I own a BMW (2017 F700GS) - bought a year ago for some dirt road riding/camping etc. It has been OK so far but due to dealer network alone I wouldn't have it as my only bike. There is one dealer within 300 miles and I would go to them only under duress (and they are 100 miles away). They are a multi-brand dealership and I have dealt with them for Yamaha stuff - not impressed. This particular bike is fairly easy to work on and I have a service manual (not available for newer BMWs). Parts by mail order, as needed. Newer BMWs are heavily inundated with complex electronic "stuff" which makes it difficult or impossible for a home mechanic to deal with. These parts are stupid expensive as well.
FJR wins in speed, handling, power, and cost of ownership.
So, what does the technology do for you? I get that it looks cool, but doesn't really add to the riding experience, IMHO.
"They aren't all bad..."
As I said.
Well I'm in my 20s so naturally we youngins have to have all the flashy lights.
I don't take calls or listen to music while riding although it can be done very easily using your phone/earbuds or through a modern GPS like a Garmin Zumo XT. (But can't use handlebar controls to change music) Zumo also provides excellent and easily readable navigation. I don't use CC and rarely ride in a group of more than one or two others. (I've had a bike with cruise and probably didn't use it more than a half dozen times in two years.) I can easily add electronic CC to my Gen II (or buy a Gen III) if I want. I admit that active cruise is nice in a car, but I have no need of it on a motorcycle. No question that the BMW electronics package is pretty cool and nicely integrated, but it doesn't offset some of the negative aspects (for me).
You don't HAVE to have it all, you just think you do. Mostly because you're a product of the social media generation and feel the need to be "connected".
No music??? Calls I understand. I don't get hardly any so it's usually someone trying to meet up with us or something. I just have a cardo packtalk bold. I've done the earbud thing before and it's terrible. These are speakers that go in your helmet and double as also allowing you and your friends to talk with eachother while riding. If nothing else, it makes everything WAY safer as the person in the front can warn everyone else of dangers. It's saved us a number of times.
Well, I am a younger person but on an old as fuck internet forum, not reddit/faceballs/tiktok/whatever people use now. Chances are pretty good I'm not on any more social media than you are...
That is awesome! I just got a CD player the other day and I swear it's the coolest f--king way I've ever listened to music. It's got a giant clear top case so you can watch the CD spin. Again, flashy lights oooo lol
I was like this when I first started riding. But right now because the way I've chosen to set up my life, the minimum I spend on the bike every week is about 8 hours. The most is about 40. The whole "feeling the wind on you" and the floating sensation and all that is very nice, and one of the many reasons why I'd much rather ride than drive, but the entertainment value is not there at all anymore. Eventually you're just staring at some lines on the ground as you put along.My first bike was kick start, air cooled not even a gas gauge. Next bike had electric start, water cooled, gas gauge, man we're talking high tech here. Look how far we've come. We even have fuel injection. No more turning off the petcocks and draining the carburetors. When I was young and looking at used cars for sale they used to advertise R&H (radio and heater), seriously how much do we really need. I ride because I love to ride. The feeling you get cruising down the highway or hitting some twisties. It blows the cobwebs out of your head. Guess I'm just an old dinosaur.
After a lifetime of loud music, target shooting, lawn mowing, leaf blowing and motorsports (not to mention genetics), I have significant degradation in my hearing. I never ride without earplugs anymore as I want to protect what hearing I have left. I had one of the earlier Sena comm systems and didn't really use it - for communication or music. I won't ride without earplugs and if the volume is turned up enough to hear the helmet speakers, you might as well not bother with the plugs. There is an option to use the Sena with wired earbuds but this is uncomfortable and doesn't sufficiently reduce ambient noise anyway. I looked into custom molded earbuds and then decided it was something I didn't really need.
Depending on what is going on (trips, weather, other activities etc.) this is similar to my riding pattern. I have done up to 60 or 70 hours in a week on a long trip when I needed to cover distance. That is a bit of a grind.
I will definitely agree on the hearing part and add that wind protection (like the giant windshields you can get) are a major part of why I bought an FJR. My commute is 3 hours one way, so 6 hours a week. On my VFR by the time I got to work or home my ears were ringing pretty bad. On the FJR they rarely ring after several hours. I don't blame anyone for wearing earplugs though but what I will say is you can get ones that only filter a certain range of frequencies that are damaging to your hearing. Just food for thought
