Tag: gear

I contacted the owner of the 2006 BMW R1200 GSA that’s for sale and asked if I could see the motorcycle to get pictures to send to Jean-Francois. We met this afternoon and the motorcycle is in beautiful condition. Phil, the owner, is such a great guy he pulled all the cases off so I could get pictures both with and without the cases. It was overcast on and off so some of the pictures are a little dark, but they are posted at http://www.motorcycle-journeys.com/r1200gsa/r1200gsa.html.

After looking all over the western United States,  ironically it looks like the best motorcycle available for Jean-Francois is a 2006 R1200 GSA in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that was owned by a fellow member in BMWDFW rider group. The motorcycle has everything on it Jean-Francois wants except a GPS. It has been meticulously maintained by the owner and has about 24,000 miles on it.

Here are some of the add-ons:
Ohlin Shocks front and rear
Fastway pegs
Staintune Stainless Exhaust
Full Skid plate and center stand protection
Stebel Horn  (i.e.  LOUD)
Centech Fuse block for accessories
Headlight protection
Extended handguard protection – Touratech
Handlebar risers – Adventurers Workshop
Additional cylinder head crash bar protection – Adventure Design
Touratech guards for vulnerable areas – throttle body, rear brake cylinder, front oil cooler
Rear “hugger” to protect shock from mud and dirt
Throttle lock
Upgraded headlight and side lights
Rear blinking stop light
Clear turn signal lens
K&N air filter

Last year I had been researching throttle locks for my F650 GS before going on a trip to Mexico and had run across mention of a Tilt Cruise made by a man who lived in Montreal, Quebec.  I contacted Gilbert Piccard and he sent one of his throttle locks that I installed before leaving on the Mexico trip.

If you own a BMW I would recommend you check to see if he makes one for your motorcycle. As a fairly new rider I felt it was critical to get a lock that was extremely easy to turn on and off. The Tilt cruise is easy to use and looks great on my F650. Contact me if you would like Gilbert’s email.

Gilbert and I have become long distance friends. He was born in Switzerland, almost moved to the United States, but ended up in Canada. He’s been riding motorcycles since he was a young man in Switzerland and is very knowledgeable about BMW’s. When I was having stalling problems with my F650 he contacted an expert mechanic friend in Germany and got information to help me.

I sent Gilbert an email today telling him I’m considering escaping the Texas heat this summer and making a ride up for the rally. I also mentioned my interested in Newfoundland.

I got a quick response with links to Newfoundland and Quebec:

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/accueil0.html

Gilbert said both provinces are very generous with their tourism information so I ordered visitor guides from their websites. Now I wait on the mail.