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2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in China
Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 1:34 pm
by badbs101
China!?!? Argghhh... Anywhere but made in China....
It is well made but for what they charge, it should be made by German BMW executives during their work hours. They'd still make money on it.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 1:45 pm
by jkhomes
Cool. A European bike with a little mystery of the orient thrown in...
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 3:01 pm
by tinytrains
The bike is assembled in Deutschland. The parts come from all over the world (just like cars). I noticed my frame is made in someplace like Czechoslovakia.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 12:15 pm
by Bamblys
tinytrains wrote:The bike is assembled in Deutschland. The parts come from all over the world (just like cars). I noticed my frame is made in someplace like Czechoslovakia.
How old is your frame? That country stopped existing in last century.

Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 4:24 pm
by jkhomes
tinytrains wrote: How old is your frame? That country stopped existing in last century.

I suppose we could come up with any number of countries "like" Czechoslovakia.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 10:56 am
by sky_sailor
Visited Chapman BMW (autos) while I was in AZ. They have cars that were assembled in South Africa?
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:14 pm
by tinytrains
Ok. My frame says made in Czech Republic, which is very much "like" part of old Czechoslovakia.
(fixed after spell czech below)

Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:34 pm
by mogu83
tinytrains wrote:Ok. My frame says made in Chech Republic, which is very much "like" part of old Czechoslovakia.

Is that the same Country as the
Czech Republic?
Obviously you forgot you were on a BMW forum. No error goes uncommented on.
I have the BMW tank bag. I picked it up new on E-bay for slightly less than $100 and that's about what it's worth. I really like the mounting arrangement, although I screwed that up by having bar backs on the bike. The bar backs prevent the bag from flipping up when refueling. I'm sure with a stock bar location it would work perfectly. The inside of the bag is as mentioned a 'black hole' maybe a liner color other than black would have been a good idea.
The biggest short coming is the lack of a place to put a tire gauge,pen,highlighter or other stuff on the inside of the lid. Every other tank bag I have has an organizer type affair on the inside of the lid where you can put all that little stuff we need at a gas stop or a quick stop on the side of the road (that's what it's for - right). For a bag that is this expensive from the dealer, that omission is inexcusable and would be a deal breaker if I was paying close to the list price..
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 4:05 pm
by omg1010
Folks,
you won't really notice where on the planet all the parts are coming from. And rest assured BMW is not only involved in weight and fuel ration optimization but above all involved in profit and shareholder value optimization ...

Mind you, for example the 1-cyl engines are no longer made by Rotax in Austria but now come from a wantan shop by the name of Loncin.
Don't bother trying to figure out why in heaven the quality of the screws and other stuff has deteriorated. As per BMW it is all for the benefit of the (dumb) customer
Brgds
Oliver
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:20 am
by badbs101
Just got a Touratech catalog and all their Touratech bags are made in Germany. For those that care, and I do, for about the same as a Chinese BMW bag, you can get a genuine German made Touratech bag. Wunderlich Elephant bags are made in Germany too. All are priced roughly the same as the BMW bag. Shame on you BMW trading your name for a quick dollar/euro. Goodwill is not infinite. If Touratech and Wunderlich can do it and make a profit, you can too.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:07 pm
by omg1010
Its all about shareholder value ... Touratech is a privately owned company and that makes a big difference!
Brgds
Oliver
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 8:34 pm
by dbrick
mogu83 wrote:The bar backs prevent the bag from flipping up when refueling. I'm sure with a stock bar location it would work perfectly.
I use an R1100RS tankbag
which fits quite well. My bike also has barbacks, and I just flip the bag back onto the seat to refuel. The two front connectors are FasTex buckles, and easy to undo and refasten. A small transverse strap just aft of the "steering head" holds the front strap in place when the buckles are opened.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:02 am
by Clem
Not thrilled about "made in China" either. Yup, it IS expensive, but so is everything else about this bike, including the crap tool kit and $$oil. OEM tank bag has good points. Fits the tank like a glove. Keeps water away from the fuel cap. Swings up to re-fuel in three seconds, removes in 5 seconds. HAS an accessory pouch on the outside of the bag right, where you need it. Internal organizers are available cheap. I compartmentalize my items. Expands to carry lots of stuff. WATERPROOF. It never slides or moves around,even at high speed. Clear map case. Reflective piping. Rear mount doubles as a tank protector. Mine stays on 24/7. Not bad, for a POS from China. Wunderlich makes a nice bag, too. Never owned a Touratech. They look good. YMMV

Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:20 am
by jkhomes
At least our bikes don't have a Rotax engine made in India. Although I am not sure if BMW is still contracting out the F bike motors.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:53 pm
by mogu83
Clem wrote: Internal organizers are available cheap.
Clem,
How about a picture or a heads up where you picked up an organizer. I like the bag but stuff gets lost in there.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:12 pm
by websterize
Harry, shown above is the BMW Vario insert (72-60-7-718-510) that fits inside the BMW tank bag. Sells for about $60 from BMW Motorcycles of Countryside with the
PROMO15 discount.
the plastic map case on mine disintegrated after one summer.
Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:02 pm
by rfranklin
I was not pleased.
Re: 2012 BMW R1200R Made in Berlin; BMW Tank Bag, Made in Ch
Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:30 pm
by Clem
Thanks for covering Bill. Quicker than a NY minute! Coupon code, too!

I backpacked in college, so was necessary to have a selection of various colored small bags & different size cases to organize inside of pack, & makes finding things quick & easy on the trail. Dollar Stores and Salvation Army, I found many good bargains. Pawn shops, Second-hand stores? Outdoor supply shops and camping goods have them, but new ones are expensive. Many nylon cases, some leather, a few aluminum. Use your imagination, & take a small measure with you to insure your items will fit.
Google search small accessory cases & click images.
Re: the plastic map case on mine disintegrated after one sum
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:22 pm
by badbs101
rfranklin wrote:I was not pleased.
?? ?
Someone trying to get their post count up?
Re: the plastic map case on mine disintegrated after one sum
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:08 pm
by mogu83
badbs101 wrote:rfranklin wrote:I was not pleased.
?? ?
Someone trying to get their post count up?
Short sweet and to the point. A man of few words.