BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Just crossed over to the dark side, stupid fast 215hp Ninja, and purchased a 2004 R1150R. I have always wanted one or a 1150GS. 19,000 miles for $3,200. All service (and then some) up to date, with records.
Now the fun begins. Learning to think BMW. I love riding the thing and cannot wait till spring.
What I am hoping is some good folks will chime in with some friendly advice. What to check on a regular bases, what to look out for etc. I want to put a skid plate on, some hand guards, engine protection. In fact I have some plans to turn it into a hybrid scrambler/baby gs. Going to do some serious traveling and hit some dirt/gravel roads. No off roading. Really looking forward to putting 100,000 miles on it. I am not too concerned with comfort, yet. After riding and touring long distance on a ZX14R, this babe is like a easy chair on wheels.

Go over the service records to find out if/when the brake fluid flush/change was done. You don't want to go much more than two years between changes. Some avoid this troublesome task, but leaving the fluid in too long can cause very expensive problems.

Welcome to the world of Moto-rad and this forum.

Check that the cable ties under the triple-tree were not over-tightened at the factory. Most were, and it has lead to gremlins.
Then search for "Oil level" in this forum to see how to check that. Do not over fill!!!
And ride it like you stole it!

We do have the skid plates on two of our R1150R's. I bought them from the dealer, they are from the GS same year period and fit right up. Not cheap but probably the best, IIRC $275 all together and you have to order all the parts individually, IE nuts bolts spacers. We took them last summer on a 6-7,000 mile ride with some dirt/gravel roads through Idaho, Colorado and Utah. We used Shinko 705 tires which worked really well, I'd use them again for a long trip like this. Are only mishap was one front fender got snapped off on one of the rougher roads, the rear part, I think the fender extender got snagged in a deep pot hole or a large rock got wedged between the tire and fender, couldn't have been someone going to dam fast. We also have the GS hand gaurds on these bikes, fit isn't the best but you can bend them a tad and they seem fine. No other extras on the bikes as we try to keep the weight down as much as possible.
We did add the Weiser blinker/brake/ running lights to be seen better for safety.

Mine is a 2003 so not sure of the differences, but i have iABS and really have made a point out of an annual flush/bleed. From what I understand the modules can develop issues and the fix is difficult and expensive as they're no longer available and they don't rebuild the them

Great bikes, have fun riding it-

Welcome to the family.
R1150R is a good machine and nice contrast to hyper-tourer like your ZX and my K13.
Your 2004 should already have SS/Teflon brake lines.
If ABS then must service or convert bike to non-ABS.
Lots of ergonomic options.
Only real performance modifications are weight reduction, suspension (shocks and geometry), and modest air/fuel optimization.
This bike family's weaknesses are well documented here and elsewhere.

Swamper- based on your trip experience, how important was the GS skid plate? You've got engine guards also, correct?

It seems the frequency of brake fluid changes is influenced by where the bike lives. The first change I performed was 48 months after the last service. The rear brake fluid was slightly brown; the front clear. The second time was 21 month after the first; all fluids were completely clear - appeared as new. The bike spends most of its time in the dry Colorado climate.

If ABS bike, then flush the breakfluid (particularly the ABS system) every year. Or remove the ABS system in advance.
Maintenance R1150R https://www.dropbox.com/s/8cb55xst44iw3 ... S.pdf?dl=0
ABS maintenance https://www.dropbox.com/s/8tymrxnbw68pk ... 3.pdf?dl=0
Removing ABS system https://www.dropbox.com/s/x3dcisxdm66ff ... l.pdf?dl=0
The ABS system failure nearly got me into crash when approaching a crossing with redlights.
They suddenly failed and I ended up in the middle of the crossing.
Removed ABS and got steel breaklines. Works like a charm.

sweatmark wrote:Swamper- based on your trip experience, how important was the GS skid plate? You've got engine guards also, correct?

We don't use engine guards on any of our bikes, like to save weight. Actually when we rode up to Alaska I removed them from the 650 V-Strom I took.
I was glad to have the skid plate on my R1150R which I took on last year trip. We got on some really bad roads with giant pot holes and frost heaves, blew out my new TFX rear shock. Bottomed out hitting the skid plate and center stand a couple of times, they have some deep grooves cut into them. Would have hit the engines bottom most likely. The skid plate is also chipped really bad where rocks and gravel have hit it. My son up on Baertooth pass lost the front fender and grounded his skid plate also on his R1150R on the trip.
We keep our bike with a minimum of extra equipment, what are they call, sparkles

swamper wrote: We don't use engine guards on any of our bikes, like to save weight. Actually when we rode up to Alaska I removed them from the 650 V-Strom I took.
I was glad to have the skid plate on my R1150R which I took on last year trip...

Thanks for info.
I'm thinking about skid plate for Rockster2. Haven't crashed bike yet on my Forest Service roads, but such riding is part of its raison d'être.

To lower the pegs I have installed the brackets and pegs from a Oil Head GS
I got used ones off of eBay
Not much more than the lowering brackets
But you then have to get the rear master cylinder and line also.

The OEM GS hand guards also fit with a little bending and brake line tweaks

I also have the AF-XiED from Beemer Bone Yard to richen up the fuel mixture

The Cat Delete Pipe is nice but the exhaust do get louder

The Left side chain tensioner needs to be upgraded if it hasn't already

Look to see if the fuel line disconnects are updated to the metal ones

The wire harness may need rewraping the original material just crumbles apart

And Hopefully this thread will not disappear

Mrclubike wrote:To lower the pegs I have installed the brackets and pegs from a Oil Head GS
I got used ones off of eBay
Not much more than the lowering brackets
But you then have to get the rear master cylinder and line also.

I seem to recall reading that some people were able to re-work the stock master somehow to make it work with the GS brackets? Don't remember if they bent the pipe or did something else-

Make sure antifreeze service has been performed.

WOW! Thanks for all the great replies!
The bike is the NON ABS! That was a priority. All the brake fluid and lines have been replaced! All the fuel lines have been replaced. I am not sure what has been upgraded, but based on the fact that all work has been done and documented by dealers and no mention of upgrading, I would assume it is all OEM.
Picking up hand guards today from a local guy.

Will be (and have been) looking at skid plates, front engine plate and guards! I am going to take the hard bags off and do some fabricating to mount soft water proof bags! I am slow at getting things done as I am busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest!

I use the OEM hard side cases, they haven't leaked and I've been through some pretty hard day long rain storms. They are nice for the gear I seldom use but want on the bike, they lock. I did remove my muffler and use the RT inner case, makes for a lot more room in the case. I do carry a water proof bag with my cloths, camera and items used daily on the luggage rack/rear seat. I don't usually use a tank bag as I like to lean over the tank on the fast sweepers.

During my time of dual sporting with the KLR, I also used hard bags - 36 liter Givis; they survived countless falls and scraps. I needed the peace of mind that locked cases provide - especially in places like Mexico and Guatemala. Aerostich side panniers were a fine complement for carrying less valuable, heavy items - tools, water, vodka etc.

Are you saying Vodka isn't valuable?

I carry my scotch in a camel-back