As the Iron Butt Rally has become as much as a navigational and routing exercise as much as a test of endurance a strong electrical system is very important. All BMW Motorcycles excel in this area with large alternators, however the RTP has a second battery and electrical system that is non-can bus and has various switched and non switched circuits. In my previous bikes the largest modifications came to the electrical system. By starting with the Police Motor the electrical system is ideally suited for modifications.
Here is a picture of the front of the bike. The extra lights are Hella FF200’s on top, Hella Micro DE on the bottom and Hella Fog lights on the crashbars. The top two sets are HID.
The lights do an amazing job of night time visibility. I recently did a quick training ride from Bristol, RI to the Cabot Trail and back, much of it in the dark. The amount of usable light is awesome and the edges of the road are well illuminated. I saw many deer that I am sure were always there but now I can see. I like it when I get the full “cranial cavity reflection” and if they are not on the shoulder I am pretty confident that they are fully “jacklighted” and will not move.
All these lights are mounted on stock brackets that were on the Police bike that would be expensive and difficult to fabricate for a stock RT. The switch gear is also Police stock and I can have multiple configurations depending on needs.
Here is a good shot of the left side of the bike.
Note the custom bags over the authority crash bars. Storage is tight on the RTP so I had these bags made to handle tools, first aid and other items I need to have but hope to never use.
My tankbag is custom made from Linda Tanner at customtankbags.com. She is an experienced LD Rider in her own right and makes great stuff. She made the bag on the RT base and I had a custom bracket made up for holding the display. The display is hinged and most of the time will be in the down position giving me a clear view of the GPS units and bike instruments.
The police radio box has been replaced with a custom 4.3 gallon auxiliary fuel tank which brings the total capacity of the bike to 11.3 gallons. For the IBR there is a 11.5 gallon limit so I should be ok.
On top of the fuel tank is a Hardigg storm case which contains all sorts of electrical bits and a Panasonic Toughbook computer. The display on the tankbag connects via wirelesss to the toughbook so I can have navigation and other information at my fingertips.
The display up.
And the display down
For GPS units I have a Garmin 2820 and a 2610. In my opinion the 2610 is the best GPS available, especially for rally use and the 2820 is a nice toy. The 2820 also has XM weather, traffic and music, bluetooth for a cell phone and the ability to store MP3 and audio books. The Garmin is interfaced with the JB / BMW comm system. This gives me CB, radar, phone, music and navigational prompts into the helmet.
In the photo above you can also see the two volt meters (police bike has two batteries stock) and LED lights for the fuel management / transfer system.
Hydration is an important and vital consideration when riding the Iron Butt Rally. In the past I have used camelbaks but after a few days wearing water on your bike becomes a pain in the ass. For 2007 Charlie came up with the bubba keg cooler which is mounted on a custom bracket. It also has quick release fittings and an in line washer pump. I can quick remove the cooler and take it into a truck stop for ice and I can get a nice drink by pushing a button!
As you can see plenty of thought and effort has gone into this bike. As in the past I tried to identify ways to save time, increase comfort and make the bike as reliable as possible. I studied past Iron Butt Rally reports. One story involved going down a rocky driveway / access road to a bonus when a rider on a K11LT bottomed out on a rock and put a hole in his oil pan.
This should not be a worry for me as I have a custom bash plate. I am pretty confident that this is the only R12RT with a bashplate!
As much as I would like to say I did all this work myself I do not have the skills, shop or time to handle this. The project and this bike would not be possible without Max and his buddy / race project builder / back woods savant and all around great guy Charlie.
Charlie lives in a secret location deep in the heart of Vermont. I met him a few years ago when Max was way to busy on a Friday and threw me the keys to his sprinter van and asked me to take his turbo GS project to Charlie. I ended up not only meeting Charlie (an experience any gear head needs to savor) but I wound up helping out a customer of Max’s with a flat tire too.
Charlie came up with the Bubba Keg Cooler, in comparison my idea sucked so I took Charlie’s good advice. This was to become a trend in the project, I would describe the issue and my ideas to Charlie and between the two of us (well mostly Charlie) a fantastic solution would emerge.
I am going to have a great time with this bike thanks to Charlie and Max!