Greetings - Newbie wannabe with questions

[Shakey]

Hello Folks,

I'm Martin from the UK although I work in the Sultanate of Oman in the oil business (Booo Hiss!).
As a newcomer to this forum I naturally ride a....... erm...... Yamaha FJR 1300 or in Oman, a Harley Sportster 883 Custom
So what the heck am I doing here?

Well, last week I went to my local BMW goody shop to test ride an F650GS on behalf of my wife. Whilst I was there I also had a go on the R1200R which I've always thought is such a good looking bike - and now I know how well it rides too .

I ride an FJR because I like to tour and about 7 years ago a single test ride was enough to tell me that the FJR was going to replace my Honda VFR800 really soon. Two FJRs down the line from there, the FJR is getting a bit heavy for me to push about on my gravel driveway (I have arthritis too) and so I want something I can both tour and scratch on. Last week I discovered that bike is the R1200R and I'll be placing my order next time I'm back home.

Meanwhile I'm going to trawl this forum for all the info I can gather but I have a specific questions I need quick answers to if you can help;

How do I attach a Givi Monokey box to the BMW rack without bolting on an ugly Givi plate?
Is a baglux tank cover the best way to attach a baglux tank bag to the R1200R or is there any other way to do it?

Thanks for now

[ka5ysy]

Hi Martin, and welcome to the group.

It sounds like you are about to become a member of the Test Ride Victims Club

I cannot answer your question as to the mounting setup you are trying, but I bet you will find somebody around who has done it. Of course, you can always buy the bike, and fabricate something custom for your setup, as a lot of us have done. You will find that this group is very talented about such things, and our only requirement is that you must post photos of the project as you proceed.

So go buy the bike and post some photos for us, then we will encourage you to farkle the heck out of the bike

Doug

[angellr]

Yes, welcome! Don't test ride unless you are prepared to agonize over the possible new ride. For this reason alone, I stay off the new Triumph Tiger, R800R, etc.

[Michael Hart]

Here is what I did, I didn't think that the givi plate looked that bad by itself. although on the stock rack there was no good way to mount so I took off the top part of the BMW rack and made a new aluminum flat plate that bolts on in the same place as the BMW one. drilled some holes for the givi plate and painted it black. looks not bad.

[creamora]

Welcome! Now see what you can do about these gas prices...

You can use the Harley as a helmet and coat rack since it may not leave the garage that often now that you have the finest piece of German engineering with two wheels...Let the farkling begin!

Wishing you well and good roads

[Shakey]

Thanks for all your greetings

Just for the record, I emailed the dealer yesterday outlining my required spec and asking for a quote to trade in my FJR. The agonising is over

Michael, Thanks for sharing those pics. The rack you have is the Monolock style whereas I want to mount my existing 54 litre Monokey box when touring and the plate is significantly larger and uglier. See here for difference

I have ordered a SW-Motech mounting kit intended to mount the Monokey cases to their removal side case carrier frames and this will provide two shaped bobbins to go into the back slots on the box, and the "toblerone" block that it locks onto. I hope that I can modify (Drill and Tap) the standard BMW rack to take these items, along with the spare set of Givi rubbers I already have, to farkle a more elegant solution. If not then hey, I'll just have to fit the plate.

My god! I haven't even ordered the bike yet and I'm buying Farkles already

[ka5ysy]

My god! I haven't even ordered the bike yet and I'm buying Farkles already

It NEVER stops. The price of the bike is simply the down payment on the farkles.

[cycl2day]

You will love the R12R! I recently traded my R1150R and could not be happier. So we are both victims of the test ride!

[Shakey]

My god! I haven't even ordered the bike yet and I'm buying Farkles already

It NEVER stops. The price of the bike is simply the down payment on the farkles.

[Shakey]

Well folks,

It's been a long and agonising wait but The R has finally been ordered.

I wasn't totally happy with the trade in quote for the FJR but I'll have to take that on the chin as it's very hard to sell a bike privately when it's not even in the same country as you! and dealers are never noted for their generosity.

The one sticking point has been the BMW system cases. The FJR comes complete with cases in the UK but the R doesn't. He wanted 620 gbp (> 1000 USD!) to provide code matched cases (same key I assume). I've tried to price up various Givi, H&B etc. alternatives but I think the BMW cases look right on the bike so I told him it's a deal stopper.

Well the haggling has got to where I can be happy as the pair will now cost me just 300 gbp (~490 USD) i.e. He buys one and I buy the other

Two more weeks of work till I can standardise my FJR and take it in but it looks like I'll be collecting before my wife gets her F650.

Ain't gonna sleep much the next two weeks!

[TT RDHS]

Congrats on the new purchase!

[Shakey]

Well what a complete pain in the nether regions this buying experience has been.

Not the dealer's fault apparently, sales are still strong for BMW so although my bike started build on 6th June, it didn't arrive in the UK until about 7 hours before I was due to return to work in the Middle east

Never mind - it gives me something else to look forward to when I come home again and the Dealer has been very helpful and apologetic. I managed to barter a 50% discount on a set of System cases and by a stroke of Luck, two days before the bike landed BMW central UK announced a 300 GBP gimme promotion, so now I've got a set of pannier inner bags and a set of BMW head guards into the bargain

Just 4 more weeks until I can play with it

[Shakey]

I repatriated to the UK in January so I've had loads of time to farkle but not too much good weather to ride. I've managed almost 3000 miles on the bike and next month we're off to play in Austria and Germany. I still love the bike but I just can't stop farkling

Farkles to date;

Self "engineered" top box carrier.
3 iterations of GPS mount
Bags Connection tank ring and City tankbag
Forward mounted accessory powerlet socket
R1200 GS Hand guards (Finally got em how I want em)
Wunderlich oil cooler guard
Wunderlich Fender extender and "Duck tail"
Wunderlich frame and telelever covers (Bling)
Machineart Mudsling fitted but now removed pending mods so it can fit with...
.. Puig Hugger
MRA Vario screen tried but now removed in favour of ...
... BMW touring screen + Wunderlich screen extension thingy (works but is ugly)
Remus Hexacone Titanium silencer - actually quieter than original but fruitier and much lighter.
Grip Puppies
BoosterPlug (brilliant gadget)

Farkles in the pipeline

M-Factory adjustable brake and clutch levers ordered via ebay from Hong Kong (Great product for the money - my wife has them on her 650 GS)

I won a spare sport seat on Ebay (my first real bargain) and this has been sent to Tony Archer (well known upholsterer in Northern England) to be recovered in faux leather with gel pads on both seats)

Farkle maybes

I suspect I might try the CeeBaileys sport screen and sell on my touring screen but time and a tour will tell.

I really like those Moto Bozzo lights ..............

I wonder if it will ever stop?

[Bamblys]

Remus Hexacone Titanium silencer - actually quieter than original but fruitier and much lighter.

I wanted to get this exhaust but now you kinda slowed me down.
Is it quieter with a db killer? Is there a db killer that I can remove? I want something just a bit louder than an original muffler. Not trying to be a loudest bike on the road, I just want to hear my engine. And at $800 i don't think the 2 lbs savings is worth the cost.
Can you post a picture of how it looks at the business end?

[Catchina]

"...fruitier and much lighter" - so the exahust sounds like wine?

[Shakey]

maybe a nice young Californian red yes, but not as deep and fruity as the southern rhone Mouvedres, chilean malbecs and the like

[Shakey]

Remus Hexacone Titanium silencer - actually quieter than original but fruitier and much lighter.

I wanted to get this exhaust but now you kinda slowed me down.
Is it quieter with a db killer? Is there a db killer that I can remove? I want something just a bit louder than an original muffler. Not trying to be a loudest bike on the road, I just want to hear my engine. And at $800 i don't think the 2 lbs savings is worth the cost.
Can you post a picture of how it looks at the business end?

Hi, yes I keep the DB killer in place but it's only one screw to remove it. Here in the UK it pays to keep on the right side of the law. I'll try to remember to take a pic next time I'm out but if you search for Hexacone, somebody had a pic of a Carbon one fitted.

-edit-

Here's a close up of the DB killer in place. One screw to remove and a pair of grips to pull it out.