Touratech USA - The Original Adventure Motorcycle Equipment

Highlighting 90 years of motorcycle manufacturing, this new book tells the story of BMW, from its humble origins in the early part of the 20th century, to its present day position as one of the world's most innovate motorcycle marques.

The book, which is scheduled to be released on June 15th, is available to pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/dp/3832797149

Black Bits

Justin Bradshaw from Butler Maps riding his Touratech equipped 990 Adventure during the recent AZBDR expedition.

Inspiring Individuals:
Lisa Thomas & Simon Thomas, Lois Pryce & Austin Vince

POTD: Trail of Twelve-Hundreds

Our friend Austin Vince wrote a poem about his experience on the recent AZBDR.

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To celebrate their 90th anniversary, BMW enlisted the help of Roland Sands Design to build a bike that pays homage to the R90S, a motorcycle that is now more than 40 years old.

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Seattle, WA &#8211; (May 22nd, 2013) There's no doubt that BMW's new water-cooled R1200GS is a capable adventure touring motorcycle. With 125hp, spoke wheels, dynamic suspension, cruise control and an assortment of other options, the new GS is everything we expected it to be, and then some. But there's always some room for improvement. Luggage and protection items are an easy upgrade and will transform the R1200GS from adequate to extraordinary. Touratech's Zega Pro pannier systems provide safe and secure storage, both on and off the bike, while crash bars and an Expedition skid plate protect the most important part of any motorcycle, the power-plant. Additional accessories, such as a stainless steel headlight guard and radiator guards will keep road debris from damaging important parts, while a larger side-stand foot will keep the R1200GS upright in everything from soft sand to loose gravel.


Bike Build: http://www.touratech-usa.com/Adventure/Blog/awMUhs/Bike-Build-2013-BMW-R1200GS





Here's a list of the accessories we installed on our water-cooled 2013 BMW R1200GS:

Zega Pro Pannier System: $1,342 - $1,538

The Touratech Zega Pro pannier system is the ultimate luggage solution for your BMW R1200GS. Zega Pro panniers have provided secure and dry storage for adventure riders the world over. The aluminum body and removable lid feature rugged corner protection, as well as low-profile loops that provide a flat surface to secure additional dry bags. Crafted with 1.5mm aluminum and stainless steel rivet construction, Touratech&#8217;s Zega Pro panniers are available in 31, 38 and 45 liter sizes and three different finishes: bare aluminum, anodized silver and anodized black.

Touratech Crash Bars: $397 - $419

A parking lot tip over, gravel road drop, or even a low-side on the pavement with the R1200GS boxer engine can seriously jeopardize your trip. The valve cover and cylinder collide with the ground when the GS tips over, so crash bars are a critical piece of protection. Touratech Crash Bars protect your engine with a stainless steel cage structure that wraps around the valve cover and cylinder of the liquid cooled R1200GS for complete coverage. Made of 1-inch diameter stainless steel tubing, these crash bars are engineered to take a beating and never let you down. In addition to offering the ultimate in protection, the stainless steel tubing follows the natural lines of the GS, accenting the distinctive look of this stylish machine.





Expedition Skid Plates: $375 - $450

Finally, an R1200GS skid plate built to withstand the rigors of a serious adventure. Touratech's Expedition Skid Plate offers an ultra strong stainless steel sub-mount, 4mm thick aluminum construction with corrugated channels for extra strength, replaceable polyamide nylon sliders, low profile design, and completely uninterrupted coverage from the front of the engine to the rear wheel. The heavy gauge stainless steel mounting plate absorbs impact while supporting the oversized 4mm contoured skid plate which has integrated polyamid nylon rails that absorb impact, protect bolt heads and provide a sliding surface for overcoming obstacles. Touratech's Expedition Skid Plate is available in two sizes:
Standard Skid Plate - 18&#8221; long x 11.5&#8221; wide
Long Skid Plate - 28&#8221; long x 11.5&#8221; wide

Quick-Release Stainless Steel Headlight Guard: $131

Don&#8217;t let the lights go out on your adventure! Touratech has developed a stainless steel guard with quick-release mount that allows you to easily keep the headlight on your BMW R1200GS clean and free from damage.





Stainless Steel Radiator Guard: $138

A rock thrown into your BMW's radiator from another vehicle or motorcycle can end a trip quickly. Touratech&#8217;s stainless steel radiator guards for the new water-cooled BMW R1200GS will protect your vulnerable radiators from damage. These stainless guards are laser cut and feature louvered fins with air-flow ports that have been engineered to deliver the maximum volume of air to the cooling system on your water-cooled BMW R1200GS.

Touratech Large Sidestand Foot: $41

Touratech's Large Sidestand Foot stabilizes your BMW R1200GS when parked in grass, gravel, mud or forest soil. The increased surface area of the Touratech Sidestand Foot dramatically improves the stability of the R1200GS, making your off-the-beaten-path parking much easier.





Touratech Hand Guards: $112

Protect your BMW's bars, levers, and controls with a set of Touratech handguards. Built out of extremely tough plastic, these hand guards give you the benefit of being flexible, absorbing impact instead of transferring it to your handlebars or bar mounts like a rigid aluminum or steel guard.
Available in several different colors, these guards come with all the necessary mounting hardware for an easy installation.

Expandable Touring Tankbag: $386

Don't settle for a universal fit tank bag on your BMW R1200GS that will slide around, distracting you from your riding. The unique shape of the GS&#8217;s fuel tank requires a bag that fits properly. The Touratech Expandable Touring Tankbag is shaped specifically for the water-cooled BMW R1200GS with a mounting kit designed specifically for the bike.


Click to see Touratech&#8217;s complete line of accessories for the 2013 R1200GS:
http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/3488/BMW-R1200GS-Water-Cooled-Parts-Accessories

History of the GS - part 5

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Finish of the AZBDR

Our friend Alison from Alison's Wanderland, recently completed a 16,155 mile expedition to the end of the world!

Great experience with TT customer service today. I had a little get off on Sunday and needed some cheap replacement attachment pieces for some TT head guards and some other doo-dads. They went out of their way on some decidedly little ticket items. Emailed tech and they responded promptly. Then Hallie was just a dream getting my order rounded up. Eric came in and got me finished. Simply outstanding work all the while putting up with an internet chimp like me. I do appreciate it.

Touratech now has a complete line of ADV accessories for BMW's new F800GS Adventure: http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/293/BMW-F800GS-Adventure-Parts-Accessories

Get ready for the 2013 Touratech Rally! Join us on Monday, June 24th for an open house at our Seattle showroom. Follow the link for additional info.

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Adventure/Events/KAUFUJ/Touratech-Rally-Prep-Night

Our friend Jamie from MotoGeo took his bikes to Baja!

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Father's Day is right around the corner, so we thought we'd highlight a few of our favorite ADV accessories that we're sure the father, grandfather or husband in your life would love to get his hands on. Follow the link to see what's on our list.

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Adventure/Blog/hdVTXU/Father-s-Day-Gift-Guide

Thanks Glad we could help out. TT

In our opinion, there&#8217;s really no better way to compare two things, than to put them side by side. It&#8217;s an excellent opportunity to observe obvious differences and to note the things they have in common. So when BMW introduced their new water-cooled R1200GS motorcycle, naturally we wanted to compare the new bike with the one it would be replacing, our much loved 2011 R1200GS. For the comparison test we headed south to the lonely roads and back country byways of Utah to spend a week riding the bikes both on and off-road. There was only one rule for the week-long comparison, we had to switch bikes each time we filled the gas tank.


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Here are the key features that that we feel differentiate the new water-cooled R1200GS from the oil-cooled model:

Ergonomics
The first things we notice are the new adjustable levers, which are easy to reposition with gloves on. The clutch pull is much lighter than on the previous model GS. All of the buttons are very similar to the 2013 F800GS, which no longer has the paddle style blinker controls. The grip heater and high-beam controls aren&#8217;t rocker toggles anymore, but are now operated with your index fingers. The steering geometry feels a touch lazier on the water-cooled bike, taking a bit more rider input to change direction. This could be due to the tire sizes fitted to the new bike, which are wider than those on the oil-cooled version. The front tire width has increased from 110mm to 120mm and the rear has grown from 150mm to 170mm.

At speed, the bike handles great and is very neutral mid-corner. The bars feel closer to the seat and the bike&#8217;s ergonomics are a much better fit than the previous model for a guy Iain&#8217;s size, 5 foot 8 inches tall. Additionally, we found the seating position to be much more comfortable than the oil-cooled version. The width of the bike between the knees is dramatically narrower than the old bike and the standing position is much nicer as a result. The windscreen manages airflow much like Touratech&#8217;s Desierto windscreen and is very easy to adjust with the knob, which can be operated with one hand even while riding. At high speed there is a bit of a flutter to the windscreen when it&#8217;s in the highest position, but that is a small price to pay for very comfortable, and conveniently adjustable, wind protection.

On-Road Performance
On pavement, the water-cooled GS displays its superiority with quick throttle response and power that seems bottomless compared to the oil-cooled version. Simply stated by Paul, &#8220;If I am going to be riding on tarmac all day, I&#8217;m taking the water-cooled GS!&#8221; While both bikes are at home on pavement, it was the water-cooled iteration that we both wanted to ride when we got to the asphalt.

Power Plant
The engine in the new R1200GS feels like it has much less rotating mass than the previous model. The engine winds up incredibly fast and triple-digit speeds can be reached rather quickly for an adventure bike. Mid-range and top-end power are considerably stronger on the water-cooled bike. The power and throttle response feel more like a sport bike than a GS. The fly-by-wire throttle has completely changed how BMW's ASC (traction control) works on the motorcycle. The old bike controls wheel spin by cutting the ignition which results in fairly abrupt power loss and jerky ride. The new system uses the electric throttle motors to reduce the amount of power being applied, resulting in a far smoother ride. The compression has been increased to 12.5:1 and the bike now requires premium fuel to run properly.

Off-Road Performance
BMW&#8217;s design team set out to make the new water-cooled R1200GS every bit as capable off-road as its predecessors. They didn&#8217;t want the water-cooled model to lose any of the off-pavement handling that has defined the GS over the last 30 years. After riding the new bike, we believe they succeeded in their off-road mission. According to Paul, &#8220;the old bike has more usable power down-low and a slower-spooling engine, which is nice off-road, but the new electronic suite &#8211; with the ABS and ASC tuned for off-road in Enduro and Enduro Pro modes &#8211; help manage the extra power of the water-boxer in the dirt.&#8221; The narrower chassis also scored points with us riding the water-cooled machine in the sand, rocks and hard-pack soil of Utah. The new and old bikes get the job done much differently in the dirt, but come out just about equal overall in the off-road comparison.

Clutch & Gearbox
One of our favorite new features is the wet clutch, which bites just like it should. On the new water boxer, the shift into first from neutral makes a palpable and audible clunk because of the drag from the wet clutch. It is really more like the way Japanese bikes feel, which is a bit strange to folks coming straight off the oil-cooled boxers. The gear ratios seem very similar to the old bike, though, with the exception that second gear felt taller and a bit more pavement-oriented. The clutch on the new bike is also equipped with a feature that BMW calls &#8216;anti-hopping,&#8217; which acts like a slipper clutch to smooth out engine-braking. We feel like most people riding this bike won&#8217;t even notice it, but the &#8216;anti-hopping&#8217; feature does make aggressive or even accidental downshifts more manageable. On the old bike, when a rider was hard on the brakes coming into a corner and downshifted suddenly, the back tire had a tendency to slide and trip the ABS into action. This process produced a squirrely ride and out-of-control feeling. The new water boxer avoids this with the &#8216;anti-hopping&#8217; feature.

Ride Modes
Fly-by-wire throttle, and dynamic ESA (suspension) are systems that have been adapted from BMW's game-changing sport bike the S1000RR. Despite their popularity with the sport bike crowd, these additions are new to most of us in the GS world. Here is a breakdown of the five different modes of the 2013 water-cooled GSW:

Rain &#8211; This mode provides a softer throttle application, generous amounts of computer intervention to prevent wheel-slip, and the standard road-tuned ABS that limits tire lock-up under braking. In rain mode, the Dynamic ESA is set to soft by default but allows the rider to choose between soft, normal or hard dampening options.

Road &#8211; This setting offers standard throttle response (similar to oil-cooled models) and traction control tuned for dry pavement, giving the rider full power and intervening only if wheel-slip is detected. Road mode has the standard road-tuned ABS and the dynamic ESA set to normal, but allows the rider to select soft or hard dampening options.

Dynamic &#8211; Tuned for aggressive riding, this setting applies power much more abruptly through a quick-turn throttle. The traction control allows more wheel-slip than in Road mode, allowing for more rear- versus front-wheel spin before the computer backs off the power. The ABS setting is the same as Road and Rain mode. Dynamic ESA is in the hard setting, but soft or standard can be selected by the rider.

Enduro &#8211; This mode provides the same soft throttle curve as Rain mode &#8211; and even less active traction control than in Dynamic mode &#8211; allowing for more slide of the rear wheel and moderate front wheel lift. ABS intervention is reduced for improved braking on loose dirt or gravel conditions. Dynamic ESA is set to soft to improve traction over bumps, but can be changed to hard by the rider. (Normal dampening is not offered in Enduro mode.) BMW claims that this mode is tuned for running road oriented tires when off pavement.

Enduro Pro - This setting can only be engaged by inserting an &#8216;encoding jumper&#8217; plug under the seat. This mode engages the quick-turn throttle from the Dynamic setting and turns on a special off-road ABS mode that disables rear wheel ABS while retaining a small amount of ABS for the front wheel. The traction control feels similar to that of Enduro mode but is much smoother when riding the bike aggressively. The ESA is set to hard in this mode but can be changed to soft by the rider. BMW says this mode is tuned for riding off pavement with knobby dirt tires.

Electronics
The electronics package on the new bike is a giant leap in the technology available to the GS rider. BMW used many concepts and technologies from the S1000 and K1600 when designing the bike. The electronically-controlled throttle bodies and fly-by-wire throttle have made it possible to integrate the ASC (traction control), ABS, and ESA (electronic suspension) in ways that were really lacking in the oil-cooled bikes. The new bike feels like a much more cohesive system of rider aids is at work behind the scene. We are happy to report that both the ASC and ABS can be quickly toggled on or off any time the bike is stopped which is great for those of us who prefer to ride in "full manual" at times.

Iain uses cruise control all the time in his car. His obsession with cruise control was previously limited to a throttle lock on his 2005 R1200GS, so he was very intrigued to see how &#8216;real&#8217; cruise control would work on a motorcycle. After our first ride, Iain was really impressed with how BMW put this feature together. The controls and interface are very intuitive. BMW tuned the cruise control so that it comes on slowly and in a predictable fashion, which minimizes impact on the rider when adjusting or resuming speed. And let&#8217;s be honest, cruise control is a perfect tool to keep you from speeding on long, boring sections of road.

There are a number of other small electronic enhancements on the bike that won't grab headlines but make every day riding a bit easier. The bike has the ability to check its own oil level at startup and will notify the rider when additional oil is needed. When used with the BMW Navigator GPS, the date and time settings on the bike will be automatically updated by satellite. When you run the fuel tank down to reserve, the GPS is notified by the bike and will pop up a list of the nearest fuel stations on its screen. The GPS unit itself can be operated directly from the handlebar by the twist and tilt controller adapted directly from the K1600. Altogether, the new electronic offerings have helped to refine the riding experience and make the new bike more sophisticated.





Conclusion
Although the oil and water-cooled bikes have different personalities, they are both easy to like. While the new water-cooled R1200GS has attractive modern styling and is more exciting to ride on pavement, the old oil-cooled model is still tough to beat in the dirt. The traction and low-end torque on the old bike is perfect off-pavement and it has just the right power delivery curve. We agree that the GSW has proven itself worthy of its place in the GS family. With this new model, the bar has been set high for other manufacturers to try to build a better motorcycle. BMW has presented a bike that will be easier for more riders to enjoy, without taking away the characteristics that have made the GS the bike-of-choice for so many great adventures.

History of the GS - Part 6

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Helge Pederson working on his new water-cooled R1200GS.