Great aerodynamic developments are less likely. The motorcycle is ungainly at best and little can be done to rectify that. Short of lifting the ban on '50s-style dustbin fairings, bikes are stuck with an inherently messy drag coefficient. The best performance gains will likely come from reducing the frontal area as much as possible and by managing the flow of air moving through-as well as around-the bike and rider.
As high-performance motorcycle buyers, we have much to gain from racing. Unlike our sports-car-wielding brethren, the racing DNA contained in production sportbikes is strong. The very things that make MotoGP bikes better, more often than not, will continue to trickle down, improving the two-wheel experience for all of us.
David RobbVice President Of Motorcycle Design For Bmw Motorrad In MunichWe literally have drawers full of possibilities of what could be at BMW. We're looking at safety and environmental concerns in ways that offer riders a fun experience that's also a responsible one. For me, they don't cancel each other out. You can do both. Using resources responsibly doesn't mean sitting in a telephone booth on wheels. Two-wheelers offer an experience you can't get with other vehicles. A motorcycle in today's form is a very intimate thing. You can get very cozy with it. You're involved.
"A lot of us say, 'I ride a motorcycle to get away from it all.' But if you don't have your e-mail connection, your cell phone, you don't have your things...at some point you feel lost. Things that were luxuries now fit in your pocket. So why aren't they part of your motorcycle experience? Those are things that will have to be offered.
"There are plenty of rational arguments for the motorcycle as we move forward. At some point there will be less space, so you have to be more efficient with everything, whether it's your footprint on the road or the energy necessary to drive your vehicle. The motorcycle is smaller, lighter, uses less energy and has a smaller footprint on the road, so the same road could carry more people. There are plenty of possibilities.
"Take the Segway technology. Instead of two wheels side by side, put one in front of the other. The rider wouldn't need to be concerned with balance. Now it's a narrow-lane two-wheel vehicle because why do you need four? It has all the braking and traction control you need. It's very aerodynamic, and you don't need much energy since it's small and light. It really has nothing to do with today's motorcycle, but that doesn't mean the motorcycle experience we know today has to disappear.
"What is the future going to be like? There isn't going to be a single future. The video recorder didn't keep people from going to the movies, and when the DVD came out it just offered another opportunity. It can offer you something else. But when the first VHS recorders came out, people said, 'You're not going to the movies anymore.' Are you kidding? One format doesn't have to replace another. What you can do at the movies you can only do at the movies. What you can do with a motorcycle you can only do with a motorcycle.
"A self-balancing, streamlined, safe two-wheeler might be an experience people would enjoy, but it doesn't mean you can't have your R1200GS of the future. We'll be using computers in ways most riders have never thought about before. Things like fly-by-wire or brake-by-wire and active suspension are out there. The electronic suspension adjustment BMW has now is just the beginning. You could do the same thing with seats or wind protection. If I take my son for a ride I just plug in a different weight than I might for a bigger buddy.