Going Green

Ade B · Post by **Ade B** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:49 pm

Whilst ruefully contemplating the shocking state of the fork legs on the S today prior to a scoot across the smoke, took some solace in the notion that BMW seem to take some aspects of the environment seriously (iffy low speed fueling for lower emissions, flaky solvent free paint and power sapping cats)

Do any other manufacturers actually give a hoot about such issues (aside from getting their bikes through EU emissions laws), indeed do we as riders?

Aside from the fundamental contradiction that being a petrol head and conscientious consumer entails.. do we want green bikes?

Sort of think I do but then again track days are hardly green, neither is aimlessly bombing around Essex finest back roads at the weekend for a laugh.

So aside from trading the bike in for a push bike lubricated with vegetable oil, should I really give a toss?

What do you reckon

Ade.

(contemplating the carbon footprint of his belly button...)

gus · Post by **gus** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:38 pm

Ade
I look at like this,
Turn of lights and electrical equipment on standby.
Turn down your thermastat a notch on the central heating.
Dont leave water taps running.
Recycle as much as possible.
Drive your car(if you have one)like a nun.
You can now ride around without any guilt about being enviromentally unfriendly!

gus

Ade B · Post by **Ade B** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:38 am

Don't really feel guilty, we do all the standard stuff (draw a line at sharing a bath with the dog)..

Just curious as to people's opinions, a lot of mates became a lot more pious about the environment once they had kids (not there yet)...

Full marks to BMW though for making their finishes biodegradable...

adamski49 · Post by **adamski49** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:31 am

Ade B wrote:Just curious as to people's opinions, a lot of mates became a lot more pious about the environment once they had kids (not there yet)...

You jest. Kids have this amazing ability to destroy things at an alarming rate. Despite what I keep telling my son he seems to think anything he breaks can be repaired or replaced thus ruining any ideas I might have had of saving the planet.

[Sound like dad mode]
'Made in China' toys are so fragile that they are invariably broken within a few days. When I were a lad... blah blah.. dinky... tonka... meccano... blah blah...
[/Sound like dad mode]

Aaah, bugger it, I'm going for a ride to burn some more fuel before the planet runs out of the stuff. That'll teach him when he has to ride around on an electric bike!

Adam

madman · Post by **madman** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:27 am

Roll on te day that BMW make a diesel bike.
They can achieve 81bhp per liter from thier diesel cars so why not a 98bhp 1200 cc bike? It would have bags of torque, run for years and be very economical. It needs to be done so that we can run the bikes on veggie oil with vitually no net CO2 emmisions.

RiceBurner · Post by **RiceBurner** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:20 pm

madman wrote:Roll on te day that BMW make a diesel bike.
They can achieve 81bhp per liter from thier diesel cars so why not a 98bhp 1200 cc bike? It would have bags of torque, run for years and be very economical. It needs to be done so that we can run the bikes on veggie oil with vitually no net CO2 emmisions.

just don't spill it.

I console myself by thinking that instead of taking holidays by flying in a jet aircraft I ride my bike on holidays - thus not putting out "greenhouse" gases at prodigious rates.

theseadog · Post by **theseadog** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:04 pm

madman wrote:Roll on the day that BMW make a diesel bike.

I'm holding out for a hydrogen cell bike myself ! Instant torque and acceleration and only water emissions, sorted ! Mabey they'll bring them out with a selection of engine configuration soundtracks that the bike plays over the sound of the electric motor out of the 'exhaust cans' that are actually speakers ! Excellent idea now I think about it, I may patent that one !

So days when you're feeling frisky, select the Ducati or Boxer sound, then for long easy cruising, select V4 whirr......

Do like the idea of a diesel engined bike I must admit, but could they make the engine light enough I wonder. . . . .

Toodle Pip

cc mac · Post by **cc mac** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:59 pm

Shit, you mean the 1100S isn't diesel. I've been using diesel for three years.

RiceBurner · Post by **RiceBurner** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:29 am

theseadog wrote:
Do like the idea of a diesel engined bike I must admit, but could they make the engine light enough I wonder. . . . .

Toodle Pip

I think someone in the states once converted an oil head to diesel. (serious answer btw)