BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

After about 225,000 miles on BMWs ('04 R1150RA, '92K75S, '78 R100/7, '72 R75/5), I just got an '08 R1200R last week. Having put a thousand miles on it, I can safely say I love this bike! I really like this site too and have joined after lurking.

The R1200R is a velvet hammer. It is so light, tight, agile, and comfortable and yet so powerful. It just does what I ask without drama or complaint. Wear the tires down to the sidewall? No problem. Make mid-turn corrections? No problem. It makes me a better, safer, and faster rider and also makes me realize what a handful some of the other bikes I've ridden, like my old R1150R, were.

I've installed Givi V35 panniers and like them so much better than my old System cases. I've also received compliments on their appearance. The V46 top case is there for commuting and camping although it is fugly.

After-market lighting, reflective stuff, horn, and radar detector/screamer are en route. Maybe I'll want after-market suspension some day, not because I'm unhappy with the stock performance but because the ride is a bit rough on choppy pavement.

But what about a tank bag? I really liked my Marsee 20L magnetic bag but I sold it with my R1150R. I tried it on the R1200R in the showroom and it seemed to work but I've read that it shouldn't. Has anyone tried it?

Sorry for the rhapsodic waxing but I seem to be doing an awful lot of that about this bike. My non-riding friends really want me to shut up.

Cheers!

Greg Hohn
Chapel Hill, N.C.

I really like my BMW tank bag. It's large , it fits well, and it's rain proof. It's costly but I would recommend it.
Mark

I have an RKE Shiloh Road, actually two of them. A day sized one and a trip sized one. The day one hasn't really been used a bunch, but since they both use the same mounting scheme (3 straps) - it takes no time at all to swap them.

I had the BMW tank bag. Problem I had was I'm a disorganized person.. so I need help in that respect. The BMW tank bag was the black hole of tank bags. It's big. It's open. It has a waterproof liner that sorta closes around all the stuff you might have in the bag.. but it has no organization to it. Everything became a jumble rather quickly.

The RKA has a top expandable section - that I never expand, but I keep my maps in it, and the bottom section, which has a built in organizer in the top of it... complete with key hooks, pen keepers, and a mesh pocket to keep stuff in. It's perfect for me - and helps keep me organized. You have to use a rain cover with it if you're gonna be in all day rain, for brief showers it's waterproof enough that stuff in it doesn't get wet. It also has a map pocket that fits a standard double-fold US map with two sections showing.

http://www.rka-luggage.com/A02%20Tankba ... Sheet.html - the contour fits the tank well.