New Member Introductions » New owner in London

Thu Nov 28, 2019 11:10 pm (Last edited: Thu Nov 28, 2019 11:20 pm)

Hello again.. many thanks for your words of wisdom in my other thread Standing on the verge...

Today I picked up my new steed! A 2015 Sport SE in granite grey. It has 8k on the clock, so almost run in! Rode home in the dark and rain, and barely even noticed the crappy conditions. Discovered just how wide it is on my way out of the work car park: wider than the gap I was hoping to gracefully squeeze through. After barely two miles of ownership, I scuffed the RHS pannier already. Haha! Oops!

Here it is, all clean and lovely outside the dealer:
r1200rs.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Thanks to the spares I just received from u77_Gaucho.html I have a mudsling and some bar risers to install. The mudsling will be going on this weekend, I might wait awhile before trying the risers...

"Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube" - HST

these members like the post: littleade, duccrazydave, Ray B, Doc4216, Paul B, andygriff, Bravo and Stefan S.

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#2 | RE: New owner in London datum

Fri Nov 29, 2019 1:09 pm

I'm sure you will love it more than your Crossrunner ( Ugh , spit , dreadful bike )

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#3 | RE: New owner in London datum

Fri Nov 29, 2019 2:41 pm

Looks mint . You've made a great choice .

Double Lupin owner

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#4 | RE: New owner in London datum

Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:04 pm

Congratulations!!

A Straight Road Never Made A Skilled Rider.

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#5 | RE: New owner in London datum

Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:06 pm

Good colour.

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#6 | RE: New owner in London datum

Fri Nov 29, 2019 10:45 pm

Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #1
... Discovered just how wide it is on my way out of the work car park: wider than the gap I was hoping to gracefully squeeze through. After barely two miles of ownership, I scuffed the RHS pannier already. Haha! Oops!....

So - an excuse to re-paint the pannier covers. Plenty of threads on that.
(Or you can do as I do - spend your time with the bike in front of the panniers, look forward, and forget all about it. No one's going to notice unless you stop.)

�A good man always knows his limitations.�

Doc4216 likes the post

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#7 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:19 pm

Zitat von andygriff im Beitrag #3
Looks mint . You've made a great choice .

It is insanely clean, it has to be said. I went over it thoroughly and couldn't find much to fault it. Common centrestand coating corrosion, as noted in threads here, a few other minor scuffs or ever so slightly corroded bolts in places that were hard to find, and that was about it. It's been well cared for, cosmetically. Servicing has been done by the book, despite the low miles so hopefully the internals are sound too. Bought from an approved-used BMW shop so comes with two year warranty to cover most of those.

I'm very much looking forward to miles of smiles with it!

Current: 2015 BMW R1200RS Sport SE, 2015 Honda VFR800X, 2003 Yamaha TDM900
Past: 1999 Honda CLR125, 1995 Honda CB500, 1998 Triumph Sprint Sport, 1995 Honda VFR750FS, 2006 Suzuki DRZ400SM, 2001 Triumph Speed Triple

"Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube" - HST

these members like the post: Doc4216, Ray B and duccrazydave

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#8 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:20 pm

Zitat von Ray B im Beitrag #6
Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #1
... Discovered just how wide it is on my way out of the work car park: wider than the gap I was hoping to gracefully squeeze through. After barely two miles of ownership, I scuffed the RHS pannier already. Haha! Oops!....

So - an excuse to re-paint the pannier covers. Plenty of threads on that.
(Or you can do as I do - spend your time with the bike in front of the panniers, look forward, and forget all about it. No one's going to notice unless you stop.)

Absolutely! I'm not precious about these things, and tbh the scuff is very minor. It's duly filed under Shit Happens!

Current: 2015 BMW R1200RS Sport SE, 2015 Honda VFR800X, 2003 Yamaha TDM900
Past: 1999 Honda CLR125, 1995 Honda CB500, 1998 Triumph Sprint Sport, 1995 Honda VFR750FS, 2006 Suzuki DRZ400SM, 2001 Triumph Speed Triple

"Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube" - HST

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#9 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:54 pm

Nice bike you have there. Have you considered either engine bars or cylinder head covers to protect the heads as they can be holed if you drop the bike because they are so thin which then means recovery etc. I remember seeing a vid on youtube a few years ago when the bloke was doing a test ride review on a GS, put the bike on it's side stand with the engine still running, got off to take some footage and over it went holing 1 of the covers. Ooops

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#10 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:29 pm (Last edited: Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:30 pm)

Zitat von littleade im Beitrag #9
Have you considered either engine bars or cylinder head covers to protect the heads as they can be holed if you drop the bike

Yes, I want to install some protection of that kind very soon. My preference would be for cylinder head covers rather than bars. The dealer quoted something like 240UKP fitted for the OEM covers, but I thought I'd check out aftermarket options before agreeing. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

Current: 2015 BMW R1200RS Sport SE, 2015 Honda VFR800X, 2003 Yamaha TDM900
Past: 1999 Honda CLR125, 1995 Honda CB500, 1998 Triumph Sprint Sport, 1995 Honda VFR750FS, 2006 Suzuki DRZ400SM, 2001 Triumph Speed Triple

"Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube" - HST

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#11 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:55 pm

Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #10
Zitat von littleade im Beitrag #9
Have you considered either engine bars or cylinder head covers to protect the heads as they can be holed if you drop the bike

Yes, I want to install some protection of that kind very soon. My preference would be for cylinder head covers rather than bars. The dealer quoted something like 240UKP fitted for the OEM covers, but I thought I'd check out aftermarket options before agreeing. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

I can't help directly as I still have my GS (with engine bars) but I asked a similar question for the 1250 which has received some replies that may help you

Accessory options for the 1250RS

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#12 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:41 pm (Last edited: Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:44 pm)

Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #10
Yes, I want to install some protection of that kind very soon. My preference would be for cylinder head covers rather than bars. The dealer quoted something like 240UKP fitted for the OEM covers, but I thought I'd check out aftermarket options before agreeing. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

Many threads on this as well - including the $1800 HP covers. They probably all work. No testing done to my knowledge.

I don't like to talk about it, but I did high side going into an unexpected decreasing radius turn about 30,000 event-free miles ago. Scratched up the OEM covers, bent a bar, and broke both mirrors - otherwise came out pretty good. I see no reason for the bars unless you plan to spend a fair amount of time off-road in rocky country.

Here's a link to 3 pages of opinion: thread on bars versus covers

�A good man always knows his limitations.�

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#13 | RE: New owner in London datum

Sun Dec 01, 2019 5:57 pm

Zitat von Ray B im Beitrag #12

Here's a link to 3 pages of opinion: thread on bars versus covers

Thanks for the pointer.

I think I'm in agreement regarding the usefulness of any protective covers - they're there for zero-to-low speed mishaps rather than higher speed ooops moments. I'll try the Machine Art X-heads I think, once the bank balance has recovered a little.

Current: 2015 BMW R1200RS Sport SE, 2015 Honda VFR800X, 2003 Yamaha TDM900
Past: 1999 Honda CLR125, 1995 Honda CB500, 1998 Triumph Sprint Sport, 1995 Honda VFR750FS, 2006 Suzuki DRZ400SM, 2001 Triumph Speed Triple

"Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube" - HST

duccrazydave likes the post

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#14 | RE: New owner in London datum

Mon Dec 02, 2019 2:55 am

Vote 1 for X-heads.

A couple of hours ago, a driver in a commercial truck, saw his opportunity to get a "centre of the street" car park in Lonsdale St, about 1/2 a block from my work. He was in the left (kerb-side) lane, and he decided to turn sharply across the right lane.

I was in the right lane.

I hit the horns (which would wake the dead) and concentrated on the gap between the front of the truck and the parked cars (fronts or rears) hoping not to have a direct collision with anything.

The gap narrowed too much and the RS and I hit the front driver's mudguard.

The impact did not tip me off, and I did not hit any of the parked cars. I stopped, put the bike on the side stand, and had a discussion with the driver.

He told me he did not see me (surprise!) He told me he heard my horns, and then he saw me, and he jerked his steering wheel to the left.

It was probably this small amelioration which kept me from being thrown from the RS into the parked cars, or a more direct blow with his truck with the RS and my body.

I am now sitting here with a bit of pain in my (unhealed) left shoulder.

The only marks on the RS that I could see were some light scuffs on the left X-head. Nothing else on the RS was obviously broken or bent.

The impact on the guard left a dent about the size of a banana, and it had black marking at the deepest point. It might have been the mirror, the handlebar end or my Held jacket. Don't know and hardly care.

The X-head impact was on the truck's front tyre and low down and onto its white plastic bumper.

Without the X-heads, I am sure the left head would have been damaged.

I will see how I go at work today, and take a couple of Panadol.

I would like to apologize to anyone I have NOT offended. Please be patient. I will get to you shortly.

duccrazydave likes the post

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#15 | RE: New owner in London datum

Mon Dec 02, 2019 3:02 am

Glad you're OK! I've had a couple of low speed incidents with the X-Heads as well. They do a wonderful job

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