The IRM Moto Sahara highway pegs add a new dimension of aesthetics and beautiful functionality to the often tedious task of finding an alternative place to put your feet up on long rides. These pins are designed to attach to the valve covers on BMW’s 2005-2009 Hexhead R-Series models, such as the R 1200 RT, R 1200 R and R 1200 GS.
When not in use, these pins can be folded down to give the engine its original appearance. The rider can deploy the pegs by swinging them outward with his boots, revealing a convenient 3-inch perch to rest tired legs.
These fasteners feature impressive mechanical engineering, resulting in a very simple installation process. The latch assembly consists of two pieces. A small cube-shaped bracket slides into the rear valve cover cavity, resting against a lip in it and shaped to allow plenty of clearance for the spark plug wires. The main pin body then fills the gap in the valve cover above the ignition coil (where the black plastic protective cover would normally be) and fits into said cubic placeholder via four equal hex bolts. 7/64 inch stainless steel. After applying some blue Loctite to the bolts, they slide through the placeholder and into the main bolt body. The bolts are then torqued down evenly in a star pattern using the included hex key, pulling both parts together securely. Each latch takes about 10 minutes to install. The latch body parts are all CNC machined and black anodized 6061 aluminum alloy. Build quality and materials are excellent.
I tested the pegs on a scenic 2,500-mile spring tour of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on my 2008 BMW R 1200 RT test bike and came away impressed. The position of the pegs is ideally placed, allowing for long periods of neutral seating – perfect for long motorway journeys. Operation is easy because the front edge of the bolt facing the rider is flared outward and is easy to catch with a boot.
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Other bolt-on options for the Hexhead RT are typically much more expensive and cumbersome, involving purchasing tubular metal crash bars and then attaching regular highway bolts to those bars. (For example, most quality crash bars for the Hexhead RT cost at least twice as much as these bolts – and that’s just for the bars without the included highway bolts!) No prizes. What other highway latching method that I know of is so neatly integrated into the BMW Hexhead R-Series’ OEM styling features that it resembles the American-made Saharas. At $250 MSRP, long distance Hexhead riders can’t go wrong with these!
