[Mr.Mow]

Ok, forgive my lack of knowledge here, I’m more from a Harley background and know little about BM motors.

my other bike is a 2005 carb’ Softail, mikuni flatslide, gear driven cams but otherwise stock 1450, on paper about 1/2-2/3 the HP of my R9T, but it pulls like a goddamn freight train all the way up.

when I got the BM I though, it’s a twin, on paper has near double power, a hell of a lot lighter, fancy electrics and technology. But where’s the ‘balls’? It’s still a 1.2lt motor, where’s the grunt man?!
So how do BM guys change their motors up? How do I get it lumpy and torquey?

pic of harley to upset and outrage.

 

[gristle]

To be blunt, if you expect it to pull anything like your Harley tractor, you bought the wrong bike. It will never ever pull like the soft tail. Nor should it.

It makes gobs more power, but that’s a product of torque at higher RPMs. It’s a much more square engine compared to the long stroke Harley. Think of the NineT as the happy middle between the Harley and a sport bike.

 

[GapRunr]

Big V Twins are known for their torque.. but the BMW can stop..

 

[fmdualexhaust]

My buddy has a Honda ncx 650. If you took a ride on that, you would think your BMW had a lot of torque.

 

[Jonacol]

Does having a front brake that actually works feel like a bit of a novelty? 😉

 

[rocket rick]

Bet anyone? That old Harley Tractor pull won't get you to 100 mph in about 10 seconds or so

 

[Mr.Mow]

Ok, so German sausage waving aside..

Performance with BMs, aside from exhausts and flash maps, do people do cams, big bore, valves etc or is it not really a BM thing?
I know when I had Ducati’s there were a ton of Ducati Corse factory parts you could buy.

 

[GapRunr]

Cams, big bore kits, etc. aren't really a thing in the BMW world. There are a couple of fuel mapping add on devices that provide decent power improvements. The current oil cooled motor is relatively lean in order to meet Euro 4 standards. "Booster Plug" seems to be pretty popular in the Boxer crowd.

BoosterPlug BMW R nine T (2017 - 2020)

Improve your BMW R nine T and solve stalling and idle problems with the BoosterPlug plug-and-play tuning solution. Read more here.

www.boosterplug.com

EDIT: There is a Power Commander for the 2012 R1200GS, which is the same engine we have in the R Nine T. It's not as plug and play as the "Booster Plug" but it is very programmable. No guarantee that it would work on the R Nine T but an email to the company will answer that.

 

[gristle]

It's a niche thing. I'd look to see what Nate Kern and friends have been doing with the bikes they're racing if you're prepared to spend real dollars. But the performance upgrades are almost always geared towards generating more power, not more low end torque. Again, with a bore and stroke of 101 mm and 73 mm, it's not going to be stump puller like your two valve 1450cc Harley. It doesn't want to chug at 2,000 rpm.

p.s. this has zero to do with sausage measuring. They're different kinds of machines. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

[Norbi]

But where’s the ‘balls’? How do I get it lumpy and torquey?

The torque is on the right handle, looks kind of like a sausage. If you squeeze and turn it hard, it gets lumpy pretty quickly. Balls are necessary, too. Enjoy!
I’m German, by the way.

 

[Gambo916]

Maybe this Fortnine Yewtooob vid will help explain why your Harley pulls like it does >>>>

 

[Phenix3939]

Bimmers are pretty simple. Exhaust, intake and tune to make more power. After that you can focus on shedding weight. That'll improve performance in all aspects.

 

[Norbi]

Maybe this Fortnine Yewtooob vid will help explain why your Harley pulls like it does >>>>

Great Video!!! “Two extra penises per cylinder” - adicktive!” Love that!!!

 

[Dalfort]

I like the Softail as well and owned a 2007 FXSTB

After 5 years I got tired of the 21 inch front and traded for a 2012 FLHX

I like H-D bikes for what they are - big, heavy, low...its all about going slow and cruising.

They utilize an undersquare push rod engine design with more stroke vs bore giving tons of off idle torque at the expense of generating hp at rpm. My 2007 Softail was 96 inchs and the FLHX is 103 and both are absolutely done by 5000 rpm. And thats with a tune...Max torque is at around 3500 rpm on both bikes.

Compare that to the DOHC 1170cc BMW with its oversquare designed bore/stroke of 101 x 73 and 12-1 CR. Look Ma, no push rods a real DOHC setup that can turn some rpm. At 4000 rpm the 1170cc BMW is just clearing its throat getting ready for a sprint as the pushrod H-D runs outa breath and hits a wall...

max torque on the BMW is at 6000 rpm so you probably just need to get used to seeing a tachometer register such big numbers and spin it higher...

 

[XRKawboy]

Ok, forgive my lack of knowledge here, I’m more from a Harley background and know little about BM motors.

my other bike is a 2005 carb’ Softail, mikuni flatslide, gear driven cams but otherwise stock 1450, on paper about 1/2-2/3 the HP of my R9T, but it pulls like a goddamn freight train all the way up.

when I got the BM I though, it’s a twin, on paper has near double power, a hell of a lot lighter, fancy electrics and technology. But where’s the ‘balls’? It’s still a 1.2lt motor, where’s the grunt man?!
So how do BM guys change their motors up? How do I get it lumpy and torquey?

pic of harley to upset and outrage.

View attachment 136764

I sold my 2011 Harley XR1200x and bought a 2015 R9T. They have roughly the same torque numbers, but a really different feel. The XR had great torque down low, but signed off early. The R9T has great torque feel throughout the rev range and I wouldn't trade back. I like the immediate hit of torque at whatever RPM I'm at or gear I'm in.

.
Plus it weighs about 70 pounds less and handles way better, but the XR sure was pretty.

 

[silverrocket]

I just have to say...this thread was like lighting a fuse. I love it. "German sausage waving".
I'm gonna start a thread..."I got a BMW and why does it suck so bad compared to my KZ1100?". I like all my kids, for different reasons. I just had to offer my support.