Finally: belly pan painted (and other mods)

[throttlemeister]

Today, I finally got mt bellypan back from the painters. Of course, partially because I was slacking in bringing it over there, but we'll ignore that part. The painter did a cracking job of it and it really came out nice.


Nicely colormatched Mandarin yellow, and the inside painted silk black.


Close-up of the paintwork, really smooth and mirror finish. No way I could have done this myself, even if had been able to get the correct color.


But it has to get on the bike of course, so on the lift it is and get working!


All done, and ready to Rock 'n Roll. I have to say I am really, really pleased with how this turned out. I loved it before, and love it even more now. Who needs a 12 when you have something like this parked in your garage?

I figure I am pretty much done modding my bike. It's a pretty extensive list by now...

- Wide rim
- Sport shocks (with HyperPro springs mounted)
- Short paralever arm
- White lenses all round
- Ilmberger carbon fiber hugger
- Double bubble screen
- Staintune exhaust
- Lennie's CF induct
- FosterRAD chip
- K&N filter
- Datatool alarm
- BCR belly pan
- Braided brake lines front and rear
- Stainless steel bar-end weights
- HyperPro RSC (progressive) steering damper
- HID headlight
- Engine vent relocation
- Full-floating front discs with matching rear

The HyperPro springs on the sports struts work really well. I had the dampers tested and they were ok, but full replacements shocks are still on my wishlist.

The discs are da bomb. Forget what you may think, this is by far the best mod I made to the bike. Major stopping power when you touch the lever. And like right now. My bike is a non-ABS bike, but with these discs it is like having servo brakes. I mean eye popping stopping power. F**k stock discs. F**k wave discs. They aren't even remotely close to what these discs manage, and I tried them all. I actually replaced my favorite DP pads with the OE white pads which are less aggressive to give myself a little time getting used to the brakes really braking. With the DP pads they were so aggressive, I was worried making a very expensive mistake while retraining my brain and fingers to the new situation. Two fingers on the brakes squeezing not even hard and the rear starts feeling loose as it barely skims the road, and that's with the OE pads. Yes, they are a little heavier than the standard setup, and no I can't feel it. And I don't really care because they make the bike stop so unbelievably good. So dramatically better than both the stock and the Braking wave rotors I had. They're expensive, but they are worth every penny and then some.

[Bigred455]

Will you elaborate more on your "Engine vent relocation" mod?

[throttlemeister]

I removed the engine vent from the airbox, plugged the airbox and rerouted the vent hose to a engine vent collector/filter from a VFR750.

This mod can sometimes help reduce oil usuage, presumably because the intake can suck so hard, it sucks oil through the vent hose into the airbox.

So far, it appears to work for me but I won't be sure until after next week when I put some serious miles on.

[Bigred455]

Slick, I'm not to impressed with the stock set-up. Will ponder on a mod like yours.

[Hoots]

Why do you have a traffic cone in your yard?

[throttlemeister]

Hehehe.. where else to put it?

[Kieran R1100S]

Nice job. I had the same bike and colour in 2004, but had ABS. It is a very good looking bike but your belly pan realy sets it off.
I have had two R1100S's but now have the 12S. I still think it looks better than the 12S.
But Once owning the 12S there's no going back!

[xk49]

Does anyone know if the BCR belly pan knock off's listed on ebay paint and mount up like this posted pan?

I have a belly pan on my S, but it's doesn't have the same cuts as the BCR. I was going to have it painted this spring, but if the $75 ebay knock off is an alternative, I would just soon get one (~$125 with shipping from UK).

[throttlemeister]

xk, my bellypan IS one of the BCR knock-off's from Ebay.

[throttlemeister]

The painter did have to smooth it out and sand it a bit before paint, but the result is very nice I think. And a whole lot cheaper than the original.

The Ebay pans come without mounting hardware, or some unusable bits. I got me the original BCR mounting hardware from BMW, as I didn't feel like spending hours trying to make something that would probably not fit 100% no matter how much time I spend on it. With the OE kit, I knew the pan would fit as it should.

[boxercup]

Greetings Throttlemeister,

As your posts reflect, "You know what you are doing".

Your bike looks great and trick!

Enjoy the 2008 riding season!

Best!

[boxercup]

Greetings HappyKnobMeister.

I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to you all day long and assume you deserve it.

BTW, your humor is appreciated also!

Errr... yes it is Monday!

[signit98]

Originally Posted by Kieran R1100S

But Once owning the 12S there's no going back!

Actually, there is... for me, a least there is.

I don't think I'd have had as much fun as I had on the 11, would I have taken the 12 for the TC ride this past weekend...

I can only re-state my opinion that the 11 is the better allround bike... for the San Diego TC Ride I'll naturally take the 12, being that it is in my back yard... but I am not ready to do 1200 miles of touring and twisties in 3 days on the just 12 yet...

I still love how the 11 gives you enough comfort to ride all day long, but let's you haul a$$ in the twisties, when called upon! Luggage or not...

[throttlemeister]

LOL at Robert.

[Kevin8]

I just had my 'ebay' belly pan painted (titanium silver) to match my 2002 Boxer Cup Prep bike....I really like the way yours turned out, and especially the way it hangs on the bike.

When I mounted mine, I had to drill a hole for the kickstand 'bump-stop'. It looks like you did, too. But my real question, or comment is your belly-pan fit. I drilled my mounting holes right were I could see they belonged (as I could see little indentations from the mold)...but my pan seems to hang a little low and up tight against the crossover pipe. Did you have to make any adjustments to get a good, satisfactory fit? If so, how did you manage these adjustments?

By the way, I had mine painted a flat black on the inside, too. My next move is to get matching screens in the front intake holes to match the ones I have in the fairing.

[Clutch Cargo]

ditto what Kevin8 said. not a good fit at all on my 03 bcr. the front is very low and right on the crossover pipe. i did not drill exactly in the dimples when i fitted it but tried to offset the mounting holes to get a little more room. if i snug the front mounting screws the bracket will crack the fiberglass. i ended up just drilling the cf pan for the workstand spools (which was what the cheapo was all about).

[throttlemeister]

Kev, I just drilled the marked holes and it fit just perfectly. How did you mount it? Did you use the original BCR mounting kit? I did, which could explain the difference and the perfect alignment.

I did drill a small hole for the kickstand bump. I did not however use the original bump. I felt I had to drill a too large hole for that, or had to remove the bump every time the bellypan needs to come off. In my parts collection, I found a rubber mushroom shaped bumper. Originally the arm would go in a hole and the bumper on top would do its thing, but I used it reverse. I stuck it through the bellypan from the inside, using the arm as the bumper for the sidestand and the real bumper to keep it in place between the bellypan and the frame. Works like a charm and you can barely see it.

[Kevin8]

Throttle....I used the BMW brackets, even though I work at a BMW Dealer(auto's only) & ordered through my parts dept....they cost more than the belly pan! I searched all sorts of past photos, both here and on BoxerTrix to make sure I mounted it in the correct fashion.

Just like ClutchCargo's comment. I dare not try to screw it any tighter lest I crack the fibreglass.

Anyway, great paintjob on that bellypan. Thanks for posting the pictures & the reply.

[EZ-RIDER]

I removed the engine vent from the airbox, plugged the airbox and rerouted the vent hose to a engine vent collector/filter from a VFR750.

Have a part # and a photo of the Mod?

[xk49]

Yo, just order one from joytuner. I'll be chomping at the bit until it comes in. I hoping to get all the bike tending done by May, but looks like the cosmetics will be a little behind.

The good thing about the last pan I bought, I think the hardware is the same as the BCR even though the pan itself is not even close. I wish I had a picture on hand of the thing I just pulled off. I will soon though, because it's going on ebay(hardware not included)