The Native Iowan

OK, I need to revise my original assessment. I have now been riding the r9t a fair bit. And I am enjoying it.

Of course it took me ages to come up with the idea of changing the handle bars. I never liked the original “sit-up” position. I like to ride low and long. It was the rise and position of the handle bars that were my biggest problem with the stock machine. So I took the bars from my F800R and swapped them over to the 9t…

f800r with r9t bars n vice vera… r9t looks much better… rides much better…

It doesn’t show well in the pict but this lowered the r9t bars by about 40mm/ 1.5″. I want to note that the bike still has that “farm Implement” mud guard on rear wheel. The mirrors on the lower bars still suck the wazilly. But the bike rides nicer, lower, more comfortable.

But I am not happy. The pegs are still cramped. Too high, forward and aft. I still can’t make the mirrors work, as-is. They simply suck. They sucked from day one and the only way to make them work is get rid of them. Like-wise; the rear mud guard sucks. I don’t get it. Please, someone help me. Why this hunk of hanging “stuff” when the bike is supposed to be a racer… I simply don’t get it.

So I change it all… Again…

To get the “ride” I want I go looking for parts that will work and find, gratefully, that Rizoma,   http://www.rizoma.com/street/bmw/bmw-r-nine-t-r-nine-t-1200-2014/en , has a line of products available. I note for interest that this is a new line of products and I ordered mine with a smile but it took 6 weeks for me to get my gear. And, sadly, I am still waiting for the alloy fairing.

I installed the clip ons and a pair of “spirit” black bar-end mirrors…

As well, I went to   Wunderlich,   http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/bmw/RnineT.html , and bought a tail plate that allows me to get rid of the mud guard… 

I also lowered both front and back pegs… I note that I’ve written before that the back pegs on the bike are my “high-way” pegs. I put my feet back and lay my chest on the tank bag. I lean my chin on the edge of the bag and ride long, long hours.

So I put the bike on the “shed-sled”…

this shows the way it looked…. 

as I prepared… 

to make… 

this really nice bike… 

ride the way I want it to. Call me a control freak!

So I start with the tail end…

I want to remove that ugly mud guard… 

so I dismantle a fair bit…

before n after….


I do prefer the after version….

I’ll do a long ride next week to see how it all jibes.

more Vrooom later