Hobie Revolution 13

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Having dusted off the Hobie Revolution 13 in the last couple of weeks, the bivouac is reminded of just how aptly it is named; the Hobie Revolution 13 represents a remarkable kayak revolution. Offering excellent stability in the water and superior ergonomic positioning over the last generation of sea kayaks, the Hobie Revolution 13 is designed to allow users to sit on it rather than in it. The lightweight seat is breathable and fully adjustable thanks to its integrated BOA-powered lumbar adjustment system and other thoughtful angle adjustments.

Coupled with the ground-breaking Hobie Mirage Drive, it transforms occupants into superheroes. Covering longer distances that would have once crushed one’s back and shoulders is now child’s play. The Mirage Drive is a remarkable piece of design and engineering. It empowers riders to move through the water quickly for long periods. Modeled after how penguins shift their fins through the water, the fins turn back and forth while pivoting, ensuring an unheard-of efficiency. Excellent ergonomics keep back fatigue at bay and allow occupants a more upright view, freeing them to focus more on their surroundings.

An ingenious rudder system rounds out the offering, providing agile and easily controllable handling and subtle wind offset functionality. Overall, the Hobie Revolution 13 is a well-rounded, stable platform upon which to move at speed or fish confidently. Two thumbs up and paddle raised high from the bivouac!

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BMW R1250 GS Display

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Many BMW boxer hours have been logged here at the bivouac, but the 2019 BMW R1250 Adventure represents a serious step forward in development and refinement. Even coming from the world of the superlative K1600GT, the new telematics and interface options for 2019 seem leaps and bounds ahead.

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With a crisp and bold Thin-Film-Transistor (or TFT) display, BMW has upped both the functionality and legibility of their displays and they are making them standard across many more models this year. With robust integration of phone features, including playing audio and providing turn-by-turn navigation prompting, plus a slew of adjustability and informational displays about any given bike setting, this seems like a must-have feature that quite a bit of design effort and development has gone into.

Significant Redesign: The 2019 GSA has a redesigned boxer engine with shift cam technology and a revised powerful TFT display.

Heads Up: The TFT display has been designed for easy access to information and glanceability and configuration.

Clearly Ahead: The display technology works across a variety of lighting contexts.

Building on the Past: A fond view at the bivouac, the K1600GT’s configurable display is still solid but is starting to age. In its initial instantiation, the clocks always had legibility issues which were addressed to some degree with a refresh. Any such issues on the GS line have been clearly solved with the new the R1250GSA instrumentation.

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The BMW 1250cc Boxer

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Here at the Bivouac, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the rugged reliability of BMW’s boxer engine in an R1100RT and the sheer sophistication and power of their inline six-cylinder engine in the remarkable continent cruiser, the K1600GT. Now, BMW is offering a new boxer engine with ShiftCam technology. Available in the new R1250RT and R1250GS.

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BMW Motorrad's ShiftCam technology is an innovative engine design feature that has been integrated into their motorcycle lineup, enhancing both power delivery and fuel efficiency. ShiftCam stands for "Shift" and "Camshaft," and it represents a variable valve timing system, allowing the engine to optimize its performance characteristics depending on the rider's demands.

The core idea behind ShiftCam is to provide a broader and more usable power band. This technology allows the engine to switch between two camshaft profiles, one optimized for low to mid-range power and the other for high-end power. At lower RPMs, it operates with one cam profile, delivering smooth and efficient power for cruising and urban riding. As the throttle is opened further, or the engine speed increases, ShiftCam seamlessly switches to the second, more aggressive cam profile, delivering a surge of power and torque for spirited acceleration and highway cruising.

The benefits of ShiftCam technology are twofold. First, it improves the overall riding experience by providing better low-end torque and high-end power, making the motorcycle versatile in various riding conditions. Second, it enhances fuel efficiency and reduces emissions, as the engine can operate more efficiently across different RPM ranges. BMW Motorrad has integrated ShiftCam into several of its models, offering riders a dynamic and fuel-efficient performance that adapts to their riding style and preferences.

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