Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[MVetter]

Side note: Morgan I had never heard you speak with good inside audio, you have a great pod cast voice.  Very Seth MacFarlane, in his normal voice not Peter.  You guys have a good future doing this.

Oh and note to self: If these guys ask to borrow my bike, say NO.   

Haha, thanks! I have always been a mimic and have done both theater and choirs. I love the idea of doing voice work, and these videos give me an opportunity to goof around with it a little.

As far as borrowing bikes, we're looking to review an SR/F and SR/S soon... anyone?

[JaimeC]

Oh!  One other observation regarding the review:  FINALLY someone complains about Harley Davidson's turn signal arrangement!!!!  Harley has been using that arrangement for DECADES.  The original ones were even worse; they only blinked as long as you held in the button.  Once you released it, it stopped blinking.  I'll never forget that first demo ride I did on a Harley.  Trying to signal a left turn while downshifting and clutching was an exercise in manual acrobatics.  I figured out why Harley riders in the late seventies and early eighties used hand signals most of the time.

When BMW first introduced the "K" series water-cooled inline four cylinder motorcycles in 1984, they had a similar arrangement BUT the light continued to blink when you removed your thumb, unlike the Harley systems at the time.  The signals self-canceled based on time and distance OR you could manually cancel them by raising your right thumb.  Despite the fact I found this system easy to use, EVERY motorcycle magazine on the PLANET that reviewed the K bikes criticized the signal arrangement.  Every year a new model line came out, EVERY review bitched about the turn signal arrangement.  Yet in that same period of time, not ONE review EVER mentioned the fact that Harley had been using a similar arrangement for DECADES.  At least Harley changed their system to continue blinking once you removed your thumb.

I'll credit Harley with one other thing regarding their self-canceling system though.  As far as I'm aware, theirs is the ONLY system that uses three criteria to cancel the signal.  They use time and distance like everyone else BUT they also factor in acceleration.  The system will self-cancel once it determines you have stopped accelerating; something nearly all riders do as they exit a curve.

So thanks, guys, for being the FIRST reviewers in my memory to bitch about Harley's turn signal arrangment.  It was LONG overdue!!  I think BMW got tired of all of the criticism because some years back they reverted to the system everyone else (but Harley) uses.

[princec]

I really liked the 3-button arrangement for BMW's indicators after a short while, and after a few years on them I actually didn't like the "Japanese" style indicators any more! Sadly BMW don't make them that way any more so I've had to get used to the one switch again.

Magazines tended to moan about BMW switches a while back because BMW were sort of niche enthusiasts bikes but attempting to be mainstream over here in Europe, so it was perceived as one of those "characterful quirks" that was preventing BMW from seeing a more mass-market adoption (though really it was the least of their issues). Harleys were also seen as a niche, but a niche that consisted solely of customers that literally didn't want anything else except a shaky slow old tractor, so nobody cared. And they still don't though it would appear Harley's suddenly awoken from a 30 year long slumber to notice all their customers are about to die and there aren't any new ones.

Cas

[Richard230]

I really liked the 3-button arrangement for BMW's indicators after a short while, and after a few years on them I actually didn't like the "Japanese" style indicators any more! Sadly BMW don't make them that way any more so I've had to get used to the one switch again.

Magazines tended to moan about BMW switches a while back because BMW were sort of niche enthusiasts bikes but attempting to be mainstream over here in Europe, so it was perceived as one of those "characterful quirks" that was preventing BMW from seeing a more mass-market adoption (though really it was the least of their issues). Harleys were also seen as a niche, but a niche that consisted solely of customers that literally didn't want anything else except a shaky slow old tractor, so nobody cared. And they still don't though it would appear Harley's suddenly awoken from a 30 year long slumber to notice all their customers are about to die and there aren't any new ones.

Cas

I agree. I have the three-button system on my BMW F650GS twin and really like it. It is much easier to use than the single button system for me.  But BMW has returned to the conventional single button turn signal switch now, which I have on my RS, and I find that it takes more movement of my thumb than the older system.

[princec]

The new BMW switch has also been universally panned by every journalist for feeling flimsy and lack of movement since its introduction. I tried it once, didn't like it at all. That said the indicator switches on my Hondas feel crappy in a different way and the one on my KTM feels even worse.

Cas

[Electric Cowboy]

Thanks for all the valuable feedback everyone! All of it has an impact on the videos.

Also to the question about the motors torquing effect on the bike, if it did have any effect, it was that it made it easier to flick. No negative effects perceived.

[JaimeC]

Thanks for all the valuable feedback everyone! All of it has an impact on the videos.

Also to the question about the motors torquing effect on the bike, if it did have any effect, it was that it made it easier to flick. No negative effects perceived.

It's not like the bike has a heavy flywheel like the BMW boxers, or Moto Guzzi V-Twins or (God forbid) a Boss Hoss.  The latter practically threw me to the ground when I thumbed the starter button!  They should've warned me to leave it on the sidestand when starting the bike.  Instead, I stood the bike up and retracted the sidestand before thumbing the starter.  Lesson learned!!

[DonTom]

I don’t call out most of your unsupported claims, but this one is ludicrous. There will be more chargers, even if only for fleet operators. The economics of this are not for your convenience. They’re happening at a large scale because they pay off for businesses.

No doubt there will be more charge stations, but mostly in areas where there are already many, because that's where most businesses are located.  I would go for  half as many charge stations, but more spread out.

The issue is not the number of charge stations, but their locations where they are all grouped together in the larger cities and such. Even I-80 could use a few east of Fernley, NV.

The charge stations that don't help me out to get places don't count!

BTW, they are now re-opening the casinos here in Reno, so I assume we can once again use their charge stations.

-Don-  Reno, NV