I see alot of people that leave the BMW for Honda, mostly out of the need for better reliability. This is the main reson for myself converting to an ST. In may ways I found the BMW to be a superior ride, but I must say that my ST is quite the nice ride and as long as I can get a few things changed, it might be a keeper.
Lack of reliability was the #1 reason I sold my 1150 RT. Both breakdowns occured without warning and left me stranded. They both took nearly a month to fix, but worst of all, the dealer and mechanics had no idea of the causes.
Now, after 11K miles of riding the ST, I find several key areas that for me make the ST a better ride:
1--
engine is faster, smoother, and pulls stronger at low rpms.
2--
clutch: I forgot how smooth a wet clutch was until I rode the ST. While I learned to shift the beemer by preloading, it sometimes got stuck in neutral at stops, which required easing out the clutch before downshifting to 1st. A minor problem, true, but one I'm pleased to be rid of.
3--
gear ratios: Love that Honda 1st gear! The beemer was too tall. Again, I got used to the RT, but I can recall about 5-6 times smelling burning clutch when feathering it up my brother's steep and winding mountaintop driveway. With the ST, no more clutch smell.
4--
oil: Up until I unloaded my RT at 32K, it used a quart per 1400-1600 miles. Dealer said it was within spec. Loose spec, I say. Now with the ST, I never have to bother with carrying a quart of oil for a piddly 1500 miler. In fact, it uses so little, I didn't take any along on a 2000 miler. Nice feeling!
5--
Tracks straight: No more PTTR, which I found to remain a pure--and literal--pain in the back on the RT. If an ST tracks to left or right, it's not "character"-- it's set up wrong.
Some things, however, I DO miss about the RT:
1--
suspension I miss the BMW telelever front end. My 3 sons prefer my ST over the RT but they all do track days on their liter bikes, so they're used to telescopic forks and forceful countersteering. Once I became used to the feel of the beemer front end, I loved the way it isolated me from road irregularities. Plus it makes turn-in intuitive and just plain quicker. Plus, it makes for an overall smoother ride.
2--
weight With my 1-1/2 mile gravel road and driveway, I miss the RT's lighter mass. Compared to the RT, the Honda's a beast at 1-2 mph or leaning over on gravel.
Getting late--to be continued . . .
