Newbie Question.

[Scotsrick]

Hi all , new member here so be gentle.

I’ve got my eye on a 2017 R 1200 GS TE.

However there is a slight problem. It won’t fit through my gate. We’re talking stone pillars so no wiggle room.

Short of moving house I can see 3 options.

1 Enlage my gate. Difficult and requiring a stone mason

2. Narrow the bars. Now I’ve done some Googling and can’t find a definitive answer to this for my particular bike. Has anybody done it and is it difficult. I’ve read several threads on that very subject on here. There are lots of s/h bars on eBay so if it all goes wrong it’s not the end of the world.

3. This was mentioned on this site a while back but I haven’t found anyone who has fitted them. Has anybody done so? https://www.wunderlich.de/shop/en/wunderlich-tube-style-handlebar-m31001-002-1.html

Thanks.

 

[DC]

it won't fit the opening by how much ? an inch ? 6 inches ? is it a wider opening after the stone pillars ? you can't get it through pushing the left in then when through straightening up ? if this bike is at a dealers ,why not take the bike out for a test ride, ride it home see it if there's anything you can do

 

[Scotsrick]

I’ll get an accurate measurement tomorrow but I think there’s no way it’ll fit by wiggle.

 

[Victor c]

I’m sure i have seen a post, where someone has fitted narrower bars from and RS1200/1250

 

[leadfarmer]

Zoltan has swapped his bars out

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/553757-Handlebar-conversion-1250GS

 

[Scotsrick]

Zoltan has swapped his bars out

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/553757-Handlebar-conversion-1250GS

Yessss.

That’s absolutely brilliant.

Mine is only a 1200 but the cockpit looks the same. You can see how the switchgear is far closer to the bends in the bars than the standard.

Was it just a bolt on like for like conversion? Is the riding position altered?

I might need to message him if he doesn’t see this obviously.

Edit: specs for the respective bikes say width is 915mm and 880mm which is less than the 1 and a half inches either side that was said in the original post.

Zoltan if you read this can you measure the maximum width of your bike or if anyone has access to an r1250r or r1200r can they do so? (They probably have a bike in the shop I’m buying it from but it’s a bit away)

Thanks again all.

 

[Khulu]

Yessss.

That’s absolutely brilliant.

Mine is only a 1200 but the cockpit looks the same. You can see how the switchgear is far closer to the bends in the bars than the standard.

Was it just a bolt on like for like conversion? Is the riding position altered?

I might need to message him if he doesn’t see this obviously.

Edit: specs for the respective bikes say width is 915mm and 880mm which is less than the 1 and a half inches either side that was said in the original post.

Zoltan if you read this can you measure the maximum width of your bike or if anyone has access to an r1250r or r1200r can they do so? (They probably have a bike in the shop I’m buying it from but it’s a bit away)

Thanks again all.

Go into Dalkeith Motorrad and measure their bars.

 

[Mr Bean]

I used to have the same issue, where the bars were wider than the opening. It wasn't a problem in reality as I'd just move the bars left to right as I went through the gap.

Try it.

 

[Barnoe]

"No gate should stop a man getting the bike he desires"

its a line in the bible i think
Angle grinder and bolster chisel to the rescue.... just do it when the wife isnt around, or she will talk you out of it lol

 

[Giles]

"No gate should stop a man getting the bike he desires"

its a line in the bible i think
Angle grinder and bolster chisel to the rescue.... just do it when the wife isnt around, or she will talk you out of it lol

Ha! This was my bike many quite a few years ago. We'd done three or four hours and there was no turning back!!



<iframe width="805" height="604" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hv_f48LqGr0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Wapping]

Please tell me you forgot the top box…..

I bet the true performance went something like this:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xcrjBoWuZTg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Scotsrick]

Go into Dalkeith Motorrad and measure their bars.

That’s where I’m getting the bike from.

It might be easier if I just did that.

 

[Winjar]

That’s where I’m getting the bike from.

It might be easier if I just did that.

Another option, and get them to fit on bike before leave BMW

https://www.helibars.com/shop-by-bi...able-handlebars-for-bmw-r1200gs-lc-hrat05101/

 

[Scotsrick]

Bugger me it’s difficult to make a decision.

I’ve remeasured and I’ve got 910mm wood to wood just now as it is which is plenty room to get my Sprint GT through.

I can get 980 if I take off the wooden gateposts and locate them behind the stonework rather than bolted onto the side. That’s not quite enough to get the GS through as standard but it’s pretty close it’s including the guards.

The Wunderlich replacement bars are 798 mm width but you have bar ends to go on that of course. I can’t find a measurement of a bare set of standard bars to see exactly how much narrower they are. That’s the cost effective option at about £200 including bar end adapters etc. Benefits of that is a bolt off bolt on job.

The other option are Helibars as mentioned above. They’d definitely fit at 760mm but the only article I can read where the guy fitted them involved rerouting cables and dropping fork legs which to be honest I’d rather avoid. I’ve done bar work before which involved similar and I can do it but it’s a pain.
Also they aren’t far off 600 quid.

Decision decisions.

Has anybody got a spare set of ‘bare’ bars they can measure tip to tip so I can compare them with the Wunderlich?

(I spent well over my intended budget to get this bike, it’s not just because I’m tight that I’m looking for the most cost effective method but I’m trying not to spend any more)

 

[Alan R]

Bugger me it’s difficult to make a decision.


Has anybody got a spare set of ‘bare’ bars they can measure tip to tip so I can compare them with the Wunderlich?

There you go. Sorry they’re inverted but that now seems to be what happens on this site from an iPad
Alan R

 

[Winjar]

There you go. Sorry they’re inverted but that now seems to be what happens on this site from an iPad
Alan R

Very good, and I think 3cms more on each end with handguards.

 

[Scotsrick]

Thanks Alan. So that should save me approximately 44mm (and as the wife says every little helps). It looks doable. If necessary the hand guards may have to go but I can live with that. I can’t get a test on it til next Friday as the bikes booked into the workshop so I’ll just have to hold off. You never know I might decide I don’t like it as I’ve never had anything other than sports or sports tourers before (quickly ducking)

 

[Winjar]

Thanks Alan. So that should save me approximately 44mm (and as the wife says every little helps). It looks doable. If necessary the hand guards may have to go but I can live with that. I can’t get a test on it til next Friday as the bikes booked into the workshop so I’ll just have to hold off. You never know I might decide I don’t like it as I’ve never had anything other than sports or sports tourers before (quickly ducking)

Not so easy, handguard has bar end weight holding grips on bike.

 

[Rederic]

I have the same problem i have two concrete posts 900mm apart and the GSA bars measure 922mm well mine do if thats any help

Once you have mastered the technique it’s simple but i nearly come unstuck Big one morning coming home from a night shift in the snow and lost my footing

I also have a wall on one side just to make it more interesting so just go for it and experiment with a loan bike first ��

 

[SBD]

Yeah, and measure across the cylinder heads too, as they’re a wee bit more fiddly to change