Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

, it work on the road? There are test rides and the resulting graphs and charts ha ve to be translated and more decisions made. You have'to know what to do next. Then [came. People were looking a bit depressed ... even more so when [ insisted they start again using wood model designs'" Pacherneggexplains that initially, development of the KIOO was based on car practices with components from the Boxer unit. But 'through the years everything was gradually changed. "The last major component Was the clutch about a year ago. It just had to be tougher than the one used on the twins. Everything in the new bike is new - well, almost everything," he says with a grin. "In Florence last week I noticed we haven't changed the ignition key! "We started with components from cars, some from the old motorcycle. But during development we found parts had to be bigger or had to be of less weight. Now the only thing that is the same on the KIOO is that ignition key." . The problems didn't end there. There was a shortage of manpower. For political and tax reasons, all machining and assembly of the bikes is done in the Spandau factory in West Berlin. Molding and casting is done outside house, but everything from the engine block to the new aluminum swingarm is machined in Berlin, while the wheels are cast in Italy. "We have to go where we get quality and good prices," says Pachernegg. "The first problem we had with the original prototype, built initially in 1979, was the connection between the engine and the rear wheel. We had a very bad response and we thought we would have to build a new gearbox and final drive to match the engine. It was during the days when we were using the combination of automoQile and twin philosophy. We found we had to develop a Kl 00 philosophy - we had to change very much." (The origi n of the K designation for the new four cylinder range comes from the German word, Kraftrad, meaning wheel power.) Having made the decision to change to all-new componentry, work progressed quickly. For example, the K-Jetronic fuel injection with fuel cutoff on over run is a development of the L-Jetronic car type injection but the only component that is shared between the two is the air-flow meter. Stefan Pachernegg. Referring back to the original prototype, Pachernegg says the BMW Compact Drive System was invented and patented by Josef Fritzenwenger. The Compact Drive tag refers to the integral layout of the engine, gearbox and rear wheel drive from which the frame can be removed to leave it in one unit. The shaft drive was changed completely with the'steel shaft now running through an oil-impregnated rubber sleeve vulcanized to a light tube. Its life expectancy is still unknown but a number of prototypes have done in excess of 40,000 miles of tou~h test work. While.all this work was going on to perfect the KI00, the Boxer twin needed updating. "Most important," says Pachernegg, "was improving the 1000 twin engine, then updating the lowercapacity 650 and 450 using two production lines, one for the 450 (sold in Europe) and one for the 650. Then we did a lot of work on quality - bearings, cl utch, carburetor - natural developments you could say." Meanwhile, in the background was the nagging necessity for more technical staff. "We never had any development pro'blems," says Pachernegg. "What we did ha ve was a problem of finding the engineering and design skills. We searched throughout Europe and Japan. Eventually, very gradually, we assembled our current team of 150. This includes people engaged in factory and production planning. , With 800 Turks and a dozen or so nationalities in Berlin, it's a very Eurocratic factory and you have to find a way of making it work efficiently. No use saying, 'We're Italians, we'll make it like Moto-Guzzi!' That's why 30 percent of our expenditure goes into planning and detail." Though BMW has one of the biggest computer installations in Europe, the bike men have one for themselves. And the future? "Our young team - the average age is 30 - now concentrates on overall developing. They are now, for instance, working on the Boxer as well as the KIOO. And they have some good ideas that fit into our long range strategy. "W'e now need to go two wa ys. Our aim is to have the chassis standard. with the K I00 and the Boxer engines. Everything we have learned producing the KIOO engines, chassis, suspension angles development, we can apply to the twin. We hope to get the twin a Iiule bit lighter and we can do a lot of tinkering to the exhaust to make it quieter. Then we have the problem with the gears and we will get them quieter. "So far we have concentrated mainly on the Boxer. But we know the Boxer will not be water-cooled. It is not necessary. Our idea is not to make it'a high performance engine but to keep it as it is with its advantages but to make it better. We continue to gel marketing input and we try and implement it. The KIOO has a lot of development ahead of it. The casting tools for an engine last about 30,000 units, so there will be natural work, a natural series of developments as time goes on. "When [ return after a press presentation of the KIOO, we discuss what people do not like. Then we try to make it better. We may have adjustablesuspension. We may have coupled brakes. We will look into all these things. " And, though the KIOO has one of the most tractable fifth gears, there's a chance it could get an automatic transmission! "My friend, Dr. Radermacher (one time overall BMW director in charge of Research and Development) is now with ZF. He wants me to try something new in the transmission line for the bikes," Pachernegg says. So with the release of the K I00, BMW embarks on a completely new motorcycling- venture. If the new bike is well received in the critical U.S. market - and there is no reason to believe it won't - it seems it is destined for a long production Iife as further develo ments ar.e made. • 1

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