Sport touring an RR?

[PittsDriver]

The bike I've thoroughly enjoyed over the past 2+ years has been a K1600GT. It's a bike with the magical ability to serve as a transcontinental missile, comfortable for all day/multi-day rides, and still transform itself into a gentleman's hooligan bike capable of surprising a sport bike in the twisties. But there's this itch right there that I can't reach with this bike. I'm feeling this irresistible call of the wild to see if I still have it in me to do a week long, multi-thousand mile ride on a sport bike. This is something I did often in my 20's. Maybe I'm emboldened by finishing a 7,100 mile ride, at age 55, this past fall on my GT or maybe I'm just looking to challenge myself to do something more extreme but I'm going to land on a S1000RR as my second bike this spring and I want think about using it for some rides where, after my first night on the road, I'm headed farther from home. I'm here asking for some advice.

Some of the things on my list after dipping my toe into this pool are:

- will a PDM 60 tuck away somewhere convenient on the RR to supply power to my clothes, radar detector, tank/tail bag, etc

- are the factory adjustable rearsets the ticket for loosening up the ergos a bit or are there other options?

- what are the best storage options for multi-day rides on an RR? back pack? tail bag? which ones?

- is there a windscreen option worth considering?

- what tools or emergency kit should I have for this bike (I have a well tuned kit for the GT but this might have special needs)

- what I don't know I don't know?

For those of you that are thinking I'm nuts and there are way better weapons for sport touring, etc let me just say that this is not about how to make a race bike a touring bike. It's not about if I've made the best choice of bikes for this kind of riding. It's more like the notion that I can take a Delta flight from coast to coast so why would anyone take a bicycle? For the challenge and adventure of it. I want to figure out how to do a 600 mile day on an RR to get to the TN/WNC hills and then spend a few days on a romp before taking the 600 mile road back home. I'm thinking it could be painful but in the same way that learning to do gyroscopic tumbles in the Pitts was painful, and unforgettable.

Any and all thoughts from the collective wisdom here would be appreciated?

 

[lee]

- what are the best storage options for multi-day rides on an RR? back pack? tail bag? which ones?

A friend of mine "Hunter" over on I-BMW uses his RR for sport touring. He uses the RR tank bag and RR tail bag. This last year he was using a dry bag about 30 liters instead of the RR tail bag.

Bag-Connection makes a set of soft saddle bags for the RR that look interesting.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-bags-connection-blaze-sport-saddlebag-system-bmw-s1000rr-12

 

[PittsDriver]

A friend of mine "Hunter" over on I-BMW uses his RR for sport touring. He uses the RR tank bag and RR tail bag. This last year he was using a dry bag about 30 liters instead of the RR tail bag.

Bag-Connection makes a set of soft saddle bags for the RR that look interesting.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-bags-connection-blaze-sport-saddlebag-system-bmw-s1000rr-12

Cool Lee, those bags look pretty good. I haven't shopped at Twisted Throttle but will start looking around there.

 

[TIMAY]

on the idea. I like the idea of ultralight sport touring. It all started with an RR test ride last year. I have been eyeing "standard / streetfighter" bikes (R; much easier on my wrists) with this in mind ever since.

 

[racer7]

There's a lot to be said for light especially if headed for the hills. The Ks are a heavy handful when it gets tight and their wheelbase isn't ideal either.
I picked an F800GT to add to the fleet - but then I also enjoy a
Spec Miata on the track even though its not even close to the power of what I usually drive. I think your intent to tour light is great- wish I could even contemplate handling sport bike ergos for long miles as there's never been a bike with too much power- but not these days.

We use yellow Ortlieb rollups on the tail of the twins for luggage - also add to conspicuity.

I believe the current record across the Dragon is still held by a supermoto- at least it was a while ago. (Not recommending any record attempts-enforcement is there because the high accident rate, crossing the centerline can get you dead fast, and these days there's way too much traffic most of the time)

 

[royce]

... For those of you that are thinking I'm nuts and there are way better weapons for sport touring, etc ...

I think the idea is great. I love sport touring on the smallest, lightest bike. I did all the lower 48 on a Yamaha FZ1 and it was a hoot. Rigged up a tail bag for a couple changes of underwear and a toothbrush and away I rode. And lo and behold, while I was in the Colorado Rockies I met a guy from the Right Coast who was doing the same thing on a Hayabusa! Yep, he one-upped me, and we had a good laugh and a wonderful discussion about our trips. Then a day or two later, met another guy from Michigan, or maybe it was Wisconsin, can't remember, and he was doing the same thing on a 883 Sportster. Apparently there are a few weirdos like us out there on the road.

Go for it!

 

[PittsDriver]

on the idea. I like the idea of ultralight sport touring. It all started with an RR test ride last year. I have been eyeing "standard / streetfighter" bikes (R; much easier on my wrists) with this in mind ever since.

I thought hard about the S1000R as well and I think that bike is going to start flying out of the showrooms when available. This is going to be a track day bike for me as well and I guess I felt the full monty was required for me to check this box on my bucket list. I brought it home yesterday and it's snuggled up next to the GT in the garage waiting on roads clear of smegma.

 

[lee]

Congrats on the new bike Wes. The GT and RR will make a nice pair.

 

[PittsDriver]

Does anyone know where I can find the specs on the range of adjustment on the HP adjustable foot pegs? I was thinking going in to this that I'd like to let them down about an inch or so to give me little more room in the knees even if it cost me a bit of cornering clearance. Then, move them back up for the track days. I put about 100 break in miles on it today and it actually felt pretty good as long as I got off and walked around a few minutes every hour or so.

 

[radrider]

I will be setting up my new S1000R as a sport tourer. In the process of gathering the accessories and will post a picture once it's done. In the meantime this is the before picture

 

[PittsDriver]

radrider, if only a fraction of all the good stuff I've heard about that bike are true you're going to love it. Since I took delivery of my RR, I've put 3x the miles on it that I've put on my K1600GT. They're both amazing bikes but that RR motor with the quick shift is like crack cocaine and now I'm addicted. Is yours the fully equipped version with the DDC?

 

[radrider]

Yes, mine is fully optioned. Like you, I no longer ride my RT and it's for sale

 

[jasontdi]

A friend of mine "Hunter" over on I-BMW uses his RR for sport touring. He uses the RR tank bag and RR tail bag. This last year he was using a dry bag about 30 liters instead of the RR tail bag.

Bag-Connection makes a set of soft saddle bags for the RR that look interesting.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/sw-motech-bags-connection-blaze-sport-saddlebag-system-bmw-s1000rr-12

^^This^^ 10K on mine with the same bags. Works great.

 

[PittsDriver]

1st "tour" on the RR starting tomorrow

I'm heading out in the morning on my first multi-day ride on the RR. We're headed out from Annapolis out into the heart of West Virginia and looking at a couple of 350 mile days if all goes according to plan. We're going to see temps from the high 30's to the 60's and hard rain to a great sunny sky. Photos to follow in the next few days with a report on what kind of "tourer" a BMW race bike can be. Giddy up!

 

[radrider]

Completed a 3000 mile trip on the S1000R through TN, NC, GA. This is what the touring version looks like now with the Bags Connection saddlebags, Wunderlich tankbag, GPS and Kriega dry bags.

 

[PittsDriver]

I put a ride report on here for this ride just concluded:

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?72947-RR-RR-No-chiropractor-needed&highlight=

As it turns out, I can still take a track bike off into the hills for a couple of days and really enjoy it. I think I surprised myself by that. Longer rides planned this fall.