It's All About the Bike » BMW

Slideshow from Lakeside Daytrip

moto — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:53:41 +0000

Below is a link to recent daytrip around part of the Great Salt Lake. The IAATB crew consisted of Moto, Darth, Bartman, Han Solo, and @ScottSLC. We need to think of a good road name for Scott.

Here’s the link, if the embedded slideshow doesn’t work properly, as in, if you can’t view Flash.

Product Review: Ricochet Skid Plate for BMW F800 GS

moto — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:00:41 +0000

I get a lot of questions via IAATB and my twitter account as to what is the best skid plate (bash guard) for the BMW F800 GS. The plastic unit that comes stock on the bike is a joke, and doesn’t protect your engine, particularly the exposed oil filter, oil cooler, and exhaust manifold pipes from rocks that you might encounter while riding the F800 offroad. I settled on purchasing the BMW brand (made by Touratech, but only sold through BMW dealers) last season, and have about 3,000 miles of mixed riding on it.

I am now testing out a locally-made product from Ricochet Offroad Armor, based right in Salt Lake City, Utah. Let me disclose that I approached them with the opportunity to try their product out and provide a review, and was generously supplied with a demo unit. Below are my thoughts on ease of install, comparative weight, likes and dislikes thus far. This will be a long term product review, and I will do a follow-up post after some miles off the beaten path. This is the only way to truly test the worth.

A little history on Ricochet: founded by motocross racer Don Gibbs, Ricochet Offroad Armor has been making aluminum skid plates and armor for motorbikes and ATVs for 30 years, originally under the Utah Sport Cycle name. I saw a little tiny ad in a dualsport digital magazine, and noticed they were here in Utah and a product for the BMW, so I gave Don a shout. I also learned they make skid plates for Toyota FJ Cruisers. How convenient, because I have one of those too.

The first thing I noticed about the Ricochet product; it’s black anodized finish is going to look sweet on the bumblebee. The next thing I noticed was the weight. Noticeably thicker aluminum than the BMW Touratech skid plate, but also heavier. In fact, below are the actual weights of the stock plastic guard, the BMW Touratech, and the Ricochet (all weighed by me, and including necessary hardware:

Stock plastic: 1.4 lbs (600 grams)
BMW Touratech: 3.8 lbs (1,700 grams)
Ricochet: 4.6 lbs (2,100 grams)

Why is this an issue? A pound here, a pound there. These bikes start getting less nimble in the dirt every time you add a farkle or doo-dad. But in this case I am willing to let it slide, because you really do need good protection to your engine.

The last thing I noticed was the amount of hardware required for the Ricochet: 20 pieces of hardware including nylock nuts, washers, bushings, brackets and bolts. The stock plastic plate only uses 6 pieces of mounting hardware, and the BMW Touratech uses only 5 of the 6 stock parts. Something tells me less is better, and although the install was easy despite all the parts on the Ricochet, I was still blown away. The Nylock nuts are a nice touch, and we’ll see if they loosen up. The hardware pieces on my BMW Touratech skid plate were not much more than finger tight when I went to take them off, which means I was probably one good ride away from losing a nut. If I put that one back on, I’ll have to use some Locktite.

That’s about it for first impressions. Below are some photos. The BMW model wraps around more of the engine casing in the front, but the Ricochet is sturdier and feels more solid in general, even with all the extra hardware. The Ricochet is far cheaper at $129, versus the $275 or so for the BMW. You’ll notice the BMW Touratech has taken a beating, all dented and scratched up. Imagine what your engine casing, oil filter, etc would look like after the same amount of riding and no skid plate! Grim.

Ricochet, BMW, and stock skid plates for BMW F800 GS

BMW Touratech skid plate has taken a beating.

Ricochet Offroad Armor aluminum skid plate for BMW F800 GS

The Ricochet skid plate uses thick aluminum plate and burly mounting hardware.

Spy Photos: Somebody’s New Baby

moto — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:38:19 +0000

I recently posted a look from Bike EXIF of the new BMW F800 GS 30th Anniversary model. It’s a throwback color scheme, and the red saddle really completes the look. It also comes stock with the BMW bash guard and hand guards. I took these photos while down at BMW Motorcycles of Utah in Sandy. They were having a big open house event, and I spied this baby being hoisted from the crate. One thing that is lame: it should come with knobbies. Why not spec it out with some TKC 80’s?

BMW F800 GS 30th Anniversary Model

Touratech Zega-Pro Boxes Ready To Ride

moto — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:28:58 +0000

The bike has more or less been locked in the garage due to unsettled spring weather here in Utah, but I did get a brief respite and a chance to roll over to Darth Nater’s Deathstar to show off the new boxes. Here is a look at the bike from the back.

Touratech Zega-Pro Black Anodized boxes for BMW F800 GS.

Touratech Zega-Pro Panniers F800 GS Install

moto — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:48:29 +0000

Piece of cake. I warned readers that I would call bullshit on the Touratech Zega-Pro panniers and rack system for the BMW F800 GS if they were not super-easy to install, as advertised. They really were simple. I did the whole thing in under an hour. First, you have to take the seat off, and remove the existing pillion handles. The Touratech racks are comprised of a right side and a left side, as well as a stiffening cross member. The racks utilize existing mounting points and hardware, plus a little clamp system that mounts near the passenger foot pegs. Once you get everything hooked up (without tightening everything down) the right and left racks bolt together under the seat to keep them rigid. Ingenious. Then you tighten everything down. I recommend using some threadlock like Locktite on the small bolts for the clamps that attach to the footpeg braces. Those babies will loosen up. And what is with supplying 3mm allen head bolts for those clamps? Too wimpy, they will strip out if you are not careful. Everything else is bomber. Oops. I had two washers left over. You are not supposed to have parts left over, but I figured out why: because I already had the Touratech luggage rack, which uses slightly different hardware. No worries.

I love the black anodized finish on these Touratech Zega-Pro boxes.

Installing Touratech Zega-Pro Racks to BMW F800 GS

Right and left racks come together under the seat.

Supplied clamps to connect to passenger footpeg supports.

The left and right side overlap here and are bolted together under the seat for stiffness.

The 2 dials inside are used to lock the boxes to the rack.

Whoops. Why do I have parts left over?!

Let's ride.

Packing Up Them Boxes, Hittin’ The Road

moto — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:53:01 +0000

Last Fall, I got to test out Giant Loop Moto’s Great Basin Saddle Bag on a long tour through the highlands of the Colorado Rockies. I came away thinking the Great Basin is a great product for dualsport motorbikes. For less than $400, you can carry a lot of stuff in a waterproof bag. It has great advantages over pannier boxes in terms of light weight, cost, and convenience. But there is one huge problem for me. There is no place to stick my big Rush “2112″ sticker. Another smaller problem is when we camp, all my buddies have boxes to sit on around the campfire, and I always have to sit on a rock. I’ve checked out a few solutions for boxes, and it was a tough decision between the BMW factory Adventure boxes, and the new Touratech Zega-Pro. I like the options that Touratech offers in terms of replacement parts and accessories. I like the fact these come in black. I also like the price difference: retail to retail, the Touratech Zega-Pro anodized black boxes, rack, and matching locks are about $400 less than the factory boxes. Stay tuned for a full report on the installation process. The folks at Touratech say it’s easy. I’ll put that advice to the test.

Zega-Pro black anodized panniers from Touratech. Photo courtesy of Touratech-USA.

BMW Motorcycles of Utah Adds Renn To The Team

moto — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:31:55 +0000

The newish dealer in the SLC is BMW Motorcycles of Utah in Sandy. They opened their doors last spring. I would have liked to buy my F 800 GS from them, but instead chose to go with the other BMW dealer in North Salt Lake, because of one thing, they had Renn Charlesworth. Renn is a “steer you in the right direction” kind of guy. Check out the BMW Motorcycles of Salt Lake City Facebook Page, and say hello to Renn.

Winter Weather Still Has Its Grip On Utah

moto — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:15:10 +0000

Not much to report here, other than ski season is still hanging around. The BMW F800 GS is still covered up, hooked up to the battery tender, dying to get out on the road. I dug this photo up from an early spring moto trip a few years back, dated by the bikes: my KTM 640 Adventure which is now in the capable hands of North American 10k Biathlon Champion Casey Simons, and the Blue Angel which is now in Scott Beck’s garage. Never fear boys. Rip up the powder while we have it, it won’t last long. And soon the dirt roads will unfold ahead of us as we chase the setting sun.

Spring Dualsport Moto Trip circa 2008

New Rallye 3 Suit From BMW

moto — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:23:00 +0000

I caught a glimpse online of the new Rallye 3 suit from BMW Rider Apparel, and was immediately drawn to the black and yellow version, which would look pretty good sitting on top of my bumble bee F 800 GS. Has anyone out there seen these in person yet? Sierra BMW has them listed as “in stock.” Pricing is getting up there in the Rukka price range: about $799 for the jacket, and $500 for the pants. Premium yes, but still quite a bit less than Rukka, as I think their Allroad jacket is in the $1200 price range. Damn! It better be good. I think I am going to check with the Salt Lake BMW dealers and see if they have these in stock.

BMW's new Rallye 3 Adventure Suit

Waiter, Taste The Soup

moto — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:07:47 +0000

Is this real? Who cares. I have no doubt that BMW’s new S1000RR suberbike in capable hands could pull this trick off. Check it out.