BMW HP4; can the Japanese compete?

[kevinwilly]

Originally Posted by Shamrock627

First the CBR1000RR IS thousands cheaper. Remember, this thread is about the HP4, NOT the S1000RR.

Yeah, and the comment made above wasn't about the HP4.

Unless you are tracking the bike or just have money to burn, the HP4 is a waste of money. Just like the old R1 SE was. It was 19 grand, and it was REALLY cool... but it was a waste for the street.

[Technomancer]

Originally Posted by kevinwilly

Yeah, and the comment made above wasn't about the HP4.

Unless you are tracking the bike or just have money to burn, the HP4 is a waste of money. Just like the old R1 SE was. It was 19 grand, and it was REALLY cool... but it was a waste for the street.

Seems to me the trick suspension would be great on the street. Not to mention the heated handgrips.

- John

[BadPlatypus]

The S1000RR has heated handgrips as an option.

[Technomancer]

Originally Posted by BadPlatypus

The S1000RR has heated handgrips as an option.

Non sequitur. We are talking about the HP4.

[Wayne's Striple]

IMO when the time comes that you need heated handgrips then it it time to garage it for the winter. The main point is that the HP4's Dynamic Damping Control adds an extra level of confidence on bumpy corners while still providing a decent ride. I'm sure the Japanese can come up with something similar but premium prices are not good for selling bikes in volume for maximum profit.

[Royal Tiger]

Originally Posted by Wayne's Striple

IMO when the time comes that you need heated handgrips then it it time to garage it for the winter.

Sounds like you never used them. You can layer up your core to maintain heat, but you can only do so much to your hands and still be able to use the levers. Heated grips and/or heated gloves allow you to keep comfortable on those sub 40 degree mornings. Why should I park the bike just because its 30 degrees out? Maybe fair weather riders dislike riding when it's under 60. I'm not one of those people. I use the factory heated grips on my R and am putting aftermarket ones on my X.

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by Royal Tiger

Why should I park the bike just because its 30 degrees out?

Ice. But I just rode 100 miles home in 64* weather, using the heated grips off and on about half the time. In my case it let me stay comfy wearing the perfed gear that I went out on this morning.

KeS

[PhilB]

Originally Posted by F4sSprintST

\

We can't buy Fireblades here in the States.

(what is it with you Honda guys? )

Yes we can. It's just called a CBR1000 here (or CBR954 or CBR900, etc, depending on how far back you go).

Originally Posted by kevin_stevens

Ice. But I just rode 100 miles home in 64* weather, using the heated grips off and on about half the time. In my case it let me stay comfy wearing the perfed gear that I went out on this morning.

KeS

Only if there's water to freeze. It can be very cold, but dry, and thus no ice. I rode quite a bit in temps down to 20ºF (-7ºC) last winter, and it was fine.

PhilB

[kevinwilly]

^right.

Heated hand grips are AWESOME. They let you ride in thinner, more comfy gloves when it's in the 40's and 50's. Otherwise you'd have to get out the shitty mitten type snowmobile gloves, and those suck. You still do if it gets colder, though.

But yeah, normal textile jacket and pants, and even a helmet without anything under it is totally fine for non-interstate riding down into the low 40's. There's no reason not to ride in that weather if you can.

[Technomancer]

The Chicago riding season is short enough already, and my hands get cold first on a brisk day. Here we might not get any significant snow until January, so the ice is not an issue. More often, I park my sports car for the winter because I don't like the effects of road salt, not the (non-existent) ice itself. Once the city salts the roads, I park half my fleet.

We don't all live in San Diego, so we don't live by your rules.

- John

[Süsser Tod]

Originally Posted by Royal Tiger

Sounds like you never used them. You can layer up your core to maintain heat, but you can only do so much to your hands and still be able to use the levers. Heated grips and/or heated gloves allow you to keep comfortable on those sub 40 degree mornings. Why should I park the bike just because its 30 degrees out? Maybe fair weather riders dislike riding when it's under 60. I'm not one of those people. I use the factory heated grips on my R and am putting aftermarket ones on my X.

I have a few "winter" gloves and none of them work for too long in 30-40F weather. The worse part is that, the warmer they are, the less you can use your hands. I actually rather ride with cold hands than use them.

[phail]

Originally Posted by Wayne's Striple

IMO when the time comes that you need heated handgrips then it it time to garage it for the winter. The main point is that the HP4's Dynamic Damping Control adds an extra level of confidence on bumpy corners while still providing a decent ride. I'm sure the Japanese can come up with something similar but premium prices are not good for selling bikes in volume for maximum profit.

I wear all my normal road racing gear and a fleece hoodie. I'm good down to -10*c.

My riding season would be like 3.5mo if we didn't ride in crap weather. Forget that!

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by Technomancer

The Chicago riding season is short enough already, and my hands get cold first on a brisk day. Here we might not get any significant snow until January, so the ice is not an issue. More often, I park my sports car for the winter because I don't like the effects of road salt, not the (non-existent) ice itself. Once the city salts the roads, I park half my fleet.

We don't all live in San Diego, so we don't live by your rules.

- John

Geez, that was gratuitous. I didn't say it was a rule, I said it was a reason. An eminently practical one, too, offered in response to a question.

KeS

[Technomancer]

Originally Posted by kevin_stevens

Geez, that was gratuitous. I didn't say it was a rule, I said it was a reason. An eminently practical one, too, offered in response to a question.

KeS

You're not gonna start lawyering me now, are you?

Perhaps it was gratuitous, but not quite so much as you taunting most of the country with your 64* weather, right?

- John

[kevin_stevens]

Originally Posted by Technomancer

You're not gonna start lawyering me now, are you?

Perhaps it was gratuitous, but not quite so much as you taunting most of the country with your 64* weather, right?

- John

I wasn't taunting anyone, I was just pointing out that heated grips can be nice even when it's not freezing out.

KeS