BMW R1200C Bell Bottom Fenders

BMW made 40,218 of these cruiser models between 1997 and 2004. Owners speak highly of the ride and bike quality.

A while back I got a call from Pokie, an ardent R1200C owner and member of Chromeheads.org. Pokie asked me to make bigger practical fenders for the R1200 because that massive bike came with little sport type fenders. These are touring bikes and the stock fenders allowed too much water and junk onto the bike and rider. So I said okay. After six months or so I had them ready.

Not only is this cruiser's abbreviated front fender impractical for long road work, it also allows the front end to have a weak visual presence. Compare the wheel ends to the middle of this bike which is visually "full." My Bell Bottom R1200C fenders offer increased rider protection and new fuller aesthetics which balances the cruising design of this bike.

Bell Bottoms are made of fiberglass and come in black. Fiberglass is wonderfully repairable and does not dent like a metal fender. White is also available on a custom order basis if you want to paint to match your other-than-black bike. I do not drill mounting holes-I leave that to you. Position your fenders on the bike and drill to match. Sure as heck if I drilled the holes, they'd be off by a tweak.

UK rider explains why he chose the BMW Bell Bottom fender

The BMW R1200C is a wonderful piece of engineering but when it comes to the front fender, it lacks length on the back end. Road chippings constantly damage the engine casing and the chrome belt cover. This is a more apparent problem with my trike as the front wheel runs in the middle of the road.

To deal with problem I searched for methods of eliminating the damage in the form of a fender extension or mounting a guard on the front of the engine casing. Both have worked but have been tacky looking. I came across a photo of a Bell Bottom BMW fender on the 'Chromeheads' website which looked like the ideal solution.

I contacted Phil and had one sent over the pond to the UK. Got my local paint sprayer to match the colour and the change-over was fairly straight forward with only some minor alignment issues that were easily overcome with rubber washers placed between the top of the fender and the mounting plate.

The result was amazing, not only does it do the job it has actually enhanced and balanced the flowing lines of the rest of the trike. It has to be said that this has been the best modification I have made to the trike to date and one that now distinguishes it apart from the others. Brilliant!

(Cliff Webb lives in Turners Hill, West Sussex UK)