Hilarious discovery of the evening;

"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic) 06/07/2015 at 04:17 • Filed to: None

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My dad’s R 1200RT, a middleweight touring bike meant for long highway cruises that feels like it’s going to topple over at any moment due to the relatively short wheelbase and steep rake, has quickshift.

Quickshift, for the uninitiated, is a system that allows you to smoothly upshift and downshift without clutching. It does this by sensing when you start moving the shift lever, and cutting fuel for just a tick for upshifts, and by rev-matching downshifts. You end up with insanely fast shift times, since there’s no clutching that has to be done. (motorcycle gearboxes are a bit different than most cars’)

As for functionality... 1-2 is rough, but above that works pretty well. The downside is going balls-out in a gear above 2 takes you to speeds way above what the bike is happy with.

Downshifts, though, are perfectly smooth. Hell, it’s a lot smoother than actually using the clutch.

I know BMW likes to put EVERY bit of tech they develop on EVERY bike (the S1000 RR has cruise control and heated grips.) but this is still kind of humorous.

an automotive metaphor would be putting an LSD into a minivan.

f86sabre > TheOnelectronic 06/07/2015 at 09:05

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My R1150RTP is similar with all the bells and whistles. BMW just likes to load them up.

desertdog5051 > TheOnelectronic 06/07/2015 at 10:41

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Knew of it. Never saw it in action. Very cool.

Sam > desertdog5051 06/07/2015 at 14:27

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At full tilt, it sounds like a formula 1 car upshifting.

desertdog5051 > TheOnelectronic 06/07/2015 at 14:56

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I may have to stop by the BMW dealer and try it out. The only problem is that every time you ask to test ride, they make you ride around some cones in the parking lot first. No matter how many times you have been there.

Maybe this time I should just tell them fuck you and ride out of the parking lot. :)

BloodlessWeevil > TheOnelectronic 06/07/2015 at 15:03

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As you probably already guessed, the 1-2 shift is rough because you are skipping over neutral. You might be able to smooth it out by letting off the throttle slightly as you slide it into second. I’d bet that the system cuts fuel by x amount without regard for what gear you’re in.

Unrelated question: do you normally use the clutch to shift gears? I was taught not to do that and I never really considered it an option for motorcycles even though that is how it is done in cars and trucks.

TheOnelectronic > BloodlessWeevil 06/08/2015 at 16:39

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That is... strange. I’ve always used the clutch to shift, as do most people I know who ride. It just makes things much smoother. I’ve done clutchless shifts on bikes before, and it’s usually pretty rough.

And you’re probably right about the 1-2 shift going through neutral.

TheOnelectronic > desertdog5051 06/08/2015 at 16:41

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That’s... odd. The BMW dealer up here in Santa Fe doesn’t do that, to my knowledge.

TheOnelectronic > f86sabre 06/08/2015 at 16:42

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I just get a chuckle out of how wide-spread that is within their lineup.

desertdog5051 > TheOnelectronic 06/09/2015 at 01:38

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And same owner, too? Must be a dealership thing.

TheOnelectronic > desertdog5051 06/09/2015 at 03:28

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I think that’s correct. All I know if they were trying their damnedest to get me on a demo bike back when my dad bought his.

bob and john > TheOnelectronic 06/09/2015 at 20:25

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funny, our F800R doesnt have it.