We recently reported on BMW motorcycles totally cyberpunk and totally excellent CE04 scooter conceptand one of the coolest features of this vehicle was a 10.25-inch information screen for the driver. A screen this size is pretty big in a car, and it would be gigantic on a motorcycle or scooter, but that won't stop Germans.
According to an announcement by Tier 1 supplier Bosch on Thursday, BMW plans to equip some of its motorcycles with this 10.25-inch screen in 2021. And it gets more interesting because this screen is the first motorcycle TFT that can do split screen. By that I mean you can have your motorcycle's dash info on one side and your phone's info on the other.
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The screen can do this magic trick thanks to a piece of software for your phone called MySpin, called by Bosch. While the big screen hits BMW first, Bosch also confirms that both Ducati and Kawasaki have their own MySpin-based apps in the works, even though these are supposed to work with existing 6.5-inch screens.
The big problem with so much smartphone integration is the potential for driver distraction, which is dangerous in a car and suicidal on a motorcycle. Bosch believes there is a way to add smartphone integration to a motorcycle dash without this risk. Based on what we can tell, the point is to restrict access to only motorcycle-specific apps like Rever (which is excellent and something I personally use).
The push towards TFT-LCD strokes on motorcycles has been going on for several years, and it's exciting to see screens get bigger, better, and more functional. We want more of these screens to become touchscreens - like ours long term Indian FTR1200 - but it remains to be seen whether this will be the case with the large Bosch unit.
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