R1100/1150"RS" Aux Light mount/bar/bracket ??

[Turkus]

Putting this out there for a fellow MOA member (I've got more time on my hands than he does).

He's the proud owner of a pair of RS model BMWs - one is mid-90s and the other is a 2004 (I believe).

Here's the problem:
He purchased a set of Clearwater "Darla" driving lights with the "universal" mounting brackets for the 2004.
The supplied mounting brackets leave a little something to be desired and right now he has them secured through
the front fender mounting hardware instead.
The lights cannot be tightened without busting the fender so we're actively searching for another, viable,
and more rigid option.
On my '09 RT these lights were caliper mounted, on the RS one has to get a little creative with the supplied hardware.
I've spent, literally, hours on the 'net and can't come up with anything "out of the box".
Before we resort to having a machinist friend fabricate something, I figured I'd throw out a post in the forum
to see if y'allz have done something similar or have any better ideas/solutions:
i.e. - buy something else and cut, bend, break a ready-made part for something else (even non-BMW specific).

Hopefully we'll strike gold with one of you.....


Then I'll ask the same thing for my '93 K75S.....

 

[gsaddict]

It would sure help

 

[SeabeckS]

For Oilhead models, the Talon mounts (attached with the valve cover bolts) seem to work reasonably well. Had a pair on my R11S with Hella FF-50's mounted. The Talons are only available for Oilheads I believe...

FYI, I'm selling accessories previously attached to my S, so if your friend might be interested, please drop me a PM.

Cheers!

 

[Turkus]

For Oilhead models, the Talon mounts (attached with the valve cover bolts) seem to work reasonably well.....

Thanks for the reply, Bill.....
We'd like to retain the fork mounting option if it is humanly possible as this is one reason he chose those lights
(I had them on my RT and they saved my bacon on a twisty mountain road in HEAVY fog one night)

Do you have a link to the Talon mounts ??
I can't seem to find anything...

 

[6322]

I can't remember where I purchased these in'03, and they are frame/fairing mounted, but they've served me well on my RS for the last 80k.

 

[bikerfish1100]

pics on this site are crappy, but i've been running a set of these Martin Fabrications on my R1100S for about 10 years, and they are of excellent quality, no issues whatsoever.

http://www.bmwmotorcycleaccessories.com/Martin-Fabrication-Driving-Light-Mount-MFAB-L15635.htm


On my bike...

 

[bikerfish1100]

I can't remember where I purchased these in'03, and they are frame/fairing mounted, but they've served me well on my RS for the last 80k.

those look very much like the Martin's that i'm running, in terms of their construction.

 

[robsryder]

I can't remember where I purchased these in'03, and they are frame/fairing mounted, but they've served me well on my RS for the last 80k.

View attachment 44966View attachment 44965View attachment 44964

The mounts shown in these pictures look like those sold by Martin Fabrication. I don't know that he is still in business, or at least sells to the retail
market. I have these mounts for LED aux lights on my R1100RS and they work well. One change that I made is to use some rubber (old inner tube)
and safety wire to secure the back of the mount to the front sub-frame rather than use the bolts. It became apparent that fitting the bolt would
be a major PITA. I've been pleased with my set-up. I do use the front bolts similar to that shown in these photos. I can go take some photos if more
info is needed about the means of securing the back of these mounts.

 

[robsryder]

here is my LED aux light (Vision X solstice) with the Martin Fabrication mount

 

[SeabeckS]

Thanks for the reply, Bill.....
We'd like to retain the fork mounting option if it is humanly possible as this is one reason he chose those lights
(I had them on my RT and they saved my bacon on a twisty mountain road in HEAVY fog one night)

Do you have a link to the Talon mounts ??
I can't seem to find anything...

Find it here...http://www.hawksproducts.com/

Cheers!

 

[robsryder]

It appears that Martin Fabrication stuff is now available from Creative Cycle Concepts -

http://www.bmwmotorcycleaccessories.com/Martin-Fabrication_c54.htm

http://www.bmwmotorcycleaccessories.com/BMW_c4.htm

 

[SeabeckS]

Thanks for the reply, Bill.....
We'd like to retain the fork mounting option if it is humanly possible as this is one reason he chose those lights
(I had them on my RT and they saved my bacon on a twisty mountain road in HEAVY fog one night)

Do you have a link to the Talon mounts ??
I can't seem to find anything...

And FWIW,

I'm sort of old school, and my first set of auxiliary lights were Hella FF50's, mounted under the cooler shrouds on an '04 R1150R. I went with the fog lights, because I was looking not only for night lighting, but also for conspicuity. I'd been on a few rides with a buddy who had the fork mounted lights, and I was way less than impressed with how much light they put out. Did a bit of research to find the Hella FF-50's, and turned out to be more than I expected. With the fog pattern lens, they put a lot of light, down low and wide...plenty to see around corners, and IMHO much better light than fork mounts. Bonus was that with a tightly controlled beam cutoff, I discovered that I could just leave them on ALL the time, never once had an oncoming vehicle flick their high beams at me. Really got me riding a bit more at night they were so good.

First accessory I picked up for my 11S was a set of these lights, but reluctant to start boring holes in the expensive fiber glass...so found the Talons. Not a real pretty setup with a bit more exposed wiring, but similar results...

I know your buddy has the aux lights in hand...but just thought I'd throw out another suggestion.

Cheers!

 

[Turkus]

It would sure help

As per your request....
These are the "generic" mounts supplied by Clearwater and we're using the front fender mounting hardware - hardly "stable"









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[gsaddict]

It appears that you will need another spacer behind the side skirt as the plastic seems to be distorting under the bolt.
Also not the most secure mounting point either. If I'm not mistaken the bolt threads into the fender assy. not the actual fork. Am I correct?
Do the lamps vibrate?

 

[Turkus]

It appears that you will need another spacer behind the side skirt as the plastic seems to be distorting under the bolt.?

No, it's not distorting it just looks like it is....but it is a flimsy attaching point nonetheless

Also not the most secure mounting point either. If I'm not mistaken the bolt threads into the fender assy. not the actual fork. Am I correct??

Yes, it is not the most optimal spot for the lamps and the single point mounting leaves a lot to be desired.
On my R1200RT a "caliper bracket/mount" was part of the model specific hardware and it worked quite well.
Nothing like that available from Clearwater for this particular model.

Do the lamps vibrate?

No....they get the droopsies


Again...we're hoping for a solid, fork-mounted option but we just may end up with something fairing mounted (ala Martin Fabrications)

 

[gsaddict]

No, it's not distorting it just looks like it is....but it is a flimsy attaching point nonetheless



Yes, it is not the most optimal spot for the lamps and the single point mounting leaves a lot to be desired.
On my R1200RT a "caliper bracket/mount" was part of the model specific hardware and it worked quite well.
Nothing like that available from Clearwater for this particular model.



No....they get the droopsies


Again...we're hoping for a solid, fork-mounted option but we just may end up with something fairing mounted (ala Martin Fabrications)

Notice u have no crash bars. These are pricey but a clean install and have a very solid mounting tab for driving lights.
I have a set on my GS and HW has a set on his RT.
http://shop.nationalcycle.com/perl/cycle/Z7105

 

[tourer1150]

Hello Bruce, doesn't your bracket work on the brake caliper screw with a tube spacer? What about the Clearwater BMW mount kit? WebBikeWorld showed a clamp option at the fork on a F800GS.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/lights/clearwater-darla-led-lights/

 

[Turkus]

Hello Bruce, doesn't your bracket work on the brake caliper screw with a tube spacer?

Nope....the position of the RS caliper is different than other models.

It's looking more and more like we will have to "scratch build" a bracket
(when we have nothing better to do......)