[Dr. Strangelove]

I suspected this day would come that trusty Stella!--my 2004 R1150RA-- may not be as trusty as I needed her to be. I still don't know if that day has come, but there have been rumblings, mostly minor, until a recent trip to Arkansas for a few days of R&R&R(iding).
On that trip, as I pulled into The Arkansas House in Jasper, the brake warning light started to flash, fast. Everything "felt" fine. First day of three on the best motorcycle roads in the US--ymmv--and my brakes are suspect.
The next morning, I turn on to hwy 74 from 7, and the slow flashing goes off at 11mph and I think God's in His Heaven and All's Right with the World...until I apply the brakes...flashing again.
Everything felt fine, though I did not test the anti-lockness of the system. I did two things: I did three days cavorting on the roads of NW Arkansas, and I made a trip to Bentonville BMW.
They couldn't get their computer to talk with my diagnostic plug for some reason. but they had long faces.

While up there I check all bulbs and saw there was a problem with one of my turn signals, changed that, no difference.
I got home and tore all the turn sugnals apart. found some corrosion, cleaned all that new bulbs all around. Still, the flashing continued.
Rode up to Baton Rouge to the dealer--no longer Hebert's Cycles, but now BMW Motorcycles of Baton Rouge. Good news, bad news.
The good news was that they could get my diagnostic plug to speak with their computer. The bad news was what it told them.
Stella! has a bad problem. Her ABS pump is out. You know how much that costs to replace? Just south of $3000. I am not going to do it myself. I am not going to remove the ABS remains.
How much is a 2004 RR worth, with nearly 100,000 miles on her, no matter how well cared for she was, or what farkles, or how good she looks? Not a whole lot more than that. Financial and emotional distress. Not end of the world stuff, but food for thought that chokes you on the way to being ill-digested.

Ugh

How much in trade..yada yada yada yada yada, We'd have to repair it...100,000 miles. Let's just say that when all would be said and done, I'd be pocketing something in 3, yes 3 figures. And how could I sell her on my own, knowing the anti lock brakes are out? the front servo still works, but that is without anti-lock.

Choices are fix an 8 year old motorcycle and still depend on her to carry me in the middle of uninhabited grasslands of Montana at a price close to the value of the bike, preserving the emotional attachment, or, stop riding, give it up, or get something new and part her out???
Nothing was particularly appealing. Then I found out that there is an outfit in Idaho that rebuilds the BMW abs units, for a reasonable price, with a 5 year guarantee. A plan emerges.
Repair the unit and sell Stella! and get something new.
The pieces fell into place, except for one thing. ModuleMasters in Idaho will not be working on the 2004 servo units until the first on the year. But, I am now on their list.
And a good friend in Texas is VERY interested in purchasing her, so I could visit, and I'd know she's going to a good home. But what to get?
As I looked around, again, just like with the purchase of Stella!, The BMWs were the bikes I found myself consistently comparing all others to. And the BMWs always came out on top.
My first interests were either the F800ST or the R1200R---new for the 800, used for the 12. I wanted a 2011, if possible, just because of the newer engine technology, but then this baby fell into my lap on a visit at the dealer.

Black was not my favorite color, but it was always 2nd favorite in any year, and it is classic for BMW, though not the white striped "Classic" of 2012.
What turned my head? Check out the stuff on this bike, the previous owner (14000 miles) put on
yes, those are Ohlins
yes, that's a complete set of Givi bags--Monokey--painted to match the bike
yes, that's a Cee Bailey windscreen in showroom condition
yes, that's a Corbin seat, off here, but right under the bike by the rear wheel
yes, those are SW Motech engine guards
yes, those are 800 GS rear view mirrors
yes, hard to see, but there is a widened footpad for the sidestand
yes, that is a Remus muffler (and it sounds great; it "burbles" just so fine)
yes, those are black powder coated wheels
yes, those are handguards, from a GS??? I don't know
yes, that is an Bags-Connection tankbag--just a larger size from wht I have on Stella!--Read, plug and play
There is a K&N airfilter on it (yes, I know, pluses and minuses on that)
and there is an installed throttlemeister
It has the OBC and the tire pressure monitors
It has LED turn signals on the rear
It has bar-backs
PR3s with lots of tread

It was move in condition.
I negotiated a deal and picked her up and rode her home last week. A friend and I rode up to NE Alabama this weekend, and she rode just fine. A very similar feel to the 1150, but smoother, more powerful, faster, and more of a refined feel.
That said, had I not had the abs problem with Stella! this bike, who does have a named but so far is not christened, would not have entered the picture. I would have happily gone forward with Stella!
But it was kismet.
I add to those of you that will say that these bikes can go hundreds of thousands of miles, I say that's true; but, on all of my last five trips I would wind up visiting a BMW dealer for something. This was my third visit to Bentonville BMW, Been to both Sandias, Been to Max's, Been to the shop in Birmingham.
I never broke down, never towed, but though Stella! may have hundreds of thousand of miles left in her, I don't, and I want to minimize possible hassles, and this black beauty looked to be made for me.

I'm in.

John

 

[atractaspis]

Sounds like a match made in heaven

What a beautiful bike and great package with all the extras! Congratulations! May the two of you have long happy future together !

 

[Clem]

That's wonderful ! A happy ending story. Thanks for relating it to us. A Strange love affair with two different bikes. Sincerely hope the newwest black beauty gives you many miles of carefree touring without worrying about what's going to break next. I know parting with Stella was painful.

 

[abronzetiger]

What a great find. Black is still the sexiest and goes with everything.

And don't worry: You can always have the new one painted red at a later date if you feel nostalgic.

 

[fleuger99]

Your new set of wheels looks awesome. Happy and safe riding. Welcome to the fantastic R1200R's. In a few thousand miles Stella will be a great but distant memory

 

[drDave]

Your new set of wheels looks awesome. Happy and safe riding. Welcome to the fantastic R1200R's. In a few thousand miles Stella will be a great but distant memory

+1 - Don't look back. . .that's a gorgeous "new" bike.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

thanks to all for the advice and tips along the way.
About 500 miles this weekend and the 12 is noticeably lighter when getting off the centerstand, and significantly easier to maneuver at slow speeds. Seat height is the same as on my 1150. It was always a real adventure making a U turn on a two lane blacktop with Stella!, but not so much with the 12.

I do think the "twitchiness" of the throttle response in low gears is more pronounced with the 12, a little turn gets a lot of response, so new muscle memories are on the horizon.

The Cee Bailey appears to be 20" from headlight edge to top. It works pretty well I think. Certainly better than the 380 Tall BMW screen that I have on my 1150--and I liked that one. With the CB I am in such a bubble that lifting my visor, seated, there is little air blowing on my face. I could ride with the visor up. Also, it is easier to hear with my etymotics, less road/wind noise.
I am prob about 5'7-8 w a 32" inseam.

Love the Ohlins, really nice ride. I have wilbers on my 1150 and I think the ohlins feel better though it may just be adjustment??

It seems the grips are narrower than on the 1150, or the 12RT for that matter. I am wearing new gloves, but my fingers were getting tingly and I think it is because I am wrapping my fingers so much tighter that the blood supply is sl compromised. I do not think it's carpal tunnel. Grip puppies or RT grips may be in my future?? just to make it wider.

It appears there is no real "ritual" checking the oil, like on the 1150. Just put her up on the centerstand on level ground and read it in 5 minutes. That's pretty easy.
Oh yeah---a question...
When I fill up, the nozzle really goes far down until the stop is met. When the pump kicks off I can still, by raising the nozzle up put another close to 1.5 gallons in without over filling.
What's up with that?
I've read about the dreaded fuel gauge strip going bad and with my first fillup the OBC said I had another 93 miles to go until empty. I was able to put 5.1 gallons in, and the gas level met the bottom of the filler tube, no higher. That sounds pretty close to bone dry to me??? "Approximately 18 liters" = 4 gallons
BUT, on this weekend ride, I was riding with a friend who has a new 1200RT. On subsequent fillups, our OBC s told us we both had about the same miles to go left and we both took more or less the same amount to fill up, so I am thinking that all is well--that's what I want to believe. I have also reset "Trip 1" whenevr I filled up. We would both fill up when there was about 100-125 miles "left"
Pump would shut off at about 2.5 gallons in, but if I teased more in the level would approach the filler tube at around 3.7 gallons. Is that right? nd that's about the amount my friend's RT took. BTW OBC said I was getting as high as 54 on the road.
So, when do you fill up? do you go by the OBC for miles left? How much does it take? Do you top off the tank until you can see the gas at the bottom of the filler tube?
Thanks

John

 

[drDave]

DrS. I've found that different gas stations have differentially sensitive fuel shut-off. My local Clark Station won't let me pump more than about 70 percent full. The Shell lets me ooch it up to the top of the tank by eyeball.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

dr D, yes that and that restraining bar is way in the tank, I took a look tonight. I think it may be "approx 18 l" up to that bar.
I found another thread on this very topic over in the r1150r.org forum. There are some guys there that have gotten as much as 5.6 gallons in when the tank was very empty. Universally there, they said do not trust the Miles Til Empty readout, but rather reset the trip odometer when you fill up.

JOhn

 

[Hoshiko]

dr D, yes that and that restraining bar is way in the tank, I took a look tonight. I think it may be "approx 18 l" up to that bar.
I found another thread on this very topic over in the r1150r.org forum. There are some guys there that have gotten as much as 5.6 gallons in when the tank was very empty. Universally there, they said do not trust the Miles Til Empty readout, but rather reset the trip odometer when you fill up.

JOhn

Dr. Strangelove, I just had time to go over your story, I have to admit it was like a soap opera episode, Sad, then drama, then sad, then more drama, then super extremely sad, then more drama, then pure joy and happiness.

I want it that same exhaust back when I was looking to switch my water boiler, contacted REMUS, and no one knew if they were building it for the 2011+ one.

(great pictures BTW):clap:

Regarding the gas stuff, 5.6 gallons on the R only mean that the gas station is stealing from its costumers, call Better Business Bureau now.

don't trust the miles til empty, nor the odometer resetting technique, every case is different, how do you ride, where do you ride, tire air pressure, temperature, your weight, the way you seat on the bike, the gear you wear, traffic in front of you, cloudy, sunny, windy, rainy, buildings around............................................

 

[yonderbob]

As you may have read, i'm a bit partial to red myself... But that is a FINE looking ride! and already farkled out perfectly. That's a heluva find!

congrats!

Bob

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Thanks, Bob, agree on all counts.

Modifying the farkles as we speak. Putting in an accessory fusebox, Eastern Beaver, and figuring how to have it "keyed." Thinking of going to accessory plug.

Yesterday, I drove up to Baton Rouge dealer to get an extra key and the prev owner had a Z Technic screen in very good condition that he no longer needed and gave to me! no bracket, but gift horse and all that. I'll prob sell it when I get everything together.

I also, last night installed the locksets in the Givi cases to make them all one key...easy job, $30 for three from twisted throttle.

 

[Hoshiko]

I'm just guessing you don't miss "RED" anymore right???:001_tt2:

What can you tell us about your new ride in comparison with the "older" one?

How is that suspension? Classic11 has contaminated my brain once again (first was his exhaust), now with the Ohlins bug. :001_unsure:

 

[drDave]

I'm curious myself. On a non electronic suspension 1200, how much difference would there really be between standard and Ohlins springs. . .and why?

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I'm just guessing you don't miss "RED" anymore right???:001_tt2:

What can you tell us about your new ride in comparison with the "older" one?

How is that suspension? Classic11 has contaminated my brain once again (first was his exhaust), now with the Ohlins bug. :001_unsure:

I spent all weekend refarkling her, undressing the old and dressing the new.
So, I have now an eastern beaver PC8 accessory fusebox, with
Gerbings

Zumo

Valentine 1

Motolights

Those are all on a switched circuit. I cut the two wires going to the accessory outlet and used the hot for the trigger for the relay to the PC8. I took the ground and grounded it to the ground terminal in the PC8

I wired the accessory socket to an unswitched terminal on the PC8 and now it is always hot and I can use it for trickle charging the battery--like it was on the 1150.
Many use the parking light as a trigger for the relay, but I didn't want to seek that out. Also, a friend with a new RT added a PC8 at the same time and it is commonplace in the RT community to use the accessory plug. Full disclosure: a majot guru on 1150.org, a guy I've used many times for tech savvy access, has been warning me about using the accessory circuit. He prefers the low beam hot. His reason is that when cranking the low beam is off, whereas the accesory socket is hot, thus making the work of the battery greater, and perhaps leading to premature demise of the battery.
To avoid dealing with finding the yellow hot for the low beam, I'll take that chance, and on my 1150 things were on when cranking. Battery life was fine.
The only snag in the operation was that the thermostat for the Gerbings has a short in it and blew a fuse. The circuit works fine minus the thermostat...a new one is on order.

A snag averted was mounting the motolights. The calipers bolt offset is slightly narrower on the 1200 than on the 1150. New brackets are $100. Dremel to the rescue, I just machined the inset down to fit the 1200's offset.

The ride
I have Wilbers on my 1150. They were set up and later rebuilt by Ted Porter. They are fine, but either the Ohlins are better, or, they are setup better. I suspect the physics of the 1150 vs the 1200 is roughly the same, but the ride is better on the 12. It was good on the 1150, but better on the 12.

The handgrips on the 12 are narrower, thus you have to curl your fingers tighter. This led to some tingling in my right hand fingertips, but releasing my grip produced relief. I think it's vascular rather than median nerve.
I bought some Grip Puppies knock off at the dealer and I hope that will address this insignificant problem.

The 12 is faster and smoother and lighter; far easier to maneuver at slow speeds.

I was a little concerned about the Corbin seat, as I has never seen many kind words written about the experience of getting one. I've not seen any reviews on their comfort, but it is comfortable. It will have to learn my anatomy and that will either take time or $450 for a rebuild, whatever comes first

The Cee Bailey is better than the tall screen. Better protection, quieter, less feeling that my head is being sucked off.

If you want to talk with THE shock absorber guy in the States it is Ted Porter at Ted Porter's BMW shop. The guy is VERY nice and VERY patient and will spend an hour on the phone talking shocks with you. He sells them all. I had to call him a couple of years after my original purchase and he was just as pleasant to deal with. He will not "contaminate" your mind, but will educate and allow you to make an educated decision. Just google him.

Any other specific questions re anything, please ask.

I wanna ride

John

PS By "Red" I'm sure mean my Stella! and she sits patiently for her abs surgery in my basement, right next to her younger sib. I don't miss her yet but she is right there.
This is her in her glory at The Painted Desert a year ago. It was COLD.

 

[Shishka]

Very Happy

My recent few trips away in Western Australia