[r1200]

Hi all,
I'm making a purchase in the next week. I've ridden both the monster and r1200r and like them for different reasons...leaning towards the r1200r for practicality and its many features..but Im struggling with the looks ...does anyone have any ideas, pics etc. on how to make it look a little tougher, sexier etc.

:

 

[abronzetiger]

Well, I'd recommend the R1200R every time over the Monster. The BMW is already sexier than that.

With how much more comfortable you'll be, you will not give a **** about the looks of your bike that makes your legs and butt ache after any reasonable distance. ;-)

 

[sup909]

What exactly are you looking for. The r1200r without a windshield has a nice naked look to it. There is a BMW version of that small headlight windscreen that you commonly find on Monsters. I cannot remember the name of it for the life of me though and they are very expesnive. ~$700 is I remember correctly.

 

[larryt411]

I ordered one of these for the R1200R I just bought

Trophy Fairing R1200 R | BMW Wunderlich America

Expensive as ****, but I think it'll look great.

 

[drDave]

If you want to zip around town with a backpack, no question the Monster is cool; and even though I love my 1200r, I think BMW goes out of its way to emasculate the looks of its bikes. . so Monster wins on looks.

BUT. . .and there are a lot of buts. . .the Monster is not a distance bike; it's light and reviewers have found it's highway performance a little twitchy. It's a chain drive, not a shaft and if you are commuting with bags, the 1200 is a far better bike. It tracks like a gyroscope with it's low center of gravity boxer engine and it's stable from a brisk walking speed to mph that will get your bike impounded. . A better comparison would be the Diavel Strada and the 1200, but do you want to pay an extra 5k for horsepower that will rip your arms out of their sockets. . .?

 

[sup909]

I ordered one of these for the R1200R I just bought

Trophy Fairing R1200 R | BMW Wunderlich America

Expensive as ****, but I think it'll look great.

Yup, that was the one I was referring to. Would love to see a photo of it on the bike.

 

[Fudge]

I ordered one of these for the R1200R I just bought

Trophy Fairing R1200 R | BMW Wunderlich America

Expensive as ****, but I think it'll look great.

I am seriously contemplating this fairing also. I have the sport screen on right now which is great at below 60MPH, but at higher speeds I get too much wind blast. I'm about 5'9" and I need just a little more wind protection (primarily for my shoulders), and the only downside is the $800 for this fairing. If it doesn't meet expectations in regards to wind protection it would be an expensive experiment.

 

[drDave]

Making the 1200 sexier is a little iffy; kind of like putting extra makeup on Roseanne Barr and hoping she'll look like Mila Kunis . .but. . .things to consider: Chrome engine covers and crashbars; LED driving lights and turn signals; carbon fiber muffler. I'd also recommend a 139db Stebel Nautilis horn to get the attention of inebriated soccer moms in their Toyota Land Crushers and maybe turn their poodles into molecular dust. . .

 

[Fudge]

Yup, that was the one I was referring to. Would love to see a photo of it on the bike.

Follow this thread, a few pictures on the bike. Looks great in my opinion.

Cafe fairing Trophy Wunderlich - Page 2

 

[r1200]

What am I looking for?... I guess a more sporty/aggressive look at the moment the Bimmer doesn't pull on the heart strings as much as the Duc...butI know the Bimmer makes more sense.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Are you going to go with your heart or your brain? That is the question.

I can tell you this that the RR's looks will grow on you. You ever see a girl that you have known for a long time and then at some random time she turns a certain way, and, as Mario Puzo put it in The Godfather, "the thunderbolt strikes." You see her as if for the first time and she is gorgeous, desirable, and it makes all the sense in the world to have her, you know? He goes on to say that that is a Sicilian thing, but the RR is like that girl. Suddenly and forever beautiful.
The cylinder heads turned me off at first, years ago, but whenever I started comparing bikes I always wound up finding that, to me, the BMW was the standard of comparison. And now, when I'm on the highway and another bike is coming my way I find I always look for the jugs.

Ducatis (Monsters) and BMWs(Roadsters) live in rarified air, but they exhale in different directions.

 

[sup909]

What am I looking for?... I guess a more sporty/aggressive look at the moment the Bimmer doesn't pull on the heart strings as much as the Duc...butI know the Bimmer makes more sense.

The Beemer isn't going to have an aggressive look, but it will still turn heads, especially in the US where it is not as common. Brought mine out to a breakfast spot where bikers congregate (Full Moon north of Chicago) and had several people oogling since they haven't seen an r1200r before.

A state trooper said "Nice bike" to me two weeks ago as he was writing up my speeding ticket.

 

[Hoshiko]

hey R1200, first let me agree/laugh with drDave.

Making the 1200 sexier is a little iffy; kind of like putting extra makeup on Roseanne Barr and hoping she'll look like Mila Kunis ..

Second, I think, and it's only my own opinion, the R1200R it's better looking then any monster, I just love the boxer engine looks on this naked bike, yep, Beemer could work on exhausts and colors but that is nothing once you compare, QUALITY, suspension, brakes and riding in general.

Now, like few had mentioned, everything depends what kind of riding you do, if you'll be taking your bike to the downtown coffee shop just to seat outside with skinny jeans, a "vintage" jacket, leather helmet and goggles, then buy a monster. Otherwise, I'll advise on the R.

And that screen looks great. BTW

 

[Classic11]

You can't make the r1200r into the sexy beast that a monster is.. Not going to happen, especially the soul of the Duc in that evo motor. The things that stand out to me between the two is the build quality. BMWs are made with less regard of final cost but final product. To me Ducati uses some shelf parts and the welds on the frame, along with overall finish work, just isn't on par. The BMW is riddled with technology that just makes it better. Brain chooses the BMW, your johnson will choose the Duc. If I had to give recommendations to make it look better, I've replaced the mirrors, changed the location of the muffler to underneath the seat, and removed the windshield. Other things that I would also consider is the belly pan I've seen on a couple r12rs, different headlight setup, powder coating the cast wheels, or adding a turbo (everything looks better with a hair dryer). Hopefully this helps just my:2cents:

 

[Clem]

+1 What he said. That makes 4 cents.

 

[r1200]

Thanks for your feed back...I've also organised a second Duc test ride to assist with my decision . I'Ve already done the second test ride with the Bimmer which helped me bond with the bike a little more....talked about mods with the dealer....investigating blacked out wheels on the classic and bar end mirrors, carbon exhaust also.
Let you know how I went with Duc in a few days

 

[r1200]

R1200 v 1100evo

Pics

 

[Classic11]

My classic with a single bar end mirror. Have you considered a Speed Triple R? If you want to compare apples to apples, the Speed Triple is superior to the Monster. Inline triples make me a happy boy. Every review I've read comparing the two confirm it's better. As far as blacking out wire wheels... hope you have a confident powder coat guy.

I can't find a picture without the panniers.. Lets face it, they may be ugly but they are worth their weight in gold.

 

[Clem]

"Inline triples make me a happy boy."
Oh, yeah? Then Yamaha's gonna make you grin. New 600 and venerable R-1 1000cc are coming out in a TRIPLE:001_tt1:cylinder engine configuration. Crossplane 4 has gone with the wind. Who'd have thought?

 

[Classic11]

"Inline triples make me a happy boy."
Oh, yeah? Then Yamaha's gonna make you grin. New 600 and venerable R-1 1000cc are coming out in a TRIPLE:001_tt1:cylinder engine configuration. Crossplane 4 has gone with the wind. Who'd have thought?

I dribbled in my pants a little! As far as looks, Yamaha has always had my eye. I was already eager to see the new ninja 636.. I guess my future Daytona r has some competition