Perhaps the best thing about kindergarten was nap time. You know that time after lunch and before afternoon cookies where you could just lay down and give the day a think. You were stuck there whether you liked it or not for the next 60 (never-ending kid) minutes. It seems that my bikes have also had a predilection to napping also. Some bikes have even have bouts of undiagnosed narcolepsy, but the seemingly in all those events it never stopped our adventures.
So, while Roulette is going to be a 'road' only bike, it's best we consider some minimal armoring. It's the difference between riding home and not. First up are some hand guards, lest we take a parking lot nap and snap off some levers. The BMW hardware (P/Ns 77328532948 71607715135 71607705964) resists rust pitting and has an incredible finish. They are refined enough. Remember, the F700s run a 7/8 diameter handle bar vs the larger 1" on the F800s, so you need to order the correct ones!
I didn't want a huge skidplate, just something to keep the errant rocks off the all important, life-giving oil pan sump. Skidplates seem to come in 2 forms--those that are meant to tractor through Armageddon other are flimsy carbon fiber. Carbon fiber while light is much like giving a band-aide to a someone that has been shot. It's really not to solve what ails them. I settled on the Touratech small skid plate. It covers the front oil cooler, has side wings, but still tucks up really nicely and unobtrusively.
So, while Roulette is going to be a 'road' only bike, it's best we consider some minimal armoring. It's the difference between riding home and not. First up are some hand guards, lest we take a parking lot nap and snap off some levers. The BMW hardware (P/Ns 77328532948 71607715135 71607705964) resists rust pitting and has an incredible finish. They are refined enough. Remember, the F700s run a 7/8 diameter handle bar vs the larger 1" on the F800s, so you need to order the correct ones!
I didn't want a huge skidplate, just something to keep the errant rocks off the all important, life-giving oil pan sump. Skidplates seem to come in 2 forms--those that are meant to tractor through Armageddon other are flimsy carbon fiber. Carbon fiber while light is much like giving a band-aide to a someone that has been shot. It's really not to solve what ails them. I settled on the Touratech small skid plate. It covers the front oil cooler, has side wings, but still tucks up really nicely and unobtrusively.
At this point, you'd think we've met the requirement for protection. But nope, as I put the bike on the lift, I notice an incredible amount of road spray on the radiator. Bending some fins and only 2000 miles on the odometer. Alrighty then, off to Wunderlich (P/N 8601521) for a nice radiator guard.