Slider.

[RonR]

I'm in.

[curmudgeon]

You never know when this could come in handy - I'm in for one!

[deilenberger]

At this rate - perhaps we couild get a custom insert - something like R1200R Forum..

[famousperson]

So far the way I count it there are eleven of us who want the sliders.
celticus
xrpof
almost here
ttrdhs
tobes
snag
Dan-a
Deilenberger
ka5ysy
websterize
famous person
Did I miss anyone?
I've written and asked about the cost for shipping and what discounts we might get.

Mark

Mark, thanks for going to all this trouble!!!!

[Bill Stevenson]

Wow! I am amazed that so many of you like this thing. Makes me wonder if there is something wrong with me for not wanting one. I am a minimalist and the older I get the simpler I like it. For all you guys who love all the accessories, I would like to learn what it is that attracts you to them? Most if not all of these things seem to me to be more than somewhat contradictory to what the R1200R is all about, which (let's face it) is a minimalist bike. BMW Motorrad went to great lengths to pare down the bike. It is a work of art: lean, simple, and light weight. In short, close to perfect (visually the nicest Beemer ever) right out of the box. To my eye, the farkles tend to detract from that purity of line and function. Or am I missing the whole fun of it for you guys? Mind you, I am not finding fault (this is not a rant) and respect your right to choose what you want. I am just curious.

Bill

[famousperson]

Yes, it happen...

In my opinion it could be very useful in a lay-down protecting the final drive (see above)l, and is totally functional, no more nor less than it need be to fulfill its purpose. Furthermore, it is a totally innocuous piece, unnoticable to anybody who doesn't know it is there.

[RonR]

I look at it as being cheap insurance.

[snag]

Bill,

One of the great things about the 12R (mentioned many times) is the ability to go from naked to farkled in about the time it's going to take me to type this (four fingers). Downtown to out of town in minutes. I, personally, like to be comfortable in whatever environment I'm riding. I agree with the designer's appeal of the minimalist aesthetic of the 12R. It's form is completely derived from it's function, thankfully not the other way round like most of the bikes now appealing to the younger generation. But when it's 35F and raining, I want my hands warm, the clothes dry in the bags and maybe some Buffet playing on the Zumo to keep the rest of me warm. With this bike you can have it both ways, naked my tux would go great with the black w stripes, farkled I can wear my fly fishing vest.

Either way, you gotta love it!

Doug

[ka5ysy]

Wow! I am amazed that so many of you like this thing. Makes me wonder if there is something wrong with me for not wanting one. I am a minimalist and the older I get the simpler I like it. For all you guys who love all the accessories, I would like to learn what it is that attracts you to them? Most if not all of these things seem to me to be more than somewhat contradictory to what the R1200R is all about, which (let's face it) is a minimalist bike. BMW Motorrad went to great lengths to pare down the bike. It is a work of art: lean, simple, and light weight. In short, close to perfect (visually the nicest Beemer ever) right out of the box. To my eye, the farkles tend to detract from that purity of line and function. Or am I missing the whole fun of it for you guys? Mind you, I am not finding fault (this is not a rant) and respect your right to choose what you want. I am just curious.

Bill

Hi Bill: I assume you are referring to the slider accessory. I spend a whole lot of money on insurance every year betting that something bad will happen. This gizmo is is nice cheap piece of insurance to avoid messing up the final drive case if the bags do not happen to be on the bike. I usually keep the side cases on when I am riding anyway, and they saved any bike damage other than the trashed right side rocker arm cover and scratched case when I did my snap roll last year. Considering how proud BMW is of the rocker arm covers and new side case, I do not want to chance damage to the final drive case if the bags are off. Besides, what else are you going to do with your disposable income? If you farkle properly, the bike still looks great. My new seat, for example, makes the bike look better IMHO. The ability to do a "Transformer" quick change to the bike is a huge plus too. Apparently the local HD crowd approves too, considering the looks the bike was getting at a charity function last weekend. More lookers at the RR than all the chromed up HOGS. Even the local Chief of Police (ex motor officer of way over a million miles and hard core HD guy) admitted it was a superior machine in all respects and looked nicer than his Road King !

[grnpnzer]

...is it just me....

But shouldn't this be standard equipment!...awfully cheap insurance.

BMW...are you listening?

Cheers

[celticus]

Does anyone ( manufacturer) put sliders on their bikes as a stock item?

Mark

[Bill Stevenson]

My comments and question used the slider as a focal point, but were meant to encompass all the gadgets that are available for our bikes. Reading your kind responses and thinking about the sliders in particular reminded me of a gruesome anecdote. Many years ago a fellow who I knew casually bought a set of full leathers with knee pucks. He showed up at a weekend ride and we all gently kidded him because he was using racing kit for street riding. There was a comment that he should be extra careful because putting those pucks on could turn into a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. Well there were no problems that day, but not many days later he was found dead at the bottom of a steep ravine, his wrecked bike nearby. No witnesses, but the supposition was that he might have been playing boy racer and lost control. So for all of you who buy these sliders, please ride carefully out there. I don't want any more self fulfilling prophecies of this nature in my life.

Bill

[mogu83]

Bill,
My take. I've never bought a bike that 'fit' me and I'm envious of anyone that can just go into a dealer and purchase his/her hearts desire. I also tend to keep my bikes for a looong time so I have no hesitation in doing whatever it takes to make it perfect for me. The thought of sitting at a light and having a bike that looked just like mine, usually is the reason why I but aside money to do most of the modifications as soon as I buy the bike (but that's my personal problem - I guess).
I guess I make a distinction between a modification (for comfort or safety) and a farkle (something you don't really need). Most of what I've done I would list under modification, the only farkle, I guess, would be the LOUD horn which I most likely will rarely use.

Going back to your original question about you thinking something is wrong with you. I sometimes have the same thoughts, my motorcycle interests range from riding my 180 pound 125cc Hondas in MotoGiros to cruising with the Harley guys on my 800+ pound Valkyrie, naturally riding my R1200 on trips and my /5 to vintage events fall somewhere in between. What I don't get is how someone can be satisfied with only one bike.

[ka5ysy]

Does anyone ( manufacturer) put sliders on their bikes as a stock item?

Mark

Look at the Buell Ulysses and several of the sport bikes. There is a padded "slider" on the tank that is designed for easy replacement and is cheap when you dump them. Erik is pretty smart with keeping his machines functional after bad dumps. I have grown to appreciate their designs as very tough because we use the Buell Blast in the Riders Edge training program. Those little thumpers take an amazing amount of crashing hard and keep running faithfully. Replacement parts are also cheap.


Doug

[Bill Stevenson]

Harry,

We, too, have an assortment of bikes. My two favorites are a Vespa GT and the R1200R. My R bike has a few functional accessories such as a Throttlemeister wrist rest, and a Bill Mayer leather saddle, but these are visually so subtle that they do not affect the overall clean looks of the stock bike. I hate the look of the BMW luggage but do have it for trips. It is mostly the farkles that I was interesting in discussing. The sliders are representative of the kinds of things that I view as un-appealing because they have a visual aspect to them and because, hopefully, they would never be needed. Other examples would be any kind of lens cover, or any of the aftermarket head guards that are often discussed here. These kinds of things are not for me because they detract from the simple, clean lines of the bike. Mind you, I enjoy reading about all the different things others do to their bikes even though my choices are definitely of the "less is more" variety. I was not always so disposed, but am approaching senility now.

Bill

[celticus]

Many years ago a fellow who I knew casually bought a set of full leathers with knee pucks. He showed up at a weekend ride and we all gently kidded him because he was using racing kit for street riding. There was a comment that he should be extra careful because putting those pucks on could turn into a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. Well there were no problems that day, but not many days later he was found dead at the bottom of a steep ravine, his wrecked bike nearby.

Bill

Is that like saying that everyone who wears a helmet is just asking for a head injury? Or buying car insurance? A little hyperbole for your Saturday morning.

I have emailed the fellow selling the sliders and asked for pricing for 14 buyers but I have received no response.

Mark

[Bill Stevenson]

Touche Mark!

[BigSmile]

I would like to be included if the final count allows. If not, no worries. I was late reading the posts.
Thanks.

[celticus]

I just added Carol to the count. That makes 15. Big Smile are you Carol or are you # 16?

Mark

[celticus]

My minimalist bike. I just liked the look of the picture at the time.

Mark