BMW R 1200 C

Starting point

In the golden days of October, the BMW R 1200 C was to be taken out one more time and then put into hibernation. But structural modifications had left damage and taken away the riding pleasure. The rear wheel had been widened, after which both wheels were to be polished. In the process, all of the wheel spokes were ground into. The workshop responsible showed no understanding, offering neither a solution nor to cover the costs. Three options were discussed: painting the wheel centre in the original shade, polishing everything, or chrome-plating all the wheels. Since the R 1200 C carries many chrome details from the factory, the decision went to chrome plating. The pillion seat with its folding mechanism for the backrest was to be chrome-plated at the same time, as the matt grey parts did not suit the chrome look.

Work

After bad experiences at another workshop, trust had to be won back and what was feasible had to be examined very carefully. Detailed discussions with the customer and with the previous workshops clarified which working materials and chemicals had been used. After dismantling, the first check was whether the pillion seat could be chrome-plated at all; several phone calls to BMW in Munich brought no certainty as to whether the plastic mount beneath the seat pad was suitable. The risk of having to buy a complete new seat was not taken, and this barely visible part was left untreated. The rear wheel caused problems at the weld seam: to widen it, the wheel had been split and welded back together with an additional ring, and outgassing at the seam produced small bubbles during chrome plating. Repeated copper plating, polishing and subsequent chrome plating solved the problem.

Result

In their chrome look, the folding mechanism and pillion seat form a unit with the other chrome details, and the widened rear wheel also shows a very fine result despite the difficult weld seam. Customising became optimising. According to the report at the time, the next ride out in 2008 was eagerly awaited.

Workshop archive, original report. Product details reflect the state at the time.