32 | MOTMOTMO OR CYOR CYOR C CYCY LE NEWS JULY 6, 2005

ROAD TESTBMW K1200LT H BMW M5 (YES, IT’S A CAR!)www.motorcyclenews.com/bikereviews

DRIVING MACHINE?

PETERBOROUGH TO LE MANSPETERBOROUGH TO LE MANS

IN PICTURES...IN PICTURES...

TEST 1: STYLEYOU’VE GOT THE LOOK

K1200LTLIKE the QE2 ocean liner, you’d have trouble hiding theELT in a car park. Big screen, huge fairing and DFS armchairs all add up to a serious long-distance touring bike, and this in turn means huge. Because of the size itattracts non-biking onlookers and BMW aficionadosfrom a distance. Everyone appreciates how well the bike is put together – clean lines, perfectly aligned panels, a host of details like speakers, switches foreverything and the electro-hydraulic mainstand. Of course the BMW logo shouts out quality… and expense, too – nobody batted an eyelid at the K12’s price, it seems the name and money go hand in hand,like silicone and porn queen.

SCORE

TEST 2: POWERIT’S IN THERE SOMEWHERE

K1200LTTHE K12’s motor is as smooth as a blueprinted electric THEdynamo. It whirrs along at 100mph in top and is very contented with this pace. With weight comparable to a pocket battleship and not that much poke comingfrom the 1172cc four-cylinder motor, the bike relies on 88ftlb of torque to drive it off the line. Wheelspin andwheelies? Nah, only for abusers of clutches and idiots. Against the M5 it stands no chance. No matter what gear and at what speed on the road, the only time the K12 gets its nose in front is when the M5’s driver lets it, or the K12 rider cheated. No kidding, the LT just wentbackwards… at an alarming speed. Check out www.motorcyclenews.com/video for proof. With 102bhp at the rear wheel the K12 has a power to weight (387kgfuelled) ratio of 3.8kg/bhp.

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TEST 3: PERFORMANCELET LOOSE THE COGS OF WAR

K1200LTTop speed, screen down: 127.8mph (rider prone)Standing start quarter-mile: 12.65secTop gear roll-on (40-100mph): 13.92secBraking distance (70-0mph): 57.60m

Rider’s comments: “ON side-by side shoot-outs I was giving it the absolute berries – changing gear when therev limiter cut in and not backing the throttle off. It made no difference… the car just buggered off. Evenfrom a standstill, it’s there behind, wheels squealing, alongside and gone in a matter of half a second. I wouldn’t mind but Trev (the M5 driver) had eatenmore than his usual ton of cheese and onion Ginsters and it still pulled like a stud. Cars like that should be banned purely in the interests of motorcyclists’ mental health.”

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M5TO a casual observer the M5 gets overlooked at first glance. To many it’s just another 5-series. Evenhardcore petrol heads fail to notice what is claimed to be the ultimate driving machine. Arguments arose as towhether the M5 has understated or subtle styling. Where are the wide arches and the flamboyant paint scheme? Whatever, it works because it’s possibly the most rabid wolf in sheep’s clothing. That Batmobile front end, huge alloy wheels and low-profile rubber demand a second look, and that’s when the previously unnoticed M5 logos get noticed. Porsche, Ferrari and Lambos never get a look in when the M5 is discoveredin a car park.

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M5WHAT would you prefer? Clip around the ear 400bhpTas standard, or a 507bhp rabbit punch to the kisser?Under that bonnet hides a snarling V10-fangedmonster which comes alive with 507bhp at the touch of a steering wheel button (marked ‘M’). The seductive growl of 10 cylinders being fed by 10 throttle butterflies entices you to stamp the accelerator pedalthrough the floorpan. The head-up display of a colour-coded tacho and speedometer (which struggles tokeep up) amazes as much as the way the rear tyres leave rubber in first and second. Fact: no bike’s goingto be a clear winner against this beast on twisting A-roads. Note: BMW’s race department builds each M5 engine. In the car world a manufacturer’s claimedoutput figures taken at the crankshaft/flywheel aretaken as gospel. But MCN doesn’t do gospel and the rear wheel figure came up as 378bhp with 268ftlb oftorque. So that’s a real world 4.84kg/bhp. OK, so that’s not superbike-rivalling power-to-weight. But it’s still totally awesome whichever way you look at it. And in a (traffic-free) A-road battle no bike will ever shake it off.

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M5Top speed (air con on!): 162mph (restricted)Standing start quarter-mile: 12.8secTop gear roll-on (40-100mph): 24.7sec (in 7th gear!)Braking distance (70-0mph): 47.4m

Driver’s comments: “WHEN you’re used to ridingbikes, the speed of the M5 feels tame – the weight ofthe car, 10-speaker stereo booming out, perfect suspension, it all masks the effect. But then the awesomeness of the thing hits home when you find yourself overtaking four cars where my 1.6-litreMondeo (Zetec, mind) would struggle overtaking one.A 1998 R1 rider looked surprised when the M5 went past him on the brakes into a sweeping right-hander.It’s easy to use that power at the right time, but it will bite back with a spin, albeit not so painful as a highside.

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JULY 6, 2005 MOTMOTMO OR CYCOR CYCOR C LE NEWS | 33

88/10/1099/10/107 7/10/10

77/10/10 77/10/10 66/10/10

Continues over

TEST 5: COMFORT / CAPACITYSHE’LL TAKE NAE MORE, CAP’N

K1200LTMILE after mile after mile covered and yet a K12 rider MILEand pillion will walk away at the end of the journeyhappy as Larry. Sumptuous seating and brilliantly placed footpegs keep cramp at bay. The screen can be raised at the push of a switch to leave rider bluster-free, or down for high-speed air con. Problems arise in heavy traffic as heat from the engine dries eyes and wilts body hair like opening a fan-assisted oven. Thesound system sounds like a cheap mini five watt hi-fiwhen turned up. Luggage-wise, there’s enough room for two pairs of trainers, casual clothing for a longweekend, wash bags, jackets and a couple of two-litrebottles of water. Wallet and mobile can be stashed in a pocket in the tank.

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TEST 6: RUNNING COSTSER, ABOUT THE OVERDRAFT...

K1200LTTHE LT should be serviced at 6000 miles (£120THEinterim), a major service being every 12,000 and you’re looking at close to £500 after seven hours labour plus parts and VAT. That’s a lot of wedge considering the thing is built to rack up big touring miles. Tyres? Touring Metzeler Roadtecs will dent thewallet for around £165 (mail order from SMD Tyres, 01942-604511). The onboard computer recorded fuel consumption at a best of 32.3mpg and a worst of 23.6mpg which means the 24-litre tank’s filler caphinge won’t seize up.

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TEST 7: TRAFFIC SCYTHINGSHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME

K1200LTNOT as svelte or as quick as a sports bike but as with NOTall bikes, and with the right man on board, it has theability to nip through slow moving traffic – with a careful eye on the mirrors, as those panniers can be a liability at close quarters. The run to Dover and the ferry (160 miles approx) saw the K1200LT beat the car by a good 20 minutes. On the run home it was a good hour – bikes are by far the best thing around the M25and the Dartford toll.

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TEST 4: HANDLINGHEAVY AS SHE GOES

K1200LTHEAVY to push around (a starter motor-run reverse VYgear aids getting it out of the garage), but surprisinglynimble when rolling above 7mph. Use every inch ofthe road, police-craft-style, and the K12 will cover ground at a respectable speed. But show it some twists and turns and ground clearance becomes anissue. The pegs soon become chamfered to finish up as rubber-topped daggers. At speed and with luggage onboard a weave will develop when the bike is banked and a bump is hit. It’s at this point that thesteering becomes all vague and floaty through the long rubber-mounted bars.

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M5YOU could have the fastest car in the world and it wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference when wedged solid in a traffic jam or stuck behind Ethel and her one-litre Lada in the outside lane. And, even when theroad becomes clear, speed is restrained because you’re more paranoid about getting nabbed by theplod than you are on a bike. That feeling of being less conspicuous on a bike never really came to the foreuntil behind the wheel of a 500bhp mobile chicane.

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M5IN more than 1000 miles the best mpg figure given by the inboard computer was 21.4mpg. The average was 19.2mpg; the worst 9.8mpg. The 70-litre tank neededfilling every 250 miles (at £60 a pop). The M5 self-monitors and informs the owner via the ‘I-drive’ in-dash screen as and when servicing work is required. Just a bottle of BMW-specified Motorsport oil will set you back £120-ish. Tyres are low profile Continentals,wide as your garden path and about £850 a set. Ouch!

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M5THE multi-adjustable front seats are a £1245 optional THEextra. Switches at their sides move them electronically up, down, left, right and so on. The £815 active seat ventilation is an unnecessary luxury but brilliant all the same. Air con is standard and god sent. £5320 ofperforated Merino sheep leather seat and trimcovering sounds mad until sat on. It’s like wearing a race suit made by Crowtree Leathers from veal calfhide and treated with essence of virgin female. Then there’s the climate control (absolutely necessary for maximum gloat factor when watching a K12 rider in a queue boiling to death under the midday French sun). And those front seats have electronic assisted side pads that clamp the rider in place under hardcornering. It’s like a great big reassuring hug from a favourite uncle. Luggage? It’s a family saloon for chrissakes. You could lose two kids eating Kentuckybuckets in the back… and fit a K1200LT in the boot. Well, very nearly.

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M5COMPUTERISED reactive suspension rules! Electronic Damper Control (EDC) monitors road conditions and adjusts the suspension to suit in milliseconds. And it’sadjustable on the go, from comfortable (soft) to sports (firm). There’s also Dynamic Stability Control – a high-tech traction control system. Turned off, and in full-onballistic ‘M’ mode is the only time you’ll get any lurid rear-end slides, but there’s so much feel through the steering wheel it’s easy enough to get back in line.

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34 | MOTMOTMO OR CYOR CYOR C CYCY LE NEWS JULY 6, 2005

ROAD TESTBMW K1200LT H BMW M5www.motorcyclenews.com/bikereviews

‘Hard corneringsoon turns the K1200’s pegs intorubber-topped daggers!’

33/10/1022/10/101010/10/101010/10/10

77/10/10

77/10/10

66/10/10 1010/10/10

from previous page

JULY 6, 2005 MOTMOTMO OR CYCOR CYCOR C LE NEWS | 35

TECHWATCHBY KEVIN ASH

Underslung is way forward

g iforwardway

g i

I HAD a long and, as always, fascinating conversation last week with Eric Buell (seealso MCN’s exclusive interview with Buell onp17). The timing of the interview could hardly have been better as we were speaking about engineering, the subjectclosest to Buell’s heart and realised in the purest engineering-driven designs in modern motorcycling.

The point of the interview in fact was to discuss quality and reliability, the Achilles’ Heel of Buell’s bikes in the past but whichhe convincingly claims are now exactly that, in thepast. I’ll be explaining why here at a later date, after I’ve put some significant miles behind the Firebolt XB12R I’m running to confirm the substance inthe words, as there are some interesting technical principles involved.

But one of Buell’s claims, that many of his ideas bring such unarguableadvantages they’re boundto appear on other bikes atsome point in the future, was dramatically underlined when MCN arrived on my doormat thefollowing day: there wasKawasaki’s new ER-6n with its funky new styling and questionable new colour schemes, plus a chunky silencer slung beneath the engine, just like a Buell.

Buell had been telling me, only 24 hours before, how he’d been demonstrating to some American journalists earlier this year why his exhausts are like this.

Weight is the first advantage. By including everything within a single large cylinder near to the engine, much less metal isused. For the US journalists Buell had brought alongexhausts from a Firebolt,

an Italian bike and a Japanese V-twin (he wouldn’t say which toavoid mentioning competitors directly, but I’d guess a Ducati 999 and a Honda SP-2). The Firebolt system weighs 9kg, the

Italian one 13kg and theJapanese one 15kg. This alone is a big advantagewhich is down to design alone, but that was only the first point.

As you can imagine, the rival exhausts were very long, maybe 1.5 metres, where the Buell’s is less than a metre along the length of the bike. So he asked the journalists to pick up an exhaust then turn it around to face the otherway, which is exactly what happens in a corner. Sure enough, the Buell exhaust is easy to turn around, but the other two, with a lot of mass at the end, have to beswung around, and take a lot more effort. That’s effortwhich on a bike goes towards slowing down itsrate of turn, and it’s an incontestable display ofwhat mass centralisationmeans in practice.

Kawasaki might be introducing this type ofexhaust on the ER-6n, but this looks like just the first of its kind for them, with suggestions already coming out that the new ZX-10R will have something similar.

Underseat exhausts are a fad and, like all fashions, they’re on their way out. Underslung exhausts are the new black… and Buellwas first on the catwalk.

‘Underslung exhausts arethe new black, and Buell was first on thecatwalk’

MORE TECH NEXT WEEK

POINTS TOTAL:K1200LT 50ptsM5 49pts

BMW’s K1200LT is the gran-pappy of tourers. It hascomfort, massive luggagecapacity and big presence, whether parked or rolling. Butit falls short in certain areas, like braking. A fistful gets theservo-assisted brakes pumping but on broken roads the ABS cuts in too frequently, making the LT lurch forward when you least expect it.

Bikes used to lead new automotive technology. V-Tec valve timing, refined fuel injection, and fully-adjustable suspension were on bikesbefore making it to cars. Now it’s the other way round. How long before we see active suspension and traction control on road bikes?

But cars suck in traffic and you’ll never get that freedom, even with the windows down and 507bhp under foot.l Thanks: P&O Ferries l(www.poferries.com); PDQ Developments (dynos): 01628-667644); BMW UK .

VERDICT

BMW M5 HHHHHCOST: £61,760POWER: 378bhpWEIGHT: 1830kgTORQUE: 268ftlb

Available: September 2005Colours: Bronze, silver, red, blueInsurance group: 20 (of 20)Info: BMW, 0800-325600

OVERALL LENGTH: 4855mm

FUEL: Avg 19mpg, 70 litres, 295milesL: Av

TECHNICAL SPECEngine: Liquid-cooled 4999cc (92mm x 75.2mm) 40v, dohc, four-stroke V-10. Seven-speed sequential manual (M-mode)/Drivelogic with five-speed auto/sequential gearbox. Fuel injection.Chassis: Double joint spring-strut front suspension with anti dive. Integral axle anti-squat rear suspension. 2 x 374 x 36mm front discs with twin-piston calipers, 2 x 370 x 24mm rear discs with single-piston calipers; ABS and CBS. Tyres: 255/40 x 19front, 285/35 x 19 rear

BMW K1200LT LUXHHHHHCOST: £15,030POWER: 102bhpWEIGHT: 387kgTORQUE: 88ftlb

Available: NowColours: Grey, blue, yellowInsurance group: 14 (of 17)Info: BMW, 0800-777155

WHEELBASE: 1627mm

FUEL: Avg 27mpg, 24 litres, 170 miles

TECHNICAL SPECEngine: Liquid-cooled 1171cc (70.5mm x 75mm) 16v, dohc, four-stroke longitudinal in-line four. Five gears. Fuel injection.Chassis: Cast aluminium frame. Telelever fork with non-adjustable single shock. Single rear shock adjustable for pre-load. 2 x 320mm front discs with four-piston calipers, 285mm rear disc with four-piston caliper and linked ABS system. Tyres: 90/90x 21 front, 140/80 x 17 rear