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A step forward??


johnlt

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The new TFT display on the 18 12GS is beautiful but not sure its a step forward in all directions. It takes 5 button pushes to reset the trip odometer. Another innovation BMW solution looking for a problem.

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I loved my GL1800 radio. 16 buttons that did exactly one thing each, plus 2 knobs. Setting presets was a snap. Wired sound was high quality. My kids laughed at how "complicated" it was.

 

I hated my K1600 radio. Four buttons, every one toggled 3 or more options. Many times I chose the wrong button, or cycled past my stop so I had to go around again. And again. Setting a radio preset was so complicated I gave up. Bluetooth sound sucked rocks.

 

Complicated isn't how many controls there are. Complicated is how difficult it is to accomplish what you want. Engineers need to turn their design and the owners manual over to their parents to use and just walk away. Come back in a week and listen to what they have to say. Kids these days.

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I love the new technology that's coming out all the time. And the new TFT display is impressive.

 

But my next door neighbor has an older Porsche 911 and I can look at those elegant analog gauges all day.

 

Same with my R90s. There's an artistic beauty in a set of appealing analog gauges. Its why finely crafted watches are beautiful to me as well.

 

 

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I loved my '99 R1100S... simple, fast, light, easy on the tires, relatively inexpensive no audio system to fuss with (except for the Remus exhaust) ... wish I had it back...

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....Complicated isn't how many controls there are. Complicated is how difficult it is to accomplish what you want. Engineers need to turn their design and the owners manual over to their parents to use and just walk away. Come back in a week and listen to what they have to say. Kids these days.

 

Amen to that, brother! I got a coffee pot with an "automatic on" feature. It sounded great. The mud is already done when I wake up.... The thing is absolutely useless without the manual.

 

Stuff needs to be intuitively obvious. Whether it's a gps, sprinkler system timer or whatever - A guy should be able to pick something up and start using it. For example, you can get into practically any make/model car, and drive immediately into heavy traffic. Hell, you can even do that in a right hand drive car! Immediately into traffic.

 

Edited by elkroeger
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On my second 99RT. When I wear this one out, I'm getting another, anywhere from '98 to 2001. They're still out there with <40K on them. $3K. I'll transfer over my RDL and add fresh fluids, filters, rubber and suspenders, and they're ready to rock for $4500 total. I can do all the routine service work on them myself. I can ride a bike like that to anywhere in the continent in complete comfort.

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A lot of the same stuff gets said about automobile infotainment system that befuddle the user and BMW cars tend to get low marks. Technological advancement itself isn't the problem, it is the implementation of these advancements where complexity gets added rather than subtracted. Poorly thought out interfaces seem all too prevalent. On the other hand if you took the collection of third party solutions to achieve what everyone wants on their ride today and put aside how to even integrate them all, the number of gizmos would soon be piled high in front of you and buttons, buttons everywhere. Somehow that seems way worse.

 

I will likely find the new TFT dash compelling enough if it improves integration, information consumption and overall ease of use. But five steps to reset the trip odometer while not a show stopper, sure seems like a big design miss that should get fixed. Maybe an undocumented short cut exists. My fear is that the TFT dash which is essentially a touch pad and with that display flexibility it might bring the ultimate in frustration. Can you imagine the anger after getting through the learning curve, BMW sends a major software update through with a complete change to that interface with the cringe worthy phase; we are implementing a new interface for an improved user experience. Grrr! Translation: You get to start the damn learning curve over!

 

 

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....Complicated isn't how many controls there are. Complicated is how difficult it is to accomplish what you want. Engineers need to turn their design and the owners manual over to their parents to use and just walk away. Come back in a week and listen to what they have to say. Kids these days.

 

Amen to that, brother! I got a coffee pot with an "automatic on" feature. It sounded great. The mud is already done when I wake up.... The thing is absolutely useless without the manual.

 

Stuff needs to be intuitively obvious. Whether it's a gps, sprinkler system timer or whatever - A guy should be able to pick something up and start using it. For example, you can get into practically any make/model car, and drive immediately into heavy traffic. Hell, you can even do that in a right hand drive car! Immediately into traffic.

 

I suspect that muxh of the complexity is driven more by the marketing department than the engineering department.

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I suspect that muxh of the complexity is driven more by the marketing department than the engineering department.

 

Perhaps, but engineering departments can make huge mistakes on their own. When the first F-16Cs came out, with digital avionics and an Upfront Control to enter data and change operating modes, the aircraft was almost unusable. Common, most often used functions, like changing radio frequencies, were buried 3 layers down in the menu. The software engineers at General Dynamics thought they had designed such an elegant system, but the users hated it. GD instituted a crash program to modify the software prior to releasing the aircraft to operational squadrons.

 

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I've worked for 2 CAD/CAM Software companies over the last 30 years and have seen software interfaces change dramatically as the users base has changed.

 

Competition drives change as well as underlying technology as well as new generations of users. Trying to balance all of that now requires a department of skilled people who have to figure out a way to take new technical break through's in CAD and CAM applications and make them usable to the widest possible audience.

 

Every release we struggle to keep the older machinists who have used our software for 35 years and learned by typing in commands in mind while we cater to those in their 20's who expect iPad like interfaces. It drives us crazy and from time to time our users as well when we don't get it right.

 

My 2004 RT had a pretty simple Interface, single use buttons and dials are easy to learn and develop muscle memory for although i did honk the horn a few times while trying to turn on the left turn indicator.

 

My 2016 RT was a huge leap in terms of interface, while i have all sorts of powerful options at my finger tips i have to take my eyes off the road to make sure i'm on the right screen when i want to adjust the handlebar heat.

 

Doing more with fewer controls works great until it doesn't

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Dennis Andress

It took almost a year to develop muscle memory to find and use the basic controls in my F150 Lariat. Things like AC/Heater controls, mirrors, and lights. I guess the next step will be learning the voice commands so I can operate the rest of it.

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It took almost a year to develop muscle memory to find and use the basic controls in my F150 Lariat.

 

Three years in my new truck and I'm still grabbing for the column shifter that my old one had. Sorry, no help here. :grin:

 

Pat

 

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It took almost a year to develop muscle memory to find and use the basic controls in my F150 Lariat.

 

Three years in my new truck and I'm still grabbing for the column shifter that my old one had. Sorry, no help here. :grin:

 

Pat

 

Get the Chevy. :/

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Yes . . . I'd just like switches for the high use stuff! Come on! Talk about distracted riding . .

 

Stopped into the Du-caddy deal last Fall. Ahh . . look at the wonderful switch gear on the Multistrada, even a index finger trigger for the brights! I guess the trade off is how complicated that damn engine is to service and work on. :money:

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On my second 99RT. When I wear this one out, I'm getting another, anywhere from '98 to 2001. They're still out there with <40K on them. $3K. I'll transfer over my RDL and add fresh fluids, filters, rubber and suspenders, and they're ready to rock for $4500 total. I can do all the routine service work on them myself. I can ride a bike like that to anywhere in the continent in complete comfort.

 

And you didn't even mention they are the most beautiful bike that BMW ever made!! :clap:

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