BMW R1200R

As promised, here's a photo of my bike.

It's fitted with the optional Comfort Seat High, which increases the space for those of a lanky persuasion. There's also a set of the polycarbonate cylinder head protectors on the engine.

The luggage mounting system is really neat. If you look at the seat there's a bar along the side with a couple of prongs. Those are the upper mounting points, and though they're not as neat as those on the Multistrada and VFR1200F, it's not bad. The lower point is the end of the pillion foot peg hanger (which is out of reach of my feet).

PS Rocca, I got a good deal on the humour pack. :)

Thanks Playlord.

I haven't had the bike much above 30, as the only trip was fighting my way through rush hour traffic in London, so I don't know how effective the flyscreen is.

I'm on the run.

I took the bike out yesterday evening, and was riding badly after a year or two lay-off. I came through some traffic lights in Kingston-upon-Thames, and thought I was wobbling a bit. At that point I saw a set of blue lights lit up in my rear view mirror...

So I pull up beside the road, and the police car stops beside a Volvo behind me, has a word with its driver, before disappearing off down the road at speed in pursuit of another miscreant.

At that point the gear box decides that it's going to stick in fourth gear, and is reluctant to drop down. So clutch out, clutch in, roll forward, gear shift for a few minutes to eventually convince it that it really wants to be in first.

That and my shocking riding skills aside, the R1200R seems to be good. I've not felt intimidated by it, though occasionally when moving it around I really feel the weight.

I haven't managed to get up above 40 as yet (that'll teach me to live in London), but the fly screen seems reasonably effective. I'm off down the motorway tomorrow so will report back then.

Being in possession of a BMW and a pair of Altberg boots, I figured that I should take the cliché further. So I've signed up with TVAM, who are a reasonably local branch of the IAM.

Yesterday with the first observed ride. I headed out to Basingstoke on the M3 to meet up with my observer, and then was taken out on a run down country lanes towards Alton and Loomies cafe.

I'm wobbling a lot less than before too, so it was a useful day out. It's getting better Dogfm. :)

Playlord was asking about the flyscreen. I found wind buffeting to be pretty minimal up to about 65 mph (100 km/h). It gets increasingly hard work beyond there, though I've not done more than an indicated 80 - 85 mph on an overtake.

I've had a couple of niggles with the bike: The gearbox has a habit of getting stuck in a gear, normally when I've stalled it, or put it into neutral. The left mirror has come loose, despite a bit of spannering in an attempt to fix it. The seat doesn't want to unlock and come off. And the steering lock decided to stay on at one point.

Unfortunately the spanner for fixing the mirror is currently locked under the seat, so I'm going to drop it back at the dealers for a spot of fettling.

Rob, I'm not saying that I should have bought a K1300R instead, but rather that my ideal bike probably has characteristics of that bike and the R1200R.

Navy Boy, the gearbox is a lot better than it was, and I'd expect it will continue to improve. A lot of the mechanical parts seemed tight to begin with and are now behaving better.

I suspect that it's a head versus heart thing. My R1200R, Rob's Griso and your Harley are all basically the same thing, namely a big, air cooled standard twins. On paper (and possibly in practice) the Beemer is lighter, at least as powerful and more fuel efficient than its rivals, and is more practical. But I don't think it's the sort of machine that people say, "You know what, I really want one."

Though the Classic does seem to have its fans.

I could see it getting under my skin, though. I feel a bit like it's the default choice, but nothing seems quite as good.

No more pictures, sorry. I should have stopped in Cheddar Gorge for a few beauty shots yesterday.

Perhaps I should reiterate that. :)

The finish is excellent, but there have been a few small niggles. Most of which seem to be down to the bike being new, and needing a little wearing in to loosen it up.

The gearbox, steering lock (getting stuck on once or twice) and seat lock all fall into this, and are improving. I get the impression that it's one of those "they all do that" things.

The loose mirror was something that the dealer didn't sort properly prior to delivery and required two minutes to fix.

The pannier issue is that there's a little arm that comes up when the carry handle is pushed down, and presses against the underside of the seat unit to hold it in place. There's an L-shaped piece on the end of the arm, and that popped up when I was packing the panniers last week, and I can't seem to get it properly affixed. I'm not sure if it should be glued on, or whether it's held in place by friction. Again, it'll be a two minute fix once I know how it's meant to be.

The forks are really the only thing that's of concern.

Rob's Griso has similar issues with mechanical tightness. The engine was stalling pretty regularly for the first fifty or hundred miles, but is better now.

My riding is eminently criticisable, and as you said I shouldn't have been in fourth at that point. It was a combination of tiredness and getting confused by a bizarre roundabout-cum-junction in Staines.

I've not owned a new bike before, so not sure if these are just niggles that all bikes have. Rob's Griso sounds equally tight to being with, and the pannier issue is far less serious than the leakage that the Multistrada's suffered. There's nothing that would put me off owning one.

I'd heard about the attempt, but didn't realise that he'd chosen a proper bike for the ride. Not been following it though.

Though he's obviously riding it like I ride mine, as he's been passed by a mobility scooter...

Ouch.

I'm in the wrong lane in a roundabout, and trying to step one lane in. A car comes up on my outside, so I turn to avoid being cut up. The car who was behind me is now alongside and closing. I've got nowhere to go.

The left side of the Beemer has a close encounter with the driver's door, and the bike goes down on its left side, dumping me in the road.

My little finger is a little sore, and the left knee on my leathers has a scuffed patch slightly larger than a postage stamp, otherwise I'm unhurt. I'm very glad I specified extra thick hide and the full-fat armour on my leathers because I didn't feel a thing as I hit the ground. It could have been a lot worse.

The bike crashes well. The bar weight and end of the clutch lever are a bit ground down. There are a few nasty scratches on the cylinder head, and the protector got ripped off. The end can has a few scratches. And the left mirror is now loose and needs tightening up. Again.

The car had a big dent in the driver's door, and the other party claims that I changed lanes suddenly and drove into them.