Re: Hex-Heads

[Steve Makohin <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 3/15/04 10:28 AM, Tom Brown tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>I, for one, welcome experiences and comments from the soon to be evolving
>hex head crowd.    I'm extrememly interested in this bike.  It represents
>the next wave and is an interesting bike in its own right.   The reviews
>I've read have been mostly the boilerplate tech analysis with very little,
>if any, real-world impressions.    It'll be great to hear the good, the bad
>and the ugly from a real hex head owner.
>
>Although I purchsed a Twin Spark RT this year, there's definitely a hex-head
>in my future.   Either a GS or an RT, probably.   I'm going to wait a few
>years until more models are available to decide.   I'm still figuring out
>the bike I have.

FYI, Cycle Canada magazine's next issue is alleged to have a detailed 
report on the new GS. I've sung the praises of Cycle Canada before for 
being unbiased, honest, intelligent, and lacking the hyperbole that is 
typically seen in bike and car mags. I suggest list members get this 
copy, and consider getting a subscription. I've found Cycle Canada for 
being particularly noteworthy in BMW bike reviews: they lay down the 
facts without skirting issues (such as surging), and yet, they can 
appreciate virtually any bike for what it is. You can find them at:

http://www.cyclecanadamagazine.net/



>"Hex-head", by the way, comes from the shape of the new cylinders on this
>engine.  From the side, they form sort of a six-sided shape looking straight
>at the valve cover.   That is literally the only thing about this bike that
>is less attractive to me than the old GS.
>
>Have fun with your new ride!

My wife used to run a graphic and design studio in a Fortune 500 company, 
and periodically I ask her about her "thoughts" on the "look" of various 
bikes. She has no passion at all for motorcycles, so her opinions are 
always purely from a design perspective. I show her a bike I think is 
gorgeous, and she'll point out a couple design elements that are appear 
to be cases of "form follows function", and which detract from the pure 
aesthetics of the form.

With respect to the new GS, Marlene pointed out that from a design 
perspective (visuals only), the bike appears to be a "harmonious" design. 
She brought my attention to the forward tilt of the heads (as seen from 
the side), and how that inclined line follows through towards various 
elements at the rear of the bike. Although the new GS model is not my 
"cup of tea", I am sure it will attract hoards of GS-loving riders.