Poor rear end design

[Sooty09]

Camping time again and I haver just refitted the SW Motech pannier frames and throw over bags to my wifes GS650. Each time it strikes me how poor the design of the rear end is. The steering, suspension, engine and most cycle parts have been designed by people who know about bikes and carrying kit. The holes are tapped in the frame ready for mounting points so the thought was there, saddly the management seem to have given the final style design to first year art students with no idea. The tips of the tank stick out 50-75mm more than required and the exhaust probaby 175 mm or so. When the frames are fitted giving a bit of an air gap round the exhaust the overall width is massive. We used the same panniers on the GS single and the twin measures 235mm more over the width, it cannot just be to improve the tank capacity as the old bike had 19L and was shaped to clear the silencers.
Bike so far 9/10
Rear end design for looks 7/10
Rear end of bike for practical use 0/10

 

[Tim Cullis]

I couldn't agree more. The silencer on the F800S/ST is tucked in far closer, and the tank could have been made slimer at the widest point without losing capacity by making it wider further back. As you say it's a triumph of 'style' over functionality.

And don't get me started on the wisdom of fitting a close-ratio gearbox on a dual sport machine.