HP2 Sport

[quicksilver]

Hi Brian...what a perfect pair of bikes to have in your garage....well in my opinion anyway...
I have a 12gs and would love a 12s or hp2 or even a boxer cup would do, so i need to ask a question....
What make and where did you get the handle bar support for your gs and where did you get the pad to fit it and last of all what colours did they do..

Cheers mate and hope all who read this have a good easter and safe riding..

Cheers Andy

[budman200210]

Absolutely superb!
got me thinking now!

[Yonkyo]

Hi Brian...what a perfect pair of bikes to have in your garage....well in my opinion anyway...
I have a 12gs and would love a 12s or hp2 or even a boxer cup would do, so i need to ask a question....
What make and where did you get the handle bar support for your gs and where did you get the pad to fit it and last of all what colours did they do..

Cheers mate and hope all who read this have a good easter and safe riding..

Cheers Andy

You can get the Handlebar Brace from:
http://www.nippynormans.com/prodinfo.as ... =3&mitem=3

The pads are available from your local BMW dealer. They do all sorts of styles and colours.

Cheers

Brian

[ianbcr]

the bikes a beaut,what gets me is you pay all that money with carbon goodies and still have to put on a hugger yourself,

[BMWBob]

Hi Brian,

Very envious.......I've only recently moved on from a 1100S to a 1150GS (advancing years etc, etc ) but would have a HP2 in my garage if funds ever allowed!

I'm only over near Bath so might see you out sometime? Perhaps I'll give Fowler's a try one Saturday lunchtime? Apologies in advance for any drooling

Regards Bob

[Yonkyo]

the bikes a beaut,what gets me is you pay all that money with carbon goodies and still have to put on a hugger yourself,

The absence of standard hugger was a bit remiss. So it was lucky that i just happened to have one lying around in my garage.

Hi Brian,

Very envious.......I've only recently moved on from a 1100S to a 1150GS (advancing years etc, etc ) but would have a HP2 in my garage if funds ever allowed!

I'm only over near Bath so might see you out sometime? Perhaps I'll give Fowler's a try one Saturday lunchtime? Apologies in advance for any drooling

Regards Bob

Cheers Bob

By all means, please feel free to say hi if you see me around. I’ll be the chap with the ear to ear perma-grin .

[Yonkyo]

HP2 Sport – My evaluation so far.


Current Mileage: 250

First of all, this bike does not feel like any other BMW boxer I’ve ever ridden. (I’ve ridden all except for the 1200S).

Rider: 5’8” tall. 17.5st of solid lard.

Riding position:
Very similar to a GSXR100 K5/6/7, but not as extreme as my old ZX-10R’s, or the Ducati 999 or 1098. It’s comfortable and suits me fine with settings on standard (You can adjust the foot rests and foot controls, the clip-ons, levers and front and rear ride height to suit if necessary).

Handling:
This handles unlike anything I’ve ever ridden before. This bike is very light at less than 200kg fully wet. But on the move, it feels even lighter, carrying its weight very low.

The ride is quite firm but very plush and well damped. The steering is very light and responsive and changes direction very quickly through the twisties. With the Ohlins shocks working well with the front Tele-lever and rear Para-lever suspension. I was never a great fan of Michelin tyres. However, the HP2S is fitted with Pilot Sport 2CT’s. Which so far on these cold damp roads, I’m very impressed with.

Under hard acceleration out of bumpy corners, the front end can get a bit light. But the steering damper keeps it under control (unlike my ZX-10R which used to get very flighty).

This is the best handling bike I’ve ever ridden.

Performance:
The motor is a peach.
Pull in the very light clutch and nudge the gear lever into first. The gear engages silently. The bike is very easy to launch, requiring very few revs. However, If you gas it off the lights, the front wheel lifts very easily (even with my bulk hunched over the bars). The engine spins up very quickly and has loads of grunt and mid range.
Now its time to change to 2nd gear. Keep the throttle open and accelerating hard, nudge the lever up and there’s a pop from the exhaust, 2nd gear engages seamlessly almost like an automatic, no clutch required for up changes. The front wheel lifts again, so I short shift through to 6th and I’m cruising at 100mph, with the revs reading 5200rpm (red line is 9500rpm). Engine as smooth as silk, I could stay here all day (but I don’t because I’m in the UK and I’m running her in).

Gearbox:
This really the tour de force feature on the HP2S.
All BMW bikes R’s or K’s have agricultural gearboxes compared to other brands.
But the close ratio gearbox on the HP2S is simply outstanding. The action is very light and positive. No clunks or false neutrals and the cutch action is very light (when required).
A special mention has to go to the Quick Shifter though. This is my favourite feature on the bike. Up changes can be performed without the clutch, and under soft or hard acceleration, just keep the power on and nudge the lever. There’s a pop from the exhaust (this is addictive and sounds great) and next gear is engaged without any clunks or drama; Totally Awesome.

Brakes:
The Brembo Monoblocks are also outstanding to use.
They have monster stopping power, but they don’t bite and have loads of feel. One finger is all that’s needed under normal braking.

Digital Dash
This is another superb piece of kit. It has several different road and race modes.
The standard road mode displays revs, speed, gear position, current time, engine temp., 2x trip metres and fuel miles remaining.





Any criticisms?
Only one so far.
The mirrors are useless. They don’t vibrate, but all I can see is my elbows. No different from most sports bikes I’ve ridden though.


I’m hoping to put another 300 miles on her tomorrow, on some dry roads with luck.
Then once the first service has been done I’ll really start to open her up and explore the engine performance.

[Motostratos]

Great, many thanks for the evaluation thus far. Seems that it is living up to all the hype and the favorable reports by the various bike mags.

I would certainly be interested in engine performance, when you have completed the running-in program, along with any track days you may or may not have planned.

September seems a long way off at the mo before I take delivery of my HP2S, so would be interested on how you are getting along with yours in the meantime.

Enjoy it !

[AvTech37]

You did say the hugger was the Ilmberger item for the K1200R?

[Yonkyo]

You did say the hugger was the Ilmberger item for the K1200R?

yes, it was made for the K1200R but it fits fine on the HP2S (although it is back to font).

However, Sandbar Composites sell a nice CF hugger for the R1200S that will fit the HP2S.

[AvTech37]

Thanks for that. Should be picking mine up next week so your comments have been really interesting.

[Yonkyo]

HP2S ride review update

Current Mileage: 400 (first service due at 600 miles)

I only managed another 150 miles on Sunday. But they were 150 miles of very challenging roads through the Brecon Beacons, which were more suited to a bike like the R1200GS than the HP2S. However, the HP2 was a joy to ride, even on these tight and twisty mountain passes.

I never mentioned the fuelling on my previous report. But it deserves a mention now.
Negotiating steep slippery low speed hairpin bends is good test of a bikes fuelling. So I’m happy to say that the HP2 passed the test with honours. The bike’s fuel injection system is excellent. Its very smooth and responsive and not at all snatchy (like some system suffer), so dialling in the smooth grunty power exiting bends at any speed is a joy.

Also riding in busy town traffic is a breeze due to the almost Carb-smooth fuelling and light weight of the HP2S. So it’s 10 out of 10 for the fuel injection.

Ergonomics & Equipment:-
HP2S comes with a high quality tool kit which is supplied in a posh Bum Bag with HP2 logo on it. Why, because there is nowhere to store the toolkit on the bike.



Ok, the HP2S is a proper sports bike. So don’t expect sports tourer functionality.
As I said in my last review, the riding position, seat and excellent suspension enable big mileages to be covered, in almost sport-tourer comfort. However, unless you wear a back pack, there is nowhere to carry anything on the bike e.g. Tail Pack or Panniers are impossible to carry. Hopefully BMW will soon design a decent Tank Bag for the bike, because I so want to ride this bike through Spain, on the fantastic roads down to Valencia later this year for the MotoGp.

That’s it again for now…I’ll report on the engine performance when I open her up after the first service is done.

Oh, here are few more shots of instrument functions.

[sfarson]

Motostratos, Yonkyo... major congratulations.

Appreciate your impressions and images Yonkyo. Excellent.

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

A man clearly after my own heart looking at the back tyre. You have paid for the tread so use it all.

[PBBoxer]

What tread? On the clocks?