Why Ugly BMW's?

We fondly remember the old cars and motorcycles because we could work on them ourselves. We forget that we worked on them all the time. Spark plugs now last longer than the typical vehicle of the 60s or 70s. A compact car of the 60s was doing good if it got 18-20 MPG and we now complain if our 5,000 SUV doesn't do better. We had to replace the battery on our motorcycles every year (or more often) and we now complain if they don't last more than 5 years.

We now complain that it takes fancy equipment to diagnose a problem but we forget all of the stuff we worked on and replaced trying to resolve a problem in the "good old days".

[QUOTE=osbornk;733336]We fondly remember the old cars and motorcycles because we could work on them ourselves. We forget that we worked on them all the time. Spark plugs now last longer than the typical vehicle of the 60s or 70s. A compact car of the 60s was doing good if it got 18-20 MPG and we now complain if our 5,000 SUV doesn't do better. We had to replace the battery on our motorcycles every year (or more often) and we now complain if they don't last more than 5 years.

We now complain that it takes fancy equipment to diagnose a problem but we forget all of the stuff we worked on and replaced trying to resolve a problem in the "good old days".[/QUOTE]

My comments may not be EXACTLY relevant to your point...but. The last engine rebuild I did was on a '65 VW bug when I was a college student in Reno. Re-installation in the car was finished at 2AM in the morning, in an open carport with 6 inches of snow on the ground in January. I clearly recall that night as if it was a couple of weeks ago. That car HAD to run the next day!

Me...? I'm VERY happy with the technical advances and frankly quite satisfied to not spend so much time "maintaining" my current vehicles! ;)

Cheers! :drink

among the disenchanted. I do find the new bikes incredibly ugly and wouldn't buy one regardless of any improvement in performance or reliability.

Instead, I'm make my way over to the triumph or moto guzzi dealership where some of the offerings still resemble motorcycles.

I'm just amazed that they can make all kinds of niche bikes, but somehow can't/won't do a retro /2 or /5.

I'm also not the least bit enamored by obession with size /displacement/performance-maybe out West it's great fun to bury the speedo, but here, east of the big river, all your going to do is get youself in trouble.

I'd be more impressed if they focused on making their bikes as maintenance free and as reliable as Victory which I'd buy except I don't want to be in the V-twin demographic group.

Just for kicks, I added a poll to this thread. Never done this before, but this topic seems to be drawing a lot of comments, so it could be interesting! :D

C'mon guys (and gals)!

The debate has been colorful, the vote is close and we need more voters! :boldpurpl

[QUOTE=hultman;733513]C'mon guys (and gals)!

The debate has been colorful, the vote is close and we need more voters! :boldpurpl[/QUOTE]

Vote all the bums out!

Oh, wait, that's another election... :ear


Harry

Do you have to be a registered voter to do this?

[QUOTE=DRUDOLPH148006;733529]Do you have to be a registered voter to do this?[/QUOTE]

Registered as what? :)

[QUOTE=PGlaves;732869]I think they look fine. They don't all look alike. There is no mistaking a GS for an S1000RR, or a K1600 for and R1200. They all have an odd touch or too, but this is an "eye of the beholder" issue.

They are certainly not traditional in the true American or metric cruiser tradition - thank goodness - nor are they particularly squidly in the Asian tradition. Much ado is made of headlight design, but with new bulbs and HID setups that is as much function over form as vice versa. Certainly better than earlier H4 cousins.[/QUOTE]

Form & function are key to these bikes. Triumph, Yamaha, Honda, etc are copying the design of GS/GSA bikes closely enough that the old adage "copying is the sincerest form of flattery" rings very true. I do not own one of these bikes as I prefer a bike with a fairing for my touring but enjoyed the handling of the GS when a friend let me take his for a spin.

The R bike styling has appealed to me since 1956. Back then, it's beauty was function over form. To me, nothing has changed and it's still function over form.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me, the R bike is a beautifully crafted, perfectly functioning motorcycle.

I can appreciate the styling of most motorcycles but the BMW R bike looks best to me.

[QUOTE=DRUDOLPH148006;733529]Do you have to be a registered voter to do this?[/QUOTE]


Where I live (Louisiana), dead folks vote all the time... kinda like Chicago... :bolt

I have found over the years that the bikes and cars that look best and most fashionable when they are new, look dated sooner than the less stylish ones. I prefer plain and functional.

[QUOTE=Anyname;733640]I have found over the years that the bikes and cars that look best and most fashionable when they are new, look dated sooner than the less stylish ones. I prefer plain and functional.[/QUOTE]

I heard it said that the 'flashy' good-lookin'-type motorcycles..are for those that need / want the attention?:bolt

I can't explain [why] I prefer the looks of most BMWs...But I do?:dunno

[QUOTE=71243;734157]I heard it said that the 'flashy' good-lookin'-type motorcycles..are for those that need / want the attention?:bolt

I can't explain [why] I prefer the looks of most BMWs...But I do?:dunno[/QUOTE]
I don't think most BMW riders are posers. Harley riders, yes. I rode a Harley for a couple years, and the attention you get is embarrassing! People who know nothing about motorcycles drool over you when you stop. That's the main reason I sold the bike. Didn't want to be a member of a club I didn't join.

BMW riders generally ride for reasons other than appearance.

That said, however, I can't explain why I would not be seen dead on a current GS, as much as I love the bike. Perhaps it's because I consider the design gaudy and trendy and that means I would FEEL like a poser if I rode one? Maybe. But in the end, it appears from the poll that most agree with the current design, so I will just shut up, continue to ride my old bikes and leave it at that.

BMW obviously doesn't care about my demographic, but it's a shame, really. For the first time in my life I'm well enough off financially that I could walk in to the BMW dealer and buy a new one.

Maybe that's what really pisses me off. After 40 years of buying used motorcycles, I could finally buy a new GS and all they offer is a two wheeled Pontiac Aztec. Just my luck!! :laugh

To me, a bike first has to work really well overall as a bike, not as some piece of ass-bling jewelry. So to that, I have excluded myself from every form of chopper and most cruisers simply because they cannot do everything as well as can my BMWs. I guess if I had a large stable of bikes I might have a cruiser in it. But yet, I would find myself moe drawn to the bikes I know always work for me.

In some cases, the looks are simply simple, effective, and so classic, like my 76 R100RS. I fell for that bike way back when I was 19, and finally owned one in 89.

When the 94 R1100RS first came out, I like the bike, but not all of the styling. The front fender, I thought, looked like an upside down shovel. The fuel tank kind of humped up. But it grew on me. When I bought my teal green in October of 94, I quickly formed a bond with it, that is still holding me now, 17 years later. The functionality of the bike certainly preceded the form, but in time the form became more appealling. That bike still turns my head now and I feel it is another BMW classic.