Fashion Motorcycle

[drcollie]

my 2014 BMW R1200GS is the best motorcycle I have ever owned, and i've owned many. It's so good, I wouldn't know what I would replace it with. To keep it interesting, I change colors on it every year. That's right - try a new look each season. My wife says I'm nuts - she may be right.

This is the 2014 look.



For 2015, it got a Fire Blue makeover.



Just finished the 2016 scheme. White panels with some custom graphics I made on my Cricut vinyl cutting machine.



Not sure what 2017 will bring, I have next winter to figure it out. I'm thinking maybe arctic camo right now....lol

[sstarrx2]

So what do you do...a 3M wrap to change it up?

[drcollie]

I do panel swaps with other GS owners. Those are all BMW Factory pieces.

If I were to do that Camo wrap, then that would be a 3M Dynoc wrap, not too hard to do....

[sstarrx2]

I have a couple of old work buddies that ride BMWs. They have the big Sport Touring bikes though. Very nice bikes. I like the versatility of the GS though.

[Asomer]

Duane, I'm a girl & NOT a motorcycle rider so please go easy on me if this question is totally a brain deader: are those cross drilled & slotted rotors on your bike?

What's your opinion on upgrading the BMW 335i convert's factory rotors to performance rotors? Have read so many differing opinions on several of the BMW forums, so thought I'd ask you

[drcollie]

That's called a 2-piece floating rotor, and they are cross-drilled. The two features together let the rotors run much cooler under heavy and repetitive braking. Heat is the enemy of any brake system, and when brakes overheat they go away. And that can be really bad coming down a straightaway at the track at 140 mph into a 35 mph first corner. On the GS, its mostly for light weight and marketing bling. They do save a few pounds as well.

Unless you are tracking your car on a race track, and a B-Group driver or better at Track Day schools, its a total waste of money to upgrade the brakes on a street car. Put a better tire on the car (ie. Michelin Super Sport) and you'll get much more for your dollar than a brake upgrade. High quality tires not only corner better, but they stop faster, too. And they tend to run smoother as well.

[Asomer]

That's called a 2-piece floating rotor, and they are cross-drilled. The two features together let the rotors run much cooler under heavy and repetitive braking. Heat is the enemy of any brake system, and when brakes overheat they go away. And that can be really bad coming down a straightaway at the track at 140 mph into a 35 mph first corner. On the GS, its mostly for light weight and marketing bling. They do save a few pounds as well.

Unless you are tracking your car on a race track, and a B-Group driver or better at Track Day schools, its a total waste of money to upgrade the brakes on a street car. Put a better tire on the car (ie. Michelin Super Sport) and you'll get much more for your dollar than a brake upgrade. High quality tires not only corner better, but they stop faster, too. And they tend to run smoother as well.

I do have Michelin Super Sport tires on it!! I'm not into retrofitting BMW's in non-BMW aftermarket parts, nor do I prefer putting M specs on a non M3(such as the blue M calipers, etc.) Lol, I think it looks silly. I don't track the car; it's my daily driver...but, I am an aggressive driver & probably drive a bit too fast when I shouldn't.

When it's just me in the car, all that aggressive driving can lead to some pretty hard braking & I had thought of upgrading. However, your opinion lines up with the general consensus of others that unless you're taking your car to the track, you really won't notice any difference in the braking & factory brakes on a BMW 335 are pretty great as is.

Thanks for the input & glad I went with the Michelins

[drcollie]

You will never build the heat on your brakes on the street to fade out the brakes, I can guarantee that. I've been instructing in high performance cars at the track for 20 years now, and you it takes at least fifteen laps with standing on the brakes hard to get them good and hot. You simply won't ever experience that on public roads.

If you are concerned, then change your brake fluid ever year. It's a very simple job on a BMW, I can do it in less than 30 minutes once the wheels are off. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, that is - it attracts moisture. When new out of the can from Advance Auto off the shelf stuff, lets say brake fluid brand B (DOT 5) is good for 500 degrees wet before it boils off and your brakes fade and go away. Change the fluid and you have 500 degree protection. After a year, the moisture absorbed will lower that to say 450 degrees, after two years maybe 410 degrees, and three years 380 degrees. Once brake fluid boils - you have no more brakes. On the street you would probably never go above 280 - 300 degrees tops. Some people never change their brake fluid - on my street cars I do it every two years, if tracking every 6 months.

Now, you can run better brake fluid, too, like ATE Super Blue which has a dry boiling point of 530 degrees, 30 more than DOT 5. There are other brands with higher temp ratings close to 600 degrees, but they get pricey and you don't need them.

You can read tons about it if you get into it. Best solution is just don't leave old brake fluid in there too long.

Now, back to tires for a second. If you are running some cheap Korean tire on your car it make take it say 180 feet to stop from 70 mph. If you are running those Michelin Super Sports, the car will stop in around 165 feet. That extra 15 feet is huge, and the difference between a fender bender and no wreck. Why? Because the Michelin grips better, and that's especially important in braking. So tires are more critical than brakes on a street car. At least in my opinion.