R1200R Horn and Headlight

[SteelD]

I haven't yet bought my first beemer but know from previous bikes that horns and headlights on most bikes aren't up to much. What are they like on the R1200R? I have replaced stock horns with Steibl horns in the past but headlights are a little trickier to upgrade. I would guess that the BMW has a reasonable headlight albeit a single bulb. What do you think - have you had to add extra lights?

Thanks

[websterize]

I added Jerry Skene's LEDs in front and back. They don't brighten roadways, but other drivers seem to see me better, even in bright daylight.

[Lost Rider]

The R12R has two lamps, and I find it to be very adequate for night time riding. I also have very good eyesight, so take that into consideration.
It's no HID Photon Canon like I have on my 8GS, but then again the 12R is actually legal to ride on the street...
Of course brighter is usually better, but besides some LED's to be more conspicuous, upgrading the lighting seems to be low on the list of "needed" items IMO.

I also find the horn to work well, but never really believed having a horn that sounds like a truck is any safer.
As a matter of fact I believe there's a reason why motorcycle horns are pitched high, to let drivers know what kind of vehicle is trying to get their attention and I won't change mine. Again, low on the list of "needed" items IMO.

Seats, windscreens, bar risers, etc are common items needed to get the bike to fit you right on a Beemer, with suspension and exhaust being the most important "performance" upgrades. Add in a GPS, heated gear, tank bag, panniers, crash bars, and then you're ready for anything!

Good luck in your quest.

[dav]

The R1200R headlight (for me) i find is very good, not outstanding, but it does the job what its ment to do. As i do half of my daily commute at night i was very surprised when i first bought the R12R how well it lit up the road. My old bike a 2006 GSX1400 had a awful headlight, which i did not relise how bad until my first night ride home after work on the R12R. So yeah for me the headlight does a bloody good job.

[ka5ysy]

Like many of us, I have no complaint with the stock headlight compared to many other bikes. I do a lot of riding after dark at various times of the year and live is deer and alligator country, so need some better lighting for hazard avoidance.

Originally I started out with these HID's. They are the Trail Tech lamps with the internal ballasts. Plenty of light but the really bad problem is that they take about 15-20 seconds to come to full brightness which makes it troublesome with approaching traffic. The two problems I found with these are:
1. The bulbs fog internally very quickly, probably due to poor quality control in assembling the lamp capsules into the reflectors.
2. The lamp life is short. I never managed to get more than about 50 hours max out of them, and they are expensive to replace at about $70 a pop:





Recently I changed to the Clearwater Krista LED lamps. Terrific product !! Nice light pattern, low power consumption, instant on/off and you can dim them too ! They also make very, very good daytime running lights. In combination with the headlight modulator, I really get everyone's attention, a good thing.
A minor disadvantage is the cost, but considering the frequency I had to replace the HID lamps, these are going to be cheaper in the long run.





By the way David... you really, really need to go take a test ride on the RR.....

[mogu83]

I'm running LED conversions in the directionals front and rear.

PIAA fog lamps set to light up the sides of the road. Lots of deer around here and I figure this will give me the extra time I need to get out the traditional 'Oh Sxxt' right before I hit them.

Hella (one) driving light with a very narrow pencil beam. It's mostly eye candy but I recently used it riding alone on the back roads in Iowa at night, where I was glad to have it.

Stebel Nautilus Horn horn mounted where the charcoal canister used to be. On the few occasions when I used it the results were as expected -kind of like hitting a Klingon warship with a proton torpedo. I also have have a less obnoxious stock type horn wired that is used for a friendly beep or my first line of defense to someone drifting into my lane.

It works for me.

[SteelD]

By the way David... you really, really need to go take a test ride on the RR.....

Seeing the dealer for a test ride next week....

[SteelD]

By the way David... you really, really need to go take a test ride on the RR.....

Seeing the dealer for a test ride next week....

Saw the dealer, rode the bike, placed an order, pick up next month.

[MTBeemer]

Saw the dealer, rode the bike, placed an order, pick up next month.

Wow, I'll bet that never happened before.

I saw the dealer, placed an order for my wife, spent a winter farkeling, rode the bike, stole it from my wife.

[Martyn]

Saw the dealer, rode the bike, placed an order, pick up next month.

Wow, I'll bet that never happened before.

I saw the dealer, placed an order for my wife, spent a winter farkeling, rode the bike, stole it from my wife.

Your dealer sells wives ?

Wow. Is there no end to the lengths your BMW dealer will go to, to keep the customer happy ? Mine gives away a cup of coffee at best.

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

[/quote]Your dealer sells wives ?[/quote]

Frankly, I'd prefer they took them in trade.

[angellr]

Your dealer sells wives ?[/quote]

Frankly, I'd prefer they took them in trade. [/quote]

Thanks for the Monday AM laugh!!!

[Caroanbill]

My dealer doesn't sell or trade wives - through my last wife did buy 4 BMWs in a year (2 F650CS; 2 R1150RS).

Lights
I didn't need extra penetration (a-hem) - the high beam is quite good and projects well.

Low beam is OK for good black roads with clear edge markings and some shoulder, but a bit inadequate for our bush roads with a "brown" seal (brown gravel in asphalt base), rough asphalt edges and loose gravel shoulder - at times it gets very hard to tell where the seal ends and the gravel begins. So I went for extra infill under the high beam, with good spread to the side for critters (ours hop and are bloody big!) and to see the edge of the tarmac opn low ebam with oncoming lights - left side for me, of course (and upside-down).

I chose Wunderlich Microflooters, mostly because they are easy to get in Australia, and am very happy with the result. These are EU Or whoever) approved to run with low beam, and I've not had oncoming drivers 'flash' or use their horns, so they seem fine. I also use them during the day as conspicuity lights, and it's obvious that more cars see me.

Horn
I get Joe's point about horm pitch, but I found mine wasn't getting any attention when I needed it. Fitted a Stebel Magnum and the results were immediate - on my next long trip a vacant blonde in a Landcruiser tried to bluff me at a country town roundabout - the horn startled her into civility! The horn + lights combination does seem to make a difference with dozy drivers - and cattle!!

Here's my set-up (Cal Sci Screen, Winderlich clear hand, leg and foot shields)
https://picasaweb.google.com/billstanho ... 4836798978