Pointless accessories

[Oakie]

Had a quick look through a local shop today and spotted a rather nice BMW of the tourer variety. 1989 model (GL ?). On closer inspection I spied amongst all the other goodies on the inside of the fairing ... a cigarette lighter ... a push in one like you get in a car dashboard! I still haven't come to terms with it.
First image was a guy cruising down the highway smoking in his open face helmet. Then I thought. ... na, he's going to use it when he's off the bike chatting to his friends. Yeah right ... get's out the smokes and has to start up the bike to light his cancer-stick. Would have thought a lighter might be easier.

Hmm... advertising slogan ... "BMW, ... the biggest cigarette lighter in the world"

Thoughts anyone? And please don't tell me it was standard equipment. I'll lose sleep over it.

[Mr. Peanut]

I could probably smoke behind a screen, I dunno. Americans...

[Madness]

Perfect for plugging in a Radar Detector without hardwiring it in.

My ZZR has a small compartment in the upper fairing. I store my smokes there sometimes. I've often thought about a flip helmet, so I can have a smoke going through towns without having to pull over on long trips.

[T.W.R]

A lot of the full dress supertourers have lighters/ or more so 12v power outlets for accessories.
I remember a test on the GL1500 went it 1st came out showed a ciggy lighter plug. think most of them did it just for keeping in the extra toys list game.

Remember also the US edition GL1200 anniversary edition had a LCD display on the tank console that was a map system (similar to a GPS) and that was back in the mid/late 80s

the beemer wasn't a K100LT ?

[Buster]

I think the lighters were standard issue. I find that ciggies burn way too quick while on the move anyway. Get 5 or 6 good drags and its all gone.

[Big Dave]

It's just a power outlet.

What I have a philosophical problem with is motorcycles that have air vents. Goldwing eg.

[ZeroIndex]

haha.. it's for your car-phone thing.. handsfree kit.. or radar detector.. or neon lights.. or a police siren/light P/T

[muzz]

What I have a philosophical problem with is motorcycles that have air vents. Goldwing eg.[/QUOTE]


With the fairing, wind screen and all the other stuff onboard the only way to feel the breeze is to open the vents and turn the fan on to make it feel like your going faster.

[Lou Girardin]

I'm waiting for the first bike to have air con.

[vifferman]

I'll see if I can find a picture of it - a billet alloy cupholder on a Lead... I mean - Goldwing.

[vifferman]

Pharrk! That was scary.
I couldn't find it on the two sites I thought I'd seen it on, so I Googled it. There are LOTS of cupholders available for Leadwings!!

Oh - and for whoever it was that originally complained about the cigarette lighter - I fitted one to my bike a while back (since replaced by a battery charger attachment) so I could plug in a GPS easily. I don't smoke.

[Macktheknife]

Except after sex, if it's been particularly vigorous. Some water usually stops the smouldering....

You really need to slow down some and enjoy the view mate.

[Cookie]

In my youth I tried to smoke cigarettes on my scooter a number of times.

The wind would burn the tobacco down very fast untill it started melting my vinyl gloves. Thankfully, I never burned a hole in my bright yellow PVC riding suit. Ahhh, those were the days....

[Zed]

Had a quick look through a local shop today and spotted a rather nice BMW of the tourer variety. 1989 model (GL ?). On closer inspection I spied amongst all the other goodies on the inside of the fairing ... a cigarette lighter...

It wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be an OEM BMW part that isn't compatible with standard 12v cig-lighter plugs!

[Ixion]

Correct. The OEM BMW cigarette lighter type fitments have a different plug size to "standard" ones. You can get adaptors, though, or a range of BMW accessories to plug into them.

Von Klunken has TWO of them, one on the fairing, and one a permanent part of the engine castings.