[avocet]

Hello, I'm here because I just traded in my R1200GS for an R12R, and am hoping to learn more about the R from you experienced R riders. I've owned three GS's over the last few years and loved them, but found I wasn't really riding off road, or even riding many dirt roads like I used to. Also, I bought a K1600GT a year ago and have enjoyed taking some long road trips on that bike, so the GS has hardly been used. My wife, who used to ride an F800ST, but who hasn't been on a bike for a couple of years has wanted to join me on some of those trips, but doesn't like riding on the back of a bike (she likes to be in control). Recently she has tried riding my GS, and is doing fine except it is really too tall for her. Trading in the GS for an R solved both my problems. It gets me a bike my wife can ride so we can go on trips together, and gets me a boxer powered bike that I can use whenever I want to.

I have been on an R a few times in the past, and thought that if my wife had one of those instead of the F800ST, she would still be riding. She was always too uncomfortable to ride more than an hour or two on the ST. She's been much more comfortable with the GS, and I think she will find the R to be similar, although bar risers may be needed to make the riding position more GS-like. We will wait to see how she gets along with the R before we decide if risers are needed or not. Anyway, I'm not sure which I'm looking forward to most; taking a bike trip with my wife, or riding the R myself.

 

[las]

avocet- nice to make your acquaintance. As they say" You're gonna love it!!!

 

[Clem]

Welcome avocet. las & Hoshiko know a great deal about the bike. We're glad to have you on the forum with us. Enjoy! Oh, and mgriesi has a used set of Verholen bar risers for sale here now. See parts forum.

 

[avocet]

Las and Clem, thanks for the warm welcome. I'm really looking forward to getting the "R". Clem, thanks for the offer of the bar risers, I may take you up on them, but not until after we find out how comfortable my wife is on the bike without them. Do you know if modification of the brake or clutch lines is needed with the risers?

 

[Hoshiko]

Hi from Brooklyn Avocet, welcome to the forum and the R1200R.
Pretty cool deal you got there, wife rides, you got yourself a not so long trip, great looking bike, kept the K1600 (which I tested and loved the smoothness), got rid of the GS and the F but most important. YOU MADE YOUR WIFE HAPPY and that equals to HAPPY WIFE HAPPY LIFE.

I don't know if you need to change the brake and clutch lines for the raisers, I had 1 inch high 1 inch back raisers on my older bike and there was no need to change so I'll assume the same for the R

As some people know, I go out almost every Saturday morning, I meet a friend across the Lincoln tunnel, we ride to the Bergen County BMW/Harley and go out for a ride, most of the time to the Greenwood lake, 7 lake, Palisades, Appalachian.......... Come back to the dealership, have a little BBQ and the go home. Please make this your invitation to join, LAS lives around too, and Classic11 comes to Queens once in a while.

Now, you switch to the best bike, joined the best forum, if you only post a picture of your bike and it's a grey one, I'll pay for the beers.

 

[avocet]

Hoshiko, thanks for the invitation to join your Saturday rides. I'll try to meet up one of these weekends. I live on Long Island, near Port Jefferson, so I'm not too far from Brooklyn. I believe I saw your picture at the Montauk lighthouse. I go there a couple of times a year. It's a nice ride from here, out to Greenport, ferries across Shelter island, etc. if you're out this way I'd be happy to show you some nice roads. Yes,there actually are some nice riding roads on Long Island.

Anyway, I'll pick up the new bike Saturday from Max BMW in Ct. It will probably be a couple of weeks before we decide if we want bar risers or not. Hopefully our experience will match yours and new brake lines won't be needed.

 

[Hoshiko]

I'll love to see good roads on Long Island, I always take 495, long boring higway as you know.
I go to Greenport 1-2 times a year, get there on Friday, go downtown for dinner, Saturday do wine testing, Sunday brunch and back to the city.
I like Montauk but the whole north fork is way better and low key for me.

Pipes Cove, Greenport, eat some good oysters from there.

Croteaux vineyards, Southold, one of the ones that gets a visit every single trip there.

 

[Hoshiko]

and panoramic picture @ the lighthouse, the shadows of me and wife, the bike is all the way on the right.

 

[avocet]

Nice pictures Hoshiko. You're right, riding out Rt 495 is quite boring, but probably can't be avoided until you get to around exit 63. If you head towards the North Shore from there you can find pretty nice roads the rest of the way to Orient Point. Some are even quite twisty, and are where I head when I'm in the mood to attack some curves.

I don't want to overstate this. There aren't roads on Long Island anything like the Beartooth Pass road in Wyoming/Montana, or even as good as many in New England, but there definitely roads that are more scenic and fun than the L.I.E. There are some nice places to view Long Island Sound, and scenic roads along the South Shore and Peconic Bay too. I'd be happy to show them to you whenever you're out this way.

 

[abronzetiger]

Welcome aboard.

I have risers on mine which reach both up and back and they help my riding position a lot. It makes even short trips much kinder to the wrists and elbows. I'm 5'9" and it puts me in a position more reminiscent of the K1600 or a GS.

YMMV.

 

[avocet]

Thank you abronzetiger. There is a chance I will need to do that as well. Do you know if the brake or clutch lines needed to get modified when you added the risers? Thanks.

 

[abronzetiger]

Thank you abronzetiger. There is a chance I will need to do that as well. Do you know if the brake or clutch lines needed to get modified when you added the risers? Thanks.

I bought mine already modified, but I believe that the lines would need to be replaced.