Twas the night before Christmas...

[Sander Abernathy]

On March 1, 2011, I noticed what a beautiful day it was when my entire field of vision contained only a crystal clear blue sky and the handlebars of my Alpine White 2009 R1200R. That's never a good thing but at least I had learned how to perform a wheelie after riding 10 months 15 days. Won't be doing that again.

She didn't appreciate it, dumped me on my back on Peachtree Road and went on ahead without me. The tow truck driver didn't even bother to stand her up, just put a hook through the front wheel and drug the corpse of my bike onto the flat bed dripping four quarts of oil that had gone in less than 200 miles before.

I was fine thanks to a recent purchase of Hi-Viz Airshell Jacket. The jacket had some tears but it's still serviceable and the padding is simply outstanding. When I hit the asphalt flat on my back it didn't hurt at all thanks to the outstanding back protector. The zipper did separate at the bottom but it was still connected at the top. The Airshell has an outstanding liner and is surprisingly warm with the liner in but flows a lot of air with the liner out.

The Canali suit in tropical weight wool didn't fare nearly as well as the Hi-Viz Airshell. The pants tore in a number of places and I got two spots of road rash on one knee. I returned to the office after the accident and after visiting with a few people on my floor and another, I realized that the seat of my pants had been shredded almost entirely such that the tail of my shirt looked like, well, a tail.

Which brings me to tonight. Sleep won't come easy as I'll be picking up an apple red 2011 tomorrow - with traction control so there'll be no more wheelies for me.

I had finally bitten the bullet and shelled out $989 for the saddlebags only two weeks before my accident. Both came off in the accident because the plunger device that engages the bottom of the mount broke off. I'm told that can be repaired. They're scuffed and one of the bags lost a lock cylinder but otherwise, they're good to go on the new bike. Some very tough bags. Buy some Jesse's, Trax Alu-Box, Hepco & Beckers or whatever but know that they aren't as durable as the OEM bags. My bike tumbled side over side over both of my bags and they are just scuffed and need a new attachment device mechanism. Also, I just don't think there is a better mounting system than the one employed on the R1200R. It's very secure but the bags come right off with only a key and the mounts are barely noticeable.

I was just looking at the pictures of the 2011 on-line and noticed something I wasn't aware of but I'm very excited about. The 2011's, with the exception of the classic, have the engine block painted black rather than silver. I had been bemoaning the fact that my last bike didn't have the block painted black. With the engine in black, it looks so much more like a naked bike should in my view, a bit streetfighter like.

If only they had blacked out the swingarm and the trailing arm and put in some Ohlin's the bike would be almost perfect.

The new wheels off the K1300S (or are they just the same style as those on the K1300S) are a nice change. They have no business being silver though. I hope they like being silver while it lasts because there is a black day coming for the wheels.

I considered an Aprilia Shiver and would have bought one Saturday but I learned that my debit card has a $5,000 daily spend limit. Region's Bank doesn't think it needs to offer phone support to people whose money they are holding on a Saturday afternoon because who would spend their hard earned money on a Saturday afternoon?

I also considered an HP2 Sport. That's one overpriced motorcycle but the thing that convinced me it was a bad idea was looking at the prices for the body work. $3000+ for a belly pan? I know it's carbon fiber and I'm sure it's outstanding but that's just not very practical. I would say it's one badass motorcycle but it's painted white and smurf blue. How b-ass can it be?

I considered an MV Agusta Brutale. What a stunningly beautiful motorcycle. The exhaust tips should be in MOMA and in every other motorcycle manufacturer's accessory catalog. THAT is what an exhaust should look like. They have also perfected the round or near round standard motorcycle headlight. Again, a masterpiece with integral LED running lights and great turn signals. Alas, no ABS, no means of affixing luggage and if an R1200R threw me what will that thing do to me?

Pictures to follow.

Though there were doubts I'll see you at the rally.

[deilenberger]

Hmmm... that's two down, two new. I wish you guys would quit doing this..

Wheelied your way down - anyone get a video?

Good luck with the red one, it's an awfully tempting beautiful bike (I'm thinking on one for a west-coast bike..) Pics of course will be required.

[BigEasy]

Glad you made it one piece, and that you decided to return to the R. I think the other little nymphs you were looking at wouldn't have taken 10 months to wheelie you to the ground. Nice bikes all, but a little green as the rodeo folks say. Enjoy the new one.

[gbagen]

How is traction control going to stop you from wheelies? If the wheel spins, your front wheel stays down.

[AncientMariner]

Glad you were able to walk away.

I, too, shopped around during the interval between the demise of my Beautiful Blue Roadster and the purchase of its replacement. I, too, bought a new Classic Black roadster.

Bruce

[bmwk100]

That's a good sign that people who crash their bikes come back to the fold. Seems like most people are happy with their R's.

[ContraMoto]

How is traction control going to stop you from wheelies? If the wheel spins, your front wheel stays down.

The system senses when the rear wheel is going faster than the front and cuts power to the rear. When you wheelie, the instant that front wheel lifts, it starts spinning slower than the rear. I demo'd an R with traction control (and a GS) and you can only pull a 1" wheelie and the front just comes right back down. It really works.

[deilenberger]

How is traction control going to stop you from wheelies? If the wheel spins, your front wheel stays down.

Traction control compares the speed of the wheels - if the rear wheel starts turning faster then the front - it turns down the power. Once the rear wheel goes up in the air - it starts slowing down - so it should turn off the power and return the wheel to the ground (where it catches up with the rear wheel and power is restored.)

[Sander Abernathy]

Give this link a try.

https://picasaweb.google.com/saber103/E ... directlink

The photos are unedited and unretouched. Maybe Chitown can explain why my D90 is producing two copies of each shot with the second slightly darker than the first.

What's different about the bike?

The sound is a pretty big improvement to be sure. A nice bark when you tear into the throttle a little bit. I can't tell if the engine sounds better or the exhaust. Something sounds better but I suspect a new exhaust would provide a cheaper route to a better sound than a new bike. I do think the exhaust is a bit shorter. Still brushed aluminum on the back of a set of polished headers. WTF? I'm getting a stubby.

The engine block is black rather than silver. What was silver before such as the telelever, paralever and wheels are now more of a grey. The valve covers are also the nice grey.

The front fork looks thicker but I think I'm imagining it.

In the pictures you'll see a black box with two wires coming out of it attached to the exhaust pipe where it turns to exit from under the bike. Either that's an emission control of some sort or someone has wired my bike to explode and that's the detonator. Anyone wanting to kill me by putting an explosive on my motorcycle is wasting their time. Patience seems to be all that is required.

They moved the oil filer hole to the other side of the bike. Gotta spring for another silver filler cap instead of the black plastic one. I wonder if anyone is making them to match the new grey valve covers.

I had four drops of my last bike and in the case of one of the drops I kicked a wire loose from the underside of the throttle side cylinder. They've caged in the bottom of both cylinder heads with black metal so that won't be happening again. It looks like something you would have bought from Touratech if you were into that kind of thing so they did a nice job.

Is it me or do the cylinder heads look shorter from top to bottom? The pictures make it seem so and I definitely thought so when I was taking the pictures.

Something new with the throttle side switchgear. There is a ring of black plastic about 10mm thick that seems to be the throttle control device between the grip and the rest of the switchgear. I don't remember it on the old model.

Mirrors are different. I think they stole them from the 800. Saved me from doing it myself while Stephen at Blue Moon was doing the paperwork.

New dashboard. See the pictures. Judge for yourself. I like that it is more symmetrical. I would prefer a round speedo, a round tach and not much else. This is a really small point but I don't like the BMW at the top of the LCD display. There's a particular calculator that is a cult favorite of auditors and it reminds me of that. (Yeah I'm an auditor but I just totaled a motorcycle doing a wheelie up Peachtree Road so don't mess with me.)

Right turn signal light went out and triggered a fault on the way home. Rebooted, the fault went away and the light's working again. I hope it's the bulb because I don't want to buy a motorcycle with an electrical problem cropping up in the first 30 miles.

Comfort saddle seems to be standard now. Though it seems to have less comfort than the comfort saddle I purchased for my 09. At least I didn't have to pay shipping and restocking fees for it. It looks the same but when you sit on it it feels like the base is less rounded and more flat with distinct edges. I think the saddle from my 09 will pay a visit to someone who can do it up in leather. I think a dark brown leather with the red paint would look nice.

The new tail is great in my view. I didn't like the silver plastic piece on the previous model since the rest of the body work was the color of the bike and that piece was silver on all the bikes. The grab handles are sturdy metal. They will be (already have been) a commonly used tie down point and unless you intend to install a hard top case there is no need to spring for the side case mounts with the rack. A huge improvement over removing the seat to tie stuff down by running straps under the seat.

I wouldn't spend money to trade in an 09 and upgrade to this bike. Since I had to though, BMW did their best to ease the pain I am suffering in my wallet. I'm surprised how much is different on the bike and almost all of it is a change for the better in some small way. They didn't make huge changes but a lot of parts are different. Judging by how many things they changed I will be surprised if we don't see at least 2012 R1200R's. They wouldn't make so many changes to just do a 2011 model year run particularly since they are being so stingy in doling the things out. I'm told every dealer could have as many as they wanted so far so long as the number was greater than 0 and less than 2.

Is it a better performing bike? I don't know. Does a new car smell better than an old one? Does a motorcycle run better after it's been washed? The sound is better to be sure but I'm not sure I feel it running any better.

There has been a lot of debate though on one topic and I can definitely put an end to that. The red ones are the fastest.

Sander

[xprof]

Niiice!!! Thanks for posting!

[dav]

Very very nice!!!

Love the blacked out engine, looks bloody tough .

Red does look really really good, cant wait to see one on the road.

btw, are you the first owner to post pics of the 'new' model? if so well done & thanks for sharing the pics.

[2wheelfish]

That red looks better in these "real" pics over the BMW studio shots. The blacked out engine looks better too. Still not enough to make even think of changing from my pinstripes, but that is a really good looking Beemer for sure. Enjoy it...with both wheels firmly planted .

[Sander Abernathy]

Don,

Sadly no one got a video of my wheelie escapade (and I am oh so thankful). I had seen a few on youtube of people doing such idiotic things. Now I'm one of the idiots. I hope I don't go viral.

All others. Glad I could post the pictures and I hope they feed a craving for knowlege. I'll add a few more this weekend that are a bit more picturesque.

Sander

[angellr]

Glad you are OK!! Beautiful color and wishing you the best with your new ride!!

[roger l]

I love the new gauge package!!!!! Much easier to see.

Roger L

[ContraMoto]

Love the new color scheme. Grey parts, black case, wheel design...very nice. Not a "different" bike, but a nicely done update of an already nice one.

Congrats on the new pony. Remember, lean forward when you bury the throttle.

[deilenberger]

Sander,

Some answers to the questions you posed here and under the photos..

1 - Yes - there has always been a Roundel on the top triple clamp. Same location actually.

2 - The throttle hasn't changed. The Series-1 bikes also have what appears a separate throttle sector housing (but I bet half of it is attached to the switch assembly..)

3 - Rubber hose on the left cylinder head - nothing new there, it's the crankcase vent system.

4 - Remove the airbox and put cone filter on? There was a Yuropean visitor here who proposed that, got rather huffy when people posited that they wouldn't expect to see a difference, and never reported back the results IF he did do it. So - it's been done, and I'm guessing performance suffered or we would have heard about it.

5 - The appendages/cables on the exhaust system are for the "bark", apparently they unrestrict the exhaust so it makes more noise conditions permitting. Apparently all the CamHead bikes have this.

Your comment on the speedo having too small numbers is dead on.. doesn't BMW realize the demographics of the target market mean we'd need reading glasses to read those numbers?

And interesting looking tires - Metzlers? What series?

Nice group of photos, and I agree - BMW made some small but very nice changes. The only dumb one is putting the oil filler on the opposite side from the oil window. Takes two to top off the oil now.. (or very long double-jointed arms.) I like the new rack, the fact that it comes with the Comfort seat (I guess this means no "low" seat?) and that they left the turnsignal controls alone. Black on the engine is great, mine is a PITA to keep clean - and the cylinders have slowly darkened over 45,000 miles.. they are considerably darker now then the valve covers. Mebbe I'll paint them black..

I'd expect this revision to last until around 2014.. BMW uses 6-7 year model cycles (cars and bikes) with a "refresh" in about year 3 - just what they did here. So - it should make it to 2013 or 2014 before being redesigned completely. Good to hear they're keeping it "exclusive".. Keeps the value of our earlier ones up.

[ContraMoto]

"Remove the airbox and put cone filter on..."

Extensive thread on this over at ADVRider, including pics of it actually done to a boxer motor. Reasons to NOT do it...

The length of the input tubes would have to be tuned with help of a dyno. Too short or too long and you lose power. Also, the final length will be chosen to optimize power in a narrow RPM range. ie, race-specific applications. The existing box/tubes are tuned to optimize power in the boxer's inherent RPM weak spot.

Second, it will be hecka loud. The airbox is actually called an "intake muffler" and exists largely because of noise regulations.

Finally, there is ample evidence that the tuned snorkel/airbox of a boxer in no way restricts air to the motor. It can transmit all the air the motor can use and there is no need to screw around with it. You can move the power band around a little (to, say, higher or lower RPMs) by changing the length of the intakes if you really know what you're doing, but you can't get a generalized increase in power or torque.

[Sander Abernathy]

Thanks for correcting my faulty memory Don on a number of points. In my defense, a number of things I thought were new on the 2011 were not on my 2009...the last time I saw it. I was having a three way phone call between my insurer and BMW financial services to arrange the payoff of my loan by the insurer. BMWFS asked the insurer how many miles were on the bike and I busted out laughing. The speedometer ended up in the middle of the road being run over repeatedly by passing traffic. I don't think anyone will ever know the final mileage on that bike. It was 7k miles plus or minus 200 miles. The fluid reservoirs were ripped off the handlebars as well.

To answer your questions, the tires on the 2011 are Bridgestone Battleaxes. They are designated BT021 on the sidewall and have the words "Sport Touring". The letter F may or may not be part of the designation as in BT021F. How are the Battleaxes for wheelies? I'm not sure but I believe my 2009 was shod with Metzler Roadtec Z6's.

Someone mentioned that they liked the red color better in the "real pictures" I posted as opposed to the press photos. My pictures may be real as evidenced by the fact they are a bit blurry, poorly composed and in need of 5 degrees of straightening. They also render the color pretty poorly because I took them near sunset on the east side of a four story building. The color in my photos is a deep cabernet red while the actual color is a metallic orange bordering on red. It does look good in the photos. I wish my bike was that color. I guess it is...in deep shadows approaching nightfall so I'll just be happy with that.

I saw the cone filters added on Le Rider by Panda Moto in France. Le Rider was a knockoff of the R1200R cafe racer concept bikes. It looked interesting but the more I think about it the more I realize my knees need to be in that spot. I didn't know if the airbox optimized performance or optimized emissions and minimized sound. I doubt anything anyone does to a mechanical device as complicated motorcycle actually improves the performance but they do look cool.

Some bad news. I seem to have an oil leak. Spotted a couple of drops on the pavement yesterday and while sitting at a light with a tail wind last night I could see smoke blowing away from me in the light of the headlight. The service department is going to investigate it at the 600 mile service which should be happening next weekend while I'm out of town.

[Mark_1]

Niceeeeee!