Motobrick vs. Motoboxer riders

[F14CRAZY]

It seems like there's generally a division between the R crowd and the K crowd, with not much overlap. They pick their reasons and stick with them.

In Michigan's upper peninsula this weekend (the UP) a guy at a gas station walked over to my bike and was like "I've got an R1100RT...is that one of them water cooled jobs?" And I was like "yup it's a K75." He looked things over for a few seconds and walked away. I was about to be like "yuuuup, they've been making them for over 30 years now." Hell even the motoboxers these days have coolant and radiators.

[beemerphile]

There exists every kind of snob in the world.  I even know some Honda snobs that think every beemer on the planet is within seconds of puking its final drive.

I'm newly tri-moto:  Airhead - Oilhead - Brick.  Haven't yet cultivated a desire for a wethead...







and coming soon!

[stokester]

While I'm sure it's out there, I've never sensed an RvK division within the community. 

What I have found is the lack of any wrenching skills or basic mechanical/electrical knowledge among many of the riders today.  It seems to be a bit of a dying skill among the riders and judging by my interactions at work, among cage drivers as well.

I own and like them both with my '93 K75S being the most modern of the stable. 

[Elipten]

Nice collection

[Martin]

You get belated recognition off R riders I think due to the fact the Brick is not as easily recognised as a BMW. The R engine is easily recognised from the front not so the Brick.
Regards Martin.

[jay1622]

Okay... I'll bite. My short answer has always been, "If you're on two wheels? Then you've got it figured out.... Period" HD, Triumph, BMW, MV, Yamaha, Honda... Kymco even.

I've always been more of a function kind of guy over fit, which goes for protective clothing as well. I go riding regularly with my co-worker/close friend who rides a late 2000's HD Streetglide, and he most certainly is one of THOSE guys. It ALWAYS starts the same way... He'll ask, "What, you couldn't wash and wax it before the ride today?" or "Do they give you photon torpedoes for that thing?" or "Can you talk to the space station with that helmet."  I'll respond with something regarding his poorly deflated tires, or his sagging rear suspension, or if we should have his son follow us with his truck, or ask if his recently dealer repaired rear brake caliper has fallen off lately...  :hehehe It happened. Recently, we did a brothers ride; just us guys, i.e. no wives. There were four HD's and three BMW's. I'm no fan of coincidence, and I love to poke fun, but something was up when, at the end of the ride, I had turned wrenches on all four HD's and not a single BMW saw an issue. :dunno

We joked about it, complemented the fairer options of the competition, and then pressed-on... Riding 'em like we stole 'em.  :riding:

I know... Off-topic for the letter of this particular thread, but it's the first thing that came to mind. I've owned BMW K's, F,'s R's... I've owned plenty of other company brands, and I've loved them all. Admittedly, for the BMWs, the F was my least favorite and didn't last very long. I love the K bikes for their ridiculously smooth operation, and the boxers for their miserly fuel consumption, purity and whatever else I chose to base my opinion on.

BOTH; however, are made to be maintained. With the right resources (GS-911, Shop Manual, Clymer's Book, this forum) and the right tools (the best quality 1/4" torque wrench you can afford and a medium quality 3/8" torque wrench for starters), either of the two classes of BMW will continue to run for decades more to come. I believe that.

There is an overabundance of insecure riders with false-egos out there. Their Ford is better than your Chevy; that is, until they trade their F-150 in for a Silverado. And then, guess what happens? Or, your 9mm is a weak bullet compared to their .357 sig, until you go to the range and you've got five accurately placed rounds downrange before they've got their first shirt button unsnapped.

Basically, in my humblest of opinions, it's never been about the bike, or the gun, or the truck, or the college, or the type of workout... Moreover, it's usually an individual's inability to appreciate that there's more than just their way out there, and for some people, that's just too damn hard to comprehend.

That guy you ran into in the UP... He didn't register your Brick, he was trying to figure out why anyone would be on anything else other than what he was on. It wasn't about the bikes... It was about him.

[The Dude]

It seems like there's generally a division between the R crowd and the K crowd, with not much overlap. They pick their reasons and stick with them.

I'm an overlapper.
Being a biker for forty odd years,turns you into one if you weren't already.

[Motorhobo]

What I have found is the lack of any wrenching skills or basic mechanical/electrical knowledge among many of the riders today.  It seems to be a bit of a dying skill among the riders and judging by my interactions at work, among cage drivers as well.

Probably because all vehicles made after 2000 are plug-and-play, i.e. Modularized and computerized such that the computer tells the dumbfuck 'mechanic' what to swap out and that's all she wrote. Engine compartment packed so tight with crap you need a special tool for everything.

It's not just riders. I hate to sound like a fogey at 56 but these days if there ain't an app for it, it won't get done and people have no clue where there except what the GPS tells them. Can't tell you how many times I run into people who don't know north and south from east and west and are directionally completely clueless beyond the horizon line.

[Chaos]

I seem to know beemer types with K's and R's, though they usually gravitate to one or the other.  Can't imagine owning any bike and not doing some of your own wrenching, though I see HD folks who can't find their drain plugs.  My Ural demands owner involvement, part of it's charm.   

[jay1622]

That has been one of my pet peeves for years. Going into a shop and wishing I can find a mechanic, and not just a technician. There's nothing like bringing your vehicle or motorcycle into the shop for warranty related work, and then having your service advisor (don't get me started on those guys) tell you the technician hooked up the computer and could not find anything wrong. (Noooo, really? Well, I guess it's all just my imagination then, isn't it?)

Around the time of the Chrysler Aries K, I believe that's when the proprietary aspects of on board diagnostic computing went out the window and everything became identical, with the exception of a few proprietary codes specific to some makes and models, but even those are readable and can be a researched with ease. For those of you with some of the newer BMW motorcycles, you have probably heard of a GS-911. It has allowed me to pinpoint issues relating to the computerized aspect of what would be my onboard diagnostic computer in the bike, which in my case is a 2005 R1200 RT.

I know the computers have scared a lot of people away from mechanics, but anyone can put the two together and allow both to serve eachother, and quite well at that.

Case in point lead to this beautiful site on my RT right in the middle of my K bike rebuild.

[Laitch]

I do believe I'd rather be impaled by a maverick drive shaft than wake up in the morning to start work on something looking like that—no matter how fun and fulfilling it might be. It's the reason I've diligently developed and deployed an effective system of magical thinking when machinery is involved. The only time it has failed is when I tried to jump a drainage ditch with my '65 VW Bus.

[beemerphile]

I do believe I'd rather be impaled by a maverick drive shaft than wake up in the morning to start work on something looking like that

Actually, it looks easier to me than hanging the back of a K-bike over a sawhorse, or splitting the old R1150...

[F14CRAZY]

Actually, it looks easier to me than hanging the back of a K-bike over a sawhorse, or splitting the old R1150...

Did that last week...I have my unofficial-official K clutch spline lube sawhorses

[stokester]

Probably because all vehicles made after 2000 are plug-and-play, i.e. Modularized and computerized such that the computer tells the dumbfuck 'mechanic' what to swap out and that's all she wrote. Engine compartment packed so tight with crap you need a special tool for everything.

It's a little more than plug-and-play in my world.  I work at a Chevy dealership and wrench on many of the newer vehicle with multiple LANs and numerous modules all requiring the proper tool to read what is wrong.  Notice I said wrong and not what is broken or not operating properly.  While there are many who depend on Diagnostic Trouble Codes exclusively to repair problems, there is usually more to the story.  I've seen a simple check engine light from a random misfire lead to an intake or head gasket replacement or even a head and rings.

What is particularly troublesome is when someone has an issue, goes to a local parts place to get the code and then has it erased.  This makes the diagnostic work more difficult as there is no history code(s) and I can't bring up any of the engine particulars until it happens again.

As mentioned my newest bike is a '93 K75S.  I was able to use available information to diagnose the ABS problem to the brain using my multimeter.  Newer bikes would probably have required a scan tool of some sort.  I like what I have.

I've been a hobby mechanic most of my life with a career in the AF as an electronics tech so using test equipment is right in my comfort zone.  The modern test equipment is different and used properly can help you diagnose a problem without dismantling an engine or transmission. 

[chico]

I've had two Rs, a K and an F (the K75 is for sale, btw). For me, the horizontal twin is what drew my eye, as a young man. Then, the quality materials and design for their age.   After owning them all, the twin is still the iconic feature of bmw but at this point, I have come to appreciate how unique, high quality and ahead of its time the k is also--many of the same features that drew me to the airheads.  But I suspect most people on a similar path don't come that far and still see the twin as the unique, iconic bike of the brand.

[DirtyDR]

 For some reason riders of both give me a hard time and I own both.