronx Zoo on the same day as a ball game in Yankee Stadium since they’re in the same borough.
There are just a few of the sights you should check out with touring New York by motorcycle. If you really want to make the most of your trip, be sure to plan out your visit and routes ahead of time so you don’t miss anything!
And it is not going to go away. It seems drivers are becoming more and more distracted by the various electronic gizmos in their cars.
But the biggest distraction is the mobile phone – not just for making calls. Police say they have seen drivers updating their social media and even taking selfies while they drive.
In an ironic twist, St Paul’s is axing its bike cop unit while Australian motorcycle police are often deployed to patrol for motorists using mobile phone illegally.
They say the seat height of the bikes give police a good view into the driver “cockpit”.
Meanwhile, mobile phone fines vary across the nation:
NSW $337 fine and 5 demerit points;
Queensland $391 and 3 points;
Victoria $476 and 4 points;
Western Australia $400 and 3 points;
South Australia $308, plus $60 Victims of Crime levy, and 3 points;
Tasmania $300 and 3 points;
Northern Territory $250 and 3 points;
ACT $386 and 3 points.
Fines around the world
Fines vary around the world from no fine in many Asian countries to thousands of dollars and licence suspensions in Canada.
New Zealand has an $80 fine which matches their low fines for speeding. Consequently 3.5% of Kiwi drivers use their phone while driving compared with about 1.5% in Australia.
Almost half (24) of American states have no hand-held phone ban. Some states only issue fines if the driver is in a school zone or committing some other traffic offence such as speeding. Arizona and Montana even allow drivers to text!
The toughest measures in the USA are in California. The state has a $US150 fine (about $A205) for the first offence and more than $US250 (about $A345) for a second violation and one point.
Canada has a distracted driving offence which attracts a $1000 fine and three demerit points. A second conviction could mean a fine of up to $2000 and a seven-day licence suspension. A third offence could mean a fine of up to $3000 and a 30-day suspension.
Fines in Europe vary from less than €50 (about $80) and one point in eastern Europe to €420 (about $A675) in the Netherlands and up to six points in the UK.
Former two-stroke GP racer Nobuatsu Aoki who raced against Mick Doohan features in a video riding the upcoming Suzuki Katana, claiming it delivers power in a similar way.
Interestingly, Nobuatsu who finished third in the 500cc GP championship in 1997 to Mick, says the bike reminds him of his GP machines. Or at least we think so. It’s a little confusing, or may simply be lost in translation.
This is what he has to say about the power delivery:
The power at full throttle is important, but very little time is spent full power.
Much more of your time is spent just easing open the throttle from the fully closed position.I ’d rather feel the smooth pickup you’d expect from a two-stroke or GP machine.
When the engine kicks in and the chain tenses, it’s important to have a mechanism that gradually increases the load to the rear tyre.
The Katana seems to have such a system, but it hides it.
Nobuatsu is filmed riding the bike on a slippery, wet, Japanese road strewn with leaves so he comments on the traction control and ABS and says it gives “great confidence”.
For a racer who spent his career with his head down and bum up, Nobatsu says he enjoys the upright stance of the Katana which is far removed from the original.
I like the riding position built into the Katana … the positioning of the handlebars feels natural the first time out, testifying to the value of the Suzuki tradition.
A proper engine in a proper chassis. And the riding position is fantastic. I was surprised how easy to ride it is.
The next month, a second “Glass Sparkle Black” version was unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan.
Online deposits
Suzuki Australia spokesman Matt Reilly says they are only taking orders for the bike online, “offering customers a premium buying experience along the way in the lead up to arrival in the third quarter of next year”.
“Australian pricing is not yet 100% confirmed and difficult to accurately forecast given the timeframe to the Katana’s Q3 2019 arrival,” he says.
“However, we have been advising customers that we are working very hard to secure the bike for under $20K ride away with 12 months’ registration.”
Deposits cost $1000 and if you change your mind after three business days, Suzuki Australia will only refund $450.
The remaining $550 takes into account the “reasonable administrative costs Suzuki will incur as a result of your cancellation”.
The first 50 customers to order a Katana also receive a Katana-themed Arai QV-Pro helmet, valued at $995, with their bike delivery.
Online customers can nominate their preferred authorised Suzuki motorcycle dealer for delivery as well as arrange finance and insurance quotes and trade-in valuations.
Printed brochures are also available at Suzuki dealers.
If you can’t complete the online order, you can do it at the dealership.
Matt says online ordering was launched at the Australian MotoGP in October.
“We have had a fantastic response to the online ordering system, receiving a greater number of orders than we originally expected within the first week of it being live,” he says.
“To say customers are excited about this new bike is a massive understatement.”
Suzuki Katana
The 2019 Katana has several styling cues from the old Katana including sharp lines, sports screen, half-fairing, stepped two-tone seat, stubby black exhaust and rectangular headlight.
Modern styling changes and features include full LED lighting, a remote rear fender and a massive catalytic convertor underneath.
The biggest change is straight bars instead of clip-ons, so it might be ergonomically less painful to ride.
Power comes from a long-stroke version of the fuel-injected 999cc inline-four engine from the GSX-R1000 with 110kW at 10,000rpm and 108Nm of torque at 9500rpm.
That’s significantly tuned down from the GSX-R1000 which has 150kW at 13200rpm and 117.6Nm at 10,800rpm. It’s porkier too at 215kg compared with 202kg.
Features include a back-torque-limiting clutch, Suzuki’s three-mode Traction Control System, Fujico disc brakes with Brembo front brake calipers and ABS, and new tyres with a tubeless inner structure designed exclusively for the Katana.
Suzuki makes a point of saying the seat is comfortable, probably because the old Katana was notoriously uncomfortable. However, the seat is fairly high at 825mm.
When it comes to scrapping a motorbike, moped or scooter there are certain rules that you must consider in the UK. The DVLA make it necessary for you to comply to strict rules and if scrapping with a company, they must be authorised by the government and known as an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF).
Most scrappage services are free, however if you want to get rid of your motorbike you must ensure that all of the fluids must be removed, as well as the tyres, wheels and battery in order to help preserve and protect the environment. If your vehicle is missing parts, the scrapping company could possibly charge you if those parts are essential to the vehicle.
Once your motorbike has been crushed, the company will provide you with a Certificate of Destruction, this can be handed over up to seven days after you have dropped the vehicle off. If you fail to show proof of your CoD then you could receive a fine of up to £80 and be prosecuted, so it is essential that you get one once the motorbike has been crushed. The scrapping company will inform the DVLA that the vehicle has been scrapped, however you will have to complete and send off section 9 of your log book to the DVLA. You should receive a letter within a few weeks of sending the information to confirm that the DVLA have it.
You also need to be aware that as of new rules and regulations, you are not legally allowed to accept cash payments from the scrapping company. The new law was introduced in order to make car scrapping a more regulated process by the government.
What documents do you need?
Scrapping your motorbike is a simple process, however you will need a few documents in order to process the scrappage. In order to have your vehicle scrapped at an ATF then you will need:
Owner manual and book
V5C registration certificate
Full/part service history
Don’t have your V5C or logbook? You will still be able to scrap your motorbike, instead of sending this off to the DVLA you will simply have to write to them and give them information on:
Details of the buyer
The date of the sale
To confirm the motorbike has been sold to be scrapped
The make, model and registration of the motorbike
If your motorbike has been written off
If you are not choosing to have your car scrapped and it has been written off by your insurance company then you will have to fill out section V5C/3 of your registration certificate and send this to the DVLA. It may be the possible that your insurance company will ask you to provide them with your certificate. There are four categories that your motorbike can fit into if it has been written off:
Category A: The vehicle must be destroyed as it cannot be repaired
Category B: The vehicle is not roadworthy and cannot be repaired therefore the shell must be destroyed, however other parts can be salvaged.
Category S: The vehicle is classified as ‘structurally damaged’. The vehicle could be considered roadworthy and used again if repaired to legal standards.
Category N: The vehicle is classed as ‘non-structurally damaged’, and can be driven after being repaired to legal standards.
Once you’ve decided if it’s time to have your motorbike scrapped you can take the procedures described above in order to make sure you do it in a safe and legal manner. Sites such as Car.co.uk will give you an instant online quote and collect the vehicle for you without any hassles.
It’s bad enough crashing into a car, but this Indian motorcyclist gets a double dose of bad luck when the post he runs into collapses on top of him.
The security camera footage shows the driver of the white car pausing at an intersection, then starting to turn left, right into the path of the rider.
It’s bad luck for the rider who then slides into a light pole.
He gets up and seems ok but bad luck strikes a second time when the light pole falls on his head.
Jarvish has now secured more than enough crowd funding to launch their X and X-AR smart helmets, adding a Tron version with LED strips.
Their smart helmet will include a host of technology such as head-up display, cameras, Bluetooth intercom and GPS all with voice-only control through Siri, Amazon Alexa and OK Google.
The Taiwanese company launched a Kickstarter campaign last year, securing $420,000 in funding.
The full-featured X-AR is being offered at $US1099 (about $A1550) compared with the retail price after the campaign of $US1599 ($A2260). It is scheduled for delivery in September 2019.
The “budget” X version without HUD and the rear camera costs $US499 (about $A700) for early bird backers compared with the retail price of $US699 ($A990). Delivery is planned for April 2019.
Shipping will be free in the UK and US, but $US100 (about $A135) elsewhere.
Tron special
Jarvish have now switched to an Indiegogo campaign for further funding and announced that supporters who ordered the helmet can switch the special Tron version for an extra $US100 ($A140).
The Tron helmet’s micro-draw LED strips can be turned on via voice command attract more attention at night and make the rider even safer.
If you’ve already bought an X on Indiegogo and want to upgrade to the Tron design click here and if you’ve ordered the X-AR click here.
Those who ordered on Kickstarter can upgrade to the Tron when they select their helmet size.
Tron comes with a waterproof helmet bag and extra one-year warranty.
New customers can buy the X Tron for $599, or the X-AR Tron for $1199 on the Indiegogo page.
Jarvish features
The helmet features front and rear 1080p 360-degree cameras, Bluetooth audio, active noise cancelling to reduce wind noise, a drop-down HUD screen, and integrated satellite navigation.
A range of those features has been promised in other smart helmets, but none promises all of them.
There are other points of difference:
The cameras will not only record video on 16 GB of internal storage plus a 256GB card slot but the rear camera can also be used as a rear view mirror;
Its head-up display screen is voice-activated to retract and deploy so it isn’t in your face the whole time;
Automated sensors turn the helmet on when you put it on and turns off when you remove the helmet;
Gyro, e-compass, accelerometer and ambient light sensors analyse the weather and road conditions to provide real-time alerts;
Access to Siri, Alexa and OK Google is voice activated without having to tap a button; and
Wireless charging.
Jarvish promises to deliver
The Jarvish HUD promises to show “critical information” such as bike speed, local speed limit, time, weather, chance of rain, media, phone calls, fuel stops, compass, navigation, traffic alerts, and even “road slip notifications”.
That’s a lot of information available to overload the rider and possibly make the helmet very heavy.
However, voice activation means the rider can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the bars while control the cameras, make a call, adjust the volume, play music and more.
Even with all that technology and capability, the ECE and DOT-approved carbon helmets weigh only 14.kg for the X and 1.7kg for the X-AR.
Battery life will be six hours for the X. The extra tech in the X-AR will drain the military-grade solid-state flexible type lithium ceramic battery in four hours.
There is also an Android and iOS app that comes with the helmet to widen its capabilities.
A 33-year-old rider has died after hitting a cow early on Tuesday morning (February 19, 2019), prompting a call for mandatory reflective ear or tail tags for cattle as used in Scotland.
Beef farmer Terry Moody of Upper Clarence Combined Landcare says it’s a major safety issue that has been exacerbated by an increase in Black Angus cattle which are harder to see in low-light conditions.
The rider hit the cow on Eltham Rd near Lismore before 5am.
Police say a report on the fatality will be prepared for the Coroner and Richmond Police District officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The number of times I’ve nearly hit black cows is ridiculous,” Terry says.
Terry says the number of Black Angus cattle has increased 30% in the past 10 years because of the McDonald’s promotion of Angus Burgers.
Black Angus
Cattle warning
Terry says he is not a rider, but he recently ran his truck into an “invisible herd” of the black cattle on a major highway, narrowly missing several cattle.
“I came over the hill on a state highway doing 100km and at the last second saw a herd of black cattle right in front of me,” he says.
“They are getting loose because there is no rain, so they are madly trying to find feed and breaking out of paddocks on to the road.”
Terry says it is the land holder’s responsibility to keep cattle fenced in.
“I’ve spoken to a couple of the tag manufacturers and they say they are having trouble getting them to work but they do in Scotland” he says.
“For the sake of someone developing a decent reflective tag, more motorists could die.”
“We’re hearing of a lot of crashes in country areas, usually after 3pm and on a weekend you are at the biggest risk,” he says.
“These B roads aren’t as well managed by local councils, they don’t have the vision of A roads and they have more access to farms and properties,” he says.
“If the fences are down, the animals can get out.
“I’ve heard that if they are hungry or thirsty cattle will work their way through fences if they see water or feed.
“With the current drought conditions, it’s a bigger problem for motorcyclists.
Motorcyclists can now use more bus lanes in Melbourne indefinitely under an extension to an already six-year bus-lane trial.
The Victorian Government started a “six-month trial” in Hoddle St in 2011 allowing riders to use the bus lane in peak periods. The trial was extended in 2017 with the Fitzgerald St bus lane added, but still no report has been issued.
Now the trial will be expanded to include the Eastern Freeway inbound from the Chandler Highway to Hoddle Street, and Victoria Parade between Hoddle Street and Brunswick Street.
It is believed the trial bas been extended to five years but calls to VicRoads and the government could not clear up the time period.
Three-year battle
Victorian Motorcycle Council media spokesman John Eacott says they have battled three years to get the trial extended.
“I fronted one of the senior VicRoads guys at the Minister’s Motorcycle Expert Advisory Panel after he said they were unsafe,” John says.
“I tackled him about using statistics from outside the bus lane times and he was sent away to do further research.
“At least we’ve now got this.”
However, John is concerned that the trial is being funded by the Motorcycle Safety Levy to which the VMC has long objected.
“No other section of the road-using public has to fund their own safety. It’s appalling,” he says.
Bus lanes
Riders can use bus lanes in London
Riders can only legally ride in bus lanes in NSW and the ACT in Australia. In most states, only bicycles, taxis, limousines and emergency vehicles can use these lanes.
However, in several major cities around the world, including London and Tel Aviv, riders are allowed to use bus lanes.
Western Australia also started a one-year trial for motorbikes and taxis in bus lanes in South and Beaufort streets, Perth, from March 2015. There has been no official report issued since.
If there are concerns about safety, why are cyclists allowed to use these lanes in most states?
Surely they are far more vulnerable because of the speed differential with motorised transport and their smaller profile on the road.
Levy package
The Victorian Government says the bus lane trial is part of a $1 million road safety package for motorcyclists funded by their levy.
They also include:
A learner and novice rider pack will be developed containing tips, resources, a high-visibility vest and other “safety” equipment;
VicRoads surveillance officers will be trained and equipped to better identify road imperfections and other potential hazards for motorcyclists; and
The MotoCAP motorcycle protective clothing star rating system will be “further promoted to help riders make better choices when it comes to buying safety gear”.
The Motorcycle Safety Levy was introduced in October 2002 to provide specific funding to reduce motorcycle-related road trauma.
Motorcycle Riders Association Victoria spokesman and former MEAP member Damien Codognotto says MEAP was ignored in this “government million dollar PR stunt”.
“The whole thing is aimed at the rider being to blame for all or most of the 2019 rider casualty rate,” he says.
BMW Motorrad is seeking a patent for a hybrid drive motorcycle with a boxer engine and a back-up electric motor that would also act as a starter motor.
At the time, BMW Motorrad Australia GM Andreas Lundgren said there was a “very thin border between fact and fiction in their pranks … the concept is plausible”.
He seems to be right, according to these recently released simplistic patent drawings filed with the German patent office on August 8, 2017.
The April Fool’s Day press release declared it would be called xDrive Hybrid and include an electric motor in the front wheel hub as developed by their automobile engineers for hybrid vehicles. That would make it a two-wheel-drive bike.
However, the patent filing is not for a two-wheel-drive bike.
Hybrid drive
Instead, it’s for a hybrid drive bike with the electric motor and boxer engine delivering power to the rear wheel.
They would be connected by a planetary gear system with a torque-limiting slip clutch on the electric motor driving the crank.
The electric motor would also function as a starter motor and generator, converting mechanical power from the boxer engine into electricity.
Being a hybrid drive system, BMW could reduce the size of the boxer engine and appease stringent Euro 5 emissions targets due in 2020.
April Fool’s Day pranksters
The Bavarian jokesters are famous for their April Fool’s Day jokes, having begun running spoof advertisements on April 1 in the early 1980s.
BMW’s marketing department says April Fool jokes are “designed to teeter on the verge of credibility” and often focus on a new and revolutionary piece of technology, but “push the idea just beyond the plausible.”
Some of their other April 1 pranks were a self-cleaning car, remote-inflatable tyres, dog-repellent bumpers, tyres that melted snow and a self-driving car that follows you when you go for a jog. This appears to be their first motorcycle prank.
Two-wheel-drive future?
But is BMW still interested in a two-wheel-drive adventure motorcycle?
There have been several other two-wheel-drive motorcycles before, most notably Yamaha’s 2WD system called 2-TRAC. They used it to tackle the Dakar Rally but it never made it into mass production.
The idea is not dead yet with Yamaha, either. Their PES2 electric bike is 2WD and the Japanese company recently filed a patent for a new 2WD system with an electric motor driving the front wheel.
Other 2WD products and concepts include the Christini dirt bikes, Suzuki Nuda concept, Rokon, Ural 2WD outfits and Australia’s own Drysdale stroker which was intended for the Australian Army.
Drysdale Dryvtech
Rokon
But the biggest hint that BMW may actually be considering a 2WD bike comes from BMW accessories company Wunderlich.
The Wunderlich invention is basically a 7.6kW electric hub motor in the front wheel that neatly fits inside the ABS ring.
It sounds very similar to what BMW proposed in their 2017 April 1 press release.
Wunderlich 2WD BMW R 1200 GS
Many online sites fell for that joke, but they weren’t the only ones playing pranks that year.
Other pranks included an Australian Government law to make all bikes water-cooled, Holden producing motorcycles, Triumph introducing a HandleWheel to replace the handlebars and the American Transportation Department requiring all bikes to be fitted with a $35 limiter that restricted top speed to 75mph (120km/h). The latter caused much angst and confusion among riders!
At Motorbike Writer, we report the news and don’t play pranks with our readers.
This is from the BMW Motorrad April 1, 2017, press release on the “xDrive Hybrid” bike:
All-wheel drive can be operated automatically or manually by the rider via the 2WD (Two-Wheel Drive) switch located on the left handlebar operation unit. It activates the wheel-hub e-Drive system which functions both as electric motor and generator. With the additional output of 33 kW (45 hp) and overall 125 kW (170 hp) system performance, the innovative all-wheel drive system opens up a whole new dimension of performance and off-road suitability.
A new generation of batteries, derived from BMW i battery technology, stores the energy recuperated during braking. The e-Drive system on the front wheel is supplied with this energy and the R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid rider can use it for accelerating in addition to the power delivered by the combustion engine. Thanks to sophisticated management technology the power is always supplied to the front wheel in the right amount and appropriately depending on the riding situation. This means that the front wheel only receives the amount of power as the traction conditions permit – for example in wet or deep snow conditions. The rider can use a number of riding modes to customise how the all-wheel drive system operates and adjust the hybrid system’s recuperation strategies to suit his needs. Everything can be controlled using the innovative LCD display.
Optimised braking performance and balanced weight ratio thanks to intelligent recuperation and single disc brake.
Apart from the significant advantages achieved with regard to ride performance, the xDrive Hybrid all-wheel drive also benefits braking greatly. Thanks to the recuperation process, which has been integrated into the BMW Motorrad ABS system, braking performance has been improved even further.
This intelligent combined solution also made it possible to reduce the conventional double-disc hydraulic braking system at the front to a single-disc brake system thereby saving approximately 2.9 kilograms of weight. In combination with the wheel hub e-Drive, which only weighs 880 grams, the bike’s agility was also optimised. Thanks to the bike’s positive weight balance, the weight level of the current R 1200 GS Adventure could be maintained in spite of the additional hybrid all-wheel technology.
This bike will get you anywhere, on any surface – even to the North pole.
In the past months the test version of the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid covered countless thousands of kilometres in the toughest of riding conditions. The most extreme demands were placed on the bike last winter, when Reiner Scherbeck, the head of winter testing at BMW Motorrad, rode it to the North Cape on a first stage and from there across the frozen Barents Sea to the North Pole and back again.
Scherbeck: “We were absolutely amazed how problem-free and reliable the all-wheel drive worked even at minus 56 degrees. Thanks to our functional BMW rider equipment, the cold temperatures were no problem for the rider, too. Probably the most thrilling conclusion we can draw from our test runs, is that for the first time we can offer a motorcycle that makes riding a motorcycle a pleasure at snow depths of 1.25 metres in high winter with the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid. Special front section components have also been developed for this purpose as well as high-speed suitable M+S all-season tyres. This was also necessary in order to meet the necessary requirements for high-speed winter operation.”
The new BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid will be presented to the public in a suitable location very soon. It will be available from the second half of 2017. BMW Motorrad will announce special tyre combinations and optional equipment features as well as the official sales price at a later date.
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