BMW Motorcycles R1200GS | DOIN’ TIME

WRIST: Aaron Frank
MSRP (2013): $19,520
MILES: 8,290
MPG: 42
MODS: Machineart Moto fender extender, Evotech Performance intake guards
UPDATE: 12

One of my BMW GS wishes is that this Swiss Army bike would do everything I wanted a motorcycle to do, eliminating the need for multiple different bikes crowding my garage. So far that's proven mostly the case. With the right modifications, I've built a bike that tours cross-country, tears up a twisty road, and tears down a dirty jeep trail 90 percent as well as any dedicated touring bike, sportbike, or dual-sport—more than good enough for me.

My über-bike agenda does have an Achilles' heel, however, and that's tires. For the past 4,000 miles I've been running the Heidenau K60 Scout dual-sport tires (see Heidenau K60 MC Tested HERE), which offer an acceptable combination of off-road ability and highway civility (at least after 750-odd miles, when the edges wear off the front knobs—they really sing before that). The only problem is outright grip, which is significantly reduced compared to a dedicated street tire. This is a problem because with strong brakes, the dead-confident Telelever front end, and Dynamic ESA suspension, the GS begs to be ridden hard in corners, and I'm tired of tiptoeing around to avoid tucking the front. I'm loath to change tires every time I want to go off road (always swapping between street and track rubber is what soured me on my last sportbike experience), but it looks like I'm back in the same boat here. Time to ask BMW for a second set of wheels, which will at least save time compared to swapping tires.

It's ironic that this bike gets dirtier than any I've ever had, and it's also the most difficult to clean, with so many nooks and crannies. To better protect the rear shock—the tightest and dirtiest area of the bike—I added Machineart Moto's polypropylene Mud Sling rear fender extender ( machineartmoto.com; $149), which extends 7 inches farther downward and 3 inches laterally to cover the rear tire and completely close the gap between the (too short) stock inner fender and swingarm. MaMo warns the Sling isn't compatible with some knobby tires, but it clears the Heidenaus with a centimeter to spare; your clearance may vary. It also sent the similar Avant extender that adds 5.5 inches to the front fender ($79, or $194 bundled with the Mud Sling), but that interfered with my SW-Motech skid plate (it clears the stock skid plate fine). Both pieces are available for other BMW models, including the R1200RT.

From function to farkle, I also added Evotech Performance's Onwards air intake guards ( motoperformanceusa.com; $87.95), which take two minutes to install (just replace a single bodywork bolt with a longer, stainless fastener that's included) and look trick too. Laugh if you want; just don't come crying to me after you suck a stone or small mammal into your airbox.