Project by Proxy*: K1200R/NOS - Part 1 Written by Doug Filteau    Sunday, 08 January 2006

Our first bike in the "Project by Proxy" series is a nitrous-boosted BMW K1200R, a project sponsored and executed by SM Cycle in Victoria, BC.

The ProjectKelly Flynn, owner of SM Cycle, can be relied upon to convert the meek into the mighty and this bike is no exception.  Rarely satisfied with the status quo, Kelly strives to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary whether it's a motorcycle, car, truck or his dealership.  Kelly's commitment to excellence in customer service and competitive pricing has made SM Cycle one of the top dealerships on Vancouver Island, if not British Columbia.

Kelly's goal is to see what can be accomplished by adding a nitrous oxide system (NOS) to the already powerful BMW K1200R.  Commonly known as "laughing gas", nitrous oxide (N2O) is not a flammable gas but instead boosts engine horsepower by delivering more oxygen to the engine when breaking down at elevated temperatures, allowing the engine to burn more fuel and air.  In addition, the evaporative cooling effect of the nitrous that occurs when it changes from a liquid in compressed storage to an injected gas in the intake manifold results in a smaller, denser charge that helps reduce engine detonation and further increase power.  What's not to like?

EngineOut of the box, the BMW K1200R produces 163 shaft horsepower @ 10, 250 rpm and 93.6 lb-ft or torque at 8,250 rpm.  This is not your average pussycat.  The engine is a derivation of the engine in the speedy K1200S, which boasts not only four more horsepower than its naked cousin but also lays claim to the world land speed record for its class (details).  I haven't ridden the K1200R yet but I found the K1200S to have a very smooth and powerful mill.  As you lay on the throttle, the power keeps coming with a strong pull that's reminiscent of an electric engine.  The combination of the exhaust rumble and intake howl while accelerating is very intoxicating.  At only four horsepower less than the S model, I would expect the R model to be every bit as thrilling to ride.

SuspensionLike most of the other BMW bikes (save for the F650GS), the rear wheel is suspended by the Paralever swingarm/drive shaft combination.  Unlike any other production motorcycle besides the K1200S, the front wheel is suspended via the new BMW Duolever system, derived from F1 race cars and consisting of two parallel control arms on solid down-tubes in place of BMW's standard Telelever front suspension.  Despite the long wheelbase of the bike and the new suspension feeling like it steers slower, the Duolever-equipped bikes handle like they're on rails in the curves and are don't mind changing lines when heeled over.

BodyNot much to mention here, as the K1200R is a naked bike. Lacking the sleek fairing of the K1200S and sporting dual asymmetric headlights that remind some people of "Bill the Cat" from Berkeley Breathed's "Bloom County" comic strip, the K1200R is nonetheless a bike that many find attractive.  Whether it's the beauty of the exposed engine or the raw muscle of the bike's appearance, this bike turns heads.

The New StuffKelly chose the 03008NOS Fogger™ system from NOS Nitrous Oxide Systems, a division of Holley Performance Products.  The adjustable Fogger™ system provides a 30% to 40% increase in horsepower and torque and can be adjusted by changing the jets.

The system is packaged in a large blister pack with all the hardware required for the

installation of the NOS kit into the stock BMW fuel injection system.  Each kit comes complete with detailed instructions,  electric fuel pump, nitrous and fuel solenoids, Fogger2™ nozzles, filters, fittings, tubing, fuel pump, distribution blocks or T-fittings, jets, switches, hose, and all other hardware necessary for complete installation. The NOS Technical Support Department is available via phone for jet recommendations.

A 12- volt DC power supply with a minimum of 12 amps is required to operate the system and most applications may require more fuel for the nitrous system than a standard petcock will allow.  Dual-feed high-flow petcocks are available to provide more fuel flow and the NOS Technical Support Department can provide more information if required.

In short, the kit requires some preparation on the part of the installer, some very careful drilling of an expensive BMW intake manifold and a fair amount of time and due caution.  Attention to detail is certainly desirable.Some assembly required, you might say.

The ResultsSo what is the manufacturer claiming for a horsepower increase?  From 36 to 60 horsepower gained in the street kit and from 100 to 190 horsepower gained from the competition kit.  I've seen the dyno numbers on the bike and can confirm that there is a

significant gain in horsepower.  How much?  That's covered in the next installment.In addition, Kelly wanted to dress up the K1200R to give it more "show" to go along with the "go".  I'll cover the pretty stuff in the next installment, too.

What's Next?Coming up, I'll cover more of the installation details, the dyno performance, the pretty parts and a test ride.  Sounds like fun!

Project by Proxy*: K1200R/NOS - Part 2 Written by Doug Filteau    Monday, 23 January 2006 Page 1 of 5

In part one of Project by Proxy: K1200R/NOS, we looked at the changes made to the engine of the bike.  In this installment, we'll be looking at the changes made to the outside of the bike and also the bike's performance on the Dynojet dynamometer.

The Rolling StockKelley Flynn, owner of SM Cycle, had the stock matte silver wheels of the K1200R/NOS polished by Mirror Image Metal Polishing of Victoria to a beautiful bright shine, and it only took 16 hours of polishing.  That's a lot of polishing but the results are spectacular.

Kelly also switched out the stock BMW brake rotors for Braking stainless steel wave rotors, primarily to reduce some of the unsprung weight but also to add a "cool" factor to the wheels.  Sometimes also referred to as "petal" rotors, Braking claims to have invented the wave rotor and asserts that their wave rotors have the following advantages over traditional rotors:

- Higher coefficient of friction,- Better resistance to heat accumulation (improved heat dissipation),- Increased initial braking power,- Improved feedback to the rider,- Better handling and- Less weight.

Moving up from the wheels, Öhlins shocks have replaced the stock units fore and aft and Kelly says that the improvement in ride, feedback and handling is palpable and worth the

investment.  It's a commonly-held belief that third-party suspension components are almost always an improvement over the stock items and it sounds like this rule of thumb also applies to BMW's stock suspensions.  The installed rear Öhlins shock is not equipped with the Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) feature as it was not readily available at the time, but Öhlins does have this feature available on selected units.  ESA allows the rider to adjust the suspension for load, road conditions and riding style with the push of a button.  Although dismissed by some as a gimmick, riders with experience with the system have become converts.  Time will tell if ESA-style suspensions will be offered by other manufacturers in the future.

The SM Cycle techs in the back room were also busy machining a rather large aluminum billet into the polished aluminum Paralever strut shown in the photos.  The end result is both functional and beautiful and provides some shine to brighten up the rear suspension of the bike.

The Rolling ThunderThe stock BMW exhaust was completely removed and replaced with some unique components.  Up front, 4-into-1 titanium headers by Remus are swaddled in header wrap.  The header wrap helps protect the headers from the inevitable damage from road debris as well as insulating the pipes.  Keeping the heat confined to the gases inside the headers helps protect the surrounding engine, frame and body components from the effects of the extreme heat carried by the gases as well as allowing the heat of the exhaust to be retained longer in the exhaust system, generally improving the performance of the

engine by adhering more closely to the initial design efficiency of the engine (the performance of the engine when modeled by the engineers).

The 1-into-2 splitter that leads from the headers to the twin exhausts was fabricated from a car chrome exhaust tip from Canadian Tire.  The forward end of the splitter was expanded by a local muffler shop to fit the rear of the Remus headers.  As it stands, Kelly can slip the stock exhaust can onto the Remus headers without further modifications.

The exhaust splitter leads into two chrome aftermarket D&D underseat exhaust units (from a Yamaha R1) that are suspended in the stock exhaust can mount.  The tandem chrome cans are a beautiful contrast to the black powder coated and carbon fibre hardware evident everywhere on the bike.

On the left side of the bike, dual chrome-plated 10 ounce NOS bottles nicely balance the dual chrome exhaust cans on the right side.  The bottles are suspended in a powder coated custom fabricated rack that attaches to the left passenger footpeg bracket for strength and are connect to the heart of the bike by braided stainless steel lines.

The powder coating was provided by Victoria Powder Coating and much of the welding by Dave Suian Welding of Victoria.

The Dark SideThere's probably a shortage of carbon fibre in the world now that Kelly has managed to load up on as much Ilmberger carbon fibre components as he could fit on the K1200R.  The tail cowling, fenders, rear wheel hugger, windscreen, radiator shield and air intake panels are all constructed of carbon fibre, some being custom fabricated.  The only carbon components for the bike that were not available at the time the photos were taken were the side panels (those have since arrived and have been installed).

Tommy's Upholstery in Victoria converted the stock K1200R seat into a monoposto (single seat) unit, covering it with material that looks like carbon fibre (of course) which meshes beautifully with the carbon fibre seat cowl.

The best way to do justice to the beauty of the carbon fibre components is through the photos, so I'll stop talking about them and let you admire the bike though the included images.  Hopefully I've captured the balance of the carbon and chrome that's evident throughout the bike.

The Light SideUp front, Kelly has chosen to add PIAA auxiliary lights to help light up the road.  They throw a very powerful beam and should prove valuable in helping to avoid obstacles on the road.  Kelly has also replaced the stock signal lights with units from a BMW Z4 roadster.

The stock single front air intake has been expanded in size and a mate on the left side has

been fabricated, improving the breathing of the engine by increasing the intake area as well as providing additional boost for the engine through a ram-air effect.

The stock front grill has been augmented and chromed and when combined with the custom round nacelles on either side of the grill, this bike really has an in-your-face, take-no-prisoners look to it.  It may not appeal to everyone but this bike wasn't meant to appeal to everyone's sense of style - it was built to be the bad boy on the street.  This is a bike that visually challenges you to ignore it.  You may not be initially stricken by the looks but after spending time admiring it, it truly is a beautiful piece of work.

One last thing before I move on to the dyno results: Kelly got the inspiration for the nacelles from Obi Wan Kenobi's speeder in the latest Star Wars episode.  I think it really completes the nasty look of the bike.

Go As Well As ShowSo now we move to the rear tire - specifically to what the contact patch of the rear tire can do to the drum of the Dynojet dynamometer.  The stock figures for the bike are 163 horsepower and 93 foot-pounds of torque measured at the engine driveshaft, so let's see how Kelly did with the nitrous boost.  Horsepower for the K1200R measured on the

Dynojet dyno at the rear wheel is 148 horsepower, so we can consider that approximately 15 horsepower is consumed by the inevitable inefficiencies of the drive train.

There are often questions regarding the accuracy of dynamometers and calibration of the unit prior to testing.  For consistency and accuracy, Kelly will spin the drum of the dynamometer for a set length of time to ensure the bearings and grease are moving freely and are properly warmed up, helping to provide consistent results from one run to another.  In addition, Kelly compares dyno runs with another shop on the same bike model to ensure that the dyno is reading consistently.  So far, Kelly's dyno has been very consistent over the years (this dyno was the first one in Western Canada) so the results can be considered to be reasonably accurate.

There is a broad range of boost available with a nitrous system and the general rule of thumb is that there's a direct relationship between nitrous pressure and engine output (more nitrous = more power) and there's also an inverse relationship between performance and reliability (more power = less reliability).  There's a balance to be struck; a happy medium to be found where the power is increased sufficiently for the investment while reliability is not unacceptably compromised.

Kelly found the balance he wanted with this bike, achieving what he refers to as a "nice round number" in terms of horsepower achieved.  That number happens to be 200 horsepower, as measured at the rear wheel.  Add the aforementioned drive train inefficiency and we can safely assume that the engine's producing approximately 215 shaft horsepower - another nice round number.  I like nice round numbers.

What's NextI'll report on the reaction to the bike at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show as well as provide pictures of the bike in its polished aluminum display rack.  Following that, we'll give you a ride report and try to convey what this bike feels when experienced first-hand.

Project by Proxy*: K1200R/NOS - Part 3

Written by Doug Filteau    Wednesday, 05 July 2006

In the first chapter of Project by Proxy: K1200R/NOS, we looked at the changes made to the engine of the bike.  In the second instalment, we looked at the changes made to the outside of the bike and also the bike's performance on the Dynojet dynamometer.  This time, we're taking it for a ride.

First ImpressionsWhen approaching the bike, I couldn't help but notice the immaculate workmanship and attention to detail that Kelly and the rest of the crew at SM Cycle put into this bike.  This bike was obviously a labour of love with much thought put into the appearance, functionality and quality of the bike.  Powder coating was used on many of the finished parts and very high quality chrome work was obvious on the bright parts (where they weren't polished).  The "vanity" mirrors aren't the most functional but then again, this bike is all about power and looking good so the mirrors visually fit well into the package.

As mentioned in the previous instalment, Öhlins shocks have replaced both stock units fore and aft - their gold anodized finish standing out in the sea of carbon and chrome surrounding them.  The effect of these Öhlins would be a surprise for me during the ride.

Sitting on the bike, I was struck by how small it seemed.  The stock K1200S that I rode felt a bit larger, probably due to the presence of the full fairing on the S model which is replaced by the flyscreen on this custom.  While small, the flyscreen would prove to be very effective.

All controls on the bike remain stock, with the exception of two switches near the front of the fuel tank: one for the auxiliary lights and the other for switching the NOS system on.  It's important to remember which is which, especially at low speed.

The NOS system is fed by two bottles located at the left rear of the bike, set in a custom powder coated bracket designed to hold the bottles at a spacing and angle to complement the twin chrome D&D exhausts suspended on the right side of the bike.  When armed, the NOS system does not come into play until the throttle is pinned against the stop, allowing the rider to use the already impressive delivery of stock power without getting a big surprise.  This arrangement has a couple of additional features: it conserves the nitrous supply until needed and it allows the rider to keep their hands on the bars when the nitrous kicks in.

As stated in the previous instalment, the stock seat has been modified into a monoposto (single seat) configuration and both the quality of the work and the comfort of the seat are impressive.  The new seat is firmer than the stock seat of most bikes but probably less firm than a Corbin seat, providing good support and comfort for the rider while allowing them to move around on the seat - a function of both the seat firmness and the excellent covering material. That's enough tire-kicking.  It's time to ride.

Starting UpThe engine start procedure is standard BMW with one exception: ensure that the NOS is turned off.  The engine starts easily and quickly settles into a satisfying, smooth inline-four burble but this bike barks!  The Remus 4-into-1 headers and D&D exhausts combine to provide a nasty-sounding exhaust note that's very unlike the standard BMW whisper and hum.  You'll know when this bike's around.  It's a different exhaust note: smooth yet raspy and rough-edged - more like a MotoGP bike than anything else.  Although fairly loud, it's not the ear-splitting racket produced by the slower, less capable V-Twins that commonly have much more bark than bite.

As usual following startup, the BMW ABS system indicator will flash on the instrument panel until you've rolled far enough for the system to calibrate itself.  The system works well although other riders have complained about a lack of feel through the lever and pedal.  I appreciate the firmness provided by the system and always notice that the brakes on my bike always seem mushy during the ride home.  I find the ABS system takes some getting used to but once I've ridden some distance on the bikes, the BMW system has plenty of feel and does not interfere with normal riding, even when braking aggressively. We're warmed up.  Let's go.

Hitting the RoadThe seating position on the bike is fairly tight for my 6' 3" frame (as most bikes are) but I didn't find it uncomfortable.  The combination of seating geometry and seat comfort work well together to provide an excellent riding position for the long haul but for a long distance ride I'd probably need to raise the bars or position the foot pegs a bit lower.  These are moot points however, as this bike is meant to cover shorter distances in a short time - touring was not the focus of the design.  All things considered, this is a very comfortable bike for its intended purpose and is probably a near perfect fit for a person of average size for even an extended ride.

Once on the road, the K1200R exhibits the typical stability and refinement of the marque.  Power delivery of the stock engine is as impressive as always with a smooth, broad powerband and the close-ratio transmission keeps the engine in a rev range that allows effective throttle roll-ons over a wide range of speeds and gears.  There's very little need to downshift when passing, although dropping a couple of cogs does shorten the time required when passing slower vehicles.  The power curve feels like it's coming from an electric motor - extremely linear and it just keeps pulling harder and harder as the revs build.

I noticed that the exhaust note reverberated well off the rock walls bordering the highway and also off of large trucks, gathering the attention of the drivers.  Yes, it's LOUD, but with a very nice note to it.  I'm not a fan of loud bikes, so I'd probably be looking for a

quieter solution if it were my bike.  Still, this is a unique sound for a unique bike.

To my surprise, the flyscreen does an excellent job of managing airflow to the rider - there's enough pressure on the chest to take the weight off of your wrists but seemingly without introducing turbulence.  I normally wear earplugs but forgot to put them in for this ride.  The airflow past my helmet was smooth and quiet with no discernible turbulence.

After riding the new K bikes with stock suspensions, I was very impressed with the Öhlins units that Kelly installed on this bike.  Not readily apparent at the start of the ride, I became aware that the ride was reminiscent of that produced by the Öhlins-equipped Ducati ST4s that I'd ridden recently.  Like the Ducati, the bumps of the road were almost eliminated while transmitting detailed information about the road surface and the grip available to the tires.  I verified the roughness of the road surface by observing the activity of the tires of neighbouring vehicles - none of the observed bumps were transmitted through the front Duolever and rear Paralever suspension elements to my arms or derriere.  In addition, I intentionally rode over a couple of lane markers to determine if the suspension would be upset by larger, sharper bumps mid-corner.  It wasn't.  I can highly recommend the Öhlins suspension upgrade to anyone owning the K bikes (or any other bike, for that matter).  They can turn an excellent ride into an exceptional ride.

The question I'm most asked about this bike: "What's it like when the nitrous kicks in?"  I can honestly say: "Smooth and satisfying."  I was given some valuable direction prior to

the ride: don't switch the nitrous on below 3rd gear.  Good advice, to be sure.  When the nitrous is not engaged, the (almost) stock engine pulls strongly throughout the rev range and quickly arrives at the redline.  Switch the NOS on and the same thing happens, but more quickly.  Nitrous is only fed into the engine when the throttle is pinned to the stop, keeping the bike rideable at lower revs while preserving the limited supply of nitrous until it's needed.  Pin the throttle at relatively low revs in third gear and bike almost feels like it's running a bit rich - intake noise increases and there's a slight lag in power delivery but once the K bike clears its throat, revs build quickly.  You have to keep your left toe under the shift lever and shift quickly to keep the engine under the redline.  Keeping the NOS switched on while highway riding and throttle roll-ons are a quick exercise in speed management.  I think 1st and 2nd gears with NOS would be insane fun but it's not my bike and I really don't need a bunch trashed carbon fibre littering my garage.  My banker wouldn't appreciate it either.

There's a rule of thumb in aircraft design: increasing the power available to an aircraft is destabilizing.  Aircraft design is a study in compromises.  To achieve low takeoff and landing speeds you usually go with a higher lift wing, which limits cruise speed due to the increased drag associated with higher lift.  To increase cruise speed you usually look at a wing design with a lower drag coefficient which usually implies higher takeoff and landing speeds.  The designer has to find a compromise design to meet the intended target performance profile of the aircraft.  These design goals also usually specify the range of engines that are required to achieve these performance goals and therein lies the rub.  Things are just fine and dandy until somebody figures they could use a little more power and decide to shoehorn a more powerful engine into the aircraft.  As they say, one thing leads to another and generally the exercise becomes an expensive lesson in aerodynamics, often leading to disappointing results.

A similar set of rules apply to motorcycle design.  A given combination of engine, frame and suspension meets the design goals for the intended purpose of the bike and things are usually fine until one of these variables change.  Upgrade the suspension and the frame might get a bit twitchy.  Upgrade the engine and the frame may get twitchy or the suspension may not be able to handle the additional speed.  Upgrading the frame usually isn't an option as it's a science in itself and is best left to the real experts (not including guy in his garage with a newly acquired blowtorch).  The moral of the story: to add power to a given design and maintain a semblance of control you have to have the frame and suspension in place to handle the additional power. 

This is one of the most impressive things about this K1200R: Kelly's increased the power by about 33% over stock and the wonderful qualities of the bike have not been adversely affected, which speaks volumes about the potential offered by this bike.  The BMW engineers have obviously given a lot of forethought to the long-term applications of the new K1200 platform and have delivered a solid yet nimble platform to the motorcycling public.  This K1200R handles the same whether the NOS is turned on or off.  Many motorcycles would be twitchy as a nervous cat with the addition of 33% more power but this bike retains its wonderful properties without introducing more problems.  The familiar rush of stock K1200R power is magnified by the NOS system without requiring the rider to possess the skills of an elite MotoGP racer.  The true beauty of this bike is that the average rider with a few years under their belt can explore the extra power offered by this setup without something mechanically or physiologically untoward happening.  The only real expense may lie in the possible accumulation of speeding tickets and the

associated rise in insurance premiums.  Caveat wiener (let the hot dog beware).

Don't get me wrong.  The addition of the NOS does provide a very impressive boost in power - a very manageable and useful boost in power.  I love the way the stock engine delivers such strong, linear power.  It's an excellent platform for almost any type of large displacement bike: sport touring (K1200GT), speed demon (K1200S) or street hooligan (K1200R).  Add (quite) a few more horsepower with the nitrous system and you have an exceptional motorcycle that will be very difficult to match for power and handling.  The power comes on smooth but hard and just keeps on coming.  The revs build so quickly that you really need to be aware of the redline and work the gearbox to keep the revs within their design limit lest something "expensive" happen.  I wish I'd had the opportunity to ride this bike on a track like Miller Motorsports Park or Willow Springs where you could legally explore the capabilities of this bike.  The Bonneville Salt Flats would also be an interesting locale.  I have no doubts whatsoever about the capability of the frame and suspension to handle the speed and loads put on the bike by aggressive riding, I'd just like to see how high this bike can wind up on the straights and then scrape the speed off.  I think hitting the magical 320 kph (~200 mph) mark wouldn't be too much of a stretch for this bike but you'd probably need larger nitrous bottles to do it.  Come to think of it, let's just use in-flight refuelling to keep the smiles on.  Kelly should be able to come with a mechanism for that as well.

So here we have a special bike: beautiful looks, wonderful sound, great handling, strong brakes and exceptional power.  What's not to like?  It's not mine.  That's the only thing I

can think of.  Honest.  If I had the money and the need, I'd have Kelly build one for me but I might use the K1200S platform, due to the better aerodynamics of a faired bike versus a naked bike.  High speed air blast just plain beats the crap out of you and limits your daily range.  I prefer to put in a long day if I'm on the road but then again, that's not what this particular bike is about.  This bike is about being the baddest boy on the street and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better bike for that purpose.  The power is intoxicating and like any intoxicating substance it leaves you wanting more.  Intoxicating substances are usually also in short supply, expensive and require judicious use to maintain civility.  This bike fits all those criteria.   This is some of the best fun I've ever had on two wheels and it's going to be a hard act to beat.  For a relatively simple upgrade, NOS offers a huge bang for the buck and smiles all around.  Just make sure your bike can handle the extra power.

Home AgainThis bike is an absolute joy to ride.  It maintains the usability and smoothness of the stock bike while improving the power delivery, handling and ride through the judicious application of creativity, technology and money.  I'd love to own this bike for short trips, boulevard cruising and turning heads.  Heck, why not try some long trips while you're at it.

The K1200R/NOS is an excellent example of a custom bike that's attractive, usable and damn fast.  This is no poser - it's the real deal. 

Well done, Mr. Flynn.  Build another one!