Thanks for the feed back

[builtforcomfort]

I hope no one gets the wrong impression from anything I've said. I love this bike. My only dislikes are the 1st gear shifting issue and the aerodynamics could be better as has been discussed at length in regards to windshields. While we're on the sugject, what were you thinking with the turn signals?

If there are any BMW marketing Reps. out there, as has been suggested, I wouldn't mind being contacted concerning the first gear shifting issue and the purchase of the TPM system.

[email protected]

[celticus]

What 1st gear shifting issue precisely?

Mark

[NakedRider]

What's wrong with the turn signals?

[Acpantera]

Ever shift a Harley into fist or use their stupid signals (no wonder they don't use them much). I enjoy the R12R so much I smile every time I ride it and have never rode another bike with less downfalls, I make it a point to try as many bikes as I can get my hands on.

[celticus]

"what were you thinking with the turn signals?"
I believe that on at least some of the new BMWs the turn signals have been made more like every one elses.

Mark

[TAL2GK]

If you are referring to the switch gear, I find it VERY intuitive. Press with the left thumb when going left, press with the right thumb when going right. Easy enough.

As for first gear, the only time you can't shift into first might be when you are stopped. If that's the case, roll the bike forward or back an inch or two and you're set. If you shift all the way down to first just before you stop, you won't have the problem at all.

[NakedRider]

If you are referring to the switch gear, I find it VERY intuitive. Press with the left thumb when going left, press with the right thumb when going right. Easy enough.

+1. I've had numerous bikes over time but I find the BMW switch gear to be my favorite. I did a test ride on the new K1300S and I really didn't like the switch gear. I felt like I had to move my hand to operate the turn signal.

[LumpyCam]

roll the bike forward or back an inch or two and you're set. If you shift all the way down to first just before you stop, you won't have the problem at all.

Or release the clutch a little bit and you're set.

[NoRRmad]

(Assuming the R1200R works like the R1150R...)

If you're in neutral at a stop, let the clutch out a bit, briefly, to spin up the gears, then pull it back in and quickly shift to first before they spin down to a stop again. The problem happens when the shift dogs don't align with the engagement slots. The slots could be made longer -- but that makes them less rugged.

[builtforcomfort]

My feeling about the turn signal arrangement is that if you are going to be different than the norm it should be better. My opinion is that this is not better, it's only different. You now have 3 switches instead of one. How is that better?

I'm amazed at how forgiving/understanding everyone is about the first gear shifting issue. I guarantee that if this was your everyday transportaion ( car/truck) and you had this issue you'd be complaining to the new car/truck dealer about it. As I said before we paid top dollar for these bikes and we shouldn't have to go through all these rituals to get it into first. This is clearly a design flaw. Making excuses for BMW or learning to live with it is not the way to get it fixed.

[celticus]

Maybe I'm just used to it but I am not aware of a problem with my first gear.

Mark

[deilenberger]

My feeling about the turn signal arrangement is that if you are going to be different than the norm it should be better. My opinion is that this is not better, it's only different. You now have 3 switches instead of one. How is that better?

I'm amazed at how forgiving/understanding everyone is about the first gear shifting issue. I guarantee that if this was your everyday transportaion ( car/truck) and you had this issue you'd be complaining to the new car/truck dealer about it. As I said before we paid top dollar for these bikes and we shouldn't have to go through all these rituals to get it into first. This is clearly a design flaw. Making excuses for BMW or learning to live with it is not the way to get it fixed.

Sounds like a BMW is the wrong bike for you.

I like the turnsignals.
I have no 1st gear problem.
I love the bike, only problem I've had with it is not wanting to get off it.

[builtforcomfort]

The R1200R was the right bike. Commenting on issues the bike has doesn't change that.

NOTHING in this world has ever been improved by people being silent.

[Mollygrubber]

Except noise pollution...

[celticus]

The R1200R was the right bike. Commenting on issues the bike has doesn't change that.

You DO have a point there. It is everyone's right to bring up and discuss issues they feel they have with their bikes.

Mark

[deilenberger]

You DO have a point there. It is everyone's right to bring up and discuss issues they feel they have with their bikes.

Mark

Actually - speaking as the moderator of quite a few other forums (and not at all for the moderators of this forum) - there is no "right" of free speech on an Internet forum. You are allowed to discuss what the owner of the forum allows. We 'muricans tend to get over excited by any thought that there is a place where we can't speak our minds - but there are, and sometimes you just gotta choke it back and go with the flow. But enough on that.. the standards of behavior here are pretty clear and enforced quietly behind the scene.

Since we are speaking our minds - the problem I have with Builtforcomfort's (real-name? dunno..) posting on the R1200R is it appears to be encouraging us to start a campaign of some sort to force BMW to correct something HE finds an issue. I don't want to. And I don't think it would be productive for the members of this forum to.

I don't find the turnsignals or 1st gear to be an issue at all. I have never been stuck in neutral, so I can't begin to imagine what the issue is. Any dry clutch bike transmission can end up with the shift dogs refusing to engage. To "fix" this would require going with a wet multiplate clutch that has some inherent drag when disengaged. Aside from being about impossible to do with the boxer engine/transmission layout - it isn't an issue for the vast majority of people who have BMWs (and the majority of people commenting in this thread.)

And there have certainly been times when things in this world would have been better if people simply DID stay silent on them.

[celticus]

He is discussing things he likes or dislikes about his BMW R1200R motorcycle. This seems like just the place to do that to me. I don't see a problem.

Mark

[mogu83]

I go on the Guzzi list and it sometimes gets crazy over there. First the new bikes have ISSUES, but if you dwell to long on them a bunch of people will jump on you. That situation doesn't exist here. Problems have been discussed in depth, but fortunately they have been very few.

The turn signals do take a while to get used to (I have five bikes on the road with different arrangements) once their programed into your brain they make perfect sense. As far as having three switches. I rode a Guzzi (with the worse switches in the world) for twenty years and well over 100K with no problems. A little PM and using discretion (they are only little switches) and they last almost forever.

builtforcomfort has been on the list for a year but only has twelve posts. Maybe his bike is new and just needs some wearing in. I don't remember anyone having major issues getting into first gear at a stop, and if they did I'm sure we would have heard about it. After all WE beat the rear drive, battery, key antenna,rear brake dragging and occasional headlight lens cracks to death. Could be Builtfc's transmission is broken and he needs to take it up with his dealer.
Let us know how you made out.

NOT US _______If we have problems we throw it on the table and talk about it.

[builtforcomfort]

You DO have a point there. It is everyone's right to bring up and discuss issues they feel they have with their bikes.

Mark

Actually - speaking as the moderator of quite a few other forums (and not at all for the moderators of this forum) - there is no "right" of free speech on an Internet forum. You are allowed to discuss what the owner of the forum allows. We 'muricans tend to get over excited by any thought that there is a place where we can't speak our minds - but there are, and sometimes you just gotta choke it back and go with the flow. But enough on that.. the standards of behavior here are pretty clear and enforced quietly behind the scene.

I believe the comments made above speak for themselves and reinforce the notion I have that some brand specific forums are nothing more than marketing tools for the manufacturer. Don in an earlier statement asserted that BMW marketing folks are monitoring this forum and that they have made deals with unhappy customers involving non-disclosure contracts. In other words if you keep your mouth shut about a problem and don't advertise it to the world, as I have, they'll take care of you quietly. I suspect this sort of thing may be going on on other forums.

I wasn't suggesting that there was anything broken with the turn signals, I simply don't like the arrangement. It is what it is and I'll live with it. The problem with shifting into first is in fact an issue that I took the bike to the dealer for. The dealer acknowledged that it was a problem but BWM says it's "normal". If you do a search on this forum or on the Web with goggle you'll see I'm not the only one with this problem. So lets not pretend that I am.

I have never been one to shut up about something that's wrong. If the "owners" of this forum don't like me telling the truth about this problem or any other problems that may arise in the future then they should ban me from the forum. However, if they do then every legitimate BMW owner on this forum and any others I can find will hear about it and the Forum will be exposed for what it really is. Think about it. I've been threatened because I've told the truth about a real problem BMW doesn't want too many of you to know about.

[mogu83]

WOW - I think maybe we have a case of people over reacting a little.
I think every motorcycle I've ever ridden has had an occasional problem getting into gear when stopped. If you ever get inside the transmission it's easy to see why, one way to correct the problem would be to put syncro rings (like a car trans) between all the gears, but then you would end up with a transmission that wouls be at least 50% bigger and heavier.


Alternate Answer;
Now you did it and let our dirty little secret out of the bag. All this time we've been rocking our bikes back and forth or turning the motor off to get back into first gear. We've kept it a secret because we all have these pieces of junk for sale and don't want to lower the resale value.

Chill_________________________________________