Issuu

Ouch one. Ouch two. Ouch three. Tony Carter

can’t remember who was most at fault. Either I was full of my usual hubris and wanted to show off (likely) or the photographer was guilty of doing what some used to do and egged on a young motorcycle journalist to try something his skillset couldn’t deliver (not as likely, but hey, a crash makes a good photo, usually). Whoever was at fault, him or me, it ended badly. And painfully. I was never very good at wheelies. Oh yeah, I could – and still can – loft a front wheel when the job depends on it (not something that’s called upon in MSL’s world, thankfully) but the front of a bike doesn’t stay skyward for long when I do it – a snapper has to be quick to get a good wheelie shot with me, especially so these days. “Just go to the end of the road, turn around and pop a wheelie on the way back up to me. Nice and high. It’ll look great.” So off I went, turned around and performing-poodled it. The crash was a pretty big one and I ended up wrecking my knee. After more than a year of hobbling around and wishing I was better at riding a motorcycle than I am, bits of my leg could point in the same direction as the rest of me. A quarter of a century later I’m used to the niggling pain and not being able to walk normally from time-to-time. It’s part of being an old biker in the modern idiom. But boy, is it annoying. Why am I telling you this? Largely because I’m grumpy about it and for the past few weeks those knees have been keeping me off two wheels. I’ve not been able to change gear (too painful), not been able to get into corners properly (too painful) and not really been able to get on a motorcycle at all without looking like I’ve suffered an underwear

malfunction (too embarrassing... and too painful). Damn you, knees. Damn you. With Mikko continuing his return, and doing very well at it, our Ross suffering a broken wrist in a fall from the Husqvarna, and my knees finally rolling over, the MSL desk has been somewhat light on those who can actually ride for the past month. It’s a weird time. Which explains why I’ve drafted in a couple of fine fellows to help us out. Firstly, we’ve had Chris Cope attend the Harley-Davidson FXDR launch in Greece. Chris is a great guy whose opinion we wanted on the new drag-racer style bike. Chris loves riding, he’s outrageously funny and I’ve really got to like him over the past year spent riding alongside the chap on various jobs. He’s American too. So the whole accent fits the gig. Secondly, Matt Hull – the editor of our sister magazine Classic Bike Guide – stepped into my oddly-pointing-out shoes to ride the 2019 BMW R 1250 GS. Matt is a hugely experienced rider, a former instructor and someone who is massively insightful about all things to do with motorcycles including the GS range. I thank both Chris and Matt hugely for helping us out. You can read Matt’s report from the launch of the all-new GS from page 32 and Chris’ thoughts on the FXDR get under way from page 54. Normal service will be resumed next month – a large consignment of painkilling meds has just arrived and we’re cracking open the Red Bull right now. Have a safe and pain free ride,

MSL’s been in the wars this month, as Tony explains...

Tony, Holding the fort

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure’s contributors... Alan Cathcart

Alan Cathcart has been writing about bikes for more than 30 years, and riding them for even longer. He’s regularly given the keys to factory prototypes and being on ﬁrst name terms with the bosses of bike companies around the world allows him to bag many scoops.

Roland Brown

Has ridden for 37 years and been a bike journalist for more than 30. At Bike he ended up as deputy editor before going freelance. An author of 11 books, as a racer he was Bemsee 1300 champion 1984 and raced UK F1, Superstock and Superbike, plus World F1 races.

Chris Moss

Mossy has raced the Isle of Man TT, dispatched in London and ridden everything from CX500s to full-blown GP prototypes. A former chief motorcycle tester for Motor Cycle News, the veteran journo admits he’s still loving two-wheeled life, and still learning.

Peter Henshaw

Peter knows his stuff – he’s a former editor of this very magazine. Now a freelance journalist, he’s got the same enthusiasm for anything with wheels that he’s had since a child. An all-year-round biker who doesn’t own a car, he has more than 40 books to his name.

Matt Hull

Matt is the editor of Classic Bike Guide and a superb motorcycle journalist. A former motorcycle instructor, professional motorcycle tester and now top-ﬂight man in the classic world, Matt is able to test any bike to its limit with ease. He’s also got an unnatural ability in the wet.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 3

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6 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure â€“ established 1962

NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides

BMW R 1250 RT for 2019 is unveiled This is the new-for-2019 BMW R 1250 RT – the top-flight tourer that’s been a staple of the Germanic brand. And for next year it’s got an all-new motor with ShiftCam technology. The bike’s boxer engine has come in for a complete makeover, just as the powerplant has in the sibling GS model for next year. Called BMW ShiftCam technology, the changes to the motor mean (according to BMW, this is) an increase in power across the entire engine speed range, reduced emissions and fuel consumption levels plus optimised running smoothness and refinement. We’ll have to wait and see how all that good stuff pans out when we get to ride the bike on its launch – but for now, with this very early look at the bike – this is what we know is going into and onto the RT: ■ Two riding modes, ASC and Hill Start Control as standard. ■ Riding Modes Pro featuring additional riding modes; Dynamic Traction Control DTC, ABS Pro, Hill Start Control Pro and Dynamic Brake Assistant DBC (new), available as an optional equipment item ex-works. ■ Electronic suspension Dynamic ESA ‘Next Generation’ with fully automatic load compensation – this is an optional extra. ■ Large 5.7in TFT colour screen. This is supplemented with an analogue speedometer and rev counter.

Prices and models

There are three levels of spec on the RT: ■ R 1250 RT – £14,415 ■ R 1250 RT SE – £15,615 ■ R 1250 RT LE – £16,710

What is ShiftCam Tech?

This is the ﬁrst time that BMW’s ShiftCam tech has been used in the production of BMW Motorrad engines. It means that the RT (and the GS) have variation of the valve timings and valve stroke on the intake side. In addition, the intake camshafts are designed for asynchronous opening of the two intake valves for an enhanced swirl of the fresh, incoming mixture – this gives more effective combustion. Other technical changes to the engine relate to the camshaft drive – now taken care of by a toothed chain (previously a roller chain) – an optimised oil supply, twin-jet injection valves and a new exhaust system. The beneﬁts of BMW ShiftCam technology:

■ Increased torque and pulling power across the entire engine speed range. ■ More refined and even engine running at constant speeds due to configuration of the partial-load cam geometry for the lower load range and engine speed range. ■ Significant increase in peak output to 136bhp (100kW) (previously: 125bhp (92kW). ■ Reduction of load change loss in the partial load range. ■ Reduction of idling engine speed by 100rpm. ■ Reduction of exhaust emissions and optimised sound. ■ Reduction of fuel consumption by 4% as compared to its predecessor.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 7

Top Stories Yes, it’s moving, and yes, all on it’s own.

BMW has built a fully autonomous motorcycle – MSL was there to see it. WORDS: Peter Henshaw PHOTOGRAPHY: BMW Motorrad

n an ancient episode of Top Gear (we’re talking pre-Clarkson, and by a long way) there was a jokey interlude in which an old sidecar outfit rode off on its own, without a rider or passenger in sight. The BBC would have had a boffin hidden inside the chair doing the riding, but 50 years later, there really is such a thing as an autonomous motorcycle. It can stop, go, change gear and corner all on its own, but looks like a standard R1200GS. BMW was cagey about why it was inviting a group of journalists to its Miramas test track just outside Marseilles. We thought it was something big, because they made great play of

the fact that this had never happened before and that we must not, under any circumstances, take our own pictures, presumably because there would be top secret stuff flying about (and there was – there’s not much I can tell you except that one bike whipping round the track was very fast and very quiet). At first, it all seemed like a bit of typical PR puff. We were taken around the many and varied testing facilities at Miramas, given the state of play with BMW’s work on 3D printing and told about how the company endurance tests its new bikes. All very interesting, but not exactly earth shattering. Then we were taken to a more

8 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

remote part of the track and shown a video of a standard looking R1200GS, without a rider, piloting itself around the same course we had just ridden. Then outside, a smiling BMW engineer was standing alongside a GS, engine running. At the touch of a button, the revs increased and it took smoothly off, retracting its sidestand. A group of us stood watching open mouthed as the bike performed a perfect series of figure of eights. As it came to a halt again, out came the stand, and it stopped next to the engineer, obedient as a big sloppy Labrador. As it happened, that demonstration wasn’t completely autonomous, as

engineer Stefan Hans was controlling two parameters remotely (though not steering it), so that the bike would do its party piece right in front of us. But it is a self-riding motorcycle, but how does it work and what does this mean for us?

SELF-RIDING

The first thing to make clear is that BMW has no intention of going into production with this thing. “We don’t want to sell a fully autonomous motorcycle,” says engineer Stefan Hans. “Most motorcyclists don’t want that anyway. But many people don’t want to ride a bike because they see it as dangerous – automation is the future of motorcycle safety.”

NEW

Hardware ﬁlls the luggage on this prototype – it should miniaturise.

If that sounds contradictory, then BMW’s actual intention makes more sense – instead of giving full autonomy, the same technology could be applied in stages to allow emergency interventions. If a car pulls out when you happen to be admiring the scenery, the bike would in theory take over, either braking or steering (or both) to avoid a collision. This is nothing new for car drivers, who have seen intervention technology gradually develop over many years. From the first ABS systems in the early 1980s to early types of traction and stability control in the 90s and more recently Emergency Brake Assist, which increases brake pressure when the car thinks you’re attempting an emergency

stop. None of this amounts to a fully autonomous car (which we’ve all heard about but which hasn’t reached the mainstream yet) – instead, the driver is still in control, but the electronics take over when they think they can do a better job. Motorcycles have seen some progress in this area, obviously in hard and software like ABS and traction control, but really they’re years behind. “Motorcycles,” says Stefan Hans, “are more or less blind now, compared to a modern car.” With a Phd in autonomous vehicles Hans has helped develop the autonomous GS that was on show at Miramas. This uses a combination of sensors and GPS to detect corners and obstacles. Two sensors combine to calculate the bike’s lean angle.

No one said this was simple...

Others measure steering input (via miniature sensors on the bars which can detect tiny differences in effort), engine torque, pitch, yaw and a host of other aspects of the bike’s behaviour. Meanwhile, the GPS/ IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) – the little ‘flying saucer’ mounted on the topbox – uses a combination of GPS and sensor information to calculate speed, acceleration and location. All of this information is collated by an ECU, which then gives commands to steering and brake actuators, plus control of the automated clutch and gearchange. No gyroscopes, no hidden BBC boffins – the bike stays upright and stable by using exactly the same controls we do. And when it rolls to a stop, an ‘active’ side stand extends to

stop the bike falling over and crunching its expensive plastic. So far, the prototype has run up to about 70kph (45mph) in fully autonomous mode. And of course, it is a prototype, which is why all the hardware to run it fills both panniers plus the topbox and adds about 70 kilos to the weight of the bike. Could it be miniaturised and integrated? “For sure,” says Stefan. ‘Take the steering actuator. This is bigger and heavier than we really need, because this is a first prototype and we didn’t know what was needed. With the experience we are now gaining, the next version will be smaller and lighter.” I couldn’t help noticing that the GS also had a red panic button, which if pressed will simply hit the brakes and stop

GUIDANCE LEVEL: WHAT’S THE BEST TRAJECTORY AROUND THE OBSTACLE?

Bike will plot its own course to avoid an obstacle (moving or static).

Spotlight is the surface sensor and right-hand sidestand extends/retracts automatically.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 9

Top Stories Here, boy!

IS IT REALLY NEW?

the bike. But as the man says, it is a prototype. “We want human-like control,” he adds, “systems which are intuitive to the rider.” Which makes sense, because the last thing you want if it intervenes as you head towards possible oblivion is a sudden and violent jerk on the bars. We’ve already mentioned the proverbial car pulling out of a junction, but what about corners? If a rider enters a corner too fast, or is too nervous to lean far enough to make it, the system will – BMW says – adjust either steering (hence lean angle), engine torque or braking (or a combination of all three) to get him/her round safely. So when can we expect to expect to have the option of a ‘Rider Active Assist’ package on a new GS? Nobody would be drawn on timescales, but Stefan Hans thinks the technology will be offered in stages, with engine torque control coming first, then braking, though steering intervention is still some way off.

SORRY MATE...

Active intervention sounds good, and BMW is clearly a long way down this road, but what about preventing drivers doing daft things in the first place? That’s the idea behind Connected Drive, which enables vehicles to ‘see’ each other and act accordingly, even if the drivers/riders don’t. Engineer Arne Puschwitz points out that cars already have some of this technology, but as with autonomous systems, bikes are about 10 years behind. “In all the many futuristic

videos of autonomous vehicles,” he says, “you see cars, trucks, trains, ships, but never motorcycles. They just are not being considered until now. Motorcycles have different behaviour to other vehicles, but they have to be included. Now we have a chance to increase motorcycle safety by vehicles detecting each other.” We were taken out in a BMW car, approaching a T-junction at which a badly parked van was blocking our view out. Just before we reached the give way sign, a screen on the dash flashed up a warning, and sure enough a C-Evolution scooter emerged from behind the van. Intersection Movement Assist uses standard 4G communications direct from car to bike and vice versa, so it’s not dependent on GPS. It can also detect if a bike hidden from view two cars ahead starts braking, or if it’s parked at the roadside. The prototype sprang into action 100m from the bike, but a 500m range is possible,

and the alarm could be an audible one, rather than yet another flashing screen. The same system can be fitted to bikes too, and a prototype R1200RT was on display. As with the autonomous GS, its luggage was completely filled with hardware, but again, as the system is developed, it should get smaller and lighter. None of this would be much use if BMW was the only manufacturer offering it, but the good news is that BM, Honda and Yamaha formed the Connected Motorcycle Consortium in 2016, to develop the technology together. Since then, Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM and Ducati have joined, as well as the FIM. So when this tech comes on stream, and cars and bikes are talking to each other, they should all be speaking the same language. As for full autonomy, it’s definitely not here yet, but elements of it are clearly on the way – whether we welcome them or not is up to us.

Is it what we want?

BMW’s autonomous GS is certainly a huge technological achievement (albeit one which still has a long way to go) but do we actually want it? After all, for most of us the whole point of riding a motorcycle is the feeling of being in total control (at least most of the time...) the bike responding to a nudge of the bars or subtle shift of bodyweight. The answer is that we’re already part way towards autonomous bikes. The same arguments surrounded ABS and traction control, yet they have become commonplace. Like most technological changes, it’s taken a while for humans to accept them as part of the landscape. I think the same thing will happen with partial autonomy. After all, the idea isn’t to turn us all into

10 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

The last couple of years have seen a few autonomous systems for two-wheelers or least, bikes with a measure of autonomy. Yamaha’s MOTOROiD show bike is autonomous at low speeds while Honda’s Riding Assist makes the bike selfbalancing. Meanwhile, Taunton-based AutoRD (which built the autonomous pods which whisk passengers around Heathrow Terminal 5) is developing rider assistance using a BMW C1 – ultimately, they want to offer selfdriving two-wheel taxis which can slip through the traffic. BMW Motorrad doesn’t have a monopoly on this stuff...

Prototype amassing lots of data.

knee sliding heroes on one hand, or front seat pillions on the other. Also as BMW points out, perceived danger puts a lot of people off two wheels, but the idea of a motorcycle that will ultimately correct your mistakes could actually broaden the appeal of riding. On the other hand, while cars have clearly become safer thanks to the various driver interventions now on offer, road casualties aren’t falling everywhere. There’s an argument which goes, the more we intervene on a driver or rider’s behalf, the less attentive they’ll be and the more risks they will take, convinced that the technology will take care of everything else. Heavier, faster traffic isn’t good for vulnerable road users, whoever or whatever is in charge.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 11

ENDOFPREVI EW

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