New Member saying Hello, and looking for a bike

[snag]

Ron,

Looks like you got smoked on Monday, so you will have to use that sick day Tuesday. I got the small cruiser for up front.

Kyle,

Ditto on the black with stripes, obviously another traditionalist at heart. Makes all the others look a little gen se qua (Frederic I need a little help here), except for Ron's new wheels of course.

Congrats Ron, have ball on Tuesday if you're not too sick to ride.

Doug

[Rocket]

Frantic phone calls to the courier ensured I rescued the day and.......

It's arrived!!!!! (albeit at 11pm)

Oh, man, ....what a great bike. Couldn't resist going out for a quick 30 min blast in the night air.

What a lovely, lovely bike to ride. It feels even better than the one I tested (probably due to the screen)

Superbly comfortable upright riding position, nice wide bars, great wind protection from the screen, loads of power, amazing brakes, light weight and dead flickable. Handling is really confidence inspiring.

It feels great. Just right , ...and I am soooo looking forward to getting to know it better. I can't remember ever being as impressed with an intial ride on a bike.

Even like the quirky twitch from the boxer

Going to bed one happy bunny..........this bike is just so right..........I need a week off, not just a day.......

[bobw]

I love bed time stories with a happy ending. Good man for taking a ride regardless the time! You might as well take some time off to ride as you will likely be useless at work

[Rocket]

The new toy

2007 R1200R in silver (apparently, its the fastest colour, , which is nice!)

1 owner , dealer supplied ,2300 miles, ABS, OBC, H/Grips , Panniers (in garage) C/stand & white lenses.

No play today due to rain (talk about frustration) but managed to take a quick phot between showers.

On leave next week. Let the fun begin.....



New member no longer looking, ......

[MJB]

Nice Looking Bike
Just Like Mine....

[famousperson]

Mine, too, except mine is chrystal grey. You'll love it!

[Rocket]

Just can't understand why these 1200's aren't more popular in the UK.

Must be down to the GS's taking the market by storm. Didn't relaise so many people were planning on going around the world

[snag]

Ron,

Great looking bike, again - Congrats! Now if you give it a good cut wax, that silver stuff will come off and you can restore the original black with stripes paint scheme. Your 12R will thank you. You know how embarrassed a dog is after it gets it's spring cut, do the bike a favour.

Now, about a little rain. Mine was in the wet the first day. I looked at the bike, looked at the roads, looked at the bike and thought: I'm never going to ride this thing if I wait for good weather, so off I went. Then I washed the bike, including a very thorough cleaning of the engine with a toothbrush and Q-Tips; first and last time I did that, though I did know the bike a lot better as a result

ENJOY!!

Doug

[deilenberger]

Just can't understand why these 1200's aren't more popular in the UK.

Must be down to the GS's taking the market by storm. Didn't relaise so many people were planning on going around the world

It's definitely the GS "mystique" - sort of like having a bike that can go 200mph (well - I have a car that can go 170..) - but you know you're never going to GO 200mph (or 170..) The GS is much like an SUV in the US - mostly used for pedestrian bike use - but gives a guy a good feeling to know that if the unlikely happened and the end of civilization as we know it happens - he has the MadMax bike needed to survive (unless he's Chitown - who MadMax's on his R12R..)

[Rocket]

Ron,

Great looking bike, again - Congrats! Now if you give it a good cut wax, that silver stuff will come off and you can restore the original black with stripes paint scheme. Your 12R will thank you. You know how embarrassed a dog is after it gets it's spring cut, do the bike a favour.

Now, about a little rain. Mine was in the wet the first day. I looked at the bike, looked at the roads, looked at the bike and thought: I'm never going to ride this thing if I wait for good weather, so off I went. Then I washed the bike, including a very thorough cleaning of the engine with a toothbrush and Q-Tips; first and last time I did that, though I did know the bike a lot better as a result

ENJOY!!

Doug

You're right. Have decided to set some new parameters:

Damp/ Wet roads and occasional shower won't stop me but will not deliberately set out in persistant heavy rain. No fun on any bike in those conditions.

...but need a hugger (any good makes around?), and what can I do about keeping crud from the oil cooler? It looks very exposed to the front wheel spray/grit etc.

And whats that bike cleaner you mention. I use "Muck-off" (wash) AutoGlym (paint polish), Solvo Autosol (metal polish) and WD40 (cleaner for most things, water repellant, etc)


.....Oh, and don't worry Doug. Have a tin of that magic polish ready!

Guy in our bike club owns a car paint business. Has painted his GS800 white (looks a treat). Sticking with the Silver for now. Looks good, but a black paint job is a likely winter project. Would be nice to have spare tank etc in different colours

Can't decide on the pin stripes. Not seen one in the flesh.

[famousperson]

You're right. Have decided to set some new parameters:

Damp/ Wet roads and occasional shower won't stop me but will not deliberately set out in persistant heavy rain. No fun on any bike in those conditions.

Got caught one day in cold, heavy rain. Rode for hours. Was comfortable in my Gerbing jacket. Frog Togs rain pants, a BMW touring windshield and using the heated grips. The bike was a mess. I took it to a do-it-yourself car wash and the bike was good as new in less than 30 minutes. This was in Maine so I was really worried about salt residue but no sign of corrosion has shown up.

...but need a hugger (any good makes around?), and what can I do about keeping crud from the oil cooler? It looks very exposed to the front wheel spray/grit etc.

I have the Ilimburger carbon fiber hugger. VERY expensive. Considering that once on it is nearly unnoticable, I would have been happy with the much cheaper fiber glass hugger from Nippy Norman's in the UK (excellent trans-Atlantic service)

And whats that bike cleaner you mention. I use "Muck-off" (wash) AutoGlym (paint polish), Solvo Autosol (metal polish) and WD40 (cleaner for most things, water repellant, etc)

i use S-100 as a cleaner. It's great stuff but I don't know if it's worth the premium. I believe all wax is much of a muchness, making it merely a personal choice.

Guy in our bike club owns a car paint business. Has painted his GS800 white (looks a treat). Sticking with the Silver for now. Looks good, but a black paint job is a likely winter project. Would be nice to have spare tank etc in different colours

Can't decide on the pin stripes. Not seen one in the flesh.

Black with pin strips is the classic BMW color scheme. They were thus decorated for decades. I find the pin strips on the R12R kind of thick, though. A good pinstriping job would be beautiful. It would be an interesting effect on grey, too, although I don't know if it wold look "good."

[Rocket]

Thanks for the reply. Some useful stuff there.

Ron

PS Have compiled my first ride report , with some photos (post under R1200R) . Some pretty roads near to where I live and perfectly suited to the R's handling.

[snag]

+1 on the S100. A couple of my Harley buds use it and I must say the results are impressive. Spray it down and hose it off, it's that simple. Being a slow learner and a bit of a greeny, I am still in the water and elbow grease mode with a little WD-40 or varsol thrown in when needed. What I wash off the bike winds up in the river eventually so I struggle with that a bit. The Bride tells me to get over it, ... someday.

Doug