With the new luggage rack replacing the passenger seat, Touratech is expanding its range of accessories for the BMW R 1300 GS with a solution for solo riders that is both functional and stylish.

Centralising the masses – that's the key when it comes to agile yet stable handling on a motorcycle. Admittedly, a fully loaded adventure bike is not exactly the ideal example of this rule. But even motorcycle travellers can do a lot to achieve a favourable centre of gravity. Especially when travelling solo. For example, by using the Touratech luggage rack instead of a pillion seat for the BMW R 1300 GS.

Centrally located storage for heavy luggage
Developed on the basis of extensive practical testing, this component replaces the original pillion seat and creates an optimally positioned, central mount for luggage. Thanks to its precise design, the seat area is covered without any gaps. This gives the rear of the R 1300 GS a tidy appearance and a sporty, striking adventure look. At the same time, the luggage area's proximity to the rider contributes to a favourable centre of gravity, thereby supporting stable, neutral handling – especially when heavily loaded on long journeys or off-road.

Secure installation by using the standard seat lock

The structure consists of a robust plastic base plate and a four-millimetre-thick aluminium luggage plate mounted on top of it with an elegant black anodised surface. Numerous lashing points allow flexible and secure attachment of bags, rack packs or soft luggage of various sizes. Installation is just as easy as with the original BMW pillion seat and uses the standard seat lock, making the luggage plate lockable and thus reliably secured against theft.
The Touratech luggage rack is specifically designed for riders who mainly use their BMW R 1300 GS solo and value a highly durable, sophisticated and seamlessly integrated transport concept.

Technical specifications:

The base plate is made of fibre-reinforced, black-coated plastic with an embossed Touratech logo, while the luggage plate is made of 4 mm thick, black anodised aluminium. The overall dimensions are 35.5 × 31 cm, with a loading area measuring 29 × 31 cm. It weighs around 1.2 kilograms. Item no.: 035-5460

ALEX MÁRQUEZ
“Starting from the third row didn’t help us, but it was still a race of management until the crash. The others have definitely improved, but we need to keep working and stay calm. My race was about staying behind Mir at a distance so as not to overheat the front tire, with no real chance to overtake. The crash came when I tried to push a bit more; I didn’t have any feeling with the front end and I lost it with a small mistake.”

MICHELE PIRRO
“I’m a bit disappointed, I thought I could do better by putting together all the pieces of the puzzle from these past few days. Instead, from the start of the race I immediately felt uncomfortable with the tires, a feeling I hadn’t had all weekend. I tried to manage the tire, but it was quite strange. I’m sorry because I wanted a bit more consistency. I gave it my all, and I want to thank Nadia and the whole group for the trust they’ve shown me over these days.”

ALEX MARQUEZ 
“It’s a shame because I had a very good start today. Unfortunately, under braking there was contact with Diggia, who tried to attack from the outside, and I had no options. From that moment on, I focused on my riding and overtaking, and I found a good rhythm. We definitely made a nice step forward in the sprint, and tomorrow we have a good chance to be among the protagonists. Today we could have been in the top four or five, and that will be the goal for tomorrow.”

MICHELE PIRRO
“We completed the sprint, even though I was hoping for more consistency in the lap times. I wasn’t that far from the group ahead of me, but I made a few small mistakes. We need to — and we can — make another step forward tomorrow as well, and thanks to the team who are doing a great job. Of course, the heat isn’t helping us perform at our best.”

ALEX MARQUEZ 
“This morning I wasn’t happy at all, then in the afternoon we found a way to improve a bit. I wasn’t calm and relaxed enough, partly because of the weather conditions. We need to keep working on the setup and I have to find something more in terms of traction, which was one of my strong points last year.”

MICHELE PIRRO 
“I’m not satisfied because we did take a step forward compared to the test, but the track conditions and a few issues with the bike didn’t allow me to lap in the 1’30s, which was the goal. We’ll try again tomorrow. Thanks to the team, who are working incredibly hard and showing great patience with a 40-year-old.”

If you enjoy the exhilaration of riding on tow wheels as well as four it’s actually quite relevant to consider what sort of pickup truck you might need so that both worlds align perfectly.

When you are searching new Buick and GMC SUVs Baton Rouge, for instance, it makes sense to have a clear idea of how you can transport your bike around, if you like riding trails and doing a bit of off-roading.  

A pickup allows you to transport the bike to where you need to be, and load it back on again once you have had some fun. With that in mind, here’s some important things to think about and look for when buying a pickup truck as a biker.

Transporting your bike safely and securely

It’s worth noting that not all pickup truck models offer the same levels of convenience and accessibility that you need for transporting a bike, or several bikes.

If you look at what some of the new GMC pickups offer, for instance, you will be pleased to learn that you can get integrated wheel chocks and tiedown hooks. This would be just what you need for securing your bikes properly for the journey ahead.

Get a pickup that’s the right size

It is also highly relevant to think about what size truck bed you need to hold your bikes and anything else that you want to move around on a regular basis.

Work out the dimensions you need and let that guide you in your choice of model.

Think about ease of loading

It seems that as the design of pickup trucks evolves they tend to get bigger and taller. That’s great in many respects, but it can create a bit of an issue when it comes to how easy it is to load your bikes on the back.

If the angle is too steep and a bit too high to lift the bike in manually, you will probably need a ramp to be able to do the job more easily.

Think about ease of loading and try to picture what it’s going to be like loading a bike when you are looking around the pickup and sizing it up.

Does it have enough horsepower?

When talking about pickups it pays to remember that they are not all equal. Horsepower, towing capacity, and payload levels vary greatly between makes and models.

Work out how much pulling power you need to carry or tow what you need for your adventures.

How many seats do you need?

Last but not least, can size is another highly relevant factor to consider. If you are going to be carrying a few bikes and passengers you will obviously need a cab with the capacity to accommodate everyone comfortably.

It makes sense to cover as many bases as possible when trying to find the right pickup. If you think about all of these important points to help you work out exactly what you need, you’ll end up with the perfect pickup.

Once you have made your choice you can start planning some serious two-wheeled adventures, knowing your pickup has got everything covered to get you and your bikes there.

article supplied