What are the essential extras?

[Motorcycle_Girl]

It looks like I will be picking up a 2008 R1200R in the next week or so. What are the essential extras that you would put on the bike?

It has a windshield, luggage brackets, white indicator lights, centre stand and onboard computer already.

I have looked at threads on the engine protectors - I will definitely look at adding them over the winter. Recommendations on the best protecotrs is welcome.

What luggage would you buy? BMW? Other?
Will third party luggage (ie Givi) work with the BMW brackets? Any other things that you guys would recommend?

I also already have a Garmin Zumo on my current bike so that will be moving to the new one.

thanks

[Bill Stevenson]

What is essential to one, is shunned by another. This is an entirely subjective matter. Don Eilenberger wrote a series of articles on how he modified his R1200R published in BMWMOA News last summer that covers this subject well and I commend them to your attention. You should consider joining the BMWMOA. I am a minimalist myself and my bike is bare bones compared to most reported on here. I do like aftermarket saddles and ABS brakes. Everything else is not so important to me. Those cylinder guards that you mentioned and that seem so highly regarded here are just simply not for me at all. No way, no how. To each his own.

On the matter of saddlebags, I prefer the OEM because they fit lower and closer to the centerline of the bike than any of the aftermarket ones. They look better to my eye, have excellent capacity, and these new ones are very intuitive and user friendly. They are totally water tight too. If you go Givi, which is an excellent option, you will need Givi brackets.

Bill

[Tr250Tom]

A helmet lock: http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=1622

I use it every time I park away from home. What were they thinking by not providing one? My K75S had one, and it was OK, but it took some maneuvering to use. This one is convenient and I can lock 2 helmets on it. Just get one.

Happy Trails, Tom

[Motorcycle_Girl]

What is essential to one, is shunned by another. This is an entirely subjective matter. Don Eilenberger wrote a series of articles on how he modified his R1200R published in BMWMOA News last summer that covers this subject well and I commend them to your attention. You should consider joining the BMWMOA.

Bill

I will join the BMWMOA once I actually have the bike... are the articles available anywhere online?

thanks

[jameson71]

Not sure if this is the same stuff as on the MOA, but I found Don's site here very informative:

http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roads ... Rindex.htm

[ka5ysy]

SW-Motech Engine guards absolutely necessary, and make good highway pegs to boot...

Details and photos here:

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.c ... stcount=87


Don't leave home without them !

[motoracer8]

A tank bag, a tubeless tire repair kit, and a cell phone. The OE bags are the best ones, and the only ones that will fit the BMW mounts. If you get hard bags get some soft bags to go inside, as they are much easyer to haul into a motel. And find a good dealer.

Ken G.

[deilenberger]

What is essential to one, is shunned by another. This is an entirely subjective matter. Don Eilenberger wrote a series of articles on how he modified his R1200R published in BMWMOA News last summer that covers this subject well and I commend them to your attention. You should consider joining the BMWMOA.

Bill

I will join the BMWMOA once I actually have the bike... are the articles available anywhere online?

thanks

If you care to PM me your email address, I can send you PDF's of the articles. Some of the stuff in them is out of date (publishing delays and I change things..) but it will give you some ideas, and my basic thinking hasn't changed on what I did.

Essential:

1 - Windshield (for me, some people hate'm).. just so I can take long rides at highway speed without my arms being pulled out of their sockets. I try for the smallest one that can accomplish that (and increase the size just a bit in winter so I can ride longer/further without frostbite.)

2 - Extra lighting.. both for safety and conspicuity. Front and rear.

3 - GPS -fairly obvious and you have one

4 - Headlight modulator. Controversial, but my experience with them over about 15 years now has been very postive.. mostly in reducing the number of deer-jumps I experience. Long story about that, which I won't bore you with, but they seem as effective on deer as they are on equally brain dead drivers.

A bit less essential, but nice to do/have:

5 - Suspension setup for you (better ride comfort combined with better handling) and in my case - the big motivation - you can lower the bike a bit at the same time if you want.

6 - Seat made for your butt.

The last 2 are really "extras" on the R12R. The stock suspension is one of the better factory suspensions I've had and certainly isn't awful. It's good enough all of us who got suckered into the bike on the test ride must have liked it. The improvement is getting a suspension setup just for you.

I did suspension fairly early on and it was an improvement over stock, but it's only lately where I've gotten it REALLY dialed in to where I absolutely love it. It took some work to do that - it's good having a friend in the business who will take a day to play with spring rates and valving. The dialing in is really important if you're lowering the bike as I did with the suspension.

The seat - at least the stock low seat - is not awful at all. Mine took me on quite a few 8 hour days, and while I was in some pain at the end of the 8 hours, I was ready and raring to get back on the bike the next morning (or sometimes the same evening.) The Sargent seat seems an improvement - it's good enough that I don't even think about it when riding, and that to me is a good seat.

[Dan-A]

Yes on extra lighting, regardless of which other ones you might not want. It is truly an improvement of safety.

[tobes]

Not a mod to the bike but, I carry one of these slime compressors under my seat at all times: http://www.gadgetjq.com/slime_pump.htm Works great. Also, an LED headlamp.

[ShinySideUp]

Here's my essentials, with photos and, in some cases, sources and prices at the time of purchase.

http://tinyurl.com/yp9hjf

Overload warning: I've hardly ever met a gadget I didn't like.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with cylinder head protectors that were'nt also engine guards, i.e. BARS instead of PLASTIC. I think they do a much better job in a lay-down and are really handy for lights and foot pegs.

If you ride the interstates, an air horn is a nice peace-of-mind feature.

And +1 on the BMW luggage, although, having lost a side case, please do a search on how to secure them using McMaster-Carr Part No. 90026A120, a stainless steel Coiled Clip Retaining Pin. Essential!

I can see I need to update my photos to add things like my Guinness bottle opener!

[celticus]

Not a mod to the bike but, I carry one of these slime compressors under my seat at all times: http://www.gadgetjq.com/slime_pump.htm Works great. Also, an LED headlamp.

It fits under your seat? Cool ! I hadn't thought of that. I always have mine in my side cases.

Mark

[celticus]

I always use my BMW tank bag. I need lots of "stuff". Great for odds and ends whilst camping.

Mark

[red baron]

Speaking of essential extras I have a Gamin SP 2610 unit which presently is attached to the bike via a Tourateck handlebar unit as used by many off road riders. In my case however I would like to attach it to the handlebar via the four bolts of the handlebar. Is there any after market devise available similar to the BMW GPS unit. Any advise with manufacturers name and part numbers would be appreciated
Thanks
Red Baron

[deilenberger]

Speaking of essential extras I have a Gamin SP 2610 unit which presently is attached to the bike via a Tourateck handlebar unit as used by many off road riders. In my case however I would like to attach it to the handlebar via the four bolts of the handlebar. Is there any after market devise available similar to the BMW GPS unit. Any advise with manufacturers name and part numbers would be appreciated
Thanks
Red Baron

BMW makes a bracket made to do exactly that - and since it fits the Navigator-III it will also fit the 2610 using Gamin's motorcycle mount for the 2610. Here is a photo of it from my website:



Here is a link to it on REALOEM: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=65&fg=13

One caveat - if you use a tankbag mounting the GPS here may interfere with the bag, or the bag may block the view of the GPS. I found the smaller RKA bags work fine with it, but I also decided I'd rather have the GPS above the instruments, so I rolled my own mount for it..



See: http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roads ... Rindex.htm and http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roads ... _Mount.htm

[Motorcycle_Girl]

Just a little update...I decided not to get the used R1200R. With the fact that the 2009 can come with a seat height of 29.5 inches I have decided to go for the 2009. I have a test ride planned for the spring and then I will order my new bike (unless for some reason I don't like riding it - which I highly doubt) thanks for all of the ideas so far. I can spend the next few months websurfing for extras...

[famousperson]

Here's my essentials, with photos and, in some cases, sources and prices at the time of purchase.

http://tinyurl.com/yp9hjf

Overload warning: I've hardly ever met a gadget I didn't like.

I can see I need to update my photos to add things like my Guinness bottle opener!

Marvelous presentation! What else could one add, besides all the carbon fiber bits that are available?