New for me 2007 R1200R first impressions

[cardingtr]

After a few days that I took ownership of the bike:
1. Got drag off the parking lot after hit by a car- the bike took it nicely to say it nicely. Truly the valve cover protectors did it's job sliding in concrete. It will be replaced it's badly rashed. The r footpeg feelers are gone. The left side that took the impact has scratches and the valve cover has chips. Otherwise, I'm amazed at how the bike still looks beautiful after the fall. I guess it fell gracefully.

2. So far i only rode it about 200 miles around the city with a lot o stop/go kind of riding. First thing I noticed is how tall the clutch disengaged. Is this normal characteristic of the bike? I'm coming from FJR and I'm used to earlier disengagement. I ended up surging on the throttle most of the time when going through lower gears up to speed. I adjusted the clutch lever to the lowest setting but still..

3. Brakes: Again coming off FJR, its brakes are linearly progressive as you increase pressure. On R12R, the brake would bite but it's not as progressive as you increase the squeeze then.. boom! The bite is abrupt. Is this a normal characteristic? I'm actually getting used to it but could be improved. I checked the pads for wear and all is still good.

The bike is as light as a bicycle coming off a 650lb bike! This bike handles better too. At least in the street. I have tried it in the twisties yet but I can tell already that I wont be disappointed. It's not as powerful as my FJR but the reduced weight made it more fun to ride. It's got aftermarket Hyperpro springs and so far it's a little stiff but I'll leave it at that until I ride it in the fast twisties and long sweepers.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase (I'm trying to forget about the accident). I was looking for a lighter bike as replacement for FJR but want to keep the shaft drive and this is the only bike the fits the bill.

[dbrick]

I haven't yet had the opportunity to evaluate the bike's fallability, as you have, but these are lovely and balanced machines.

[websterize]

You'd never know that bike got dragged over a parking lot. Looks great.

[deilenberger]

1. - Normal, you'll get used to it.. You have to trust in the boxer's torque. It CAN and will take off like a tractor at low RPMs. About when I'm at walking speed (and I walk SLOWLY) - my clutch is fully engaged (ie - lever out..) When I first got it - the low (meaning more speed for less RPM) 1st gear ratio tended to make me slip the clutch a lot. It's not necessary. After 44k miles I think I've fully broken myself of the habit. And it is very easy to take off uphill - again - trust in the torque. Be worth spending some time in a sloping parking lot to get used to it.

2 - Probably normal. Can't speak to the FJR brakes but I know people who really like them. One thing on the R12R - if you have the ABS system you also have linked brakes. With linked brakes - IGNORE the rear pedal except for use in trail-braking, or for holding the bike when stopped on a hill. Trying to use it in concert with the front lever WILL get the rear into ABS mode rather quickly. The linking works REALLY well, and once you learn you can clamp on that front lever and STOP NOW, you'll learn to trust the brakes. Brake feel is a funny thing - I find the R12R brakes a bit mushy (even with the stainless lines that are stock..) but I finally tracked down what's causing that. As the front pads get worn - the front pistons tend to retract a tiny bit more from the pads when there is no pressure on the system, and taking up for that retraction gives more free-play to the front lever. Cure for mine was new pads. Repeated flushing of the brake fluid did nothing, as did a new master cylinder - and the master-tech (who had no reason to BS me) said "They all do that.." and - checking bikes - they do AS the pads get worn. Brand new showroom ones won't do it and have a very solid lever. If the pads are 1/2 worn or more - the lever travel starts increasing. Not to an unsafe amount - it's just noticeable.

Anyway - great looking bike, and it certainly doesn't look like it had been attacked in the parking lot. Congrats - you're gonna love this bike!

[creamora]

Welcome!

Being a newbie to the R1200R myself, I agree that the brakes bike hard compared to my heavy Honda GS1100 and other Jap bikes. I’ve taken to two finger braking at low speeds and parking lots. On the other hand, the integrated ABS is pretty sweet and I’ve felt it do it’s thing now and again.

I too was shopping a new FJR but the dealers around here are next to worthless on sales and especially – service. No test rides, poorly rated service departments and just not the greatest experience you could feel comfortable dropping almost 15K on.

My first visit to Cliff’s – now MAXBMW – was pleasant, no pressure and I could test drive anything on the showroom floor. My sales guy Dave introduced me to a barely used black R1200R with Touring package that just came in on trade from a NYC Firefighter that upgraded to a 1000R and the rest is history. The Mistress and I are looking forward to a full commuting season as soon as the roads around here are repaired.

I have the 0-speed BMW head protectors like yours, plus a slider on my drive shaft. I will say this; your story and a few others have convinced me to look into a set of SW-Motech engine guard bars next month.

[dbrick]

Brake feel is a funny thing - I find the R12R brakes a bit mushy (even with the stainless lines that are stock..) but I finally tracked down what's causing that. As the front pads get worn - the front pistons tend to retract a tiny bit more from the pads when there is no pressure on the system, and taking up for that retraction gives more free-play to the front lever. Cure for mine was new pads. Repeated flushing of the brake fluid did nothing, as did a new master cylinder - and the master-tech (who had no reason to BS me) said "They all do that.." and - checking bikes - they do AS the pads get worn. Brand new showroom ones won't do it and have a very solid lever. If the pads are 1/2 worn or more - the lever travel starts increasing. Not to an unsafe amount - it's just noticeable.

I read and understand the words...but it doesn't make sense to me. I'd be delighted to have a firmer brake lever, but...

The conventional wisdom is that the pistons' seals lag behind the piston movement just a bit, and thus pull the pistons back a bit when hydraulic pressure is released. Thus, the piston's movement back (when pressure is released) is a function of the seals' flexibility, and their sliding in the bore a bit behind the piston itself.

As the pads wear, the pistons move further towards the brake disk. But given that the bores are cylindrical, why should the seals behave differently with thick brake pads compared with thin pads? Their movement back-and-forth as brakes are applied and released should be the same, whether the pistons are far from the brake disk or close to it.

[deilenberger]

David -

I suspect because it isn't ONLY the piston seal (a square seal typically) that is doing the pullback. The dust cover (shield seal) is fastened to the caliper and to the front of the piston, and it also has some effect on pull-back, and as the piston gets further extended, the pullback force from the dust cover becomes greater. Thicker pads = less pullback force.

Some early Girling disk brakes used round seals on the pistons, and the dust cover and rotor runout were what bumped the pads back.. (boy - that dates me.. Girling brakes were common on mid-60's Swedish and UK cars..)

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

Just something you might try: My previous F800ST had a spongy front brake from day one. But I fixed it quite by accident when doing a routine brake flush. I've tried any number of brake bleed methods over the years, but it's always a pain in the butt to bleed the brakes. If you use a vacuum bleeder, you get bubbles leaking around the bleeder fitting. If you just pump and go, it's never fast enough to push all the air down and out the bleed fitting.

So with the ST, I decided to give a reverse gravity bleed a try. Simply pipe up a brake fluid supply into the front caliper and mount the reservoir higher than the top of the bike. Then the fluid will rise in the master cylinder, so you have to keep sucking out the excess at that location. It goes slowly, but the air does work its' way up from the lower parts of the system. This took maybe a half hour in my case. The result was a very noticeably firmer feel for me. It's still not rock hard, but I think you'll never get that with the abs in the way.

[dbrick]

David -

I suspect because it isn't ONLY the piston seal (a square seal typically) that is doing the pullback. The dust cover (shield seal) is fastened to the caliper and to the front of the piston, and it also has some effect on pull-back, and as the piston gets further extended, the pullback force from the dust cover becomes greater. Thicker pads = less pullback force.

That makes sense, thanks. I didn't know there was a second rubber piece involved.

Some early Girling disk brakes used round seals on the pistons, and the dust cover and rotor runout were what bumped the pads back.. (boy - that dates me.. Girling brakes were common on mid-60's Swedish and UK cars..)

True. I had a 1959 XK-150 w/Girling brakes 1966-1969. Worn-out Jags were both a) within the reach of college students, and b) useful for learning which end of the wrench was best used to drive in the nail. The motor was bulletproof; the ancillary systems weren't. I followed it with an Alfa Guiletta, which was exactly the reverse.