Side case options and questions.

LeonardoNYC · Post by **LeonardoNYC** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:34 pm

When I bought my R1100R in 99 it was a demo and it came with the luggage rack/brackets already installed and my dealer sold me a pair of very good condition used system cases for about $400 I think. I paid $10,200 for my R1100R back then which came with the touring shield , ABS, and bag mounts by the way.

Looking on Bob's BMW site and good ol'BMW corporate site I see that for the mounting hardware and two side cases I am looking at $1150 in total. Are these things made of gold? As far as I can tell it's $1150 for about 18 pounds of metal and plastic. Using the calculator on my iMac this tells me we are paying about $63 a pound for these cases and hardware? (Similarly we pay about $28 a pound for a new R1200R that encompasses first rate engineering, electronics, etc etc. ) I know it's not apples to apples comparison but still worth noting I think.

And of course my system cases (nor 11500R cases I assume) won't fit the new mounting hardware for the R1200R which is a bit of a downer and makes you wonder if it's part of some strategy at BMW. I can understand the bag mounting system being unique to the bike but why can't older bags be attached to newer bag mounts?

Givi has some nice options but even those come out to about $900 though I could be wrong on the givi as the dealership I called wasn't really sure about what I needed etc as the R1200R is still fairly new.

I do a lot touring so definitely want the cases --am I tied to BMW and/or Givi should I get a new R12R or are there any other alternatives for hard side luggage.

I know I could go with soft luggage and probably save a bundle but enjoy the convenience of the hard luggage.

Thanks for suggestions and input!

r12r-don · Post by **r12r-don** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:25 pm

I hear you about the price of the BMW hard luggage. However, my feeling is they were literally made for the bike. Givi has decent stuff but I never really felt that Givi cases fit the look of the bike. Just one view. I do see lots of them on the street so they must be doing something right.

Post by **deilenberger** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:18 am

A few comments..

BMW had a $500 discount deal on selected models - I think it was up at the end of June - that was applied towards my bags..

List price and selling price aren't the same thing - if you do a bit of dickering when you're buying the bike. I paid $700 for the bags, and about $170 for the mounting rails (which came on the bike..)

The form and function of the new bags makes a joke out of your R1100/1150 bags. Had both. The new bags work, and address all the complaints people had with the older designs - including latch design, mounting system, waterproof-ness.. they are FAR superior to any other BMW bag I've had. I'm quite happy with mine. The only complaint I have is they're a bit wide, and mount a bit high - so my heal tends to touch when swinging my leg over. But - they will fit a full-face helmet with no juggling, and my AeroStitch Roadcrafter in the other bag.

Nice bags. Givi are less expensive, and after a few years - always seem to look like they were (fading primarily..) and the look on the bike isn't like the BMW bags.

Post by **celticus** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 4:25 pm

I also really like my BMW bags. For that matter I really like the R1200R tank bag I have. The bags are a little heavy but they are capacious, well made , and so on just like Deilenburger said. All quality. MUCH better than the last generation of bags by far.
Mark

Post by **parkec** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:47 pm

I went with the BMW cases - yesterday as a matter of fact. My bike came with the factory case mounts it seemed like the simplest thing to do. I also got a nice discount because I was paying for my Remus headers and 'middle pipe' which should arrive in a week. Just in time for my 500 mile check on the 28th.

Since I am not sure how often I'm going to use the cases. I need to find that aero dynamic tail bag I saw either on this web site or over on AF1racing.

Dr Grabow · Post by **Dr Grabow** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:56 pm

The BMW system cases for the R1200R are excellent. But, they're so FAT that I think the bike looks ridiculous from the rear. Here we have this sleek awesome roadster and from the rear it looks like you've got an 800-pounder's buttcheeks on your bike. Yeah, I'll use them when riding any long distance, but for around town I leave them off. I hope BMW comes out with a set of "City Lids" or whatever they used to have for the older system cases that cut the width way down. Then it would be the best of both worlds. So far haven't seen that any City Lids are available for the R12R system cases.

Post by **parkec** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:54 pm

DR Grabow your are right!!

The BMW cases are Bulbous thats why I am ordering the Ztechnik Storage Pod in the morning..

Just need to find a brief case which fits either, or not.

btw Only need the cases for touring.

rtallent · Post by **rtallent** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 8:19 pm

I love my BMW side cases. That said, I have also had GIVI bags I've liked. With SW-Motech case holders you can also mount Krauser bags. I've seen some really nice Nonfango bags, too. The BMW bags mount closer to the bike than the other manufacturers' stuff. Just a few thoughts.