Boxerworks.com

Jean wrote:MS (and others) I saw a neat R100 DIRT Bike this weekend that had a nifty electronic unit on it in place of the usual "clocks". It told you everything you'd almost want to know EXCEPT RPM.
The owner demonstrated all this to me when I asked how it worked...I also noticed he had to press buttons to get it to show the various pieces of info.
I still like a couple of round analog dials with easily read pointers which do not require a free hand to read, and only an instataneous GLANCEwill suffice to give you the information you need (relative position of the pointer.)

I don't know what kind of unit that was, Jean, but most of the electronic dashboards include a series of LED's across the top to indicate RPM.


http://www.trailtech.net/digital-gauges/vapor

Lots of info with no button pushing.
I think that guy got ripped off.

Jean wrote:MS (and others) I saw a neat R100 DIRT Bike this weekend that had a nifty electronic unit on it in place of the usual "clocks". It told you everything you'd almost want to know EXCEPT RPM.
The owner demonstrated all this to me when I asked how it worked...I also noticed he had to press buttons to get it to show the various pieces of info.
I still like a couple of round analog dials with easily read pointers which do not require a free hand to read, and only an instataneous GLANCEwill suffice to give you the information you need (relative position of the pointer.)

Indeed! The pressing of buttons to get the bits of information desired relegates the concept to a driver amusement device!

And more than a little dangerous one at that. Though much less intensive, is the pressing of buttons so much different from texting while driving?


Ken

RPM is far less important in a dirt machine, so I could see that being missing on a dirt model.

Major Softie wrote:RPM is far less important in a dirt machine, so I could see that being missing on a dirt model.

I'd go farther in my opinion. I would see a tachometer on a serious dirt bike as laughable. With the (slightly) possible exception of flat tracking, the dirt rider is generally too busy to spend the 1 or 2 seconds needed to read and register the RPMs. And on a less serious dirt riding application, such as cow trailing or fire roading who needs to know the exact numbers on a tach? With just a bit of experience the sound and feel of the bike tell you what you want to know.

Of course, back in the day, that didn't stop me from fitting a tach to my A10 BSA Spitfire Scrambler. But then, though the bike had no electrical wiring other than the magneto kill switch, and was fitted with aggressive knobies, and was geared dirt bike low, that didn't stop me from drag racing against my buddies and driving the bike to work. I reckon I put on 50 road miles to every 1 dirt mile on that bike.

But then the mission statement for that bike was to impress my buds--and hopefully the occasional girl. And what could be more impressive than a bike that would climb the steepest hill, outrun damned near anything on a scrambles track, and beat my friends cars in a quarter mile drag?

I better quit here. I'm drifting into old fart reminiscence.

Ken

I guess It's just too convenient to only have to LOOK at a gauge to find the info...anyhow this was intended to be operable on the street, also. To get to the dirt.

Since this is a "nice" site, I won't go into the thoughts I have about touch-screens that the "drivers (?) can dick with while they are pretending to operate their vehicle.

GPS's on bikes generate the same thoughts. BIG touring bikes being operated by dudes looking at the little "tv" and pushing buttons. Whoops!!!where'd that STOPPING (OHSHIT) car come from?????

Too late.

Hi,

I'm new here and to new BMW motorcycles. I just posted my first post/question a few minutes ago.
I'm also looking for a bike and am leaning towards a R100S.

I've seen the bike posted here on eBay several times. The starting bid has always been $3500, but the Buy It Now price dropped from $4500 to $3900 the last time I looked.

Seems that the opinions offered here are understood and considered by most everyone who's seen that bike. This is the second or third time I've seen it listed, but the seller clearly wants $3500. No one else seems to think it's worth that price though.

Check again next week.

Souljer, a few weeks ago I attempted to find and buy (?) a pair of side covers (battery covers) for my '78 R100s. There were many listed on ebay, but the prices exceeded the cost of new ones. some were in pretty bad shape and were going to need refinishing anyway!
I bought new ones, in prime, from the Greenville (SC) BMW shop.
Stuff on ebay tends to be overpriced and lots of time not what the description says.
Try the BMW "club" websites for the bike you want.