New Member Introductions » New owner from West Sussex, Uk

Hello!

After over 30 years of riding with 20 years on Triumph motorbikes I will be picking up my new (ex demo) 1250RS on Wednesday. I live in East Grinstead, Sussex.

I have some feelings of trepidation even though I rode the bike and really liked it. There is nothing wrong with my Tiger 800 XRt and I enjoy riding it, but though its time to try a BMW. Having enjoyed the adventure bike position for a few years many have become too tall for me to ride safely with luggage and my wife on the back.

I'm a little nervous about ongoing running costs and also rear passenger comfort. The dealer was unable to insure passengers for the test drive. We will probably miss the heated seats too. But seeing all the reviews I'm fairly confident that I will enjoy the new bike. I will of course have a good look around the forum - can anyone comment on passenger comfort?

On the shopping list is a Givi top box and a plate that will hopefully attach to the existing top box rack. The bike is coming with BMW panniers and a new BMW v6 satnav.

I tend to ride all year round but I'm not commuting so won't ride it on salty gritted roads. Currently I plug my battery tender into the power socket of the Triumph. Can this be done on the BMW or do I need to connect it to the battery?

I've read here about various protectors and will look some more while trying to keep the costs under control.

Thank you and all my best!

Welcome. I'm just up the road from you - literally; you'll know where the tents and plastic giraffe are!

I've got an 'old' one though, a 1200 in Lupin. Maybe I'll see you passing sometime

Graham

Welcome to the forum.
Regarding the battery maintenance - a CAN compatible charger like the Optimate 4 can be used through the accessory socket.

Zitat von KR1S im Beitrag #4

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Welcome to the forum.
Regarding the battery maintenance - a CAN compatible charger like the Optimate 4 can be used through the accessory socket.

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I think you'll love the RS.

My previous bike was a Pan European and my lady finds the RS comfortable enough.

If you ride all year the time and money you spend looking after your chain will go towards service costs.

Make sure you set up the Optimal 4 for CANBUS use, it's easy enough.

Roland,

First before/at the time of collection check you have the seat that best suits you. There are 4 seat heights:

840mm
820mm
790mm
760mm

Your dealer will likely swap what is on your bike for another at no extra cost.

I would then say your absolute priority is cylinder head guards. They will protect those very exposed heads from a low speed/no speed drop. Plenty to choose from. I fitted Givis - about £100. The BMW equivalent retail at about £190 but lots of other options around the same price of the Givis and less.

Be aware that the bike sits very vertically on its side stand. A slight slope on a car park and a strong wind and the bike could tip over. The solution is simple enough - Use the centre stand or set the shock to "Max" before you switch off and give it a few seconds to rise.

After that take your time with the farkles. I had the "pressure" of an European trip two months after purchase of my lightly used 1250RS and so wanted everything sorted by then. You have a whole winter to get it sorted.

Suggestions:

Mudslinger to protect that expensive shock
Moto Mate fitting to set the SatNav above the TFT which is where it should have been in the first place!
Screens - I am not going to go there. I disliked the BMW and quickly replaced it with a Givi. Not perfect but much better for my needs. I fitted a small Xcreen that was in my box of spares. That seems to work and I think I will look for a larger Xscreen as a permanent solution.
Many fit bar risers

Given that you will be riding with your wife as pillion be careful on the choice of top box. The Givi aluminium plate sets the box quite far forward so look for a box with a minimum forward overhang but ultimately how careful you need to be with that choice may depend upon how petite your wife is!

Hope that helps. Bet you are itching to get to grips with the new toy!!

Chris

Zitat von PlacidoD im Beitrag #7

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Roland,

First before/at the time of collection check you have the seat that best suits you. There are 4 seat heights:

840mm
820mm
790mm
760mm

Your dealer will likely swap what is on your bike for another at no extra cost.

I would then say your absolute priority is cylinder head guards. They will protect those very exposed heads from a low speed/no speed drop. Plenty to choose from. I fitted Givis - about £100. The BMW equivalent retail at about £190 but lots of other options around the same price of the Givis and less.

Be aware that the bike sits very vertically on its side stand. A slight slope on a car park and a strong wind and the bike could tip over. The solution is simple enough - Use the centre stand or set the shock to "Max" before you switch off and give it a few seconds to rise.

After that take your time with the farkles. I had the "pressure" of an European trip two months after purchase of my lightly used 1250RS and so wanted everything sorted by then. You have a whole winter to get it sorted.

Suggestions:

Mudslinger to protect that expensive shock
Moto Mate fitting to set the SatNav above the TFT which is where it should have been in the first place!
Screens - I am not going to go there. I disliked the BMW and quickly replaced it with a Givi. Not perfect but much better for my needs. I fitted a small Xcreen that was in my box of spares. That seems to work and I think I will look for a larger Xscreen as a permanent solution.
Many fit bar risers

Given that you will be riding with your wife as pillion be careful on the choice of top box. The Givi aluminium plate sets the box quite far forward so look for a box with a minimum forward overhang but ultimately how careful you need to be with that choice may depend upon how petite your wife is!

Hope that helps. Bet you are itching to get to grips with the new toy!!

Chris

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Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

Zitat von RolandN im Beitrag #8

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Zitat von PlacidoD im Beitrag #7

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Roland,

First before/at the time of collection check you have the seat that best suits you. There are 4 seat heights:

840mm
820mm
790mm
760mm

Your dealer will likely swap what is on your bike for another at no extra cost.

I would then say your absolute priority is cylinder head guards. They will protect those very exposed heads from a low speed/no speed drop. Plenty to choose from. I fitted Givis - about £100. The BMW equivalent retail at about £190 but lots of other options around the same price of the Givis and less.

Be aware that the bike sits very vertically on its side stand. A slight slope on a car park and a strong wind and the bike could tip over. The solution is simple enough - Use the centre stand or set the shock to "Max" before you switch off and give it a few seconds to rise.

After that take your time with the farkles. I had the "pressure" of an European trip two months after purchase of my lightly used 1250RS and so wanted everything sorted by then. You have a whole winter to get it sorted.

Suggestions:

Mudslinger to protect that expensive shock
Moto Mate fitting to set the SatNav above the TFT which is where it should have been in the first place!
Screens - I am not going to go there. I disliked the BMW and quickly replaced it with a Givi. Not perfect but much better for my needs. I fitted a small Xcreen that was in my box of spares. That seems to work and I think I will look for a larger Xscreen as a permanent solution.
Many fit bar risers

Given that you will be riding with your wife as pillion be careful on the choice of top box. The Givi aluminium plate sets the box quite far forward so look for a box with a minimum forward overhang but ultimately how careful you need to be with that choice may depend upon how petite your wife is!

Hope that helps. Bet you are itching to get to grips with the new toy!!

Chris

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Your post is very helpful Chris. Thank you. I have spent much time lurking on this forum since my first post and you're right. I can't wait to collect it this Wednesday.

I hadn't realised the importance of the seat height. During the test I thought I can reach the floor so = tick! I don't know if the dealer will allow me to swop as it's their demo bike but It's good to be armed with the info.

I have now ordered the Givi plate and box in the hope that we will fit OK. We're not too big so fingers crossed. I really wanted a bigger box than the BMW offering. Also ordered the weather protection and Moto Mate already.
The bar riser and the screen are things I'll wait to see. I did note how noisy things got with the standard screen during the test on a dual carriageway.


I'm still undecided about the head protection. Do the close guards/covers allow dirt and crud to gather and introduce the risk of corrosion? Maybe I should go down the route of crash bars? I am determined to get something but I don't know what. I did have a couple of embarrassing drops two bikes ago, a top-heavy Tiger Sport 1050 with wife and luggage on board. The crash bars did save the tour!


Thanks again!

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Zitat von RolandN im Beitrag #8

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[quote=PlacidoD|p33320]

.... I hadn't realised the importance of the seat height. During the test I thought I can reach the floor so = tick! I don't know if the dealer will allow me to swop as it's their demo bike but It's good to be armed with the info.

...... I'm still undecided about the head protection. Do the close guards/covers allow dirt and crud to gather and introduce the risk of corrosion? Maybe I should go down the route of crash bars? I am determined to get something but I don't know what. I did have a couple of embarrassing drops two bikes ago, a top-heavy Tiger Sport 1050 with wife and luggage on board. The crash bars did save the tour!

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Hi Roland

Following on from PM’s, i have the crash bars. They are good and will undoubtedly offer good protection, but they make the bike noticeablywider and do mean you have to take off the little aero winglets at the bottom of the bike. I’m contemplating a swap to engine covers - not yet decided. See pic...

A16E0812-ACEA-404A-96BD-F8756AD6112D.jpeg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

My other addition to the list of farkles is the wunderlich xtreme fender extender - these are a bit marmite amongst forum members but I’m an advocate, I think it’s subtler than the Avantguard engine protection plate and does a very good job of keeping crud of your shiny new bike while making the front fender considerably more rigid.

Olie

Hi OlieL

Like tbe photo bike looks good, what is the gps mount you have used?

Cheers
Tony

It is the excellent Moto-Mate, sold by forum member @Fugly at w w w.moto-mate.com and recommended by just about everyone on here, including @PlacidoD above. I think I posted some photos when I installed it - will take a look.

Many thanks

Roland,

Welcome! As others have set you up nicely, I will only comment on the pillion. I have had a pillion for about 3k miles on my RS and can say with confidence, the comfort level is high. While I have the BMW top case, the only required adjust requested was wider foot pegs. Everything else was comfortable as is.

Heres to many miles on your new bike!