BMW HP2 Megamoto
Big and powerful, yet quick and agile... that's the HP2 Megamoto
effective and great sounding Akrapovic exhaust system
got off the K1200R straight onto the HP2 Megamoto
To really make things difficult, I rode BMW's four-cylinder K1200R for a whole day before collecting the twin-cylinder HP2 Megamoto, so I could immediately make a comparison... and right off, they are obviously very different. The Megamoto is much lighter, taller and sounds absolutely great compared to the K.
Just pushing them around in the parking lot to take these photos told me that the Megamoto was much lighter and taller. After a day in the Megamoto's saddle, I can tell you... if it were my bucks, I'd rather go for the K12R. It's just so much smoother, faster and more comfortable, and you can take a passenger.
With that off my chest, let me tell you about my experience on the Megamoto, it was, whew... LEKKER! Exciting!
My buddy Graeme (on his Suzuki GSF1250 Bandit) and I (on the Megamoto of course) rode down to the Yeomanry Arms in Lindley, in the Orange Free State, to suss out the place. We had lunch and then rode the 'long way' home again.
The bike performed superbly, on some of those long, flat, Free State roads I had the beast maxed-out to the 8,000rpm 'redline' in sixth, at 220kph. There's no protection from the wind at all, so I had to get down and hang on.
At those kinds of speeds the bike is quite stable, till you sit up, then it does tend to waive a bit, depending which way the wind's blowing.
Overall I found the bike very exciting to ride, especially through corners. It accelerates and gets up to maximum speed like race horse... very quickly, and never gave me a fright. It's easy to ride fast, but does get thirsty if you hang on the cable. From the Blockhouse One Stop on the R59 to Petrus Steyn the twin-cylinder 1170cc BM used only 9.1 litres of juice, opposed to Graeme's 1250cc Bandit using 13.1 litres. Coming back I generally rode faster and subsequently used more fuel, but still less than Graeme on his Bandit. In total I did 417km on the trip to Lindley and back, using 26.28 litres of petrol (R196.91) in around 6 hours, including a leisurely, scrumptious lunch at the Yeomanry Arms.
the Megamoto at the Vaal Dam
BMW's
HP2 Megamoto represents a
street moto version of the HP2 Enduro, but with 17"
wheels, sticky street tyres, top-drawer Ohlins suspension, braking
components and an Akrapovic exhaust system.
The Megamoto Boxer cranks out the same power and torque as the powerful HP2
Enduro. Considering the 1170cc Flat Twin from the HP2 measured 135 horsepower
at 7,100 rpm and 82kW of torque at 5,800 rpm, the Megamoto should have a a bit
more grunt at its disposal for supermoto-like street duties. The extra umph
comes via the Megamoto's double-chamber Akrapovic exhaust system, which also
adds a sweet sounding growl to the Beemer.
The Megamoto's suspension has been lowered from its lofty enduro height for
exclusive street duty and resorts to high-end components. A Marzocchi 45mm
inverted fork provides 160mm of travel (compared to 270mm on the HP2) and is
fully adjustable. The rear unit foregoes the innovative Air Damping System which
adorns the HP2 Enduro. Instead, the
Megamoto relies on an Ohlins spring strut, with the Swedish unit
providing 180mm of travel and is three-way adjustable.
As would befit a supermoto machine, the new HP2 sports 17-inch wheels, with a
3.5-inch rim on the front and a wider 5.5-incher on the rear. The new wheels are
adorned with supermoto-capable rubber - a 120/70 ZR up front and a 180/55 ZR on
the
back. The same front 305mm and rear 264mm discs with
dual-piston calipers setup has been carried over from the Enduro version of the
HP2.
No significant changes to the HP2 chassis, except that the Megamoto is
significantly lower. A new headlight sits up front, and for its new road-going
purposes, a tachometer has been added to the control panel, plus there's a reduction in weight, owing in part to the use of carbon-fiber components.
Errol Dolton wheeling the Megamoto
and doing an endo
Specifications:
Engine: Four stroke, two cylinder horizontally opposed Boxer air/oil-cooled, 4 Valves per cylinder
Capacity: 1170cc
Bore x Stroke: 101 x 73 mm
Compression Ratio: 11.0:1
Induction: Fuel Injection 47mm Throttle butterfly BMS-K
Ignition / Starting: BMS-K / electric
Clutch: Single plate dry clutch, 180 mm diameter
Max Power: 82 kW 135 hp @ 7000 rpm
Max Torque: 115 Nm @ 5500 rpm
Transmission/Drive: 6 Speed/shaft
Frame: Steel tubular spaceframe, non-load-bearing engine
Front Suspension: 45mm Upside-down front fork, compression damping and rebound damping adjustable
Rear Suspension: Cast aluminium single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever; Öhlins-central spring strut, spring pre-load adjustable to continuously variable levels, rebound damping and compression damping adjustable
Front Brakes: 2x 304mm discs 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes: Single 265mm disc 2 piston caliper
Front Tyre: 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tyre: 150/70 ZR17
Seat Height: 890 mm
Dry-Weight: 174 kg
Fuel Capacity: 13 Litres
400 meter sprint: 12 seconds/185kph
1000 meter sprint 22 seconds/208kph
Top speed: 220kph.
BMW's 'V-Max'... made me feel like Tarzan (errr... I mean Jane)
The new Beemer, like it's Enduro sibling, will be an exclusive piece of machinery.
A fact which will no doubt make it an object of desire for many a moto-head.
Thanks to Rob Barnes and BMW South Africa for the ride.
The HP2 Megamoto was...
Mega motor, mega pipes, mega forks and mega excitement.