James Pratt added the following comments.

We are using BMW rear gear oil in the differential, I believe it is 70/140 or so. We are using NAPA anti-seize compound on the rear drive splines. Some people say to use moly-based grease in the drive splines, but our very skilled local BMW mechanic recommended this thicker anti-seize compound. He said the moly grease tends to disappear much faster when it gets hot, and the anti-seize is thicker and remains in place longer. The key is just to make sure you lubricate the splines with some type of thick grease in some fashion.

Normally when switching on a BMW R1200GS the Brake failure light with flash quickly (4 times per second) for a few moments and then flash slowly (once per second) until the bike has started moving and the ABS self-test has completed. Also, during the bikes ignition start up, the brakes servo motors for start and then stop quickly, another self-test feature.

If there is a problem with the ABS system, the Brake failure light will keep flashing quickly (4 times per second) and the ABS servos will not start. This is what happened to mine this morning. Whilst the bike still has the residual braking function, i.e. no ABS and no power assist, it is still possible to ride the bike and the rider’s manual says to take the bike immediately to a BMW garage for them to run diagnostic tests.

However, experience has told me that BMW garages charge a lot of money and there is a simple 2 minute test you can run yourself to try to get the ABS re-enabled. Note: this should be done on firm level ground.

1. Switch the bike off.
2. Flick the brake levels (front and rear) several times.
3. Switch the bike on.
4. If servos still do not work:
5. Switch bike off.
6. Whilst pushing front level out & holding rear lever up…
7. Switch bike on.
8. If servos still do not work:
9. Switch bike off.
10. Check the rear brake light switch by the back level, ensure there isn’t any grit in it.
11. Switch bike on.

The reason for doing these checks is to ensure the bike doesn’t think the brakes are engaged when the bike is being switched on. As indicated in the rider’s manual:

Warning: Self-diagnosis is not performed unless both brakes levers are in their fully released positions. Only the RESIDUAL BRAKING FUNCTION is available until self-diagnosis is completed.

The mostly likely time for this to occur is during or after off-roading when dirt and grit can become lodged in the switches. However, I have known it to happen for seemingly no reason at all. So before you spend your hard earned money at a BMW garage, run a few simple tests yourself.

Having given away my old luggage when I sold my Bandit 600 to Shane, I thought it was about time I got a new tank bag for my new BMW R1200GS. The first bag I got was a Cargo Endurance Tank Bag. Whilst it gets great review, what I didn’t realise was that my R1200GS has plastic and aluminium panels covering the tank and therefore the Cargo bag wouldn’t stick, it being magnetically mounted.

Thankfully I was able to return the Cargo bag and get a credit note. After a bit of hunting around I turned up some info on Baglux tank covers and bags. Rather than being magnetic, the Baglux system has a cover for the tank which is permanently attached to the bike and the tank bag then clips into this cover. The tank covers are also colour matched to the bike so that, from a distance, it looks like there is nothing there.

Fitting the cover to the bike is fairly easy but it does pay to prepare a little before hand. I found some instruction specific to the BWM R1200GS which I read first, although I thought they could be clarified a bit so here are my version of the instructions (with my own pictures):

1. Wait for a warm sunny day. The tank cover is best attached when warm so either leave it in the sun for a while, or warm it next to a radiator… but don’t get it too hot.
2. Remove forward side fairing panels. This is done by undoing the two D-Ring clips on the outside of the panels and a twist clip on the inside of the panels just inside the bottom front edge. The panel can then be gently pulled off.
3. Remove the front seat.
4. Remove the small black fairing panels just in-front of the seat. These can be just pulled off carefully.
5. Clean, dry and polish the tank fairings, this is critical as any dirt under the tank cover will damage the paintwork.

The Baglux cover can now be placed over the tank. The first step in the installation is to use the existing fairing bolt to attach the cover to the fairings. The bolt should not be tightened too much at this point as the cover will need to be able to move during installation.

The one downside I’ve found with the Baglux is the bag itself but that is more my own fault with bag choice. I went for the small Minea bag. Off the bike the bag is really good as a small back pack – it comes with built in solder straps – but on the bike it’s small size doesn’t fit the shape of the tank terribly well, I suspect the newer Rider or Impact bags would be a better fit.

Overall it is a quality piece of kit which has served me well for the two years that I’ve had it.

After a bit of Googling and a visit to some local bike shops we settled on the Autocom Pro Duo kits and Kenwood TK-3201 radios.  As Autocom are shortly refreshing their range of comms systems we managed to get a pretty good deal on the Autocom Super Pro AVI kits from here.

Shortly after all of the kits turned up we descended upon RideAround HQ to start the installation.  First up on the installation front – installing the microphones in our crash helmets.  According to the installation manual (which in typical fashion we turned to after half an hour of randomly trying to work out how the cables should be run) this should be a simple 10 minute installation. We eventually managed to get all the cables routed and the earpieces in the right place after a bit of trial and error.

Next challenge was wiring the control unit and radios on the bikes.  This was relatively straightforward to do with just a 12v connection directly to the battery with an inline fuse and rocker switch to enable us to turn the units off when they are not being used to save the battery.  The Kenwood TK-3201 radios were straightforward to connect up thanks to the power interface lead which connects the radio to the comms system meaning no seperate power feed was needed for the radios which makes installation easier.  A few cable ties, a bit of velcro and a dab of soldering and the comms units and radios were all wired without too many problems.

Once everything was fitted it was time to go for a quick test ride to see how the systems performed whilst riding.  Well it would have been if someone had not drained their battery by leaving the system on all afternoon…  Unfortunately the lack of a battery charger or jump leads meant that the only way to get the bike up and running was to push start the bike – a push start which provided the RideAround HQ neighbours with endless entertainment!

The comms systems worked perfectly and speech was clear and audible with very few tweaks required to any of the settings.  The range of the radios was pretty good considering we had mounted them horizontally under the seats of the bikes.  For longer trips we may have to look at moving the radios out from this location though to provide better range.  We did find that if the systems were left switched on then they can drain the battery fairly quickly so if you are fitting one of these units then installing an isolator so that you can switch the systems off is a useful thing to do – although if you forget to switch the units off then you still end up with a flat battery as at least two of us will testify to since fitting them!  The other alternative is to wire the power to the units into a 12v feed that is operated by the ignition which is someting that some of us will be doing soon.  They are not the cheapest bike to bike communication systems around but they do work well. Once we have had a chance to test them out more thoroughly then I will post a follow up review.

The problem occurs when the handguard gets pushed down, for example as a result of dropping the bike or rubbing against something. This can cause the handguard to prevent the brake or clutch lever to fully release. In the case of the brake level, if the brakes aren’t fully disengaged, the brakes can over heat and lockup, potentially causing an nasty accident.

With the brakes, the only warning of a problem is that the brake warning light comes on. This is great but, as I’m sure any R1200GS owner will testify, this could be anything from the ABS failing to the power assist servos not working to the brake light not working. The handbook doesn’t say anything about failure to disengage brakes fully.

In the six months that I’ve been waiting for the replacement handguard bracket (mine is held on with zip-ties at the moment!) I have experienced this problem once on my way home form my parents. Luckily I only had three miles to ride and I took it fairly slowly as I realised the brakes weren’t working for some reason. It was only trawling through owners forums that I found this as a possible cause.

The initial response from BMW was “there is no problem – rides just need to be careful”! However, following warnings from the European Commission and German Federal Motor Transport Authority, BMW has officially acknowledged the problem as has taken action. The new R1200GS and GSA have completely re-designed handguards. Existing owners of older bikes will receive a letter with some warning stickers to put inside their handguards to remind them to check lever free-play, and the old style guards are no longer going to be supported with spare parts but a new retro-fit kit is available for approximately £90 (€110).

Since I wont be able to get the bracket for my existing guards, I’ve checked with my insurance and they’re happy for my to completely replace the handguards. So I’ve decided to go for a nice pair of Touratech guards instead of the BMW ones. My bike repairs might finally be finished by the end of August, only 9 months after the accident.

RAPEX (Eurpoean Commision Warning): http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/rapex/create_rapex.cfm?rx_id=192

WebBikeWorld article: http://www.webbikeworld.com/BMW-motorcycles/r-1200-gs-hand-guard-problem/

A bit of bouncing on the seat was done as a pre-ride test to see the result. So far so good… the ‘L’ plate went nowhere near the wheel. I guess the real test will be at the week-end when I go out for a ride with the lads!!

As I write this the BMW garage is doing an estimate but I now have to go to them and say: “sorry guys but the bike is already booked in at another garage”. Oh well, I make do with what we are given, at least I’ll be able to take the bike away to England in February!