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What is the best upgrade to your KLT?

16K views 87 replies 57 participants last post by  BeemerJoe 
#1 ·
I have to say for the convenience, SpeedBleeders take the trophy in my book.
 
#3 ·
My different final drive gear ratios. I now have every gear ratio in stock that was made for the LT style FD except for a 3.22 & that was only available in Europe. I'll have that ratio later this year. I just installed my 2.91 gear FD for my trip to Florida in a few weeks.
 
#4 ·
Hey Dave!
While I'm thinking about things I didn't know I needed, but decided I wanted because of this site, how about sending me one of your re-geared final drives? Not too low so it doesn't kill the mpg, but gives a little more grunt.
PM Sent.
 
#8 ·
The Rick Mayer Seat and my homemade back rest. The pair working together have saved my but and shoulders from great amounts of pain. HID and Hyway pegs would be next.
 
#10 ·
The last upgrade I've done to my K1200LT was a Russell seat (used). Funny thing is, that's the first thing I should have done. It makes this great touring machine a comfortable touring machine, for me. No excuse why I didn't do this first.

I put 120K on an '05 LT and 40k on an '09 LT before doing the seat. In hindsight that was just dumb... everything else is great for convenience, conspicuity, safety, etc., but the seat is the basic interface between rider and machine!
 
#21 ·
Probably the reason why I got so much enjoyment out of my LT. Through this site I learned just about everything I needed to know about maintaining my LT and how to easily install the needed farkles.

I think the HID was first.
 
#33 ·
Same here! And my pillion thanked for it!;)
 
#19 ·
Best upgrades I've done, in order are:

1. Russell seat and backrest
2. PIAA lights & AS-7 switch (mostly for conspicuity)
3. "fix it before it breaks" latch kit (so I don't have to worry about it breaking in the middle of nowhere)
4. Yacugar shocks
5. Centech AP-2 Fuse panel
6. BMR luggage rack
7. Veskimo cooling vest (great for mid-summer rides across the desert and beats evaporative cooling vests hands down)
8. Kathy's saddlebag liners and topcase rack expandable bag

Once I install the Speigler brake lines that I got at CCR last summer, they'll be inserted on this list somewhere after the Russell seat. :bmw:
 
#82 ·
Best upgrades I've done, in order are:


3. "fix it before it breaks" latch kit (so I don't have to worry about it breaking in the middle of nowhere)
:bmw:
Ya know, guess I'm old school here, and like the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it !" I realize there is ALOT of preventive maintenance that can be done for this bike, but I refuse to ride and worry about what might happen to the clutch, or FD, or gears, or whatever. BTW, my '99 still has all that original stuff, including the trunk latch. And, to JNW003, not saying you ride and worry; I know some of us are more prone to R&R parts more than others. I guess I rode a Honda for too many years :cool:
 
#24 ·
The HID upgrade (low beam) is definitely near top of the list... and its also useful that the used stock H7 globe that had sat in the drawer for several years fit my wife's Forestor when it blew a headlight lamp recently :D
Otherwise... its the seat upgrade, gotta be the seat upgrade (Rick Mayer in my case)...not perfect, but 200% improvement over stock and does make it way more comfortable for touring.
 
#49 ·
In the same line; I really enjoyed my Ohlin's when I had the LT; it was like riding a different bike.
 
#26 ·
Now...where should I start from?
Not necessarily in order of importance but in some order anyway:

1) Gerbings permanent Heat-Trollers, separate for jacket, pants and shoes. Same set for the pillion.
2) Heat-Troller adjustment for seat and handlebar heaters.
3) Cee Bailey #2 Euro Cut windshield
4) HID conversion for the stock lights +2 Hella Micro DE HID, + 4 Hella Halogens driving & fog lights. (Now the truckers behave and turn off their roof mounted driving lights at decent distance...)
5) Brake light flasher by Larry S
6) 63 mm power adjustable Russell leather seat added with power adjustable BaK-Up back rest
7) Suburban machinery foot peg lowering kit
8) Öhlins shocks
9) Oil pressure, oil temperature, FD oil temperature, manifold vacuum, Volts and Amps meters.
10) SmartTire tire pressure gauge. (Still working after 150.000 km)
11) Dash conversion v. 5.0 with new 5" screen together with 2 GoPro monitoring, two rear view cameras, one reverse camera & one Android PC display (under construction)
12) Ex-Dauntless hitch with removable luggage rack. Now housing a Uni-Go hitch. Uni-Go with LT luggage rack on the lid. And Larry's brake light flasher on that, too.
13) Multi-fuel conversion kit. Engine runs with anything between European 98 Oct or 85% Ethanol mix.
14) Right side fake muffler for tool storage.
15) Double antennas, flag poles, lighted BMW roundels and what have you...
16) Weep hole of course...
17) Spiegler steel brake lines.
18) Permanent Thomas air compressor with pipeline to front and rear.
19) All new auxiliary electricals with 15 fuses and about 52 auxiliary relays for various purposes.
20) Alternating flasher system for the Hid's and fog lights to create space and warn cage drivers during lane splitting. Very useful in Germany. I call them the "Stau-lights".
21) Trunk moved 30 mm backwards from the factory rear position. New storage space under the pillion backrest (which has been moved 14 mm upwards.)
22) Fix-it-Before-it-breaks set for the trunk lid.
23) Reversing lights, reversing beeper, reversing sensors (nowadays replaced by the camera)
24) 40 Watt radio amplifier update by Baris in UK. IPhone / iPad connection with Spotify.
25) Baehr intercom with Bluetooth cell phone connection. Own system for the pillion for her own music. Baehr bike to bike PMR radio. (no bluetooth though)
26) Garmin Zumo 660

Oh well, forgot most but here was some. Still going strong after 185.000 km...

Regards
 
#29 ·
Now...where should I start from?
Not necessarily in order of importance but in some order anyway:

1) Gerbings permanent Heat-Trollers, separate for jacket, pants and shoes. Same set for the pillion.
2) Heat-Troller adjustment for seat and handlebar heaters.
3) Cee Bailey #2 Euro Cut windshield
4) HID conversion for the stock lights +2 Hella Micro DE HID, + 4 Hella ......................................................................................................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oh well, forgot most but here was some. Still going strong after 185.000 km...

Regards
Ok Ari, But....Which one is the Best?
 
#27 ·
Pozo,

Quite the list of farkles. I'm surprised you didn't add a second GPS, Valentine One radar detector, or a MixIt audio system to the list. How much would it cost just for the farkles you listed? I'm guessing somewhere well above the cost of a previously owned LT, but it would be one heck of a spaceship. :)

Rob, 2000LT
Navarre, FL
 
#48 ·
Thanks for the suggestions, Rob.
As far as the radar detector goes, that was one of the items I forgot from the list. Probably because I only use it in countries where the usage does not become as expensive as here in Finland. If I get caught with the unit on my bike, first of all it gets confiscated. Secondly I will get a ticket which is based on my income. (For example, if I would make a 7-digit income per year (which I don't do, unfortunately) , the fine could be the same as the value of a new GTL.) And the radar detector ticket will be added to my regular speeding ticket collection and if I collect three within a year or four within 2 years my drivers licence will be suspended for 3-4 months. So I rather leave the unit unused on my local rides...
Regarding the two GPS units, I don't get the point. My iPhone serves as emergency GPS if needed. I have an American friend with three units mounted on his bike and for some reason we tend to get lost every time he is leading our riding group...:)
But I forgot to list the Tramigo GPS tracker that I have on the bike. If someone would steal the bike I could follow its path on my iPhone and then send SMS to the unit and it would cut the fuel pump grounding with obvious consequences...:p
And the MixIt audio? I studied their website and tried to figure out what it does that my Baehr Ultima XL for LT does not do...
And the costs I quit adding up many years ago. About the the same time when I hit the price of a new LT...

And to rhawk who asked which one is the best: (just as Curtis originally did)
Sorry I had forgotten the original question as did some others, too. It is hard to pick the best one. Perhaps the Gerbings heated clothing system gives the most riding comfort during the times that otherwise one could not ride at all.
Each farkle is built for some more or less useful purpose so they are all important - to me at least!

Regards
 
#28 ·
I already had the MonoLites on the bike, but adding the HID low beam and the two Hella FF50 under the mirrors made it easy to see and be seen day or night.

Plus getting the Wilbers re-sprung for my weight was a big boost in the ride comfort department. I sold the Corbin 4 piece setup that came with the bike and installed the OEM seat that I also got in the buy. It's perfect now that it's broken in for my butt.

Ride it like you paid for it!
 
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