I would like to have one like this.
I don't use to draw hypothetical bikes of actual brands. But, as the owner of a BMW R1150R, this was an exercise I wanted to do. Not exactly a "how the next BMW R should be / look like", since I didn't test ride the last two versions of the range so I don't know what they actually need. But I wanted to imagine for a moment that I'm the guy who draws the first lines for the next model and decides which kind of fork it's going to use. So I did.
The inspiration
I know what I want from a BMW R-1XXX-R. I know what I like in my R1150R and what I would like to improve.
I like how it looks (a lot!). It's got a great retro-actual look, and that's interesting because it was designed eight or ten years before the current retro-actual fashion. However, I don't think I would like my 'twelve-fifty' to belong to that style. I would like it to be a pure modern bike, the way the current water-cooled 1200 is.
I also like its torque, its rear transmission (no chain lubrication / replacement any more!) and the general size. It's a big motorcycle, able to fit my 1.83 meters well.
But what I like most of it is the brakes and the frame. The frame provides a great precision and stability while being agile enough. The front Telelever makes it very easy to go fast with, even for not very talented riders. You always feel safe and with control. Braking is... crazy, It's servo-assisted, very powerful, the Telelever prevents the front of the bike to dive and the bike geometry (low and long if you compare it to a sports bike) makes the mass transference even lower. I think I have never tried to brake as much as it's able to, at least with good pavement.
What could be better? Well, some things. The engine is too soft in low gears. My friend Xevi says it's due to an 'anti dead executives' mapping. I would like it to be more torquey in that gears (with a rain map, of course). Also, while I like a lot how the Telelever and the Paralever work, the shock absorbers could be better.
It's also consuming some oil, and... well, it would be even better with, say, 30 kilos less.
So, what I want is: a light, water-cooled modern boxer BMW roadster, with tons of torque, a modern look, good brakes and an anti-dive front suspension. I don't want its riding position to change; these roadsters are not motorcycles for a couple-hours Sunday morning ride. They are great at this, of course, but they are (and must be) great at thousand-kilometre trips. I want it to have optional panniers.
Let's keep imagining.
To be completely honest, I like motorcycles that have a more 'fair line'. I use to like the 90's sport motorcycles more than current ones, I like big surfaces, and not splitting the plastics in smaller and sharper areas unless it's going to mean something. But here I tried the opposite, I played the japanese a little bit. And I must say I had fun with it.
I like how it looks (a lot!). It's got a great retro-actual look, and that's interesting because it was designed eight or ten years before the current retro-actual fashion. However, I don't think I would like my 'twelve-fifty' to belong to that style. I would like it to be a pure modern bike, the way the current water-cooled 1200 is.
It looks great, doesn't it?
I also like its torque, its rear transmission (no chain lubrication / replacement any more!) and the general size. It's a big motorcycle, able to fit my 1.83 meters well.
But what I like most of it is the brakes and the frame. The frame provides a great precision and stability while being agile enough. The front Telelever makes it very easy to go fast with, even for not very talented riders. You always feel safe and with control. Braking is... crazy, It's servo-assisted, very powerful, the Telelever prevents the front of the bike to dive and the bike geometry (low and long if you compare it to a sports bike) makes the mass transference even lower. I think I have never tried to brake as much as it's able to, at least with good pavement.
What could be better? Well, some things. The engine is too soft in low gears. My friend Xevi says it's due to an 'anti dead executives' mapping. I would like it to be more torquey in that gears (with a rain map, of course). Also, while I like a lot how the Telelever and the Paralever work, the shock absorbers could be better.
It's also consuming some oil, and... well, it would be even better with, say, 30 kilos less.
So, what I want is: a light, water-cooled modern boxer BMW roadster, with tons of torque, a modern look, good brakes and an anti-dive front suspension. I don't want its riding position to change; these roadsters are not motorcycles for a couple-hours Sunday morning ride. They are great at this, of course, but they are (and must be) great at thousand-kilometre trips. I want it to have optional panniers.
I want it to have optional panniers.
Let's keep imagining.
The product
I don't think the 'R-R' series has to be the 'minimal expression' any more (if it ver was). That's now what the R Nine-T is, and it does very well. It doesn't need to be an actual 1250, either. A 1200 or even less could be far enough. But "twelve fifty" sounds good, promises torque and 150 or 160 horsepower. I would like it to be fully water-cooled and to have that tons of electronics you can expect from a 2017 BMW. I'm keeping the current layout with the admission on the top of the cylinders and the exhaust pipes on the bottom, because I like it. I'm tired of the exhaust pipes going forward then backwards.
I decided to use a front 'Hossack Duolever'. Something anti-dive, modern and different from the Telelever, and I like how it looks. Now that the K1300R is not in the market any more, this could be a good moment to rescue it for the Boxers, before it gets too old in the mind of the customers.
I decided to apply some styling experiments I have been playing with lately. I like the idea of putting the front lights in the tank / shroud panels so we can have a flat, clean, front plate. I have been playing with this for years, so I got a bit disappointed when somebody else introduced a motorcycle using this system. But, since I got there first, I feel free to use it in my concepts.
I'm also playing with a gap between the tank and the seat. I like how it makes the tank part look more massive while the seat and tail look lighter. If you are afraid about your anatomy, I can only say I would try it first. If it's not ergonomically optimal, well, then let's go back. But not without having tried it.
The tail itself has a side-to side gap that may remind to some italian motorcycles, but I think I found an interesting shape.
I decided to use a front 'Hossack Duolever'. Something anti-dive, modern and different from the Telelever, and I like how it looks. Now that the K1300R is not in the market any more, this could be a good moment to rescue it for the Boxers, before it gets too old in the mind of the customers.
I decided to apply some styling experiments I have been playing with lately. I like the idea of putting the front lights in the tank / shroud panels so we can have a flat, clean, front plate. I have been playing with this for years, so I got a bit disappointed when somebody else introduced a motorcycle using this system. But, since I got there first, I feel free to use it in my concepts.
I'm also playing with a gap between the tank and the seat. I like how it makes the tank part look more massive while the seat and tail look lighter. If you are afraid about your anatomy, I can only say I would try it first. If it's not ergonomically optimal, well, then let's go back. But not without having tried it.
I would try it first. Not far from a doctor, by the way.
To be completely honest, I like motorcycles that have a more 'fair line'. I use to like the 90's sport motorcycles more than current ones, I like big surfaces, and not splitting the plastics in smaller and sharper areas unless it's going to mean something. But here I tried the opposite, I played the japanese a little bit. And I must say I had fun with it.
As I use to say, this is a concept, and a little bit crazy one. If you think something is not going to work if built exactly as depicted here, well, probably you are right. That's not the aim of this blog, by the way.
The making-off.
The 1250 is a concept that has been created in a different way that the Angry Bird and the Board. Those were 'stage 4' concepts, while this one is a 'stage 3', a 'fast' one. All the concepts I'm showing in this blog can be framed into states 1 to 4, and I think they could be interesting to explain.
These stages are not meant to be sequential; a 'stage 3' concept is usually born already as a stage 3. They just define how detailed a concept is.
The first stage is 2D sketching, hand drawn in paper or in a digital support (such as my windows tablet with a Wacom pen).
The second stage is still 2D, but this time using a vector graphics design software, and "painting" the shadows and reflections using vectors. I have never shown a concept of this kind here, but I will. Someday.
The third stage is the first 3D one. It's "fast" modelling, and implies general 3D modelling software, the kind you would use for creating video game models. It's got a good balance between the speed and the result; you can develop and fix ideas fast, while seeing a 3D result at any time. That's my favourite and this R1250R is drawn this way.
The "stage 4" is kinda crazy... It means modelling everything from scratch directly in a CAD design software... this way the final result looks very realistic and detailed, and it can be directly translated to detail design. But It's slower than stage 3. The Angry Bird and the Board were created this way.
Note: I said some time before that my next big project was still not ready. Well, this has not changed. This R1250R is not that project. It will be a stage 4 one (or maybe a 'stage 3.5')... if I ever finish it. You can expect more 'small' projects in the meantime.
In fact I made some 2D sketching over 3D screenshots. Stage 2 over 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment