First Bike Trip on the R12R

[BLAIR1200R]

Heading out on Friday for my first bike trip on the R12R… short trip, 3 days riding, two nights camping in central Texas. We opted to eat on the road and not carry food, except for the morning coffee. Just for fun I weighed the gear and it totals at 46lbs. In addition to the side cases I have a top case, a Cortech tail bag, and a small tank bag… all fits inside of these with nothing strapped on the outside.
Any of you ever weigh your gear?... seems a bit heavy for just a three day trip, but no worries, just wondering.

Another question for those who might venture into higher speeds while traveling … anyone every experience or hear of issues with the system cases while running in the triple digits?

[gibbo111]

Have ridden with the cases at 200km/hr with no probs.

[omg1010]

BMW recommends a cruising speed of up to 130 km/h with the cases. Some riders have not experienced any problems with speeds of up to 200 km/h. Some riders have lost cases because of broken lids (but that is an absolute minority). I think it all depends on the weight you pack into the cases ...

Brgds
Oliver

[Clem]

My commute is 2 hrs. one-way. 120-160 km/hr with bags. No worries.
Not exactly triple digits, since that's only about 98 mph.

[mogu83]

Have ridden with the cases at 200km/hr with no probs.

Me too, with the bike loaded just as yours was. No issues, felt the same at 130 as it did at 85.

[BigEasy]

seems a bit heavy for just a three day trip, but no worries, just wondering.

I've been moto touring/backpacking and traveling in general for a looooong time, and in my experience MOST of the time what you need for a 3 day trip is just about what you need for a ten day trip.

Every year I go to Canada fishing with some friends, one of which owns the cabin we stay in so he's used to traveling alot also. The gear we carry between the two of us combined is generally less than that carried by a single one of others we bring along on the trip. The more you go the more you find that you can live without.

As you point out though, no worries: your trip your needs. Have fun and enjoy

[sky_sailor]

Tag what you don't use. Next time, leave it behind.
Lyle

[SteelD]

When packing bags for touring, heed Susan Heller's advice: "Lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money."

[Lost Rider]

Me too, with the bike loaded just as yours was. No issues, felt the same at 130 as it did at 85.

Really? I disagree and don't believe you. A loaded R1200R will struggle pretty hard go 130mph with panniers on and over 115 you start to get a head shake, hardly safe, let alone with a big huge windscreen like you have.... to say 130 is no different than 85 is total BS. You're the same guy who says he gets over 8000 miles on your rear tire? I highly doubt you know jack squat about riding fast long distances on a R1200R Harry.
I find around 100mph while loaded is the max that's reasonable or stable for long distance travels, and at that speed you get about 25-28MPG, at least that what I got the last time I rode from the 1050 miles from Chicago to Denver in 12 hours.

Now a days if I really want to get somewhere far away quick, 90MPH is my cruising speed. You don't have to worry about going to jail if caught, you don't waist you tires in 3000 miles, you don't wear yourself out, and you still get OK gas milage so you don't have to stop as often - getting you there faster.


Back to the OP, right on! Have fun, riding and camping go hand in hand IMO.
Eating out is good, though I enjoy cooking at camp too. You don't need to carry all your food with you, just the cookware, maybe some spices, or tin-foil, etc. and get food near camp or at the last stop of the day before camp. Nothing better than a nice steak cooked on wood coals at camp, or even a big can of DInty More Beef Stew if you have to shop at a gas station.

Just like Big Easy said, packing for a few days or a few weeks or even a few months is about the same, unless you're going to have huge temps swings like in the mountains and need more cold weather gear. As for weight, I have weighed my gear. It depends on how much comfort I want for a trip and my pack always changes depending. I can be as light as 15 pounds with just the basics - tent/bag/pad/stove or up to your 45 pound range when I bring tarp/chair/laptop/fishing gear/gun/axe, etc. Most of the time I'm around 23 pounds with the basics and my axe.
I think the most overpacked thing for people is clothes. NO COTTON, no jeans. Period. If you use only synthetic "performance wear" you get at REI or sports shop it's much lighter/smaller, performs better, washes easy and can air dry overnight. I don't need a fresh change of clothes for each day, I'm CAMPING.
I have a gear list on my site if you want to see what I use, though there's lots of good gear out there. It's always a battle of price vs. size vs. weight vs quality.... I follow the buy the best you can and use it for years mentality.
It's always a work in progress, but with experience you'll find what level of comfort you need and how much stuff to bring or not.

I'd say for your first camping trip fitting everything in you bags without piling it high outside the bags is a great start.



Here's a couple huge threads you might find useful:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237723


http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290127
Cheers

Finn

[MTBeemer]

I'm 2 weeks into a summers long trip that will take us 25,000 miles or so. We camp as much as possible and with all the gear and tools I'm packing it must total over 100 pounds. There is a picture of the bike in the photo discussion thread if you want to see how it is configured. Out west we cruised all day at 80 mph and hit 90 a few times; bike was always stable and still had some power to give. 130 MPH.... I don't think so; it would be fool hardy to ride that fast on the street on a bike loaded for touring if it were possible. By the way, my wife was able to cruise right along with me on her fully loaded F650GS.

What will kill your wallet is the mileage those speeds result in. Got 35 MPG when cruising at high speeds ons slab to run from a snow storm, 42 MPG running 55-60 on side roads.

[BLAIR1200R]

Thanks guys, good food for thought...

Late breaking news, my ride buddy had a death in the family and has to travel out of town, so I'll be making the trip solo.

My thoughts will be with him and his family as I head out tomorrow. I plan to keep in touch as I run the route.

It will be different, but still a good trip and I get to hookup with some of my family at one of the camp grounds...will post some shots when I get back...

Cheers,
-R

[Lost Rider]

I'm sorry to hear that about your friend.


On the flip side, riding solo I find is the most enjoyable way to travel. It's all ABOUT YOU and you'll be in the best of company.
Nothing more satisfying than riding your bike with everything you need onboard, empty roads lie ahead, wind at your face, etc etc.

Have fun, and please do post some photos. Life has thrown me quite a loop this week and there's no chance of a nice long solo ride myself in the near future, would love to see some new photos of an R on the road.


Ride far, go fast, and be safe. Get LOST.


-Finn

[Shakey]

On the flip side, riding solo I find is the most enjoyable way to travel. It's all ABOUT YOU and you'll be in the best of company.

+1

Finn,
I was in France last weekend enjoying the full potential of the bike with both system cases but no top box and an MRA vario screen slab on the front.
I achieved some (for me) pretty "optimistic" speeds, and both on the way there with only one case loaded and on the way back with both cases equally loaded with dirty laundry and good wine the handling of the bike was impeccable

[firstforward]

Shakey,

Where in Norfolk are you?

[SteelD]

Me too, with the bike loaded just as yours was. No issues, felt the same at 130 as it did at 85.

Really? I disagree and don't believe you. A loaded R1200R will struggle pretty hard go 130mph with panniers on and over 115 you start to get a head shake, hardly safe, let alone with a big huge windscreen like you have.... to say 130 is no different than 85 is total BS.

Aren't you being a bit hasty there - I think the figures being quoted are kph, not mph...

[Lost Rider]

Aren't you being a bit hasty there - I think the figures being quoted are kph, not mph...

[/quote]


No, I'm not actually.

One would assume that a rider in the states would be talking in MPH.

What good would it do to post up that the R feels good at 85km/hr (53MPH) vs 130 km/hr (80MPH) when the original question was about triple digit speed while loaded in MPH?.......
Maybe he was talking KM/hr, but it would be easy to assume he's talking MPH and therefore think it's OK to do it.
Saying it's fine to ride the bike that fast while loaded to a new member on his first camping trip is irresponsible to say the least. I've ridden my bike fast in many conditions and configurations in my 70,000+ miles on the 12R, 130MPH while loaded is dangerous if even possible. Over 115-120 MPH the drag from the bags makes the front of my bike start to wobble.
Maybe you could do quick spurts over 110 MPH, but try to hold it there for a while and you'll see what I mean.


Now if you really want to ride fast and camp, here's how I've done it so my pack doesn't effect high speed handling or fuel economy.

[Sander Abernathy]

I took a 350 mile trip on my bike in July of 2010 with loaded side cases and it definitely would not go 130. It topped out at 125 mph. After I backed off, I realized the problem was that I was in fourth gear and I had hit the rev limiter without realizing it while focused on the road that was rocketing under me. There was no headshake though I'm not going to ride that speed for any length of time. Much prefer 80 to 100.

But then I have 7,500 miles on my OEM rear tire on this bike and had over 8,000 miles on the OEM rear tire on my first bike and they both look like new so I must not know jack squat about travelling at high speeds.

If you need someone to ride with you Harry, give me a call. I'd be happy to.

[Lost Rider]

I took a 350 mile trip on my bike in July of 2010 with loaded side cases and it definitely would not go 130. It topped out at 125 mph. After I backed off, I realized the problem was that I was in fourth gear and I had hit the rev limiter without realizing it while focused on the road that was rocketing under me. There was no headshake though I'm not going to ride that speed for any length of time. Much prefer 80 to 100.

But then I have 7,500 miles on my OEM rear tire on this bike and had over 8,000 miles on the OEM rear tire on my first bike and they both look like new so I must not know jack squat about travelling at high speeds.

If you need someone to ride with you Harry, give me a call. I'd be happy to.

Talking about going fast and traveling fast or "for any length of time" are two very different thing there Mr. Sander.
Funny, the 12r doesn't go 125mph in 4th....

[karamazov2]

It makes the kids uncomfortable when mommy and daddy fight...

[GBag]

Interesting. In 2010 I took a 6000mi 10 day trip. At that time I had a 2009 R1200R. I had Givi V35 sides and a Givi V46 top case. Each case loaded weighed 30lbs on a digital bathroom scale. I also had a ceebailey windscreen. In northern Utah I was able to stroll the bike out till it hit the rev limiter in 6th. The speedo read between 140 & 145 but I can't be more exact than that as I wasn't about to spend a whole lot of time looking down at it while traveling at that rate. Once I felt the limit kick I backed off. The bike didn't feel unsafe to me but I haven't spent much time at that rate of speed. Also this was on one of those endless straights that are prominent in the west/mid-western part of the states. So negotiating any kind of turn at that rate is an unknown to me. The bike had no problem doing this at all and was still pulling when it hit the limiter. As for tires I run Michelin Pilot road 2's with the "B" spec rear tire. I get 10K out of the rear and 15K out of the front, The rear is definitely shot at this point. The rubber compound changes color at the very end and you get a skunk stripe showing but this is dangerously close to showing belts. My riding "Bro" has a Guzzi Breva 1100. He runs the same tires and gets the same wear out of them. This is just my experience with that particular bike. Everyone is going to have a different experience. I now run a 2011 R1200R and its very different from the 2009. I haven't had the opportunity to leg it out like the old bike yet but it handles a bit different and it definitely doesn't get as good fuel mileage as the single overhead bike.