Essential Accessories – Water-Cooled R1200GS

The team at Touratech-USA is loving the new water-cooled BMW R1200GS and has spent much of the year riding the new water-boxer, and helping people outfit their bikes for adventure. After numerous rides and rallies, we decided to put together this list of essential upgrades to help people prioritize the accessories they might be considering.


Full Video Transcription:

Touratech has developed a crash bar system for the new, water-cooled, R1200GS. As you can see, its a complete roll cage around the cylinder that offers protection around all sides.

The crash bar wraps the full way around the cylinder head, giving the ultimate protection for the valve cover. Installation is straight forward, and the crash bar mounts to the engine mounts on the bike, so it doesn’t transfer crash energy to the engine.

The Expedition Skid Plate on our water-cooled, R1200GS, is made out of 4 mm thick aluminum. It has a 5 mm thick stainless steel reinforcement plate, and it has some fiber reinforced, polyamide nylon sliders mounted to the bottom to protect the bolt heads.

As you can see it goes from the very beginning of the motor up here, it protects the header pipes, and it goes all the way back to the back of the bike and it covers the catalytic converter.

Installation of the skid plate is really straightforward. The skid plate mounts to the same brackets that the BMW stock skid plate mounts to, and the reinforcement plate firms them all up and ties them together. Installation is quick and easy.

We have outfitted this bike with a Zega Pro pannier system. This system is available in three different sizes of box. You can get a 31, a 38, or 45 liter box. Its available in three different finishes. There is a bare aluminum finish, silver anodized finish, or a black anodized finish.

We also have a Zega Pro Top Case on the bike. It also has an 18mm stainless steel mounting rack, and is silver in color. The top case is equipped with rapid trap mechanism, which allows you to quickly remove it from the motorcycle. Zega Pro Panniers are water proof, they offer secure, dry storage so they are a great option for adventure riding or long distance travel.

This is the Works footpeg from Touratech for the water-cooled R1200GS. There are a lot of foot pegs on the market, those that are really wide, really long, and all kinds of different materials. What Touratech has done is made one that’s minimalist, its got high ground clearance, you can see that it’s tapered out to the end, and it’s really just the right size. It feels great, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you don’t need, it’s really just a comfortable correctly sized foot peg that maximizes ground clearance, and preserves lean angle.

The tank bag is specific to the new R1200GS. The shape fits the tank perfectly, the mounting system wraps around the frame, up by the steering head. The rear mount attaches underneath the seat. The tank bag is quick-release for easily filling the fuel tank. At the top of the tank bag you can see that there is actually an extension sown onto it so the map case sits level, taking into account the slope of the tank. The tank bag is expandable, and it has a number of pockets inside for storing small items.


When we first rode this bike, we found that the brake pedal was very low, and not adjustable from the factory. Touratech developed an adjustable length, and adjustable height folding rear brake lever specifically for this bike that makes it much more convenient to reach the brake pedal when your standing or riding off road. Highly recommended.

This is the quick-release headlight guard for the water-cooled R1200GS. It offers great protection for the very expensive LED headlight on this bike, and it can be removed, so that you can keep the dust and dirt clear of the lens. Then you simply re-install it and off you go.

The headlight guard is cutout so that it exactly follows the reflector housing on the light. It even lets you look straight through to where it says ‘BMW LED,’ it’s very cool.

When you ride large bikes like these off road, parking can be a challenge because the stock side stand will posthole into the soft ground. Touratech makes a large sidestand foot that just bolts right to the bottom of the stock sidestand. It increases the surface area, and keeps the bike up right when parking.

Our bike has the Touratech 15mm bar risers on it, for a lot of riders that are taller than I am, you’ll find that you need bar risers for comfort while standing, and also just to open up the cockpit a little more when your sitting on the bike. 15 mm doesn’t sound like a lot for a bar riser, and the reason that its so short for the new bike is because the brake hoses, and the cables for the fly by-wire throttle, as well as all the hand controls, are a little shorter than they were on previous models.

Click HERE to see Touratech’s complete line of accessories for the 2013 R1200GS.


Additionally, we’re excited to introduce Touratech’s new Plug & Travel Suspension system, the world’s first aftermarket shock that is plug & play with BMW Motorrad’s new water-cooled R1200GS!

Works with stock controls and ride modes on your water-cooled BMW R1200GS & GSA

Over-sized 46mm damping piston for cooler temperatures and reliable performance

•Large oil reservoir and floating piston design for smooth and consistent handling

•Adjustable high & low speed compression damping for tuning your ride

•Fully serviceable for long life and consistent performance

Click HERE to learn more about Plug & Travel suspension for the 2013 R1200GS.