First ride after the RT

DavidR8 · Dec 14, 2017

The weather warmed up enough to ride to work today.

Rolled STella out of the garage, fired her up and donned my helmet and gloves.

Let her warm up and off we went.

Wow, what a difference from the RT. I'm not putting the RT down but I love the buttery smooth feel of the ST running up through the gears.

The biggest difference I felt this morning was that STella felt much smaller than the RT. I didn't have the feeling that I could potentiality tip over at a stop even though I could easily flatfoot the RT.
Just felt more secure.
Just right [emoji1]

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the Ferret · Dec 14, 2017

I know what you mean. I keep test riding other bikes. Then I get on my ST to ride home and say to myself "Yea, this is it. This is a great bike."

dduelin · Dec 14, 2017

An RT with the ST's motor would be the best of both.

ST Gui · Dec 14, 2017

DavidR8 said:
donned

That's a great word.

spiderman302 · Dec 15, 2017

I go riding with a group of other riders. On the ride we trade bikes. So I have gotten to try a bunch of other bikes. Yes, in the end when I get back on the ST1300, I really appreciate how good the ST1300 is....
A while back my brother picked up a HD Sportser, He kept telling me how much fun it was. He let me ride it to work one day. The thing beat me up. It had one inch of suspension. The tires were rock hard. Every crack, and bump on the road it bottomed out hard. My teeth were rattling. Had nothing to do with the motor. The next day I got back on the ST1300 with the rear CT at 28 psi and it floated over all those bumps that I never knew were there on my daily commute..... I am not knocking the HD, any bike with no suspension and hard tires would have been as bad. The darkside ST1300 is just floating awesomely smooth....

DavidR8 · Dec 15, 2017

spiderman302 said:
I go riding with a group of other riders. On the ride we trade bikes. So I have gotten to try a bunch of other bikes. Yes, in the end when I get back on the ST1300, I really appreciate how good the ST1300 is....
A while back my brother picked up a HD Sportser, He kept telling me how much fun it was. He let me ride it to work one day. The thing beat me up. It had one inch of suspension. The tires were rock hard. Every crack, and bump on the road it bottomed out hard. My teeth were rattling. Had nothing to do with the motor. The next day I got back on the ST1300 with the rear CT at 28 psi and it floated over all those bumps that I never knew were there on my daily commute..... I am not knocking the HD, any bike with no suspension and hard tires would have been as bad. The darkside ST1300 is just floating awesomely smooth....

Funny you mention rough rides. I double checked the tire pressures on the RT because it was really harsh over pavement cracks etc. Pressures were fine but the Bridgestone T30 tires felt really harsh. Not sure I'd buy them for STella after experiencing them on the RT.

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drtyrrel · Dec 15, 2017

I have an older r1100rt and it feels a lot like riding my ST. ST has a lower center of gravity and can be run at a lower rpm than the oil head likes to. A lot easier for me to do S-turns an U-turns on the ST.

dduelin · Dec 15, 2017

You found an ESA equipped RT harsh? That's not something I've ever heard or read. That's probably not a tire issue.

ST Gui · Dec 15, 2017

DavidR8 said:
Funny you mention rough rides. I double checked the tire pressures on the RT because it was really harsh over pavement cracks etc.

My GW buddy said the exact same thing about his R1200GS compared to his Wing and my ST.

drbuzzard · Dec 15, 2017

DavidR8 said:
Funny you mention rough rides. I double checked the tire pressures on the RT because it was really harsh over pavement cracks etc. Pressures were fine but the Bridgestone T30 tires felt really harsh. Not sure I’d buy them for STella after experiencing them on the RT.

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a friend picked up a 1200 rt a few months before I got the mighty ST 1300, he always complained about the way the bike rode and handled. so much so that he was thinking about selling it and getting another 1200GSA! only thing I told him was to get rid of those crappy bridgestone tires, I didn't even know he had bridgestones on his bike

DavidR8 · Dec 15, 2017

dduelin said:
You found an ESA equipped RT harsh? That's not something I've ever heard or read. That's probably not a tire issue.

I'm not saying that it wasn't compliant over bumps etc just that over cracks or similar it was very stiff and I felt every one. The roads we rode in NoCal were very good so it made the harshness of the tire standout.

It rode like that no matter if I was alone or two-up on the Soft setting.

The T-30 rear tire in whatever size it was had a very low profile so I suspect the sidewalls are quite stiff.

SMSW · Dec 15, 2017

DavidR8 said:
Funny you mention rough rides. I double checked the tire pressures on the RT...

I remembered that one of the guys I ride with was talking about his shock upgrades. Silly me, I thought BMW's were perfect as they were shipped. He upgraded his RT's suspension. Here is what he had to say when I asked him about it in an email......

"The bike that I added Ohlins to was a 2003 BMW R1150RS and it had the telelever front suspension which only required a single Ohlins shock. The change was dramatic! Felt like the wheels rolled gently over all of the undulations in the road surface while remaining in full contact without kicking on tar strips and other pavement undulations. The Ohlins had a silky feel as they absorbed everything that I threw at them.
I changed cartridges on my F800ST and also went to a progressive spring. The original setup was extremely soft and the initial sag was excessive and brake application created a LOT of dive. The kit (I don't find a listing for the old F800ST at the F800 Depot where I purchased it)) consisted of damper/rods, progressive springs and fork oil. The ride firmed up, the dive was reduced and the ST just handled a whole lot better.My last RT was a 2013 with the factory Electronically Adjustable Suspension. Nice setup but not as nice as Ohlins! Great to be able to tighten the ride when certain roads called for it and then soften everything when the trip got back on the four lane. Not harsh but not as supple as the Ohlins!"

dduelin · Dec 15, 2017

DavidR8 said:
I’m not saying that it wasn’t compliant over bumps etc just that over cracks or similar it was very stiff and I felt every one. The roads we rode in NoCal were very good so it made the harshness of the tire standout.

It rode like that no matter if I was alone or two-up on the Soft setting.

The T-30 rear tire in whatever size it was had a very low profile so I suspect the sidewalls are quite stiff.

The RT rear is 180/55-17 which a few ST1300 owners run. It's marginally taller than the stock 170/60-17 tire. My point was that your discomfort wasn't in my opinion due to T30 tires. It's my favorite tire on the ST and I don't feel them as harsh at all. I could be wrong though, the T30 is stiffer than Michelins which I do not like due to vague squishy feedback. All in what you are used to and value I suppose.

DavidR8 · Dec 15, 2017

dduelin said:
The RT rear is 180/55-17 which a few ST1300 owners run. It's marginally taller than the stock 170/60-17 tire. My point was that your discomfort wasn't in my opinion due to T30 tires. It's my favorite tire on the ST and I don't feel them as harsh at all. I could be wrong though, the T30 is stiffer than Michelins which I do not like due to vague squishy feedback. All in what you are used to and value I suppose.

From information I can find on the Bridgestone site, a T30 180/55-17 tire has an outside diameter of 629 mm and a correspondingly shorter sidewall whereas the 170/60-17 size is 637 mm and the sidewall is taller. Not by a lot in either dimension but there more at play than just the dimensions.

The bead width on the 180/55 tire is also wider which will change how it fits on two rims of different widths.
I expect that some of the difference in ride feel BMW vs ST is because when a 180/55 tire is mounted on the ST's 5" wide rim the sidewalls have to flex more inward whereas the BMW's 5.5" rim wouldn't flex it in as much.

Also the ST is a heavier than the RT so the additional weight combined with the additional sidewall flex would suggest a more compliant ride from the same tire on the ST vs. the RT.

spiderman302 · Dec 15, 2017

Side wall height is a very important factor along with tire pressure in ride comfort. the "55" tire has short side walls and the "80" tire has more side wall. this corresponds to suspension travel. Taller side walls has more to flex. if you pump up a basket ball it will bounce, if you deflate it just a bit it will not bounce. If you run your tires hard, they will bounce more and amplify the roughness of the road then your suspension has to work harder to compensate. If you run your tires soft, they will not bounce and your suspension does not have to work so hard. Soft (taller) tires and good suspension work together to give you the smoothest ride...
Also Radial tires are smoother than Bias tires...

freetime2247 · Dec 16, 2017

I’ve owned an 06 ST and now have a 12 RT and the RT is not as smooth as the ST over rough roads. I contribute the ride difference to the weights.

dduelin · Dec 16, 2017

DavidR8 said:
From information I can find on the Bridgestone site, a T30 180/55-17 tire has an outside diameter of 629 mm and a correspondingly shorter sidewall whereas the 170/60-17 size is 637 mm and the sidewall is taller. Not by a lot in either dimension but there more at play than just the dimensions.

The bead width on the 180/55 tire is also wider which will change how it fits on two rims of different widths.
I expect that some of the difference in ride feel BMW vs ST is because when a 180/55 tire is mounted on the ST's 5" wide rim the sidewalls have to flex more inward whereas the BMW's 5.5" rim wouldn't flex it in as much.

Also the ST is a heavier than the RT so the additional weight combined with the additional sidewall flex would suggest a more compliant ride from the same tire on the ST vs. the RT.

What tire pressures did you set on the RT?

DavidR8 · Dec 16, 2017

dduelin said:
What tire pressures did you set on the RT?

If I recall correctly it was 36 front and 42 rear.
The dash tpms numbers matched my handheld gauge numbers. After riding the front would hit 37-38 and rear would go to 43

BakerBoy · Dec 16, 2017

DavidR8 said:
The weather warmed up enough to ride to work today.

Rolled STella out of the garage, fired her up and donned my helmet and gloves.

Let her warm up and off we went.

Wow, what a difference from the RT. I’m not putting the RT down but I love the buttery smooth feel of the ST running up through the gears.

The biggest difference I felt this morning was that STella felt much smaller than the RT. I didn’t have the feeling that I could potentiality tip over at a stop even though I could easily flatfoot the RT.
Just felt more secure.
Just right [emoji1]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I rode my ST and RT back to back a number of times this spring when I still had both ... the ST smoothness is quite noticeable and i miss that. But there are so many aspects of the RT that are better (and should be for the BMW price!), such as weight, handling, suspension,, modern electronics, torso/head wind protection, easier servicing, ergonomics, and more. The engine vibes and clunky transmission of the RT are noticeable compared to the ST.

But, we all choose for ourselves, and I'll say for me the RT is a better fit at this point in my life. I'm also sure I'd still enjoy my trusty ST if I hadn't bought the RT.

dduelin · Dec 17, 2017

BakerBoy said:
I rode my ST and RT back to back a number of times this spring when I still had both ... the ST smoothness is quite noticeable and i miss that. But there are so many aspects of the RT that are better (and should be for the BMW price!), such as weight, handling, suspension,, modern electronics, torso/head wind protection, easier servicing, ergonomics, and more. The engine vibes and clunky transmission of the RT are noticeable compared to the ST.

But, we all choose for ourselves, and I'll say for me the RT is a better fit at this point in my life. I'm also sure I'd still enjoy my trusty ST if I hadn't bought the RT.

I'm just blessed to be able to ride and enjoy both right now and I do despite the differences between them. I got to ride the RT all day yesterday and in a few minutes I'm backing the ST out of the garage and going for the dawn patrol ride. God is good!

First ride after the RT

DavidR8

the Ferret

Daily rider since May 1965

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

ST Gui

240Robert

spiderman302

DavidR8

drtyrrel

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

ST Gui

240Robert

drbuzzard

DavidR8

SMSW

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

DavidR8

spiderman302

freetime2247

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

DavidR8

BakerBoy

It's all small stuff.

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace