dual purpose possibilities?

[britguy]

......My ride to a property I own which is where my workshop is located and I am soon to be building a cabin on includes a short run along a washed out grass and gravel road (1/2 mile)...never been a problem on my previous 1150GS or Uly.....but riding the 1200R makes me a bit nervous as it feels unsteady.

I currently run Conti Attack tires, great road tire, but maybe one reason for my lack of confidence on unpaved. The new Uly is shoed with Scorpian Sync tires that I think are the same size ay the 1200R....so I am thinking these may make a difference on the 1200R and give more unpaved security....but what else am I missing?...What mods if any could make the 1200R more dual purpose?...or should I stick purely to tarmac ....or get a GS!!

The round trip is about 90 miles and it seems a shame not to ride the 1200R just because of the last 1/2 mile....my alternative ride is a Honda 650L which of course handles the last 1/2 mile with no problem but the other 90 asphalt miles can be a pita!

[Skippy]

I think the Pirellí scorpions might do the trick. The R doesn't differ that mutch from the GS it probably only has a bit more travel in the suspension and probably a bit softer but what you are discribing hardly sounds as rough terrain. The R is lighter then the GS so should be easier to handle with the same tires I think. If you realy wanna go off road a lot a GS might be better or a KTM( ).

[britguy]

Thanks skippy.....The road has some deep wash outs that I try and avoid, otherwise its not too bad, but the attacks on wet grass are a bit slippy.

I think I will change to the scorpions next time around.

[Lost Rider]

After running 2 sets of conti's, and 2 sets of Z-6's this year with thousands of miles of dirt/mud/gravel riding, I'm due for new tires again and those Pirrelli Scorpions look nice.....
The z-6's are better than the conti's off road, but neither are designed for it obviously. No matter what tire after 4500 miles my rear is toast so the more expensive Z6's are out.
It's too bad I can't find a Tourance tire that would fit the R. I know some people have put them on the 1150R, but with the 180 rear tire I'm not sure how a 160 would fit properly.

IMO the difference between a R and a GS is an attitude, I've been where people on GS's say they wouldn't go, on my R.


You can see where you can take a R1200R if so inclined here:

http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=11564

[britguy]

Great ride report ChiTown....You mention a skid plate, I was thinking of one as well...I think the GS plate would fit ok.


BTW..what screen are you using?

[Lost Rider]

That's a Z-Technik VStream screen.
I love it, much better that the BMW touring screen, at least for me ( I'm 5'11" ).
I did manage to crack the mount on my last trip (not surprised really)
After contacting them about it I ended up going to their office that is located here in Chicago with the cracked mount. They offered to replace it on the spot, but also told me they have upgraded the mount to fix the problem. I opted to wait the few weeks they said it would take to get the new mount to market instead of taking one of the old ones.
After 7000 miles with the VStream, the touring screen is very annoying....
Great customer service, great screen, good looks, great price ( less than $200), etc...
They also told me they are releasing a taller screen, and asked me if I wanted to try it out, when I go back I'll make the decision since I'm quite happy with this screen..... but I'll try and get some pics to share.

http://www.ztechnik.com/products/index.html

A skid plate would be nice, I have knocked a few of the cooling fin off the engine block, and dented the exhaust of my bike while climbing over large rocks in a river in Utah....

On another note.
This coming Saturday I'm going to be on XM radio for an interview about my last trip on a ESPN motorcycle show, 7 AM eastern if anyone wants to hear about the trip.

[OU812]

Joe, I knew you would respond, eventually.

[Caroanbill]

Not that I'd go off-road, or even ANYWHERE Joe can ride, but a mate started to speculate so we looked ..

Metzeler Tourance won't fit, nor will Pirelli Scorpions - closest is the 150/70 17 rear which has 6mm bigger diameter. Sites I looked at didn't show rim size, but I'd guess there's no 5.50 ..

If they'd fit, Avon Distanzias at 160/60 17 would be only about 0.5% smaller than a 180/55 17 ... problem would be they're specified for max rim width 5.00, recommended for 4.50 (R12R has 5.50)

Avon Distanzia 120/70 17 fronts look like they'd go straight on a 3.50 rim.

Distanzias fit right on my F650CS ....

[Lost Rider]

Not that I'd go off-road, or even ANYWHERE Joe can ride, but a mate started to speculate so we looked ..

Metzeler Tourance won't fit, nor will Pirelli Scorpions - closest is the 150/70 17 rear which has 6mm bigger diameter. Sites I looked at didn't show rim size, but I'd guess there's no 5.50 ..

If they'd fit, Avon Distanzias at 160/60 17 would be only about 0.5% smaller than a 180/55 17 ... problem would be they're specified for max rim width 5.00, recommended for 4.50 (R12R has 5.50)

Avon Distanzia 120/70 17 fronts look like they'd go straight on a 3.50 rim.

Distanzias fit right on my F650CS ....

Here's what I found about the Scorpions, not sure what you found but tell me if I'm wrong.

We need a 180/55 ZR17 rear and a 120/70 ZR17 front right? Looks like that size is available to me, at least here in the States.





http://www.americanmototire.com/index.h ... =d117.html


Hopefully I'm not wrong, I like the tread pattern on the Scorpions and would like to be trying them out soon. Pirelli's long standing reputation for making great performance tire doesn't hurt either.
I've learned that tread pattern isn't everything though, the conti's don't look to me like they would be good in rain, but have proved to be quite good in heavy downpours and day long wet rides..... The compound makes all the difference I guess.

Back to the original post, I don't think any motorcycle tires will be good on wet grass, except maybe big knobbies on a 250cc dirt bike.
The search for the perfect tire continues...

[deilenberger]

Wet grass and slick mud are really knobby territory.

I did do a bit of "off-roading" yesterday with the R1200R - nothing at all like ChiTown, but - about 1/4 mile of dirt/gravel/potholed parking lot.

If the dirt isn't wet, and the gravel isn't too deep - the R1200R seems to go through it just fine, even with the Contis on it. Deep gravel or soft-dirt/sugar-sand are where a 21" narrow front tire works - which isn't gonna be on a Roadster. On the stuff I was in - the bike felt fine - good enough to take it to 2nd gear and putter along at about 30 MPH.. didn't feel a single squirm with it, and I surprised myself by only standing on the pegs once (I learned to ride on dirt bikes - where sitting was really the exception..)

I think it could handle the grass/gravel driveway fine with a bit more aggressive tread tire.

[Caol]

I've wound up doing a fair bit of gravel/dirt travel this summer - oops - I mean "construction season". (Only two seasons up here - construction and winter! ) I'm not, quite, into cross-country, but I don't worry about the pavement disappearing either!

Fresh pea gravel is the worst, of course, but if the traveled wheel tracks are fairly clear I've found the Michelin Pilot Roads on my roadster have done quite well.

I haven't figured out which is better on the damping, though. But I'm leaning towards the "Sport" position on the ESA, although washboard can shake your fillings loose on any setting .

[ka5ysy]

I have a favorite road near my house that requires about a quarter mile of travel on a gravel road that is sometimes not in good shape. I have negotiated that area quite a few times as noted above, simply by standing on the pegs and letting the front end do its thing. Steering is mostly shifting weight on the pegs.

My tires are Conti Road Attacks, which also stick very well on wet roads.

I love my R12R !

Doug

[celticus]

A short while back I took my R1200R "off road" for 14 miles near the Blue Ridge Parkway around Cherokee N.C. I don't see how a GS with the same tires would have been any better. You can sure buy a lot more farckles for a GS though. Has anyone thought of turning a GS into an R?
Mark

[Caroanbill]

Has anyone TALL thought of turning a GS into an R?
Mark

Fixed

[Lost Rider]

A set of Pirelli Scorpion Syncs were ordered today. $255 shipped. So far from the reviews I've read, the only problem is milage. 3500 miles was the worst reported.
With the low cost, and the fact that I never get more than 4500 miles out of a rear anyway, I hope they perform well. 4500 miles on a ( $200+) Metzler, or 3500 on a $130 Pirelli.......
I'm planning to take a ride in the Smokey Mountains next week, so I'll let you know how they perform, especially off the beaten path.

Now if I could just find the socket I need to remove the front axle.....

[ka5ysy]

I just mounted the GS handguards on my R12R.... does that count





Photos to follow after I fix my blown up main computer situation.

[britguy]

Fitted motech bar risers...... brings the bars closer as well as higher.........a big difference to how the bike now feels off asphalt.....and much more comfortable for me on the road as well.......top mod for me so far...love this bike