EasyBee wrote:Well I own an R1150R that was not build in or destined to be shipped to the USA and it has the same thing. No cables or wires in that area.
But look at what I found in the maintenance manual on page 20. Could it be used to tie down the bike for shipping? To make sure that there is no damage? On the right hand side they can use that helmet holder, but on the left side?
Definitely not - it's nowhere near strong enough.
I'd also be highly doubtful that it's a cable run guide - what cables are going to run down there?
Funny thing is I went to put the bike on the center stand today and put my hand on the down tube to lift it. I noticed that the wire hook made a nice little resting space for my hand and would prevent me from touching a hot exhaust. Hmmm...
...and going back and looking at the manual for getting the bike on and off the center stand, it shows the hand grabbing the frame exactly where this piece is. So, while it might be a great place to hook a bungee cord, I'm voting that it's official purpose is a guard to prevent the hand from slipping down the frame tube and getting near the exhaust. Seems like something BMW should do.