Opinions on three button signals?

I like the BMW 3 button arrangement. I do find the horn a bit difficult though.

You can cancel by pressing both buttons too. I built a fairly complicated cancelling unit that counts wheel revolutions, so it never times out at a light. It runs about 7 flashes on the highway.

I have not played with the newer two button so I really cannot opine. The three button system took some time (like what, maybe an hour on road?) for me to get accustomed but now it's good. Like any other machine one needs time to get to know layout, functions, etc.
Is one better than other? Does it matter?

I love the three button setup on my GSA. When I ride my other bikes now, I fumble with the turn signals. The three button just seems natural to me. And I have only been riding the Beemer since May of this year.

I have no experience with the 3 button switch. That being said, I love the single switch on my '83 RS. Never cared for the Japanese style, not very ergonomic IMO. And as far as self canceling, I think it's over rated. Just pay attention and cancel your signals. Yep, I love the old style switches. Riding a BMW is a down right, up lefting experience.

I like the three button system also. The Kisan product sounds good but I am pretty good at canceling after a turn or lane change.

On the other hand, I have on occasion used the horn when attempting to signal left ...

IMO the three-button arrangement got a lot of bad press because of people who own more than one bike, and more than one brand. No-one else has a three-switch setup and it's not easy to remember which you have when you switch bikes. I still have a '99 R1100S and have to think twice about what I'm doing when riding it vs one of the Ducs.

I like the 3 button system. I have small hands and find that I can actuate them easily with a very small thumb movement compared to the single button type which I found awkward (like the horn button).

Osm3um said:

I find it interesting that I have read that a lot of people don't like it.

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If it is due to some coordination problem, we can be thankful those people aren't airline pilots; at least we hope they're not.

I have motorcycles with both systems and don't have issues with either; but I prefer BMW's cancel button system.

GSfornow said:

I like HD turn signals the best of any I have tried.

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My experience also. I owned an HD for a few months last year, and the signal switches really impressed me, very logical. Left/Right are like BMW, but you can cancel by just pressing the switch a second time, BUT the nice thing is they self-cancel based on a lean angle sensor, works excellent. SOMEtimes does not pick up on a lane change. They will time-out eventually as well if you do not notice they didn't self-cancel. Very well thought out. Hazard flasher, push both like BMW 3-button, then press either left or right to cancel hazard flasher.

Gilly

I have one button on my 86 R80RT and three buttons on my 03 R1200CLC. I don't even think of it as I switch from one to the other. I've had about a dozen bikes with one button and three with three buttons and after you've ridden for a while, whatever system you have is automatic. I have more trouble remembering that my car has a floor shift while my SUY and truck have column shifts. My arm grabs at empty air.

Ken

(relaxing)

I prefer the BMW 3-button set up. I recently bought an '01F650GS with left-side single-button signals and I do like it as much as my '85K100 or '96R11RS.

One thing I like about the 3-button system, is when distance touring, I can leave my left hand laying in my lap (relaxing) and signal right turns/cancels with my throttle hand, and left turns with a casual left-arm lift.

Ride fast, ride safe.

I have to agree, had single before, got used to the three button in a day or so, now have the new K with the single and go back and forth to the KRS, no problem most of the time. Sort of like going from a three speed to a 4 or 5 speed. I have to say I really like the new high beam switch. At first I wondered about it, but now, it is so easy to flip to highs with nary a push of the finger and hitting the pass-flash is also really easy. Thumb still learning the exact location of the horn, but don't use it enough to get it ingrained yet....

I really prefer a single switch on my left for my turn signals, but have no problems riding a bike with the switch on the right or individual switches on either side, or what ever. No matter what bike I ride, if I have not ridden that bike in a while, I always check out everything before inserting key in the ignition. Once I am familiarized, I will start the bike and check ease of operation of everything, including adjusting mirrors etc.

I don't see the problem that others seem to have with the switch arrangment. I don't think that any of the possible arrangements is wrong. They are just different. As long as the arrangement works, the lights flash appropriately, then get over it and ride.

osbornk said:

I have more trouble remembering that my car has a floor shift while my SUY and truck have column shifts. My arm grabs at empty air.
Ken

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Been there...

turn signals fwiw

Easiest to operate turn signals were on my HD electraglides. Simple big button one on each side. Push to turn on. Push to cancel or wait until it self cancelled.

The next best were the ones on my LT and RT. but didn't care for the right thumb up cancel button.

Next is the switch on my 90/6. Pretty simple, up for right, down for left and middle for cancel.

Least favorite is the one on the honda. One switch on a very cluttered control that is almost impossible to operate without looking. God forbid my life ever was to depend on finding the horn.

BMW and turn signals........

So on the G650 X Challenge they decided to use a conventional "Honda" type turn signal switch. But they reversed the position with the horn switch. Having a number of other motorcycles with the switches in the conventional position, I always beep the horn on the "X" instead of activating the turn signals....

I spent 20 years using Honda's left thumb single button. Six years ago, when I got my first BMW, it took a little time to get used to the three button system, but its now second nature. Ultimately I don't care. The BMW's system is a neat quirk and part of the bike's personality, but if I were forced to choose I'd say that the Honda system makes more sense for several reasons:

• Like a car, its all controlled with one left-handed switch. Can you imagine a car with a two or three switch turn signal system?
• When you turn, regardless of direction, your thumb is already on the button to turn off the signal. For that reason, IMHO, its easier to remember to turn off the signal on the Honda than the BMW.
• Cancelling the signal is the least intuitive part of the three switch system. It'd be better to get rid of the third button for cancelling the signal, and set it up so a second depression of the same switch turns it off. That way, you'd depress the left or right signal, turn left or right, and depress the same left or right signal again having never taking your thumb off of it. I have a friend whose Harley Deuce works that way. IMHO its more intuitive than having a third button for cancellation.
• The Honda system never results in horn confusion. I'm embarrased to admit that, after six years and over 75,000 miles with BMW's three button system, I still occassionally screw that up in the heat of a "hornblowing moment."

DarrylRi said:

If the traffic in front of you suddenly stops, you can IMMEDIATELY get your flashers running by punching both buttons with your thumbs and holding them. You can do this without moving your hands or being unable to use the brake and clutch levers.

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I didn't know that! I need to check it out.

I don't care for them but it's not a deal killer. I have a Kawasaki too and it's so much easier to use the one button.

I have the 3 button on my '04, and a 3 position "cheese slicer"* on my '79. Neither of them present a problem, but I actually like the 3 button better.



*guitar guy slang for the for the selector switches on strats and teles

Personally, I feel ONLY BMW and Harley had the turn signal controls thing figured out logically and as is best ergonomically for the hand and thumb to move. I have always appreciated the BWM system, and I feel every single cycle-media dweeb that complains about the "odd BMW turn signal control placement" is nothing but a whiner not worth listening to. Lemmings following the herd over the cliff.

Even the older BWMs which required a right thumb cancel action (like my 94 R11RS) make total sense to me. After you complete a turn, lets say in town with downshifts/upshifts, which hand is busiest? Your clutch hand! The hand that is busiest accurately moudlating the clutch for good shifting. The throttle hand really has to turn very little, maybe 1/5 turn (heh, heh, fiugure that out) for most riding, and your right thumb is always at the bottom of the grip anyway, right where the cancle switch is! Its natural and logical.

Yet, the cycle media dweebs seem to love the universal LH thumb, twisted up higher/nearly distorted, to operate a cancel switch in, or worse yet SIDEWAYS! Not natural at all. Especially when the system requires the switch to be moved back to cancel. For riders with small hands you have to move the thumb up, move the hand to the right, just when you should be concentrating on clutch action. But to them, this is proper and the BMW system is odd? Jeez, even the RH turn signal control on my 76 R100RS makes more sense. My RH thumb does it all, up for left, down for right, all right where my thumb always is.

I do demo rides for Nick's BMW, and everytime I get on the K1300GT versus the RT or GS, I HATE the new switch gear on the K1300GT, it sucks and feels unnatural. BMW may claim the redesign was done to reduce the size of the grip clusters on the handlebars, or to use the switch space on the RH cluster for other controls. But I only see it as cheaper to run wires to the LH grip versus both grips. Personally, I think the handlebar, switchgear and clusters on the K1300GT look cheap, unfinished and wimpy. But the bike is PHENOMINAL!