Over 10k miles later, here are the upgrades I've made to the BMW R12 nineT that made a difference

Despite the BMW R12 nineT being marketed as a retro cruiser, I did more than just pootle around the town… although the tick-tocking engine always made that a fun endeavour. But I wanted to rack up the miles, so made a couple of tiny adjustments to improve my ride. Here’s how they worked out… 

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• Update one: First impressions after two months and 1288 miles
• Update two: Time to see how the retro fares on a wet Welsh weekender
• Update three: Electrical gremlins
• Update four: Carrying a pillion passenger
• Update five: Heading to Garmisch on the R12 nineT

I went through two sets of luggage, the first being BMW’s own offering (Soulful Collection side bag 10 litre and 16 litre – £607) and the second a set of Wunderlich bags (Legacy courier bags £539.90 and hangers £229.90). I was pleasantly surprised by how they dealt with my abuse, but think the styling left something to be desired. 

I preferred the look of the Wunderlich bags, but the racks required you to change the placement of the indictors which seemed unnecessarily fiddly as I’d been getting on with the BMW luggage just fine.

Either way, despite being a naked retro, the panniers seemed to be at home on the back of the BMW and, for me, was a necessary stylistic evil to get the most out of my miles. The only issue is that due to such a sleek back end, if you take the bags off, you’re going to be left with an ugly rack.

I swapped the OE tyres for a set of Bridgestone Battlax S23s. I knew I wanted a new set of tyres before I rode through the Alps to southern Germany, and I have no regrets. The tyres seemed to stick to the road like glue, and I had complete confidence in them on the wet and twisty switchbacks in the mountains.

After around 6000 miles, I did have the tell-tale square rear tyre thanks to all the motorway miles, but with the bike going back shortly, I haven’t had time to try another pair. But I’d choose the same again without hesitation.

The opportunity arose to try out some aftermarket indicators, so I gave them a go. Compared to the stock indictors, the Weiser Technik indicators were like a beacon in the dark. They were fiddly to install, and I preferred the styling of the OE indictors, but if you want to feel seen, they’re a great addition.