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05-23-2007, 05:46 AM
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Still Wondering
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: On reconnaissance
Posts: 7,682
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Morning Reads: 23 May 2007
Today’s Birthdays / Calendar
 News: webbikeworld.com Moto Guzzi Norge 850 Similar to the Norge 1200 this new Norge will prove to be an interesting alternative to BMW’s F800ST. Limited information is available at this time. The price point will be key. 3viso.com/moto The Board of Directors appoints Gabriele Del Torchio as CEO thekneeslider.com Hydrostatic Drive Diesel Motorcycle  brainbucketmagazine.com Iowa: State honors Patriot Guard Riders motocyclenews.com MCN Video: Three-wheeled Spyder on the road By Tom Rayner MCN man Tom Rayner has spent the weekend blasting round the lakes of Austria on the new three-wheeled Can Am Spyder. ridermagazine Sit Down and Hold On! 2007 Boss Hoss ZZ4 Super Sport By James Parchman visordown.com Dunlop Beer? Only on the Isle of Man thescooterscoop.blogspot.com Dragsters are on the boat! Or, The attach of the killer Italjet scooters! Update: ktm-rci.net KTM Sportmotocycles AG – updates its RC8 website motorcycle-usa.com AMA News & Notes – May 2007 Courtesy of the American Motorcycle Association MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE Suite 510 Washington, DC 20002-4980 202-546-0983 (voice) 202-546-0986 (fax) http://www.mrf.org (website) MRF LEADERS' REPORT Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations jeff@mrf.org (e-mail) NHTSA Quarterly Motorcycle Safety Network Meeting The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently held its quarterly motorcycle safety network meeting. These meetings are an update session held by the Feds to brief the motorcycle community at large on what they are doing with regard to motorcycle safety. Of particular note is the NHTSA "Share the Road with Motorcycles" planner and guide located on their website (go to www.nhtsa.gov, then click on the "Traffic Safety" tab at the top, then click on "Motorcycles" along the left side). The planner provides a sample letter to the editor, posters and promotional materials. Also noteworthy was the update from Honda on the airbag-equipped Goldwing. Honda reported selling 700 units in the states and recently had the first deployment in action. Turns out some guy in sunny Florida t-boned a minivan and the bag inflated and kept him from going over the bars. He walked away from the event unharmed. According to the representative from Honda, this gentleman was exercising his right to choose when the wreck occurred. SAE Government and Industry Conference The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) held a multi-day conference in DC this week that included two technical presentations with motorcycling interests. The first was a presentation by NHTSA of the FARS data from last year. I have seen this presentation by NHTSA dozens of times, but what interested me about this presentation is that it seems NHTSA may now actually trying to collect some of the data that has eluded them in the past, while not entirely preventing the collection of half-baked numbers. You see, right now although it's mandatory for states to report crash data for automobiles, it's optional for states to report motorcycle crash data. That hasn't changed, but NHTSA is now urging the states to collect and present real world numbers instead of using mathematical equations as they can (and many of them do) right now. To oversimplify, some states currently use a formula to determine vehicle miles traveled for motorcycles such as taking the number of registered bikes, and suggesting that since bikes are "X" percent of all vehicles and cars traveled this many miles then we can assume motorcycles traveled "X" amount of miles as well. Of course, we know that's not how it works. I am sure very little will change when it comes to motorcycle VMT and it's likely that once again, as it has for many years now according to NHTSA numbers, no motorcycles will travel in the state of South Dakota this year. Yeah right! The second SAE session relevant to motorcyclists dealt with novelty helmets. Call them what you want - skid lid, half helmet, beanie - but you know what I am talking about and you probably also know that should you need head protection, you probably won't find it in a novelty helmet. Well the good folks at NHTSA couldn't just accept that assumption, so they apparently did a study on novelty helmets. This study has not yet been released to the public, but NHTSA did hint at it in the session. NHTSA spent who knows how many millions of taxpayer dollars to determine that non-DOT-compliant helmets don't perform as well as DOT-compliant helmets. Seems like a waste of money to me, especially when we can fully fund a crash causation study that is nearly 20 years overdue. Stay tuned for the results of this groundbreaking study. Other News The House Judiciary Committee soundly defeated an amendment to a sweeping ethics reform bill that would have forced more reporting on grassroots groups like the MRF. The amendment was the same language in HR 2093 a bill the MRF has issued its opposition to. The Committee also voted down, by 5-27, a measure that would prohibit lobbyists from sponsoring lavish parties at presidential nominating conventions. At the same time, the panel exempted nonprofit organizations from having to disclose funding and membership in political coalitions that lobby Congress. A solid defeat in committee usually rules out any floor action on the amendment in question. However, in Washington nothing is done until it's done. The MRF will keep you informed of this legislative matter. MRF Open House The MRF DC headquarters will be open this Saturday, May 26 from 11am-2pm. Coming to Rolling Thunder this year? Stop by Saturday for some light refreshments and see the world-famous MRF office, located at 236 Massachusetts Ave NE, Suite 510, Washington DC 20002. Use the Union Station Metro stop if you leave the bike in the 'burbs. You can contact me with any questions at 202-725-5471 or jeff@mrf.org Young Activists Needed Once again the MRF is holding a competition for all of our younger activists out there. The Meeting of the Minds, the MRF's annual multi-day, multi-national motorcyclists' rights conference will be held this year will be hosted by ABATE of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from September 20-23. Are you or do you know someone between 18 and 30ish who is involved with your SMRO? Get them to apply! The winners get a free trip to Meeting of the Minds! What are you waiting for? Ride Free and Ride Often Jeff Hennie Blog Update: Redleg’s Rides twowheelsoapbox.com Fat? Ugly? Terminally Unpopular? Try Motorcycling! MotoLiam Ride It Like You Stole It! The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour Amazingly we get – Two Lightning Quick Pizza Reviews! Gear: Bikes in the Fast Lane BlueVirtu – Bluetooth Communication Device for Motorcycles Bikes in the Fast Lane For the Next Motorcycle Concert – Motorcycle Guitar  Motorcycle Repair and Care: ascycles.com A&S BMW Motorcycles TV- BMW Bikes All Tied UP! – Don’t find yourself in a bind; watch the tie down instructional video! crustythebiker..blogspot.com Honda Rebel oil change and check up Parts: performance-motorcyle-parts.com Via: dealernews.com - This site is intended to a consumer oriented site that will review motorcycle dealers and prices. DealerNews has some reservations about how it currently is set up. Riding Skills: As always I am way behind in my e-mail. Thanks to Statdawg for providing this link to a look at riding skills from a completely different perspective. Photography / Video: heroeslegend.com A video stage by stage with the best of Heroes and Legends 2007 defenselink.mil Pentagon Motorcycle Safety Day Link via uncagedlibrarian.blogspot.com M.R. Traveler touratech.blogspot.com TOURATECH Travel Event 2007 Today’s RoadFood.com Woot Todays Woot The Blog Over Heard in New York | Voice of the City All things BMW: Page 2  Gemütlichkeit is the warm, comfortable feeling one receives from pleasant surroundings and atmosphere. I think you will find that when you come here.  Rahr-West Art Museum Ozaukee – Washington Daily News Fond Du Lac Reporter The Sheboygan Press Daily Citizen, Beaver Dam Weather West Bend WI Current 10 Day Forcast United States National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Canada Meteorological Service of Canada  Travel Information – Driving Conditions and other related information sites. Bike Candy:  May is fall riding time in Argentina THE END |
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05-23-2007, 05:49 AM
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#2 |
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Still Wondering
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: On reconnaissance
Posts: 7,682
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All things BMW: Page 2
adventureriderchallenge.com
The Adventure Riders Challenge June 6th through the 9th 2007 BMW is providing ten G650 Xchallenges and Kawasaki will be providing new KLRs. Sounds like a chance for a layman rider comparison test. visordown.com Biker clocks up 1 million mile road-trip pittedchrome.com F800 BMW – The layman’s review mtoring.co.za Small bike, big potential, from BMW By Denis Droppa thewest.com.au BMW to test liquid hydrogen cars BMW AG said it will conduct test drives of the world's first mass-produced liquid hydrogen-fuelled vehicles on public roads in Japan between July and December. motoring.co.za Why the new Rolls-Royce is just the ticket By Sean O’Grady oliepeil.nl Concept of the week: Maier BMW Dutch to English translation by Dictionary.com translator  For its afstudeeropdracht to the FH Pforzheim Hans-Joachim Maier devised radical BMW with super low-rider zitpositie and so-called Feet Forward zitpositie. The design descends from 1987 but is still fresh and interesting and brings back the design optically to the basis of an engine bicycle: 2 wheels and an engine block-system. f1complete.com BMW ‘fancy chances’ for Canada - Theissen World of BMW news Premium rider training for the Polizei  BMW Sauber F1: Website BMWOracleRacing.com the America’s Cup website. The 32nd America’s Cup Official Website BMW Group Press Club: Tracking the news from BMW at their English language sites and Germany PressClub USA with drawings from Motorsport PressClub Technical BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM - INTERVIEW WITH WILLY RAMPF Interview with Willy Rampf, Technical Director of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. "Downforce is everything." Munich/Hinwil, 22 May 2007. The Monaco Grand Prix not only rates as the classic race of the Formula One calendar, but also represents a unique test for the drivers and engineers. Willy Rampf, Technical Director of the BMW Sauber F1 Team, explains how the team gears up for this challenge.  In what way does Monaco differ from other circuits? Willy Rampf, Technical Director: "Monaco produces the lowest average speeds of any race over the course of the year. There is no start-finish straight as such, which means top speed plays a very subordinate role. It's more or less a case of one corner following the next, and this highlights clear priorities." What are the implications for the car's aerodynamics? Rampf: "We run maximum levels of downforce in Monaco. And that means using parts which generate a lot of downforce but also produce a large amount of drag. Downforce is everything here. You carry as much wing as possible and sometimes also use extra wing elements designed specially for this type of track - all, quite simply, because aerodynamic efficiency is not as important as on other circuits." Will you be using new parts for the BMW Sauber F1.07? Rampf: "We have developed a new front wing generating maximum downforce, which we used for the first time - successfully - in Barcelona. We will modify this wing again for Monaco. Plus, we will be introducing totally new front brake ducts and modifications to the rear bodywork. In addition, we will also use for the first time a new power steering that provides more feedback to the drivers."      Did the supercomputer with Intel processors play a role in the development of these parts? Rampf: "Our supercomputer Albert2 generally plays an important role in aerodynamics development. A large number of parts are developed using computer-aided airflow simulation prior to testing in the wind tunnel. The work of the supercomputer is particularly prominent in the development of brake ducts. These are highly complex components which can only be optimised to a very limited degree in the wind tunnel, as the temperature of the brake discs cannot be simulated there. Monaco has the tightest corners of any race circuit - does this require you to carry out modifications to the car? Rampf: "Monaco demands the heaviest steering manoeuvres of any track on the calendar, which is why we are using completely new front suspension components, i.e. new wishbones, push-rods and track rods." What mechanical adjustments do you make to the car? Rampf: "In Monaco the drivers often tend to skirt over the kerbstones, so we raise the ground clearance of the cars slightly and use softer settings for the springs and dampers. That also benefits traction under acceleration out of the many low-speed corners. The circuit is also open to normal road traffic, of course, which means it is pretty dirty and offers low levels of grip as a result." How does that impact on the tyres? Rampf: "In Monaco we will be using the softest-compound tyre Bridgestone has available, and keeping a handle on tyre wear is, therefore, critical. It is also important to find the right compromise when it comes to the traction control set-up, as this often comes into play through the many tight corners." What is the situation as regards cooling for the brakes and engine? Rampf: "This circuit places heavy loads on the brakes, since the lack of long straights barely gives the brake discs any time to cool. As a result, the cars need large brake ducts. The modest average speeds mean that airflow through the radiator is also reduced and, to make things worse, running maximum downforce makes cooling less efficient. With the front wing set at such a steep angle, some of the air is diverted to the point where it does not flow into the radiator. Monaco never fails to present the engineers with a serious challenge." PressClub Argentina Translation by Google Translator 1º Escapada exclusiva para mujeres de BMW Motorrad.  Buenos Aires - 5 of May. BMW Motorrad summoned to the first exclusive exit in motorcycles for women. Sixteen were the participants who arrived very early and enjoyed this experience in 2 wheels. BMW Motorrad Argentina, decided to go beyond its well-known Program of Trips and to make a special exit: this time “they” were the special guests. From the eight in the morning of Saturday 5 of May, the 16 participants, clients and potentials were arriving clients of the mark. After enjoying a Ravine breakfast of Alvear, the Martinez, received the instructions and measures of precaution on the part of Andrés Memi, Instructor of BMW Driver Training (Motos) and of the School of Handling of Motorcycles of BMW. Around 09:15 they started off for the stay of San Ceferino. Most of the participants they traveled in its own BMW motorcycles and to others, BMW Motorrad Argentina facilitated motorcycles to them. The models that said presents were F 650 GS, R 1200 GS and the K 1200 S. Around 11:00, and with desire to continue leading his BMW, they were received in San Ceferino with a special entrance and empanadas soon to enjoy a pleasant lunch. After the lunch they made an exit towards Carlos Keen, returning to San Ceferino for a very special tea: they were surprised with a “show of photos” where they could see in the course of the day leading his BMW. Each one received at the end of the day, a CD with the “show of photos”. “An amused, different and special” day according to they defined the own protagonists. And mainly, the special order of one 2º returned. PressClub Belux Translation by Google Translator BMW Motorrad Belux proposes an exclusive version for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the F 800 S Sport.  This version profits from a kit installed into after-sales developed with AC Schnitzer which is composed of a spoiler, a Akrapovic exhaust and a hiding place saddle for the place passenger. Equipped with this kit, the F 800 S Sport is proposed at a price of 9.799 euro (TVAC) and is available in the BMW dealers as of now. Launched in 2006, BMW F 800 S and F 800 ST see the list of their options supplemented by a lowered suspension. At the beginning of the factory, the height of the saddle can be lowered by 60 mm thanks to special equipment. This result is obtained by the use of the adjustment low already jointly existing with the shortening of two elements of spring of 30 Misters the kit of lowering of the suspension including the low saddle costs 125 euro but cannot be combined with the standard saddle. |
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05-23-2007, 06:19 AM
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Once there was a Tavern
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Ballston Spa, NY; South of the Adirondacks, North of the Catskills and West of The Berkshires and Green Mountains
Posts: 6,467
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80 mpg for 900 lbs of bike and rider?
Mika finds the most amazing stuff
Quote:
 Link to website Looks like the 800cc GS is due out next year. Quote:
__________________
Paul Bachorz - F Twins Moderator RA Rallymeister - Pownal, Vermont For Touring Tips archives click here |
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05-23-2007, 10:12 AM
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Riding where it's hot!
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 1,183
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Mika finds a great seat of pants review of the F800
Mika does finds the most amazing stuff!
Quote:
 The S was very nice for our AZ mountain curves, and the bike handles whatever gravity throws at it. I traveled from 1200 feet to 7400 feet territory, and back. What goes up must come down!  Tweety1, aka Jordan |
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05-23-2007, 11:22 AM
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Spiegeltuxer
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Hartford, WI
Posts: 46
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Quote:
Must have went up to Jerome!! What a great place to ride a motorcycle.
__________________
 If you want to be happy for day, drink beer! If you want to be happy for a year, get married! If you want to be happy for a lifetime, ride a BMW !!!! Completing my 18th season of happiness. |
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05-23-2007, 11:33 AM
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Riding where it's hot!
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 1,183
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Quote:
Actually, Scottsdale to Payson to Heber/Overgaard, on to Springerville, back to Heber (AZ Beemmer's Return of the Road Runner Rally), and back home. Done Jerome run in the past, too, what fun, and we have an oral contest which is better; up or down Yarnell hill. Both are great! Springerville had views of snow-capped White Mountains. That was nice to see from the Casa Malapais ruins. |
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05-24-2007, 03:13 AM
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#7 |
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Still Wondering
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: On reconnaissance
Posts: 7,682
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Thank you guys, I do love to wonder about.
I was a bit surprised that there were no comments on Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg getting their own special edition F800S 
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06-02-2007, 10:59 PM
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Riding where it's hot!
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 1,183
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Quote:
Pretty enough for me to save the pic but I'd never cover that lovely aluminum engine. An ST is like that, but a purist S model, no way! Tweety1 |
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Linear Mode
