Hornig Wheel Cover Hubcap

Hornig Logo BMW Wheel Cover Hubcap for the BMW GS Series Motorcycles

wBW Quick Look by Chris B. for webBikeWorld.com

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Summary:  BMW motorcycle rear wheel hub cover is just one of a whole array of accessories made and sold by Hornig. 

Fine machining and an excellent fit makes the rear wheel hub cover by Hornig a snap to install and a pleasant eye-catcher.

Part 1 of 2:  In addition to offering guided tours in Germany and the rest of Europe, Hornig GmbH sells a huge array of accessories for BMW motorcycles.

Well-known and highly regarded in Europe, Hornig products are also available in North America through selected BMW dealers. 

We chose two items from their large catalog; this Hornig BMW wheel cover for Chris' R1150GS (Hornig P/N 0210) and the Hornig rear mudguard for HBC's BMW F800GS (P/N 40100).

Background
After the purchase of a motorcycle, the first thing many riders like to do is make changes or additions to create a bike that's just a little different from the others.

Some use a conservative approach, while some look like they have flipped through several catalogs, picking one of darn near every accessory available that will fit and then some.

Some accessories, or add-ons, have come to be called “farkles”.   A farkle (sometimes spelled farkel) is a word which, according to Wikipedia, “belongs to the vernacular of the North American motorcyclist, and refers to accessories or the act of accessorizing a motorcycle."

Some farkles have a defined use and some are more for show or “dress-up”.  We’ll leave it up to the individual rider and taste to decide into which category they fall.

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews you’ve probably noticed that I'm on the conservative side when it comes to accessories.  Most of my add-ons have a viable purpose, but the GS, for some reason, just begs to be farkled.

And if you’ve got a BMW, then a company named Hornig of Germany is there to help you “farkle it up”.   The Hornig brand name may not be well known on this side of the pond (although Hornig accessories are available at some BMW motorcycle dealerships), they are well known in the land that has the Black Forest, very large beer mugs and the Autobahn.

Hornig’s website doesn't have much information about the company other than say that the Hornig brand came to be in 2001 and has grown from a love of motorcycles.  Hornig’s goal is to supply their customers “with the best selection of parts, accessories and even special one-of products from old right up to the latest BMW motorcycles”.

Not only does Hornig produce their own products, they also have available for sale, service and replacement components made by companies such as Lucas (brake components), Mann (filters) and Stahlflex (stainless steel brake lines) just to name a few.   Although the Lucas and Stahlflex brands may not be well known in this country, they are fairly well recognized in Europe.

When I bought the GS last year, it had very few miles because of the previous owner’s health.  As a result, the finish on the rear wheel lug-bolts had rusted along with the lower 1/3 of the tooth wheel for the front ABS speed sensor, as can be seen in this photo:

Rusted lug nuts and the tiny plastic original equipment BMW hole cover in the center.

I’ve been able to look beyond (i.e. ignore) this so far, but when Rick asked me to review a product for Hornig, one item looked like an effective solution to the rusty rear lug-bolt dilemma while “gussing” the GS up just a tab.

Using high grade aluminum, Hornig produces an elegant but subtle accessory that covers the rear wheel hub area which houses the lug-bolts.  The kit includes an outer cover with a 4 ¼” (110mm) OD that’s 3/16” (5mm) thick, two washers 1 1/8” x 5/32” (28mm x 4mm) and a spacer 1 1/16” x 5/8” ( 26mm x 15mm).

Two 4mm stainless steel socket head screws hold the pieces together (one from either side) along with a supplied stick-on emblem with the Hornig trademark helmet, which puts an attractive final touch to the cover.

Yes, I could have just bought four new lug-bolts (which would probably have cost less), but what would have been the fun in that?

The Hornig wheel cover is available for the BMW R 850 GS, the R 1100 GS, the R 1150 GS and the GS Adventurer.  It is also available with either a polished or anodized finish.  The kit includes the wheel cover, the mounting kit and the instructions.

Installation is straightforward, requiring only that the rear wheel be removed from the bike, which with the single sided swing arm is a snap.  Once the wheel is off, the plastic center plug in the wheel is easily popped out with a 3/8” extension.

The loose socket head screw (aka Allen head) in the supplied kit is passed through one of the two thick aluminum washers, through the center of the wheel, through the other aluminum washer and then threaded into the aluminum spacer and tightened with a 4mm Allen wrench.

Making sure these components were centered in the wheel was a snap because they had been machined perfectly to fit into the recesses of the wheel.

(L) Hornig BMW wheel cover parts.  (R) Wheel cover parts mounted on the BMW R 1150 GS wheel.

With the wheel mounted and the lug bolts properly torqued down all that was left was to install the cover, but first the emblem is attached. 

As I mentioned, the kit came with a self adhesive emblem brandishing the Hornig trademark helmet.  Barely visible was a hole dead center in the emblem through which a 3mm Allen wrench is inserted to tighten or loosen the bolt that holds the cover onto the center spacer.

Judging from the instructions, which may have lost something in translation, it appears Hornig has made the diameter of the emblem the same as some BMW emblems.  This affords you the option of using a BMW emblem instead of the supplied Hornig one if you’d like to.  Of course, you’ll have to drill a hole through the center.

By the way, there is a number in the instructions that would lead me to believe it’s a BMW part number, but I haven’t been able to match it to one yet.

The Hornig wheel cover has a insulated pin near the edge on the inside surface that’s made to fit into any of the four recesses for the lug bolts and prevents the cover from turning on the center bolt.

With everything together the finished product blends in nicely with the bike.  Next, it was off to work to get some critical feedback from my co-workers, who are a tough bunch to impress.

Everyone felt the cover looked good, but they were all in agreement that it would have looked more appropriate with a BMW emblem.  I have to admit that that was my feelings too.  I’ll just have to track down the proper sized roundel.

Conclusion
This rear wheel hub cover is just one of a whole array of accessories that Hornig makes to fit the very popular BMW R1150GS.  Fine machining and an excellent fit makes the rear wheel hub cover by Hornig a snap to install and a pleasant eye catcher.

Even though the Hornig brand is not as well known here in the U.S. as they are in Europe, they do intend to make a name for themselves by making available some tasteful accessories to the BMW rider.

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