Back in the saddle!

[realshelby]

Ever since I fabricated the electronic cruise control onto my 650 V Strom it has been my bike of choice to ride. So my poor old '04 RT didn't get many miles on it over the last year or two.

 

I have just fixed that. New 2014 R 1200 RT in ebony is home. Bought the overpriced topcase because it just works and fits so nice, the GPS has to come from BMW and will take a week or so. Mine is a premium without the shift assist and remote locks and alarm which is just what I wanted. Gulf Coast BMW is one of three dealers in Houston. It is the only one that acted like they wanted to sell a bike. I am quite pleased so far!

[TEWKS]

Congrats! You'll love it.

 

 

Pat

[tallman]

WOPTTIW.

 

Congrats, enjoy!

[realshelby]

Finally got my topcase lid painted. The dark color makes it look smaller, and it needed to! I have my Vario X-creen touring deflector mounted on the windscreen and this may be the first windscreen I don't replace with an aftermarket one. This add-on really works and the adjust ability allows me to have it push air directly on my upper chest in very hot conditions. Installed my 3m reflective panels on the rear ( Thanks effbee!). I have a set of Wundlerich bars on the way, I will mount some footpegs to those. Probably be puttin a Russel on over the winter as well.

 

[Kitsap]

Looks sharp! Painting the top case is definitely the way to go.

 

Santa, UPS, just dropped off my Clear Water LEDs and BMW light brackets for more fun in the garage this weekend.

[AndyS]

How does the Vario screen mount to the OEM screen?

[realshelby]

This Vario screen is the "Touring" version in a bolt on application. They make a clamp on version also. I have experience with this screen on V STroms and was comfortable with using the bolt on style. Much cleaner appearance and of course it won't fall off....

 

You MUST use a step drill bit to drill the holes to the right diameter. Start with a VERY small diameter conventional bit then use the step drill to size. The step drills have only one cutting edge and are not apt to crack the plastic shield.

[StuGotz]

Sweet bike!

 

Does the top case have running/ brake lights?

 

MB>

[realshelby]

Sweet bike!

 

Does the top case have running/ brake lights?

 

MB>

 

No, not yet at least. I think the factory brake light is just that, brake light only. Not positive, but I think it can only be fitted to a bike with the electric package ( locks and alarm, etc ). I would much rather install an LED kit where the factory brake light fits that is running and brake light. Too many things to do at the moment, I want to research that. IF, and that is a big IF, I can tap into the factory brake light wiring for the accessory light I can do it. There is supposed to be a harness there, but again it may only be on the bike with electric locks/alarm. I already plan a power source ( key on only ) from the battery to run some front lights, I could add the trunk running lights from that circuit. The brake light might be the hard part.....

[realshelby]

A fellow owner pm'd me about the air deflectors I fabricated for my RT. I felt a lot of air hitting my helmet with the stock setup. Not turbulent air, but more airflow than I wanted behind a windscreen and more noise than I care for. I could feel where the air was coming from, between the upper cowling and the windscreen. Lower windshield height allows more air than higher positions. I made a deflector and mounted it to the upper cowl. It is a fairly tight fit to the windscreen. Noticeable improvement. But at higher windshield positions ( where I was running it on the highway ) I was getting air over the deflector I made. So I made another and attached it to the windscreen mount. It fits just forward of the bottom deflector. As the screen moves up it keeps airflow directed off to the sides. The pics below show the screen all the way up. I don't run it there, the top of one deflector is at the bottom of the other where I run it. I also have a piece of foam wire tied to the steering head to block some air from there as well.

 

I installed an MRA Vario Touring X-creen early on. It helped but lacked something. So, I went to work on that. I thought it let too much air under it. So I made my own screen for it. Actually 4 versions! I have the airflow very good now. At 75-80 cruise you get a touch of turbulence off traffic ( hard to eliminate that ) but in clean air it is quiet and smooth. I may try an aftermarket screen, one company is in development and I offered to test a prototype to see if it helps. I used to really like the Cee Bailey screens with the flip built in at the top but they don't have those for the new RT.

 

[realshelby]

One reason I had to do more to the windscreen was that I sit higher on the Russell seats!

 

While the stock seat was not bad....for a stock seat, this Russell seems like it might be the best Russell I have owned. The real test is an 800 mile day.....

 

[strataj]

One reason I had to do more to the windscreen was that I sit higher on the Russell seats!

 

While the stock seat was not bad....for a stock seat, this Russell seems like it might be the best Russell I have owned. The real test is an 800 mile day.....

 

 

Is the seat leather? It looks good on the bike. Did I just make an oxymoron?

 

Jay

[realshelby]

You can get Russells in all leather, leather seating surface with vinyl sides, all vinyl, cloth or velour seating insert.

 

This one has leather seating inserts and vinyl sides. I don't like how leather cracks on the sides after time. I find the comfort of vinyl just fine on the seat, but I think leather conforms a bit better over time and that is why I went with it this time.

[strataj]

You can get Russells in all leather, leather seating surface with vinyl sides, all vinyl, cloth or velour seating insert.

 

This one has leather seating inserts and vinyl sides. I don't like how leather cracks on the sides after time. I find the comfort of vinyl just fine on the seat, but I think leather conforms a bit better over time and that is why I went with it this time.

 

I had an 02 RT since new before my 14 it was all leather (I won't name it's maker) I didn't have any leather problems butt I've seen others... It really does look good surprisingly for a Russell. Enjoy the ride

 

Jay

[AndyS]

A fellow owner pm'd me about the air deflectors I fabricated for my RT. I felt a lot of air hitting my helmet with the stock setup. Not turbulent air, but more airflow than I wanted behind a windscreen and more noise than I care for. I could feel where the air was coming from, between the upper cowling and the windscreen. Lower windshield height allows more air than higher positions. I made a deflector and mounted it to the upper cowl. It is a fairly tight fit to the windscreen. Noticeable improvement. But at higher windshield positions ( where I was running it on the highway ) I was getting air over the deflector I made. So I made another and attached it to the windscreen mount. It fits just forward of the bottom deflector. As the screen moves up it keeps airflow directed off to the sides. The pics below show the screen all the way up. I don't run it there, the top of one deflector is at the bottom of the other where I run it. I also have a piece of foam wire tied to the steering head to block some air from there as well.

 

Nice plastic work there.

Did you make templates?

What method did you use for cutting, forming and finishing.

What material did you use?

 

Well done it looks good from the pictures.

[realshelby]

I start with some heavy construction paper to get the size/form about right.

 

I prefer to cut out the shape with a jig saw and a metal blade. More control than with abrasive wheels, less dust. I drill the holes with a step drill, this is MUCH better for plastic than a regular drill bit. In Acrylic a regular bit can easily catch and crack the material. Depending on what shape I am working on I usually start with an 8" grinding wheel to rough in the shape. If you follow your template outline and are careful you can keep the lines straight and hog out excess material quickly. Then I might use a die grinder with a carbide burr for fine shaping, especially of cutouts. You have to keep your edges square, especially on thicker material, so sometimes I will use a flat file to smooth out the lines and square it up. The secret I have, if any, is some 6" nylon wheels I use to polish metal parts I build with. With a light touch these are amazing at smoothing the cut edge and contouring it to a rounded shape. Then a bit of Semichrome metal polish to make it look clear. Be careful with the polish, it will dull the face of the plastics.

 

These are built of Lexan polycarbonate. Since they are thin and scratching is not an issue this is good stuff for them.

[AndyS]

Thanks

[realshelby]

I have a windshield/aero fetish. There, I have said it so maybe a cure is near.

 

The stock shield on the new RT isn't too bad compared to some bikes I have ridden. But I improved it quite a bit with an adjustable deflector and some dash mounted deflectors. Pretty good, my only real complaint was it still had quite a bit of turbulence in heavy traffic at higher speeds. That is hard to fix on any bike, but my old RT was a lot better with the Cee Bailey screens I had for it.

 

I am 5'11" with about a 31" inseam so I am fairly tall from the waist up. I also have a Russell seat which sits a fair bit taller than the stock seat.

 

In my research for aftermarket windscreens I just didn't find what I thought was better. The Cee Bailey is just a straight piece of acrylic with no flip at the top. The Calsi has an extra vent, but I was already trying to block air so that didn't sound right for me. No one else seemed to have anything ready to go. I looked into the National Cycle V Streams. They were supposed to be coming out with one for the new RT. I sort of liked what I seen for the previous RT models they offered. So I waited. I ordered the taller version which is just over 28" tall. That is way taller than stock, and it does not bend back toward the rider so it stands even taller. It is wide at the top and that is what I really wanted it for. It seemed too tall at first, I only raise it about an inch or two, but I do look over it.

 

First ride was ok. Improvement but not as good as I had hoped. I went back and removed the dash mounted deflectors that worked so good on the stock screen. Voila! For whatever reason this screen likes that much better. I can cruise at 75 mph in heavy traffic, around tanker trucks, and get VERY little helmet buffeting. Very quiet at all speeds. It is very clear and optically pretty good. If you want to raise it and look through it there is little distortion. I could see doing this some, where before I couldn't stand that on a bike. The screen has some creases in the edge, and the way the shape is overall, makes it pretty stiff. Very little movement when in traffic from turbulence.

 

Takes a moment to get used to the looks, but it looks a lot cleaner than the stock shield with deflector. Glad I ordered it.

 

[realshelby]

On my recent trip to SC and back I used the cruise a lot. I don't always like to hit the brake to cancel cruise, especially with my flashing brake light. I did discover that you can just lightly crack the clutch lever to cancel cruise.

 

Isn't it amazing what you can find in an owners manual!

 

I read that you can twist the throttle grip forward to cancel the cruise. Took a short ride yesterday to confirm. There is just the slightest movement required and it shuts right off. Since the grip is already at the rest position when in cruise this is quite a nice way to cancel cruise.

[realshelby]

Had a question asked of me about my highway pegs. I had first installed them with a two piece clamp together bracket. Worked well enough but didn't look so good. Confident I was good with peg placement I eliminated the bracket and drilled a hole through the bars to directly attach the pegs. I ground down the aluminum peg bracket to fit the profile of the bar, which also eliminates it trying to twist. These are the brackets that were used to attach to the valve cover mounted bracket for the Oilheads. The guy that made the bracket also sold these peg brackets. The pegs themselves are passenger pegs from an RT.

 

[realshelby]

My RT came with the Continental tires. My least favorite choice of the three available, but you take what you get. I just replaced them at just over 6,400 miles. One thing I noticed on the new RT was that the front end seemed nervous, not really twitchy, but like it was always hunting when traveling down the road cruising. My old RT did that too. I found that tires make a difference. I installed a set of the Bridgestone T-30 A spec tires. I had good luck with the predecessor BT 023 on the RT and V STroms. I won't mention that new tires always feel good when leaning. BUT, the difference in riding in a straight line was noticeably better. Feels more like my other bikes, doesn't try to follow cracks, grooves, grating or just hunt around on smooth road. These tires were $218 to my door. Time will tell how good they are.

New Front

New rear

 

Skywagon asked a while back about how many miles there might be left in these at 6K miles. I thought there might be some left, but now I am very glad I removed them! I cut a section out of the center of the rear tire. Yes, I don't have turns in Houston so they are squared off. There was right at 3mm of rubber over the cords in the center. Measuring to the top of the closest wear indicator there was just under 3mm. So if you ran these to the wear indicator you would likely see the cords first. Looks like there is more rubber than there is ( Metzeler Z6?).

Front Continental really wore unevenly. At the bottom of the V Shaped pattern there was very little rubber left above the carcass of the tire.

 

The tread pattern on the Bridgestones should work well on the RT. Where they tend to wear the area off the center, especially on the left, these tires don't have the overlapping tread patterns that seem to promote feathering.

[Bernie]

Terry, who is your supplier?

[realshelby]

American Moto Tire. Bought these in February I think.

[Bernie]

Thanks

[Selden]

Terry, please keep us updated about how the Bridgestones work for you. I'm especially interested in how long they last, and how much howl they develop over time.

 

I have PR2s on my 1999 RT at the moment, a little over 7000 miles, so maybe another 1000-2000 miles left on them. Previously PR3s, but when I needed new tires, the dealer didn't have any in stock. The rear PR3 went for ~14,000 miles, which amazed me. I didn't much like the front PR3, which howled at any speed over 55, and I'm wondering if the PR4 is any better in this regard.

 

I will be replacing the tires in the fall (most of my riding is September - May), and at the moment, PR4 front, PR3 rear (because of the 18" wheel) OR T30 are on my short list. There is a considerable price difference between the brands (but possibly no TCO difference if the Michelins last 50% longer than the Bridgestones).

 

American Motorcycle Tire prices:

 

PR4 front $139; PR3 rear $159 = $298 (PR4 GT front add $9)

T30 front $95; T30 rear $118 = $213

[realshelby]

Seldon, I will be taking the RT on a trip to a V Strom rally in North Carolina next month. Then maybe into WV and then back to TX. That will tell me a little about wear. I like the Bridgestone feel so far. The tread is MUCH deeper on these than any other motorcycle street tire I have had. I have no experience with the T30, but have owned the 021 and 023 series before these. The BT 023 is a really good all around tire, if the T30 is better it will be great.

 

I agree with the cost per mile thought however. I don't like to change tires. If the Michelin would get me substantially more miles than the T30 I would gladly pay the cost difference. Only way to know is to try to wear these out.......

[mileypop]

Conti's where the OE on my 14 RT, never liked them from the start. Kept washing out on over banding, most disconcerting especially when wet!

Michelin PR4's on after 4000 ish miles. Must say a whole lot better than the Conti's. Stable on all surfaces, 3000 mls on at the moment & very good wear rates.

 

[Bernie]

Terry, how did the Bridgestones do on the NC trip?

Any problems with wet weather riding?

Thank you for any info.

[realshelby]

Almost 3700 miles on the T 30's now. If there ever was a trip to test wet weather manners, the recent trip was it! Left the house and within 10 minutes I was riding in torrential downpours. This was around 4 am. Stayed in the rain till dawn. Riding I 10 and speeds were over 70 most of the time. That is straight line riding and they were perfect at that. In the mountains of NC and WV more rain. Not as heavy but everything from damp roads to downpours. I tried to make the rear slip with heavy throttle coming out of turns in 2nd gear. Never felt it move. On the tight turns I took some pretty steep lean angles and never felt either end move any. I have high confidence in the rain with these tires. In the dry they are very stable and have no nervous feel even when riding hard enough to have no chicken strips.

 

Front tire does not really show any wear. Maybe the slightest bit off center where RT's like to wear a bit. Rear still has a lot of tread but definately shows wear. Heavily loaded this trip and a lot of high speed highway miles. Won't be surprised if the rear only gets 8K miles, unless the wear rate slows. At this price point I would be ok with that especially if the front lasts two rears.

[Bernie]

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like they should be equal to Pirelli Angel GT tires, except cheaper and maybe last a little longer.

I think I will give them a try.

 

[realshelby]

The Pirelli Angel GT is a tire I would like to try. I loved the old Pirelli sport touring tire from years back ( not the ST). If I don't get really good mileage out of this T30 rear I may buy an Angel GT to replace it. I really like what I am seeing and feeling with the T 30 front tire. But the rear at this point isn't looking like it will deliver extra miles. With what I am hearing about the PR4, I don't know if it would deliver that many more miles. Might just be that the Angel GT would do more miles than any other in this class. At the price point of the Angel GT it is about the same cost as the PR4's.

 

I know some will claim 14k miles on the PR4 rears. I just cannot get that kind of mileage. I run 39 front 43 rear when I top off the tires ( with a quality gauge) and I know I don't have curves here. I think the heat and road construction eat tires down here.

[Bernie]

Well Terry, I don't think you will get much better mileage with the Pirelli Angel GT tires.

I am on my second set, and I love them. Stick like glue.

But I only got 7700 miles out of the set (rear is A compound).

This is with a 2007 R1200RT, with a 150k miles on the motor, your Wethead makes way more power.

But they are great fun in the NC mountains dry or wet.

I think I will try the PR4 GT's next, more money but if I can get over 8000/9000 miles I will be ahead of the game.

I used to get 10k+ out of PR2's and a little less from the 3's.

And I have never seen the cords on a Michelin tire either.

 

[realshelby]

Bernie, that is good input on the Pirelli tires. The kind that works for me. Sounds like we get similar mileages on tires. I have been making myself not downshift and let out the clutch in at least the lower gears when coming to a stop. Instead just holding in the clutch and downshifting as speed is appropriate for each gear. I think that may make a difference in rear tire life. I noticed I scooted the rear tire a few times when the bike was new when downshifting.

 

I am 100% confident in the Bridgestone T 30 tires in any wet condition. These are the "A" or "GT" spec ( don't remember which, the heavier carcass ) T 30's. They were without surprise at very steep lean angles, even when I whacked open the throttle in second gear coming out of turns. The improvement in straight line stability over the Continentals is a LOT. Skywagon noted the same improvement with the Michelins on his RT. It would be hard to improve on the performance of these tires. The only thing I have to prove is wear. At $218 to my door, there is not another tire I would consider at the moment.

[realshelby]

I chose this thread to make public something I have been working very hard on. Look at the history of this starting on page one and then the V Stream. The 2014 and newer RT is such a nice bike I just couldn't give up till I had the air management as good or better than my '04 RT. That bike had several different aftermarket windshields on it over time and it became the benchmark for measuring every other bike I have ridden for quiet, low turbulence airflow. When you want something done to your standards, who better than your own self to get it done? See the post to follow in the vendor section.

 

This is one of the prototypes I have been running:

 

[davagail]

Well I just ordered one after your suggestion of the tall CB, It's ok but not impressed as I would have liked!! Hopefully quiet ride will do the trick!!!

[Mike the Ghoul]

Have you tested it with a passenger? Mine complains that she is getting windblast at her helmet.

mike

[realshelby]

Have not tested with a passenger. I do know the other screens had quite a bit of turbulence for the passenger. Been very hot here and the "passenger" won't ride in high temps!

[davagail]

Well I ordered one so I hope it works for passenger!! We ride mostly 2-up

[AndyS]

I chose this thread to make public something I have been working very hard on.

 

As you know, I have been following this thread with interest.

I too think the standard screen was chosen by BMW fundamentally to provide form over function. I know they could make a better screen, but the bike just wouldn't look so pretty. Moreover, when we test ride and purchase a bike we tend to make huge allowances for this shortcoming.

This last screen you show is very similar to the Aeroflow fitted to my 1150RT.

Is this a product you are marketing yourself?

The material of the screen is of interest to me - is it Plexiglass.

The reason for the question is long term abrasion resistance (as it is uncoated).

I personally love the shape and think it compliments the bike.

I am not too keen on the overly large 'Made In USA' emblazoned text. I'd rather see a tasteful (and removable) sticker telling me what brand it is.

If it is your product, I wish you every success with it.

[realshelby]

Andy, go to the WERKS Parts thread in Vendor Section. That is where your questions should be answered, and the way the board wants the Vendor section to function I believe

[realshelby]

Let my Son ride the new RT for a couple hours yesterday. He had not tried my windshield on it. He really liked that, but what really surprised me was "man, that thing shifts nice"! He has a 2014 Yamaha Super Tenere. He had not ridden the bike since I switched over to Shell T6 from the BMW oil either. I knew it seems to shift better, but having him say that without me even bringing it up sure confirmed it. I still get a clunk from nuetral to first from a stop, and 1-2 upshifts can make a bit of noise, but it is noticeably better than before. I have enough miles on it that it isn't just the new oil feel, if anything it seems to get better.

 

This whole bike still completely satisfies me. Broke down and bought the Illium bar extenders. Look like crap, but with the taller Russell seat they sure relaxed my arms! I was locking my elbows some of the time before, that takes its toll on old men......