R1200RT impressions

Having just left a 2018 Goldwing Tour for a 22 R1250RT I can offer a redneck review of the differences. The 200 pound weight loss is appreciated. RT is easier to do low speed maneuvering on. I really enjoyed the Wing for 62,000 miles but it just started to get heavier over the last year. If Honda made a 600 pound Goldwing I would probably still be on one.
Thinking maintenance on the RT will be easier. After changing the air filter on the Wing I decided to trade versus doing it again.;) Valve checks are fairly easy on the Wing. Shims for the intake, screw and locknut for the exhaust. I did have to adjust several exhaust settings but no adjustment needed on the intake.

Haven't had to check anything on the RT but will have to source some additional tools. Looks easy enough to do on Youtube. Doesn't it always?

One advantage I miss from the Wing are the backlit switchgear at night. RT does not have backlit controls so you have to get comfortable with feel in the dark. Hasn't really been a problem, just a learning curve.

Rear tire change requires removing the RT muffler to get room for the wheel to be removed. Wing required removing a rear panel and support bracket to get the wheel out. Installing the Wing rear back on is not the easiest to get the wheel in position. Thanks to Uncle Phil on the air bladders for wheel positioning. Should have done that long ago.

Wing speedometer was spot on the money. RT is off by 4/5 mph. 80 indicated is actual 76. Wing is tough on front brake pads. RT remains to be seen.

Cruise is better on the Wing. Disengage is very smooth. RT not so much but it does have the adaptive cruise which I find works better on the bike than in the car. Go figure.

Four years on the Wing and it was time for something different.

Honda regular gas vs RT premium.

A big plus has been quizzing Mellow on add on stuff for the RT. He is killing my pocketbook.

I have over 200,000 miles on BMW's, mostly older K100RS. Never left me on the side of the road. Hope that remains the same.
 
Mophead said:
One advantage I miss from the Wing are the backlit switchgear at night. RT does not have backlit controls so you have to get comfortable with feel in the dark. Hasn't really been a problem, just a learning curve.
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I never considered backlit switches to be an issue... but until the GSA, I've also never owned a bike with 77 different buttons on the switchgear. In fact, they ran out of room on the handlebars near the handgrips for all their buttons so they had to put some up by the mirrors. :eek1:

But as you say, it's a learning curve. Fortunately most of the options aren't required for road use, and it will be interesting when I put my Hippo Hands on there. We still have some cold weather to come before Spring gets here.

Mophead said:
Cruise is better on the Wing. Disengage is very smooth. RT not so much but it does have the adaptive cruise which I find works better on the bike than in the car. Go figure.
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A built-in motorcycle cruise control is likewise new to me, and while I love, love, LOVE it, I was disturbed by the sudden decel when turning it off. That stands to reason, though, as it's the same thing as rolling down the road at hiway speeds and just chopping the throttle. So yeah, it IS sudden, rough, and disconcerting.

My workaround is to slightly pull in the clutch when turning off my cruise control with my left thumb, and I can then release the clutch after rolling on the throttle, all in an instant, so I can actually now smoothly turn off the cc without feeling like I just applied the brakes.

After a couple of tries, I'm sure it will smooth out for you as well. Mine is not adaptive cruise, just on or off, so I can still run into things with the cruise control on, whenever I feel like it.

But so far, I just haven't felt like it.
 
The RT's (at least my 2020) don't require Premium (92+ AKI) fuel, just mid-grade (89 AKI). The manual does say Premium though at 89 AKI that's mid-grade. My speedo is 1 MPH fast, according to GPS (the dreaded Nav VI). :eek:

For the cruise, I twist the throttle until the bike just starts to speed up and then tap the rear brake. Sounds slower/harder than it actually is.
 
My RT's speedometer is off about 1 mph at 70 and the cruise operation is faultless. Touch 'set' and it holds the selected speed without slowing then speeding up again. Because the boxer twin has so much engine braking and can slow the bike abruptly unless the throttle setting is held when the CC is turned off, I turn the cruise off by lightly touching the rear brake while holding the throttle or by flipping the master CC switch off while holding the throttle.
 
Sadlsor said:
A built-in motorcycle cruise control is likewise new to me, and while I love, love, LOVE it, I was disturbed by the sudden decel when turning it off. That stands to reason, though, as it's the same thing as rolling down the road at hiway speeds and just chopping the throttle. So yeah, it IS sudden, rough, and disconcerting.

My workaround is to slightly pull in the clutch when turning off my cruise control with my left thumb, and I can then release the clutch after rolling on the throttle, all in an instant, so I can actually now smoothly turn off the cc without feeling like I just applied the brakes.
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I suggest just "taking over" the throttle with your right hand before disengaging the CC.
 
W0QNX said:
Wow I just twist back the throttle to drop the cruise and the bike slows down. I never realized what trouble I was missing.
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Previous boxers still equipped with throttle cables, like mine and the OP, require fully closing the throttle to disengage the CC which is anything but smooth at highway speeds.
 
dduelin said:
Previous boxers still equipped with throttle cables, like mine and the OP, require fully closing the throttle to disengage the CC which is anything but smooth at highway speeds.
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My 2012 just requires a slight twist to disengage the cruise, not enough to change the speed much. The 2013 was pretty much the same bike as the 2012 other than different colour options.
 
dduelin said:
Previous boxers still equipped with throttle cables, like mine and the OP, require fully closing the throttle to disengage the CC which is anything but smooth at highway speeds.
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Does the clutch lever not disengage the CC? On my K16, I "take over the throttle" with my right hand and just "blip" the clutch lever (slight squeeze and then release). CC disengages and no disruption to my speed -- smooth and easy.
 
I'm wondering why you can't just hold the throttle steady while deactivating the CC. That's effectively what I meant in my previous post. Does the throttle grip rotate as the CC changes the throttle like it does with aftermarket units?

When I put a Rostra on my Nighthawk 750, I used a TrailTech 8500RS switch pod, and wired the center button to activate a micro-relay to ground the clutch switch wire to act as a cancel switch without lighting up the brake light.
 
STumped said:
Does the clutch lever not disengage the CC? On my K16, I "take over the throttle" with my right hand and just "blip" the clutch lever (slight squeeze and then release). CC disengages and no disruption to my speed -- smooth and easy.
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Yes, the clutch disengages the CC it’s just not as smooth to me as holding the throttle steady and brushing the brake pedal slightly.
 
Gerhard said:
My 2012 just requires a slight twist to disengage the cruise, not enough to change the speed much. The 2013 was pretty much the same bike as the 2012 other than different colour options.
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That’s interesting. Mine takes significant pressure to “click” disengagement. Maybe it’s out of adjustment or there were changes to the switch between 2007 and 2013.
 
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