BMW Airhead "Kompressor" Reborn

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[24c]

What I can say is that for the most part, the work done on the bike could not be comprehended by the average bloke, they just don't gather that sort of modifications, especially the electical aspect and computer work.

That's the fundamental difference with MicroSquirt vs other EFI ready made stuff, you have to learn a lot, work at it to get things to work well, and in the process all this "research" makes you a geek in others eyes. Seen that myself, even though I am still learning, and making mistakes etc, I have alienated myself from the Power Commander guys at the local bike shop, and the other ones with EMS, Emerald and RaceTech just think I am wasting my time.

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[mxrob]

I just got my project running and I'm already getting the "kit" questions. The netbook I have mounted on my crossbar is the conversation starter for sure. It truly is satisfying to be riding down a road on a motorcycle with fuel injection and total ignition control that a couple weeks earlier had CDI and a carb. So worth the time and effort involved. Hmmm, turbo huh?

[R100RT]

Ah yes, the tuning equipment mounted over the fuel tank routine - I wanted to get a smaller device (and would like to yet check out possibilities with something like a palm pilot if that can be integrated) but ended up with a full size lap top due to serial port adaptor device issues.
For a while, that was the only thing people would notice on my project, till they looked a bit closer.
I'm sure you'll get lots of attention on your project, you've got superb fit/ finish. People don't understand how that can happen strangely?
Turbo - yes I have an attitude about 4 cycle engines in that they don't function correctly till they've at least been "normalized".

[Sluggy]

That's the fundamental difference with MicroSquirt vs other EFI ready made stuff, you have to learn a lot, work at it to get things to work well, and in the process all this "research" makes you a geek in others eyes.

I didn't get so much of that on Buzz as I do on the VW Trike project. My fellow BTW members mostly respond first by saying it looks cool, then by pointing out the number of things that can't be fixed on the side of the road with tape or bailing wire.

It occurs to me that many people equate reliability with ease of repair and they are really not the same. Something easy to repair is great, especially when it's likely to break anyway. It trains you to collect tools and even spare parts. Most of the serious VW trikers I know have most, if not all, of the ignition components for their engine. Personally, I have learned to carry brake fluid and tools for bleeding the system because my hydraulic clutch master cylinder has a design flaw that makes it come apart at random times. I believe, incidentally, that I have finally corrected that with a better made and slightly oversized C-clip.

As for geekdom, I have been a shadetree mechanic since I could reach over the fender of a '72 Biscayne. I've rebuilt a couple of engines, worked on a LOT of them, especially motorcycles. Even so, in doing these EFI projects, I learned way more about how an engine actually works. I may have had a fundamental understanding, really intuition and self-taught experience, but it was the MegaManual that really made me understand that it is about how much AIR the engine can move, not how much fuel you can stuff into it, and how everything else is pretty much designed around that.