Bmw K1200gt

[MidLife]

I don't think I could adjust the pre-load on the fly with the ST13. Knob turns too hard for this wimp to do while on the saddle running down the road.

Try it. You'd be surprised how easy it is to do (I ride without risers and in relatively forward position, so there is not much crouching to do to reach the knob).

When I bought my 03 second hand, the knob was very hard to turn because the adjustment piston on top of the shock absorber would stick. From a post on this forum, I found out how to lubricate the piston and the knob is now much easier to turn. No problem doing it on the fly. I have it pretty tight to begin with, and all it takes is a turn or two up or down to make quite a bit of difference.

Looking at the convenient location of the knob (+ on left side for left hand), I always thought the intent was to be able to adjust on the fly. Works for me. Strange enough (or is it by design?), it is actually easier to adjust while on the saddle than with the bike on the stand. The reach and wrist leverage is better.

 

[Old Vic]

It's hard to argue against the point that BMW's are a beautifully designed line of motorcycles. I had a 2003 R1150RT that always attracted attention whenever I stopped. The quality engineering that goes into the Beemers is well known and usually is at the cutting edge of innovation for other manufacturers to emulate ...... but...... having owned one, still riding with several other friends who own them, I can tell you that design and ride still don't equate to reliability.

I bought mine brand new. It ran poorly out of the showroom, idling rough and surging between 2500 and 4500 RPM's. The dealer said that would be taken care of at the 600 mile check-up..... they all do that right out of the box. At the 600 mile check-up they adjusted the valves, sync'd the throttle bodies, changed the oil and filter and billed me $350. The bike ran much smoother, still surged and as mileage accumulated, would go back to rough idling, poor starting and at the 6000 mile mark had the valves adjusted, the throttle bodies sync'd, oil and filter changed and was billed $350. Between the 600 mile and 6000 mark my rear drive unit started leaking oil and my gear indicator display died. Both required taking the entire rear end apart ... it was covered by the 3 yr/36000 mi warranty.

Between 6000 and 22000 miles I had the rear drive unit torn apart twice to fix a leaking seal at the rear drive ... again covered by warranty. At the 2 year mark I had the power-assisted ABS brake system's brake fluid flushed at a cost of $650, the battery replaced ..... oh yes .... I had to drive to the nearest dealer (200 miles away)to get the service required by BMW to maintain the warranty. Oh yes ..... the surging never went away! I finally sold it after riding it over 3 years. The new owner just recently had to replace the clutch master slave cylinder .... out of warranty .... because the bike refused to all of a sudden shift between gears. Tough when you are miles from home and hundreds from the nearest dealer. Again the entire rear end of the bike had to be disassembled.

To sum it up ... the BMW was a beautiful machine and a big pain in the butt to maintain. My '06 ST is a beautiful machine, far more powerful and infinitely more reliable ..... plus there are 4 Honda dealerships within a 30 mile radius .... enuf said ..... Old Vic

Oh yes .... I have put over 12000 miles on the ST so far without any problems!

 

[BamaRider]

Without debate (in my book) the Honda is more reliable. All the stuff Vic said is true, but my BMW dealer is only 80 miles away opposed to 20 for the Honda, for a net difference of 60 miles. As I mentioned my RT has over 40k miles, and has not given me any problems outside it kills headlamp bulbs about every 15k.

I do believe the BMWs are more cutting edge, and more innovative than the 1300. If we were waiting on Honda to come up a with electric screen, we'd still be waiting. The RT is comfortable (but so is the Honda) leans very well, and is just plain different. Folks gather around it no matter where I park it. Cafes, con stores, Wal Marts and rallies. It does a lot of things very well. Not as fast as the ST,or as reliable, but prolly a notch better in everything else.

The Japanese seem to put alot of technology into motors (stuff like V tech, etc) but overlook the obvious like cruise control, SELF CANCELLING TURN SIGNALS?? Hello?? (those are REALLY hard to find on a Asian bike) and heated seat, but they usually correct things once shown the way, and do it better than the original.

For straight up touring I prefer the RT over the GT, less forward lean, better seat and air flow, both bikes have all the gizmos a sport touring bike should have.

But you can't go wrong with a 1300, I love mine, it does everything well, and doesn't for much in return.