Customizing the R1200RT

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Well, I'm doin' what I can to make it "mine." Maybe you'll get some good ideas from this?

 

The checklist so far:

 

-Saddle? Corbin:

 

 

Despite some recent complaints on the board about Corbin, I had to go with them. I had a Corbin on my 1100RT for ten years, and it was very comfortable. Spoke to a nice lady on the phone, and two weeks later (this Monday) the new saddle arrived as ordered. I've tried sitting on Russell and other saddles for the R12RT, but the Corbin seemed to be the best fit. Maybe I've gotten used to what was on my 1100? :smirk: For the time being, I've only bought the front saddle (w/heat option); next spring I'll buy the rear, along with a backrest.

 

Fuse box, Eastern Beaver PC-8:

 

 

This is a nice kit, I highly recommend it. Comes with a relay built into the harness so you can switch most of your accessories on/off with the ignition key. I installed it on a sheet-metal tray (powdercoated black) attached to a couple of convenient threaded holes at the front of the pillion. Wired the relay control to the rear accessory socket for key control.

 

Autocomm:

 

 

Can't see it? Good! It's at the top-center of the photo, hung up on the ceiling of the cave underneath the rack. A 3/4" thick spacer, secured to the ceiling with 3M Duolock, and the Autocomm unit secured to that with more Duolock. Leaves the cave free to store more stuff, like spare parts and tools.

 

The PTT for the Autocomm:

 

 

Push with index knuckle to activate. Secured with Duolock (I love this stuff!) to a small platform that's affixed to the mirror-post hole.

 

Stickers:

 

 

still have space, and still have a few more stickers.

 

Note that the oval at far right says "BMWRT," not the newer "BMWST." This is a holdover from the days of yore, when BMWSportTouring.com was more exclusively patronized by RT owners. I still had a couple of leftover stickers, so I used one on this bike to kind of commemorate my years here. Pissed me off to realize I had put the damn sticker on crooked. I might just leave it there for a while, rather than sacrifice my last remaining BMWRT sticker.

 

I also have a couple of old-style Motoman stickers that I haven't put on. By old-style, I mean they look like this:

 

 

This Motoman, rather than the most recent incarnation, serves the same purpose as the BMWRT sticker: to commemorate my time riding BMW and my years of membership on this great site.

 

More stickers:

 

 

More...

 

 

For the "Magic/More Magic" story, click here.

 

The unlabeled computer buttons on the dashboard bothered me, so...I labeled them:

 

 

Threw one on the ignition key, too. Hope it's inaccurate...

 

paint protection:

 

 

Hard to see, but it's Xpel film on the silver painted surfaces where my ankles/shins rub, and also on the black plastic at the top right. Not sure how this one will work out: the paint is of course well guarded, but the Xpel film already looks like ass. Might replace with some tougher stuff I have.

 

Barbacks:

 

 

A little bit of custom work to reshape the exposed area, as well as powdercoat them black instead of bare aluminum.

 

 

My custom GPS bracket, transferred over from the 1100RT:

 

 

 

Last spring I had powdercoated it in chrome-sim, but it quickly looked like ass; I removed that and put gloss black powdercoat on instead. Ah, much better.

 

Glovebox organization:

The 1100RT had a nice fat glovebox you could stick your whole arm into to fish around for stuff. The 1200? I can't get my hand to the bottom unless I remove my jacket. Solution? Hooks and Dual-lock:

 

 

In this pic, you can see the right inside of the glovebox. I stuck a huge patch of Dual-lock on the wall, and this is where I stick my FRS and my cell phone. The cell phone actually clips into a belt-holster what has (surprise) some Dual-lock that holds the holster to the wall. Takes two hands to remove the phone from the holster, but if you're in a hurry (e.g. responding to an accident) you can just pull hard, and the holster will rip free of the Dual-lock.

 

The left side of the glovebox:

 

 

Plastic hooks with double-sided foam tape came from hardware store. I hang my house keys on the forward one, and a head-banded flashlight on the rear hook. There's also a sidestand foot hanging on the rear hook.

 

Note also the MP3 player affixed to the Dual-lock at the rear of the glovebox. the MP3 player and FRS are both attached to jacks/wires from the Autocomm; said wires pass through a hole in the rear face of the glovebox.

 

Still to come?

 

-More stickers.

 

-dual-filament lamps in the turn signal housings to facilitate full-time running lights. For some reason I was under the impression that there wasn't room for a regular 1157-style socket, but it seems there is. So that's next on my list.

 

-Aux lights? Still not sure. I'm told the headlight is much better on the 12 than on my old 11, but I haven't done much night riding yet to check it out. Even if it's better, I'll probably still appreciate extra lights; overkill is nice.

 

-Corbin rear seat with backrest for driver.

 

-Tool collection is almost complete; still need a spark plug wire puller (will buy something from Marc Parnes), and a spark plug socket (couldn't find what I wanted at Sears today). Other than that, I think I'm ready for a road trip. New Hampshire, here I come.

[onmyrt]

 

damn, those side cases look a lot deeper than the ones on my '06

 

nice work!

 

p.s. is that rear tire a metzeler, or does it need to be changed?

[smiller]

Still to come?

 

-More stickers.

Uhhh... yeah, about that...

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

p.s. is that rear tire a metzeler, or does it need to be changed?

 

Ayup, it's a Metzeler, only 1500 miles on it.

[Twisties]

Sweet!!!

 

Looking forward to seeing you in NH.

 

That's some serious organization there, that is.

 

[Chad F.]

Holy cow.... I've had my 05 since April and I got a tank bag. I thought I was doing good. Not trying to break the bank, keeping the wife happy. Now, I just feel like I need to make a trip to the cycle shop and get something... anything....

 

Looks Great!!

 

Chad

 

 

[T__]

Mitch, I don’t see any additional mirrors.. How the heck do you see well behind you? I couldn’t see squat out of my stock mirrors except my elbows & camping gear..

 

Do those bar backs free the mirrors enough to see behind you with camping gear on the bike?

 

I also had problems with road water spray coming up & over the back from the rear tire when traveling fast in the rain.. Added the European rear movable fender extension & that helped greatly.. If you have rear water problems (bet you will) that rear fender extension works fairly well..

 

Twisty

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Mitch, I dont see any additional mirrors.. How the heck do you see well behind you? I couldnt see squat out of my stock mirrors except my elbows & camping gear..

 

I did notice the diff between the 11RT and 12RT mirrors; the new ones are narrower, which seems like exactly the wrong thing. I do OK with them, I guess, but I miss the nice wide 11RT mirrors. I seem to have found a spot where I can see a clear line of sight underneath my forearms with them..

 

I don't generally carry mountains of stuff on the rear rack, so I guess I don't have the problem of seeing around it. I guess bar-mounted mirrors would be the ticket here.

 

I also had problems with road water spray coming up & over the back from the rear tire when traveling fast in the rain.. Added the European rear movable fender extension & that helped greatly.. If you have rear water problems (bet you will) that rear fender extension works fairly well..

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I already added the Wunderlich front fender extension (forgot to mention that) so I can stop slinging crap up onto the exhaust crossover pipe and alt belt cover. Haven't done any serious rain riding yet, but maybe I won't wait: I'll just get the rear fender extension ASAP and be done with it.

 

 

[T__]

Mitch, when I ordered mine (rear extension) I ordered the special bolt & nut that went with it.. Waste of money as I used a stainless steel cap screw & stainless nut/brass washer in it’s place (much nicer solution).. You don’t want to over-tighten it anyhow as the rear extension has serrations that match the serration in your existing rear fender so you can leave it up to look nice than simply pull it down when it rains (kind of over-engineered for a mud extension but it looks pretty decent..

 

Twisty

 

[T__]

Mitch, here is the rear extension down about 1 or 2 notches (where I usually run it) ,, it will pull down probably about 4 or more inches more.. Bet you wondered what those notches were for on the rear fender?

 

 

Twisty

[Username]

Is that fender extender available from the Beemer dealers?

[T__]

UN, yes, (if they look hard enough) but it is a fair amount cheaper from Chicago BMW (20% cheaper).. Problem is (if) they usually have to order it from the fatherland..

 

Maybe things have changed as I had to wait a while for it to get here as it isn’t (well wasn’t anyhow) really an American part (meant for European bikes) probably for some water spray law they have over there.. Maybe by now it is more common over here as I do see few around from time to time on 1200RT’s..

 

I will see if I can find the part number (I know I have it here somewhere as I never throw anything out until I sell the bike)

 

Added: Here are the part numbers I have.. Make sure these numbers are still valid as they are almost a year old ..

 

71607694184 rear fender extension

 

46-61-7-677-527 Flanged Cap Screw (M5X12)

 

07-11-9-903-070 Hex nut

 

 

 

 

Twisty

 

[Bernie]

The fender extender is a great place for more stickers.

[T__]

Bernie, maybe for Mitch.. I’m not much of a sticker guy.. If I’m going to advertise something they are going to have to pay me for it..

 

Twisty

 

[JimD]

Is this a BMW Part or aftermarket? Part #?

 

Jim

 

Sorry I did not read the earlier post soon enough.

[Matts_12GS]

Nicely done Mitch, the wiring is far too neat!

 

I'm thinking must have that CDO pretty badly!

[EddyQ]

Mitch, here is the rear extension down about 1 or 2 notches (where I usually run it)

 

Do you have an extender for the front?? My RT is in need of one.

My pipe and engine front gets rather sand blasted with wet roads.

 

Mitch, great job. Wish my bike was equiped like that. Mine is naked in comparison.

 

As for aux lights. I found the 12RT headlight is plenty bright for the straight, but it's sharp optics leaves the twisties realy black. For a while, I used the highbeam in the twisties. Got Motolights and no more highbeam. They get you noticed better too.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Do you have an extender for the front?? My RT is in need of one. My pipe and engine front gets rather sand blasted with wet roads.

 

Get one of these.

 

[RodB]

I also had problems with road water spray coming up & over the back from the rear tire when traveling fast in the rain.. Added the European rear movable fender extension

Twisty

 

I added the Canadian rear movable wife....also works fairly well...

[T__]

Mitch, you going to add a tank bag?

 

Twisty

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Mitch, you going to add a tank bag?

 

Twisty

 

Had one for my 1100, but didn't use it very often, just for the long trips. A tank bag might be nice on this bike for the same reason, but it would be hard to justify the cost, knowing that I would use it so rarely...

[mneblett]

Do you have an extender for the front?? My RT is in need of one. My pipe and engine front gets rather sand blasted with wet roads.

Get one of these.

I did as well. I really didn't like the idea of installing the four sheet metal screws to hold it on, so I used the double-sided tape supplied with the fender and a couple more strips I had on hand, without the screws. It may not hold, but if I lose it, it's not a bunch of $$$ to replace. Seems ok for the first 1000 or so miles.

 

I also did two other things with it: I positioned it a couple inches lower than the molded line would have you do, so as to gain additional coverage -- I was concerned that in the standard position, rain/debris could still hit the exhaust crossover pipe. When I get a chance, I'll post a pic. I also ran a bead of clear silicone across the top edge of the extender inside the fender to minimize the flow of water down between the fender and the extender -- less drippy mess and minimizes water ingress to weaken the double-sided tape.

[RT_Jim]

Joe -

Where did you get your Dual Lock? I checked some places locally and they had never heard of it.

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

 

 

[Eric S]

Radio Shack sells dual-lock. Also www.mcmaster.com.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Radio Shack sells dual-lock. Also www.mcmaster.com.

 

Yep, McMaster. You can buy big sheets of it. In their "Find" window, type "velcro"; when the results come up, select "Self-lock mushroom head."

 

They're pretty damn fast, too. Your items typically arrive just before you order them.

[mneblett]

Well, since it's too late to edit my post, I'll add the pics of the Wunderlich front fender extender without screws here.

 

From rear, front wheel turned to left:

 

Front front, front wheel centered

 

It's only about 1" below the normal mounting postion. That was about as far down as I could go and still have room for the double-sided tape in the overlap between the fenders.

[garlee]

like the bike joe .would recommend fitting the rear mudguard extender,fitted it on my bike and it works really well.also fitted a front mudguard extender to keep the muck off the exhausts etc.liked the tale about the magic stickers!

 

GARLEE 08 R1200RTSE IN SANDBEIGE

[T__]

 

 

Or, get the Fenda Extenda from Dandy industries.. It is cheaper & a little longer to begin with.. As you can see it is well below the exhaust/ft cover when installed..

 

Twisty

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Or, get the Fenda Extenda from Dandy industries.. It is cheaper & a little longer to begin with.. As you can see it is well below the exhaust/ft cover when installed..

 

Oh great, NOW I find out, AFTER I've got holes drilled in my fender...

 

Got a linky?

[T__]

http://www.dandyindustries.biz/fenda-extenda.htm

 

 

Mitch, give them a call (or E-Mail),, I don’t think the R1200RT is listed in the chart but they do have them..

 

Twisty

[bmurphypdx]

Would you please identify the PTT swtch (manufacturer, part no, source or whatever)? Thanks!

[mneblett]

 

Or, get the Fenda Extenda from Dandy industries.. It is cheaper & a little longer to begin with.. As you can see it is well below the exhaust/ft cover when installed..

 

Twisty

I really like the greater coverage, and would even consider replacing my freshly-installed Wunderlich extender, but the pic on the Dandy site appears to show white lettering (manufacturer name?) on the extender.

 

That's the #1 reason I did not purchase another vendor's longer extension. Not only is the text ugly and strange-looking down there (bright contrasting-color text facing toward the front of the engine?), but why in the first place do they think it is ok to make my bike into a rolling billboard/avertisement for their goods?! They'd get a lot more advertising mileage from my word of mouth recommendations than they ever would hoping someone spots their name on the back bottom of a fender.

[T__]

Mark, you will have to call & ask.. Mine (actually my last 3,, as I put one on every bike) came with just a simple stick on decal on it.. It just peeled right off,, would probably fall off in short order anyhow..

 

Twisty

 

[FLrider]

I agree with Mark. I hate it when manufacturers put their name all over the product. The fender itself however, was a great find by Twisty.

 

...and Joe....you did a hell of a job customizing your bike.

 

I hope people keep posting customizations to the RT1200. I love the ideas.

[mneblett]

Cool! That's unlike the other one I looked at , which had molded-in raised letters. Thanks very much for the info; I'll check it out.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

http://www.dandyindustries.biz/fenda-extenda.htm

 

 

Mitch, give them a call (or E-Mail),, I don’t think the R1200RT is listed in the chart but they do have them..

 

Twisty

 

Their website, at this URL, does specifically list the R1200RT.

 

http://shop.fendaextenda.com/category.sc?categoryId=6

[T__]

George, look about 4 or 5 posts up & you will see that I already posted that info to Mitch.. You probably need to call Dandy.. They don’t list it but I got mine by calling them.. I can’t say for sure they still have the 1200RT but I see no reason they would drop a product they already had the mold made for..

 

 

Twisty

 

[Nice n Easy Rider]

George, look about 4 or 5 posts up & you will see that I already posted that info to Mitch.. You probably need to call Dandy.. They don’t list it but I got mine by calling them.. I can’t say for sure they still have the 1200RT but I see no reason they would drop a product they already had the mold made for..

 

 

Twisty

Twisty,

The URL I posted was for Pyramid, the manufacturer, and they list the Fenda Extenda for the R1200RT and will sell it directly to the consumer for $42. However, that is $4 more than Dandy so unless Dandy doesn't have them in stock I guess there is no reason not to go with them.

[T__]

George, I have bought from Pyramid before.. In fact that is who I used to buy from but for some reason they didn’t have what I wanted so I tracked down Dandy as I think Dandy is Pyramid’s supplier.. The last few I have bought directly from Dandy..

 

Twisty

 

[lvmyks]

I like all the pictures of all your upgrades. I am not cheep, just like to make some items. As for a front fender extender, I had a piece of black plastic. Used the bottom of the fender as a pattern and made an extender 3.5 inches longer. Used a batch of glue and silicone to attach, now have 10k and has not moved. As for covering the air/oil cooler, I used gutter screen, removed the housing, cut to fit and secured with silicone. My two RT friends like my items and now have made for both of them. Riding, Wenching and farkling is my hobbie.

[Albert]

That really looks great Mitch. What kind of oil are you using?

[RTinNC]

Here is another option for the Pyramid Extender. These guys have good service and I believe the shipping was a bit less.

 

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/4335/599/

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Would you please identify the PTT swtch (manufacturer, part no, source or whatever)? Thanks!

 

The PTT switch is part of the Autocomm system. the platform on which I have mouted it is a custom-made piece.

[Grumpy-ol-Fart]

Nice farkles...if you're so inclined. One idea I'd like to share. I remember a while back someone on this board sent a message saying they had just ordered a brand new RT, what extras should they buy for it. There were a number, a rather large number, of suggestions of things to add...before the new owner had even taken delivery of the bike.

 

Hey people, ride the bike before you decide what you might want to add to it. The only option I put on the '08 RT I took delivery of in November '07, was a Touratech crash bar. I never liked the plastic "protectors" I had on my 1100. I rode about 5000 miles before I ever added anything else. Then I added a Touratech adjustable shift lever. Then on a whim, I bought a set of generic foot pegs to attach to the crash bars; haven't ever had a set but thought I'd try them and if I didn't like them, I'd take them off.

 

I just finished a 7-day 3540-mi. jaunt around the Rocky Mountains, and I have the following observations. I spent 10-12 hours each day in the saddle, only stopping for fuel. I don't intend to buy a new seat or a bigger windshield, or bar backs or peg relocaters. I think the BMW engineers nailed it when they designed this bike. I'm 6'-1", 220-lbs, 34-in. inseam. The bike fits me perfectly. The pegs and bars position your body perfectly for perching on the bike without loading the bars. I never find that I'm resting weight on the bars (if the 2 unidentified BMW riders who tried briefly to keep up when I was on HWY 14 heading toward the Devils Tower wondered how I got around the corners so quickly, that's the key). I like the seat, I don't want a taller windshield, in fact I almost never raise the windshield from it's lowest position. I like wind on my head, I am riding a bike. The foot pegs...I found they give my knees a rest after a bunch of hours in the same position; I also discovered I can't ride with my feet on the highway pegs for very long because it shifts the weight distribution from the insides of my thighs to the point of my tailbone. I have a skinny butt and it gets real uncomfortable real quick.

 

I know everybody is built differently and we don't all ride alike. So the whole moral of the story is ride the bike before you allow the opinions expressed in this forum to convince you the bike requires major modifications before it's suitable to be ridden.

 

That's all I have to say about that.

 

[trek]

I agree with Titus, the bike is great. The only addition I have added is extra lighting in the form of Motolights. I live in Texas and personally think the drivers here are the worst, THE LIGHTING ALLOWS ME TO BE SEEN.

[Jake]

One idea I'd like to share. That's all I have to say about that.

 

Good advice, but man you sure are grumpy!

[FLrider]

I could very well be one of the guys you were referring to. I did ask the forum members for some suggestions about what to put on the bike before delivery.

 

I must say that much of the advice was dead on and cost effective.

I added moto lights, battery tender outlet, gps mount and gps, Wunderlich head protectors, all before taking delivery.

 

Some of the other suggestions like, new seat, handlebar risers, footpegs etc., I delayed making a decision on until I had some miles on the bike.

 

I am thankful for the suggestions even though I didn't execute all of the ideas because the ideas allowed me to THINK about the mod, while riding the bike.

 

I too am 6'1 and about 200lbs and so, just reading your comments gave me a few ideas.

 

I say, keep the ideas coming. I'll sort it out later!!!

[Grumpy-ol-Fart]

 

Good advice, but man you sure are grumpy!

 

I have an image to protect...

[tallman]

Tim,

Good advice for many, not all.

I encourage folks to ride their new bikes when they buy 'em and then think about changes at the 600 mile service when it probably will be less expensive to add farkles.

 

WRT to Mitch/Joe, well, he pretty well knows what he wants and gets it, or makes it, or improves it.

Best wishes.

 

[T__]

tallman, on the other hand if you know you are going to install something (BMW accessory) why not get it to begin with a then it is covered by the full 3 year BMW motorcycle warranty (or whatever BMW offers in your country).. Otherwise if installed later it is usually under the 1 year only parts warranty..

 

 

Twisty