It pays to read the fine print

I was looking at my gas cap on the GS at my last fill-up and it says 89 Octane min. Then, looking at the Owner's Manual it recommends 91. I've been filling up with the mid-grade 89, and it's running fine (there are anti-knock sensors), but wondering if 91 will be a little better.

Some thoughts on accessorizing

No, I'm not talking beaded handbags, shoes and hats.

With any new bike, thoughts of improvements and changes always come up. Fortunately, the R1200GS comes out of the box not needing a whole lot. That's one of the reasons I got it. But, the things people do to them are nearly limitless. To me it comes down to five questions when making improvements and weighing priorities.

Does it make the bike more comfortable?

Does it make the bike more secure, or more durable?

Does it improve navigation?

Does it improve safety or visibility?

Some of these are of course inter-related.

More later.

My new R1200GS: first impressions

My first real trip on the GS was a 320-mile or so ride to the New River, for Bridge Day. It was mostly wet and cold the whole time.

I woke up to the sound of raindrops on Friday morning. Well, for once
the weather-guessers got it right. I ate, and suited up in Gerbings
jacket, gloves and socks. For once I don't have to worry about a bike
that will suffer a meltdown for an excess of electrical farkles. I did
my final packing and hefted the luggage onto the GS's ample rear end.
I discovered I hadn't expanded the right side Vario case--no wonder it
was packed tight. Morton's BMW already delivered the bike to me rigged
with the accessory plug to come straight off the battery. In stock
form the Powerlet outlet under the seat is only good for 5 Amps. No
good for heated gear.

DC traffic was the usual mess in the rain. You'd think we were a
desert city, like Phoenix or something, the way people wig out in the
rain. Strangely, the rain ended at about Haymarket, our original
rendezvous. The altered plan called for re-grouping in New Market,
just off 81, so I decided to stay on the highway, and avoid a wet,
foggy crossing of Thornton Gap on 211. I've got the electrics humming
nicely, and my toes and fingers are warm. Actually the "high" setting
on the grips is too much, and opt for the "low". And I've got plenty
of time to fiddle with all the display settings on the on-board
computer. The range display, for example, tells you how far you've got
until you hit reserve on the tank (about 1.1 gallons remaining.) It's
based on what the sensor thinks is the remaining fuel and your average
consumption. It turns out I'll get about 43 mpg on this trip.

The dash display starts flashing the low fuel warning at about 150
miles. It means the bike's consumed about 4 gallons, with 1.3 gallons
left. (My mileage really suffers in stop'n'go riding) I checked my
phone at the gas stop at Front Royal. Pål and Justin were out, and
would meet us there via a cage. I rode the next 45 miles to New Market
without incident. The big GS has no trouble cruising on the highway
and is very comfortable. Maybe I've ridden four-cylinder bikes for too
long, but it doesn't hit that sweet spot in 6th gear until you're past
60-65. I swear it's true, officer!

I met up with Steve at New Market, and then we hit the usual route.
One of the cool things about this route is that there are no traffic
lights between Broadway, Va., and Marlinton, W.Va. More than 100
miles, and the largest settlement can't have more than 2000 people. It
was great to be the GS running through the twisties, although the fog
got a bit dense on the west side of 33's crossing of Shenandoah
Mountain. The bike was handling very well, and it is rock solid. The
brakes are amazing, and I was surprised they are completely manual, it
is solely the squeeze from your hand that moves the brake calipers.
(BMW dropped the "servo assist" from the big GS with the advent of
"ABS II" back around 2007.) The feel is great through the stainless
lines, and of course the ABS prevents lock-up.

It was mostly dry, except for the last half-hour or so, when it
started coming down harder. We pulled up to "El Gordo" (the cabin) at
about 4:30. That's probably the earliest we've ever gotten there,
despite the marginal weather.

The ride back? Well, let's just say it was colder and wetter. I got to
see the little "snowflake" icing warning come on in the dashboard
display. The lowest temperature I saw was 32º. And there was a snowy
transit of West Va. Route 15 that I could have skipped.

---------------

Motor: superb, with plenty of grunt where it's needed. Crankshaft
"roll" to the right is really only noticeable at a stop.

Brakes: outstanding. The front-to-rear integration is pretty
transparent to the user. The rear pedal works only the rear, for low speed stuff.

Luggage: I'm loving having a bike with factory bags. Everything fits
tightly and securely.

Seat: OK, a little squishy for my taste, but I can live with it for a while.

Some improvements needed.

Slippery centerstand tang: Mike warned me about that, and I've already
slid off it once with a rain-slick boot. Some non-slip stuff (for
bathtubs) from the hardware store ought to do the trick. BMW dropped
the ball a bit by making the tang so smooth.

Sidestand puck: bigger foot, plus raise that sucker a bit. I have to
be very circumspect about where to park the beast. Especially with
loaded bags, it can be a real PITA to lift off the sidestand.

Engine guards: el dumpo is inevitable, and those "magnesium" cylinder
heads aren't cheap. I'm leaning toward the Hepco and Beckers, but people really like the stainless steel Touratechs.

Visibility and Conspicuity: any single-headlight setup is going to be
marginal for night-time riding out beyond the streetlights. Some
aftermarket driving lights are in my future. Maybe some reflective
stickers for the luggage too.

GPS: nice, but that can wait, but would be nice for dirt-road
scratching. I can make copies of the Delorme in the meantime.

Time to make a budget for accessorizing and set some priorities.