Points for discussion

[JamieMac]

Bit quiet on the forum so here's some talking points.

So I've had my bike for 10 months now and some of you know I've been fiddling with it. :tennis:



I've ridden for 41 years now as much mileage each year as health and time allow and I'm always analysing what could be better. I raced successfully and built TT and British Championship Winners. I enjoy F*&king around with bikes and keeping them generally, space allowing.

So after 10 months I've really narrowed down the list of issues. I'm just fine tuning now.

It's funny how you have a problem, sort what you think is a solution and you go out for a test ride and you realise the problem never entered your mind during the test ride. If you don't think of it, it's not a problem anymore.


1. Ride Height. Various testers and racers have realised that the Gen 4 goes against the old school of thought ie put it on its nose and prefers sitting on its arse.

I've tried various set ups: front bias, std and rear bias and they're right, IMHO it far prefers dropping it's arse. Easier direction changes, neutral steering and more rear grip. Simple free improvement (it's a 21mm spanner for the rear)



2. Seat. I've never known as seat so hard as the Gen 4 M Sport. Ridiculous for used on the road and replaced if racing or trackdaying. I bought the bike secondhand and it came with the std, low (too low for me) and I bought the std base model seat which was a lot better. But jumping from my Gen 3 to Gen 4 I knew it could be better but was stumped till I had the S1000R M Sport as a loan bike. Seat looked the same but so much plusher which got me thinking. Checking the bases, both R & RR are the same. So that opened up a world of opportunities so took a punt on the R 'Tall Seat'.... Wow. It's how it should have been from delivery. A normal comfortable seat. I'm a 31" inside leg and I can get both feet flat on the floor and it gives me more 'leg' room.



3. Vibration. I've owned big V-Twins all my life so I've never really thought of Vibration per se. But as I'm sorting out the bike to be as perfect as possible, I thought about vibration at motorway cruising speeds i.e 5-7K range let's say.

So the bike had Eco-Tech bar ends in a box, so I weighed the std oe one and the EVP one and there's a fair bit of difference.

[FONT=&quot]So as scientifically as possible I put the Std bar end on the left bar and the Evotech bar end on the right. I then went on the M3 sitting on cruise control at cruising revs ie 5, 6, 7K and held only the left bar then immediately holding only the right bar. The Evotech definitely reduces the vibration at those revs. Partly it?s making the vibration a higher frequency which I don?t mind and but might not be everyone?s cup of tea but it?s definitely better. and is reducing the vibration. Bugger all difference below 4K. I haven?t tried 3-400 miles on a motorway yet but on a 60 mile journey it was definitely better. :tennis:

[/FONT]
Felt better blatting around on country lanes as well. Like an exhaust you'll never make an end bar weight that works at every rev.... it's tuned for those revs.

I'll continue playing ie no bar ends etc.

 

[JamieMac]

 

[Corkgsxr]

On my gen3 the evotech done the job too

 

[bananaman]

I take it that is maximum adjustment? I was contemplating dropping the front a ring to get it to turn but you're saying the opposite....

 

[JamieMac]

4. What is it about BMW and mudguards.? Let's put a hole directly inline with the stanchions so road debris can damage them. A bit of black mesh of ebay and some silicone sorted that.



5. My bike is a 2020 registered but 2019 built and hadn't had any updates. I gave a list of moans to the dealer when it was in for an oil and filter change. I wanted the clutch updated to the latest design, TFT screen/ECU/Electronic Suspension/Fuelling software updated to the latest and greatest and Germany has agreed to all my demands and they sent the parts over. Totally different, easy to get into N impossible before. Gear shifts slicker. Normal 4 Suspension settings actually match name. Start up much better with a constant idle where it would waver before. Pays to moan.

6. I try and make my bikes as comfortable as possible. An easy bike to ride is easier to ride fast for longer.

Powerbronze Screen Tall TT Screen or equivalent is so good. Most of them make one. Slipstream are great tot deal with as well.



M Rearsets which came with the bike set further most back gave me the most leg room (31") without feeling weird at all but gave me the added major advantage of being able to extend the gear lever by an inch which gives you such a leverage advantage for better shifts.



Gilles Raised Bars... absolutely lovely. Bargain for Gilles for ?157. On Calsport now.

 

[JamieMac]

Keith,

I know this a personal preference thing but I always try and test things for my own peace of mind, so I don't wonder if..... I try everything at both extremes whether it's suspension settings, ride height so you know what the boundaries feel like and you then adjust ie thinking narrowing yoyo down the range till you find the best settings. Chatting to the Superstock riders in BSB riding Gen4's and Neevsy's exploits on his Gen 4 plus Prime Factors. They all say the same thing. I found putting it on it's nose lost the effortless steering. You and I grew up with doing that but it seems the like's of the ZX-10, GSX-R all prefer the opposite.

Yep, that's on it's lowest setting.. it's only about 6mm less than std. 21mm thin spanner. BMW love weird sizes. I've never used a 7, 17, 21, 33, 34, 35mm anything till buying my first BMW. :nightmare:

A useful watch all the way through... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP4Whplhi14&t=5s

 

[JamieMac]

7. The bike came with a lovely titanium Akra which could never be called quiet. So I had mark at MHP make up a TI like pipe in 65mm so I could fit my various collection of silencers I had on my Gen 3.

I also got him to make up one of his baffles for the std can (akra baffle was meaningless) but that strangled the bike drastically when I tried it. It's a work of art but I'll cut the back plate off inside the exhaust. so it'll be a nice compromise for the road.



1. Gen 3 Long can



2. Chinese Aliexpress ?130 shipped 65mm carbon long end can (96db tested at Brands) doesn't sap the power at all. They only made one batch a few years ago and have never seen them again. I got a Ti one in case. Great for Oulton, Spa etc.

 

[JamieMac]

On the Neevsey videos, he does a number of them and I think it's the Caldwell one where he goes on about ride height.

 

[JamieMac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkJCh9NDH8M

 

[KMAC77]

The bike does look great Jamie.

 

[Oli]

Fantastic post Jamie, thanks for taking the time to write this up, it?s really useful!

 

[LeDuke]

Quality stuff mate. Big thank you.

 

[stuartb]

Excellent wee read there..cheers Jamie

Sent from my SM-G998B using Tapatalk

 

[JamieMac]

I'm only just getting started. I'll try and get in the garage tonight and sit with a beer and think of other stuff. :fat:

 

[oldwobbler]

Nice one Jamie, interesting read.

 

[Reaperman]

Some really constructive "real world" feedback in this thread - much appreciated
Strangely I don't mind my sport seat...I can do 90 mins max on normal road conditions despite having 2 lower vertabrae fixed with titanium rods....wee incident 5 years ago on my Panigale....so Ive kinda adapted my riding style and sit a lil further back on the bike. This however puts some additional strain on my wrist especially my throttle side as Ive go 19 screws and a plate in that one (lol)....so the Gilles risers may be a great option (thanks)....that said I love the Gen4 and continue to tweak and this thread shines a light on some key points

 

[JamieMac]

So having lost my job a couple of days ago, I'm sitting in my garage contemplating life's up and downs and thought I'd take my mind of that shit and carry on with my points for discussion.

8. Maybe not for everyone but I've always used my rear brake a lot especially on the road. Even racing it allows you to tighten up your line on lower speed corners ie Goddards or Melbourne loop. In the mountains especially going down hill, using the back brake at the same time as the front squats the bike instead of pitching on it's nose and your wrists taking all the weight. In the old days ie 00's or before you could just go up a couple of mm's on the rear master cylinder ie from 11mm to 13mm and HH pads but now most bikes come with 13mm rear M/C's and HH pads. You can still find 14mm Brembo M/C's ie off older BMW's but 15mm are like hen's teeth. You can tell what size it is as all Brembo's have the piston size stamped on the web between the M/C mounting points. Even 1mm is a worthwhile. Off road double sintered pads are worthwhile and if you treat yourself to a Chinese copy of the Brembo Supersport calliper you then get a proper opposed 2 piston calliper but you'll need an underslung bracket which are readily available. Also makes changing rear wheel a breeze compared to the std rear calliper. I had the Brembo original supersport calliper and you can't tell the difference between the expensive Brembo or the Chinese copy. I know people have varied views on Chinese stuff but I've never had a problem if you are sensible about the stuff.



9. Every couple of thousand miles I find my throttle gets progressively 'fluffier' and less direct and crisp. Especially on the pick up below 4,000 rpm. The ticker starts to waiver. Now assuming the mods you've done to you bike are all sorted fuelling wise, I find resetting adaptations with a GS-911 (except DTC & Gearbox of course). Reset them, then teach full and closed throttle and then start the bike up without touching the throttle until the fans come on, then turn the ignition off. Helps my bike become crisp again each time.

10. I've lost too many headlights over the years from stones being flicked up especially with me and my mates running SuperCorsa's, so the only headlight protectors that fit are from 'SlipScreens' ie they're curved like the headlight.

11. Anti Glare TFT protector is so, so much better... Amazon.

12. All bike horns are pathetic and frankly dangerous. You need something that drivers can hear. I use a Denali Soundbomb Mini on all my bikes and it fits in the same place as the std horn. They even do a BMW wiring connector. Proper loud horn that's saved me countless times with stupid...drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, electric scooter riders... anyone under 30 years old etc.

 

[JamieMac]

13. I've done one trackday on the bike and that was at Brands GP and I find the 16/44 I run on the road worked perfectly there too... plus the extra wheelbase helps stability. Bear in mind that these Gen 4's have not a mm space anywhere so to go from a 17 Tooth to a 16 tooth you'll need to split the chain so factor in a rivet link as well. You can't just un-hook the chain like the Gen3 and slide the 17 off the output shaft, there's not enough clearance.

14. Talking about space, there's a surprising amount of space under the rear and front seat and the space in between. I've managed to fit the following in that space. Scottoiler and lube tube, BMW USB 12V output but no bracket. A comprehensive tool kit, puncture repair kit and disc lock. Ultimate Add-ons 5v Converter. The 4 inflation canisters for the puncture repair fit under the rider's seat. I haven't had that much room since my TL1000R. :emmersed:

15. I've replaced all the hideous BMW pig iron bolts except the stainless fairing screws with Titanium (But don't use Ti in suspension bolts as it's shit in shear loading).

16. Only a couple of negative's about the bike. I'm still wary of the carbon wheels and luckily where I live and the roads I ride in Dorset, Somerset, Devon are pretty damn smooth. It's only when I venture east ie Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent that I find that there's major potholes. They're also very easy to mark. I now run a lot high pressures in my SuperCorsa's than I would normally run in case of a pothole. Secondly, there's now so much electronics on modern bikes that you do need a diagnostic tool in your toolkit as they can and do throw up random errors and you need a GS-911 to clear them. Going to the dealer to sort them would be prohibitively expensive and most problems are a one off code because of batteries being under voltage. So a trickle charger is a must... An Optimate Duo 1 is all you need and it does both lead and lithium. All modern bikes are the same R1's, Fireblades, ZX-10's, Ducati's....

 

[alex]

I think I draw the line with copies (wherever they are made) at items that need FEA/FEI analysis. But whatever works for you.

Sorry about the job loss hope you're back up and running shortly.

 

[JamieMac]

17. I've run SatNav power, 5V supply and 12v supply up to the headstock so when needs be I can charge various items whilst mounted on the bike or mainly in the BMW mini tank bag which I think is a must. Love that tank bag.