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What should the new era motorcycle meter look like?
2021-04-15
BMW has released a new 6.5-inch TFT full-color LCD screen instrument that can be equipped with its adventure model R1200GS/ADV.
At the BMW Motorrad days held in Partenkirschen, Garmisch last year, BMW released a new 6.5-inch TFT full-color LCD screen instrument that can be equipped with its adventure model R1200GS/ADV. This is BMW's attempt to use a full virtual instrument in a production car, and it is also a full-color TFT screen for BMW. Once released, it has attracted a lot of attention on social media at home and abroad. Is it just a color screen? Where on earth is it? Please listen to the wild rapid speed car slowly in the following.
It is not a new thing to use TFT full-color LCD screen as motorcycle instrument. As early as 2012, Ducati installed full-color screen on its super sports motorcycle 1199 Panigale, followed by 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1. This year is a blowout year for full-color virtual instruments. 2017 Honda fire blades have been used, 2017 Apulia RSV4 has been used, KTM's adventure car 1290 Superadv s/r has been used, and even the medium-sized street car Triumph Street triple has a full-color LCD virtual instrument. With the popularity of full-color LCD screens, is GS's full-color display just a move to conform to the trend? Of course not, if it is just to follow the trend, BMW cannot be called a motorcycle technology innovation leader.
In the past, TFT meters only displayed driving data in the form of virtual meters, and helped to adjust various electronic system settings through computer-like menu selection pages, which were essentially meters. However, BMW's new instrument integrates "intelligence" into it, adds smart phone connection function, and can form an intelligent human-vehicle interaction system with BMW's official helmet Bluetooth headset system (Motarrad communication system).
BMW's new instrument has only one main interface, which does not allow the theme to be changed as on some sports motorcycles (for example, the virtual instrument of Yamaha R1 has two kinds of streets and racetracks). Crocodiles think that the speed and speed displayed by the electronic instrument are much clearer than those displayed by the traditional instruments on the current R1200GS, and the mechanical instruments with the numbers of waterbirds crowded together are really difficult to read, I also once got the police uncle off a speeding ticket on the grounds that he couldn't see the speed. The current road speed limit is displayed between the speed and gear. This data comes from the on-board GPS, not the speed limit information obtained by the camera on some cars.
In addition to the main interface that displays the driving status of the vehicle, BMW also designed five sub-menus including phone, audio and video, settings, navigation and my vehicle. The purpose of simplifying the number of submenus and highlighting the application of a single function is to help the knight remember the sequence of functions, and can operate without looking at the screen, with as little distraction as possible.
By connecting a smart phone and using the external Bluetooth headset system of BMW helmet, BMW's new instrument can display incoming calls, answer and make calls (only answering calls, not dialing out on the 2017 KTM 1290 Superadv), play music and navigate.
The integrated map function of the instrument does not mean that BMW has given up the original independent navigation system. You can still use the new screen and the old navigation at the same time by switching the control mode. The new navigation exists more as an auxiliary navigation, and does not have a full map display. It will only remind you how to turn and where to turn the next turn (just like the head-up display on a BMW car). It's enough to deal with short distances, but not long distances.
On the vehicle status (my vehicle) page, the rider can view data such as temperature, tire pressure, driving mode, etc. It is worth noting that no matter which sub-menu page you are looking at, the speed and gear will continue to be displayed at the top of the screen, and you will never miss the most important information. Seeing this, some cyclists may question: I am riding a motorcycle, what is the use of these messy functions, is it good to be distracted by cycling?
In fact, manufacturers have long considered the possible problem of virtual instruments affecting the attention of knights. In the vehicle/environment that needs to focus on riding, the instrument will only have the most important vehicle information, such as the R1 instrument in the track mode, the rotation speed only displays 8,000 to 15,000 revolutions, and the most conspicuous middle position changes from speed to lap speed. On the contrary, BMW can add a large number of functions required for long-distance riding in an environment where attention is not so high. Virtual meters allow one screen to meet multiple needs at the same time, which is excellent. In this era when it is almost impossible for people to leave their smart phones, it is unrealistic to completely prohibit driving and watching mobile phones. It is better to use vehicle meters to display important mobile phone information.
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