I have had a 1600 since they were first released, not least as I have found nothing better for trotting around the western side of Europe and hooning in general.
Good things:
The big new TFT screen is excellent. I left central London at around 17:30, heading due east, the bright sun near enough coming over my right shoulder. The there was very little glare from the screen.
The updated suspension works well.
The engine remains very smooth, with instant power from just about anywhere.
It was fine in heavy West End London traffic from Park Lane, right out to the A406 North Circular. They are digging up lots of Mayfair and the east end of the Strand, which adds to the fun.
The lights have always been tip-top. The redesigned offerings continue the same trend.
Odd things:
The bike has done away with the cubbyhole for a GPS device, everything now coming from your smart phone. The phone sits in a new pretty neat (fan cooled) cubbyhole, up on the top of the dash. Unlike the RT and the Connected cradle, BMW decided not to give the bike wireless charging, you need a short USB-C to USB-C lead.
BMW still haven’t included some easy access power sockets for connecting heated clothing.
The bike has its own wi-fi channel, which it uses to bring the maps for the route(s) across. If you use the phone, the bike drops its wi-fi connection, so the map vanishes. You still get the basic ‘pointy arrow’ directions though, as they come across via Bluetooth. If the wi-fi drops out, you can restart it on the go BUT not if your phone has gone into sleep mode. A work around is to:
A. Ensure the Connect app is always on.
B. Switch the phone’s automatic sleep function off.
Good things:
The big new TFT screen is excellent. I left central London at around 17:30, heading due east, the bright sun near enough coming over my right shoulder. The there was very little glare from the screen.
The updated suspension works well.
The engine remains very smooth, with instant power from just about anywhere.
It was fine in heavy West End London traffic from Park Lane, right out to the A406 North Circular. They are digging up lots of Mayfair and the east end of the Strand, which adds to the fun.
The lights have always been tip-top. The redesigned offerings continue the same trend.
Odd things:
The bike has done away with the cubbyhole for a GPS device, everything now coming from your smart phone. The phone sits in a new pretty neat (fan cooled) cubbyhole, up on the top of the dash. Unlike the RT and the Connected cradle, BMW decided not to give the bike wireless charging, you need a short USB-C to USB-C lead.
BMW still haven’t included some easy access power sockets for connecting heated clothing.
The bike has its own wi-fi channel, which it uses to bring the maps for the route(s) across. If you use the phone, the bike drops its wi-fi connection, so the map vanishes. You still get the basic ‘pointy arrow’ directions though, as they come across via Bluetooth. If the wi-fi drops out, you can restart it on the go BUT not if your phone has gone into sleep mode. A work around is to:
A. Ensure the Connect app is always on.
B. Switch the phone’s automatic sleep function off.
