But I prefer the "old" speedo...

[xprof]

Several things are cool and improved on the new 2011 R, like the thicker fork stanchions, the black cylinders, and the grey wheels and power train, but I just gotta say I much prefer the old speedo. Not the layout, mind you, the new one is very pretty, but what bothers me is that the new speedo goes to over 200mph when the bike only goes to 140 or so, and that not very often. The speedo on my '09 has the needle straight up at 75mph, which is just great for my old eyes, and makes it easy to maintain highway speed. Also, with the speedo "only" going to 150, there is more range down lower for finer divisions. I like the old speedo better.

This new setup is a triumph of beauty over ergonomics, and is an error in judgement, in my humble opinion of course.

[mvk]

Hi xprof
Are you sure you're talkin' the right currency here - my speedo goes up to 240 km/h which is at about 5 o'clock so I can't imagine the North American version will be that much faster! On my speedo the needle is straight up at 120km/h which is ...75m/h, so don't let the speedo dissuade you from an upgrade. Having said that and greatly preferring the aesthetics of the new dials, they could be slightly less busy (IMHO) and have a cleaner look.

Nevertheless on a little outing today, it is conceivable (although this would never happen on a public road of course) that somehow the needle nudged 200km/h over a very short distance without even trying all that hard!!!
(But officer I am still running it in...)

Maybe the 200miles/hour ain't so optimistic after all.

[Catchina]

Mine goes to to 150mph and 75 is straight up at the 12 o'clock position, sounds like it's the same as your 09 xprof.

[websterize]

Interesting. The speedometer tops at 150 mph on this 2011 Classic, with 75 mph at the noon position: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jandbindc/ ... 5330109053. Sure you weren't riding an S1000RR?

[2wheels]

Yes my 2011 (non-classic) is the same - 150mph max and 75mph at 12.00 o'clock.

However I concede the dials/numbers are a little small and have added an index mark on mine at 60mph as a refernce point. But an improvement aesthetically on earlier asymetric design which always irritated.

Superb machine and considerable improvement over 2009.

Brian

[dutchie]

Yeah, mine too; 150 and 75 straight up. Perhaps they changed the speedo shortly after the introduction of the new model.

[xprof]

Sorry, my mistake! I was looking at kilometers/hr! Never mind. I'll shut up now.

[AncientMariner]

xprof,

Nevermind. I still like the old one better.

Bruce

[Dauntless]

I liked the speedometer on my old R1150R better than on my R1200R. It just looked cooler.

[Sander Abernathy]

The new one is definitely smaller and harder to read. I'm blind as a bat but with my glasses I have no problem reading a book whether it's at my nose or beyond my reach. Reading that speedometer is a problem though.

I frequently find myself squinting to delineate whether I'm going (1) 40, 50 or 60 or (2) 80 or 90. Keeping it at 70 to 75 isn't a problem i as 75 is at 12 o'clock. I've gotten better about looking at the position of the needle rather than the numbers like a watch with few or no numbers. It still frustrates me though as the difference between 40, 50 and 60 or 80 and 90 is sometimes a chat with an LEO.

I wear a hi-viz yellow coat and it seems to create a lot of glare and reflection on the glass of the speedometer between the 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions. No-glare glass would be a nice change.

I never have as much problem reading the tach because it always seems to have less glare on the face and it has approximately 12 digits on the face vs. roughly 67 as I recall on the face of the speedometer. Of course I probably read the tach with my ears more than my eyes.

If I was BMW I would definitely consider swapping it for another available gauge cluster or have the face redone with fewer, larger numbers. Aesthetically, I don't like the new one either as I find it to be a bit bland and dated. I preferred the asymetrical one on the older model.

[Chumley]

The speedo and the new one piece machined clamp for the top of the handlebar mounts were two things I mused over for some time before deciding to go with the 2010 R. I acutally had the dealer's price list and options list for the 2011 R Classic and had to give it some thought (BTW: the pricing really helped push me over the edge - that bike was bloody expensive for a "naked"). In the pictures the new guages and that clamp top looked very nice but now I am used to the old setup and am glad I stuck with the old setup. What many have said here is true to me, the R has been known for being funky since the 1150R and I just like it that way. It is kind of the new traditional BMW funky, it just works better on the Roadster than some others.

My belief is that guages are meant to be easily read in all conditions, the old(er) setup works just fine. But I still like that handlebar clamp top setup, it's just begging for a couple of tapped out holes to accept a mount of some sort...

[websterize]

I wish BMW would post interviews with David Robb and the R12R design crew about the challenges of updating the 2011 — anything about the bike's design process. There were probably dozens of changes that aren't apparent in a photo or test ride.

Apple Computer does it right. New products usually have a page dedicated to their design. I'd argue these two companies have some of the best R&D staffs in the world, but the U.S. Motorrad web site pales compared to Apple's, which is a missed opportunity. Showing off your product's other worldly industrial design is low-hanging fruit.

How about it, Motorrad?