Farklers, do you miss your naked R?

[jbim]

I used to own a 2006 GS and a 2007 R. The GS was fully farkled for touring and the R was almost stock for pure riding enjoyment. I crashed and totaled the GS. This left me with only the R in the garage. Now I must decide whether I will farkle the R for touring. I would need to add at least side cases and a windshieldplus a few other things like GPS mounts, aux lights, etc. I think the naked look killer is the windshield. I now have the smal OEM sport windshield. Those of you who have farkled your R for touring, do you miss the naked look and feel of the stock bike? Do you regret it?

Thanks

JG

[deilenberger]

Interesting question - since I've thought (not a lot.. but it did pass through my mind) of buying another one just to keep absolutely stock.. mebbe a white one with black pinstripes. I suspect SWMBO might question the idea, but she is getting a bathroom redone, so I have some toy-credit.

I don't feel any real change in handling - except for the better with better shocks and tires on my R. I do miss the naked feeling of the sport-shield, so I bought one off Ebay (I'd sold mine) with the thought of throwing it back on once in a while. It only takes a minute or so to swap them (two screws basically) so it's not a big deal. My tank bag comes off easy enough. The saddlebags could come off, but I won't (protection against leg injury if T-boned). I have a spare stock seat if I want to remind myself why I had Sargent make one for me (which is better looking by far, and more comfortable.) Everything else I've added is really pretty much invisible, or upgrades stock components, so I don't see a need to change them.

So - answer is - yes - but it's SO easy to go back to the naked R that if I miss it enough, I'll just do it for a day or two, then put the shield back on.

[celticus]

I don't think I have much on my bike that changes the stock handling. I really like the way it handles. I get mad at the weight of the BMW side cases but what can you do? They are really nice cases and very functional. I use the OEM sport windshield for all but the coldest riding. I like the looks of it better by far than any other I've seen. I saw an R1200R at The Winter Rally that had no windshield and looked nice and muscular, a good look. I have a radar detector on my dash board but that is it for extras there. My BMW tank bag never comes off except for fueling up.
But No , I don't miss the look or feel of my new stock bike. Everything I have done to it has made it a more useful bike for me.

Mark

[mogu83]

I suspect SWMBO might question the idea, but she is getting a bathroom redone, so I have some toy-credit.

Don,
Can't believe were going into a new riding season and your SWMBO doesn't have her new bathroom. Mind mandated hers be finished before I departed for Daytona, it was 100% complete with four days to spare. Maybe I should have my wife call your wife and talk to her.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Interesting Question and in fact I think about it every day.

My intellectual thrill is "Bulky & Ugly if smartly and functionally designed often become beautiful to the viewers eyes..." somehow it can force respect much more than a combination of shiny branded "unuseful" accessories.

As example This is why I'd like to have some smartly designed custom handlebar Muff
even if I live in Southern California.

My photonblaster will not probably affect anything...and I am waiting for someone to tell me how Don setup with Hella's FF50 and Lumalink bracket will affect my bike behaviors. (Right ! I may see more naked girls in the bushes than usual)

My GIVI maxia 52liters "affect" a little my capability to swerve fast as when the bike was naked and I can feel a little the weight of my Hepko Becker crash guards, my Scorpio alarm annoy sometimes people arround but most of the time it appear really efficient to keep in respect peoples and other cars while parked.

So ! this is the way it is and I accept all these small change
because it facilitate the specific use I have of my bike.

Conbine Ugly, smart, functional and meaningful and you get a BMW !
Same thing for what you guys call "Farklers"
me I want to call it "Complementary engineering"

I worship INTELLIGENCE & Creativity in large not BMW neither Harley Davidson
or anything else beside what was named at the beginning of this sentence.

[red baron]

I purchased a used 08 R1200R which came with a tall OEM windshield and side bags and I added a tail rack for my small BMW tailbag which I purchased several years ago and used on my previous bikes (K1200R and S and F650GS) and a used aftermarket slip on exhaust. Besides that I purchased a trey for my Garmin 2610 GPS. Since I seldom use the sidebacks (only for a week and longer trips) I consider my bike fairly nacked since as Don mentioned the windshield can be taken off very quickly. For weekend trips I use my tailback and if needed a backbag. With other words I do have a nacked bike and I love it.
Peter

[famousperson]

I have the BMW "tall" windshield, tail rack, side bags, Illumberger rear wheel hugger and a RAM mount for my Zumo GPS. The side bags are what make the bike the quintessential BMW, but they come off when I want to be "sporty," The windshield is invisible (to me). The hugger is invisible. The RAM mount and GPS are so functional I don't even think about them. The only thing I have reservations about is the tail rack, but since it is essential for touring and not easily removable I live with it--although I honestly don't notice it any more.

What I am having reservations about installing are the Motech crash guards and a decent seat. People who have the crash guards swear they match right up with the lines of the frame but to me they are incredibly intrusive (the black plastic cylinder scuff guards I have are not noticeable). I lust after a Russell Day Long seat but that has too much of a sofa look to fit in with the bike's lines. The compromise I will probably go with is a Rick Meyers. I absolutely have to get rid of the stock seat, no matter how good looking it is.

Those are my opinions, but you will notice on here just how personal the R1200R is to each owner. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or the buttocks, in the case of a seat).

By the way, Don, why do you think the bags would give you any protection in a tee-bone? To my mind they'd get crushed just like everything else in my body.

[AmostThere]

By the way, Don, why do you think the bags would give you any protection in a tee-bone? To my mind they'd get crushed just like everything else in my body.

I was wondering the same thing

[deilenberger]

By the way, Don, why do you think the bags would give you any protection in a tee-bone? To my mind they'd get crushed just like everything else in my body.

I was wondering the same thing

Simply because I know people who have had the bags provide leg protection (combined with the cylinder heads). Rather than crush, the bike is pushed sideways. This came up on another forum (I think - mebbe here..) and I was surprised at the number of people who said their bags provided them with protection in accidents they'd had.

Hey - YMMV, there are no promises or sure things on a bike, but I'll take any edge I can get, and IMHO - the hard bags provide a tiny bit of an edge.

[Northernbiker]

Only had mine about 3 weeks but it is still virtually naked. I ordered the sport windshield for it and have been happy with it - pretty much the same as the one on the 650CS I used to ride. I guess what you want or can live with in terms of a windshield depends on what you're used to.
I bought the BMW soft tail bag but so far have had no occasion to use it. Also bought a RKA tank bag which I have not put on yet, basically because I don't like the idea of spoiling the lines of that beautiful machine!

Chris

[Preacher]

Below are 2 pics of 2 distinctly "different" R12R's. It only takes 20min max to switch from one to the other, that's how easy it is to bolt on/unbolt the Givi bag mounts & swap 'shields. 90% of my riding is with only the little sport shield. Love "naked." The Givis give up a little on volume but IMHO feel their design fits the naked R's simplicity better than the boxier Bimmer luggage which is fine on the bulkier RT. The less weight, the happier I am as I like to get a bit aggressive on back roads.





I use medium tank bag & strap a large roll bag laterally behind me for long trips; don't care for tail luggage boxes.

[celticus]

I've got to admit that those are two good looking bikes.
A minute earlier and I would have told you that I didn't care for Givi bags or for painted bags but that is a good looking set up on your bike.
Is that a stock color? It sure looks good, my my.
Are you new here?

Mark

[parkec]

Over time I have made a couple RT cracks....so I won't this time.

With the exception of a pair of yellow calper mounted moto lights, p3/s3 whatever 3 tag lights, a full Remus exhaust, and a bungee cord I'm nakid. Stock wind screen came off with in five minutes of purchase, tank "R1200R" Decal off within a day, BMW Cans rarely used, and the bungee is for my brief case for biz appointment.


That being said I'm working on:

>A new horn
>A replacement radar detector, weathr box, mount, screamer.
>I'm going to wish I had Don's Windscreen, adn Sargent seat when heading to the Rally in Johnson CIty

[dderrig]

Preacher, what 2 screens are those? Is it the BMW sport and a cee baileys and what size cee baileys?

Dave

[Lost Rider]

I miss both of my R1200R's, tourer/adventure bike and the naked city hooligan bike.

Honestly even with a Z-Techik screen and bolted on Pelican it only takes about 30 minutes to transform the R from one to other. The more you do it the faster you get at it...
If you stay with a screen that uses the OEM mounts it would take even less, so why not have both?



Naked beauty







Touring machine







Hooligan bike






Adventure bike








Cheers

Finn

[AndyfromPoland]

Hi

I had a 1200GS for a few years and recently replaced it with an R1200R. I don't really do touring as such, but do use it to travel to work. Last week Belgium/Netherlands (about 650 miles), this week just Belgium (about 550 miles). I have the standard panniers and fitted the BMW high screen since the sports screen was giving too much windblast. That (and heated grips) is all I find I need and can ride quite happily from one tank up to the next at a steady 90 mph on the highway without needing to stop (about 3 hours). Just like on the GS, really.

The BMW high screen even looks reasonably good IMHO

[dderrig]

+1 on the BMW Touring Screen. I just installed it after trying a Z Technik screen which was way to noisy. I am 6' and it put most of the wind on my helmet and off my chest and is not near as noisy as the Z screen. I too also think it looks decent, I now have the sport and Touring screens and am happy with both.

Dave

[ShinySideUp]

Hey Joe - I guess that 3rd picture down proves that black really IS the fastest color!