I’ve gone and Supermotarded my 1200GS

[simplysounds]

offset

this is correct. i put a long piece of wood along side the front wheel and the rear sit's to left by appx 15-20mm.

i'm about to put rt wheels on mine and i'm gonna post a pictorial report. i'm gonna see how the rear lines up before i get any amounts machined off.

...
Just think of it this way - if a manufacturer launched a production bike with offset wheels, they'd be the laughing stock...QUOTE]

BMW All BMW R bikes have offset wheels

 

[stever1]

Having seen pics of a 1200GS with 1200RT wheels fitted, and wanting to improve the road handing of my GS. I’ve gone one step further and fitted some 17" 1200S wheels, which IMHO, are better looking. Plus the rear wheel is a 6.5 inch wide bugger, so it’ll take a superbike size 190 section tyre.

After doing over 100 miles on these, I ‘m over the moon with the way my GS handles now. The steering is so much lighter and precise, allowing me to effortlessly flick the bike through the curves like a sports bike. Excellent.

Motorway handling is excellent also, just as stable at high speed as with the standard wheels.

Ground clearance doesn’t seem to be a problem so far, though I haven’t really done any proper scratching on her yet.


Oh, and thanks to the Darren & Mike at Bristol Motorrad for their help and speedy service.

wish i could see the pictures

 

[simplysounds]

your help needed please

steve, did you get the wheel or the wheel carrier milled down? i'm doing the same conversion. i got an rt rear wheel today (without the 180 tyre on it) and offered it up to the bike. i know the bmw r's wheels do not line up (even my wire wheels are not in line with each other) but the rt wheel seems quite a bit over to the left. i've heard people mill 3.8mm off each part - wheel and wheel carrier so it moves over a bit.

i've also bought a k1200gt front wheel that looks the same as the rt wheel (well i hope it is when it arrives). did the gs front spindle and spacer fit or did you have to modify it?

any info would be so helpful.

cheers, nigel

I converted mine also it has the ST wheels painted in satin black and wearing BT014 Bridgestones. Have only covered about 200 miles. 120 front 180 rear.
I am currently changing my GS and will sell all the parts to convert it to the supermoto look.

Brand new BMW ST wheels painted two pack satin black and a carbon front guard modifed to suit the 17" wheels, as the orginal front guard looks naff with the smaller wheels these are a bolt straight in swap.

call me for details pls. 07894 047 667

steve

 

[simplysounds]

removal of metal?

how did you remove the material on both the wheel and wheel carrier? were they machined on a milling machine or lathe? did you do it yourself or was it done at a machine shop?

I've done my '05 and my new '07 as well. Here is a pic of the '07:

The rear offset is a bit much. You don't notice it unless you take both hands off of the bars and then it pulls to the right pretty hard. I fixed it on both bikes by removing .150" from the mounting flange of the wheel and also .150" from the rear drive flange. Very simple to do resulting in no pull at all Another thing to watch out for is how close the front disc support comes to the caliper. It actually hit the r/s caliper on my '05 and was extremely close on the '07. Its a 10 minute fix to get .040" clearance with a grinder and a can of flat black paint. You have to take just a bit of material off from an area about the size of the tip of your finger. No big deal. The bike is only lowered at the pegs by 1/2". The rear wheel is the same size in diameter as the stocker while the front is 1" smaller. The bike drops into turns much quicker with less effort. It tracks beautifully as well. I powder coated the '07 wheels gloss black for a paltry $75 for BOTH wheels! Powder coating is so simple compared to wet painting anyone could do it. The powder is electrically charged and blown on the wheel which is then placed in an oven for 4 hours at 400F. Presto, perfect finish. I had an industrial guy do it. Dropped them off in the morning and picked them up in the afternoon. He probably had a total of 30 minutes of labor invested, hence the low fee. The front fender is a cheap laid up piece from Boxer-Design painted flat black to match the other plastic bits.

 

[Bengaz]

...
Just think of it this way - if a manufacturer launched a production bike with offset wheels, they'd be the laughing stock...QUOTE]

BMW All BMW R bikes have offset wheels

Is this a fact?
That may explain why when I take both my hands off the bars (while slowing down) I have to lean quite a lot to one side to balance the bike. R1200R.



Why dont you just by a R1200R, much cheaper and much better road bike than a GS (Ive had both).

 

[Coolcarbon]

That may explain why when I take both my hands off the bars (while slowing down) I have to lean quite a lot to one side to balance the bike. R1200R.

I think you'll find that caused by the torque reaction of the 'in line' crank...

 

[vikingiii]

I think you'll find that caused by the torque reaction of the 'in line' crank...

I'm of he same opinion.

 

[Nutty]

Is this a fact?
That may explain why when I take both my hands off the bars (while slowing down) I have to lean quite a lot to one side to balance the bike. R1200R.



Why dont you just by a R1200R, much cheaper and much better road bike than a GS (Ive had both).

Nice bike. Enjoy. I really like the look of the R1200R.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Nice bike. Enjoy. I really like the look of the R1200R.

Looks especially nice second time around

Andres

 

[simplysounds]

my gsa

well i did mine. rt1200 wheels. front went straight on with no alterations. i thought about getting a small amount machined off the rear but thought i'd try it first and it's all ok. the rear looks in line (see pics). no more pull in any direction than my standard wire wheels. i had to get a smaller silencer and i had to take 5-6mm off the left hand side of the centre stand foot. i spent more time wondering and measuring, making templates etc than the change over took.

during the project i contacted boxer designs and they just supply standard rt/s wheels and a new front spacer. i think they supply the same spacer you already have on the gs but maybe it looks like you're getting some sort of kit rather than just 2 wheels. they also said the calipers may need some material shaved off. my calipers are close but do clear the rotors by 1mm either side.

i'm also going to add the rather pricey carbon mudguard at £238 from illmbergery peeps on ebay. i tried lowering and modify the original but i'm not to keen on it.

the ride is great. i'm no racer but found myself tearing around like a nutter today. the front end is great and more stable. i did have a little power twitch on the rear but my tyres are brand new (maxxis sports £135 a pair delivered - ebay & not a bad word on any forums). it feels like a different bike for the better. smoother ride, no real thought input into cornering - it flows and you just don't think about it. moving the bike around is better as well. i will not be going back to the stock wheels and these are easy to clean. i did think about powder coating the wheels but wanted to see how it felt first befor spending more money. now they're on i think i like the colour. i think black gloss would always look dusty down my road/track. for now they're staying silver.

if anyone wants pics or advice email me: [email protected] and i'll be glad to help.

http://s1095.photobucket.com/albums/i470/simplysounds/?action=view&current=DSC00327.jpg

 

[Shaun1000]

BREAKING NEWS! Guys you are all missing a trick. Fit an ST or RT swing arm to a GS and the RT wheels will line up correctly. I did one a few weeks past. Swing arms are cheap on ebay in the UK and still only the price of a set of tyres in the breakers. Try Motorworks or James Sherlock. It also means that it can all be put back to standard which is not the case when you start machining the strength out of things! The ST/RT arm is a direct replacement but is offset to the right by about 12mm more where the bevel box attaches - That is the difference between GS wheel offset (32mm) and an RT wheel offset (44mm). Hey presto - no tendency to turn right when you take your hands off the bars any more. No more exhaust clearance issue (in my case with an aftermarket can) and no centre stand machining. Drive shafts etc are all common to both. It looks good. handles brilliantly and you don't feel you are compromising anything with a wheel 12mm out of centre. If your gonna do it - do it right. Swing arm change was easy enough except for the siezed pivot pin.

Have fun.

Shaun.

 

[Bendy toy]

The RHS pin is easiest to remove with a long drift right through. Just pop the drive shaft off first.
On the other hand - the LHS with its fine threads could be nasty.

 

[P3t3r]

I took a 17 inch wheel of the 17" SM set a HP2 Enduro

Dismantled my own 19"

Haan Wheels spoked the hub into the 17" rim for me

Little H details

17"carbon hugger

And Voila!

 

[DING-DONG]

That looks lovely and the front wheel, the detail is quality, just watch the front carbon mudguard, underneath the fork to mudguard mounting point, the carbon flex's and mine snapped and trimmed it to suit.

You can see it here.
http://www.bikehps.com/acatalog/info-BSTR12GS.html

 

[Bendy toy]

The brass ferrules look great & are what's missing from BMW wire wheels. Copper dramatically reduces the electrolytic effect between aluminium and stainless steel.

The carbon wheels look stunning but have to ask how practical they are on British potholes.

Has anyone made a front swing arm from carbon? The original is heavier that the back end.

 

[DING-DONG]

The carbon wheels look stunning but have to ask how practical they are on British potholes.
.

There probably more practical than you think and stronger than the magnesium's i have, bst did a test dropping several sets of wheels without tyres from a certain height, cast - magnesium - but carbons came out the best !