HBMB

[JFC]

Happy Birthday, My Bike

05 12 (yellow),

17k miles

1st BMW (used to hunt them went I was younger) never wheelied (intentionally), never powerwashed, never slipped the clutch like a jap bike
Done europe (to Lithuanian border, Slovakia, Bavaria and in between) LEJOG in weekend and work every possible day.

Issues:-
1 headlamp bulb - 15.5k
Replaced front discs - warped warranty at 12k service
3rd set of tyres - Tourance (8.5k, bridgestone 020 3.5k, Tourance 5k to date, plenty left)
Done holes in tank filler mod - highly recommended, now easy to get 250+ miles to a tank (300 on tour)
750ml of oil used over and above service stuff
TTech perspex headlamp cover relects light up windscreen, so removed

Observations

Bar risers + nippy normans screen + bmw tank bag and top box made for nightmare in xwinds
Seat gets more comfortable with miles
Suspension: 5 at front, 2 turn above mid on rear and rebound 1 turn from H -topped corkscrew feeling whilst 'making progress' over rises etc
NN screen keeps head out of wind, very quite (MP3 listensing is easy) - slight buffeting effect noticed on lonnnnngggggg journeys, standard screen back on at moment (noisy, MP3 listening is difficult)
Standard screen and Sys5 crash helmet combination seems to route all bugs into earholes
Look forward to riding it every day
Other bikers dont nod as much (perhaps they are hunting me...)

Conclusions

will keep and use and use and use...

 

[JohnC]

Good write up. Nice to hear the everyday aspects of owning a 12.

 

[Pondboy]

Hope my new bike grows up to be like yours. PB

 

[ScottyKM]

And mine,
have noticed the lack of nodding tho, rode the gixer for the last time last friday, lotsa nods, rode the GSA every night this week, only 1 or 2 nods,

looks like i need a pipe and slippers then,

but i do like the comments at work, usually 'how the hell do you ride that???'
well i am 5'7..............

 

[dave hendy]

3rd set of tyres - Tourance (8.5k, bridgestone 020 3.5k, Tourance 5k to date, plenty left).

See you changed from the Tourance's to bridgestone then back to Tourance's wasn't the grip that much better with the 020? I did think about trying them but got a new Tourance at 7K as I coundn't really fault it

 

[WindyChuffer]

wots this bollox about nods then? who gives a fu*k? any one would think this was a motorcaravan club where all the sad tossers wave at each other just cos they drive a wa*k wagon...

 

[JFC]

tyres

See you changed from the Tourance's to bridgestone then back to Tourance's wasn't the grip that much better with the 020? I did think about trying them but got a new Tourance at 7K as I coundn't really fault it

Simply the mileage - bridgestone front has much sharper profile so bike handles differently but noticed no difference otherwise