My first ride on a BMW 1200RT!

[bwoodsom]

I went with my buddy who is looking to sell his Harley for an ST, RT, FJR etc undecided, to the BMW dealer who sold me my ST used last year. Surprisingly they let us test drive a couple of bikes together despite me not being in the market. I think they wanted me to trade in the ST... not happening.

Anyway we took out an 08 RT and a 2010 K1300GT. I got to ride both, I really liked the RT but not the GT. The GT felt too much like a sit upright converted sport bike to me it just had no personality in my opinion. The RT on the other hand I really liked. The suspension was excellent with the electronic adjustment. The engine had soul, I liked the sound and feel. It felt like it was a mix between the old V-Twin of my Vulcan and the ST. It had some good low end torque. The fairing felt like it would provide better wind protection than the ST and the cruise control worked great. My only complaint was when I was trying to start it I was pushing the right hand directional switch and looked rather stupid for a couple of minutes.
When we got off both of the bikes it was comical. We both liked the opposite bikes. He hated the boxer engine and thought the GT was just great. For the money of the GT-$16,800. He likes the FJR better than both.
Everyone is different.

It is good the know that there are options out there should the ST market dry up.
By the way BMW dealer at least in my area is great to deal with, second only to Harley dealers in my opinion.

 

[longerone]

I have just received the new to me 2013 BMW RT. with 6k miles not 600 on the odo. First impression is i like the red colour on my ST coma red to the black on the RT. It came with ASC and ESA. Have not ridden it yet $12k including shipping.
Nice looking bike anyway.

 

[longerone]

I have 2 major issues outright. It came with only 1 key, very odd for a 2013 and BMW are not generous enough as to afford DIY key programming like i just did on my ST.
Empty holes on the left faring probably meant for music control. I found out from pictures on the web, some bikes came with same ugly holes, now thats unusual. wish there is a nice solution to plugging them.

 

[TPadden]

I have just received the new to me 2013 BMW RT. with 6k miles not 600 on the odo. First impression is i like the red colour on my ST coma red to the black on the RT. It came with ASC and ESA. Have not ridden it yet $12k including shipping.
Nice looking bike anyway.

Congratulations; you really got a great deal 6k or or 36k miles. I'm sure you'll love the bike.

Tom

 

[Gerhard]

Welcome to STOWNERS! I have a RT and you are right that is where the audio controls are, I have seen RTs without the audio package and the have just flat plastic cover without holes. It looks like somebody removed the radio for some odd reason.

Gerhard

 

[longerone]

See picture of a similarly afflicted RT from BMWblog documenting a test ride positive review.
Took a short ride today.
From wheeling it out of the garage it became obvious its a light weight. Having a long inseam the Sts weight have never really been a challenge to me, i only notice its weight while pushing it at parking lots, the RT is so light its like pushing a bicycle. From the outset its also clear that the ST has more power at lower gears.
The RT bounce a lot on bumpy roads compared to the ST, i think it has to do with the huge weight difference.
The mirrors are huge but the view is blocked by the handle bars and being tall, i have to really look down to see the mirrors. I also feel like I'm sitting on the bike then into it. For some reason i feel more secure on the ST, even without its ABS, ESA and ASC.
Will get time to put more riding on it.

 

[Redfish]

A good friend of mine has an '08 so let me help you out a little. 1)There is a very neat plastic cover that snaps over all those ugly holes on the left of the fairing. Yes, those are for the radio. No, all RTs do not come with audio. My friend lost his little cover and ordered a new one through his dealer. Easy fix. 2) The mirrors are in a terrible spot. They are useless. My friend ordered a set of handlebar mounted BMW mirrors also through his dealer and they work well. He did say they were very expensive. I don't know what model they are intended for. I have ridden this bike and can assure you the bar mounted mirrors work very well. If you Google images of this bike you will see many examples of these bar mounted mirrors. Here is a pic I took just yesterday and you can clearly see the mirror.

 

[Da Ace]

My Story (true story)hehe
Originally I rode my mates 1150RT. What a nice bike.

I had bought my mates ST100 and after 6 months and 63,000kms he wanted it back...SO here was my chance to by my BM...
Thus I was in the market for one... Got to the BM dealer and he says that they now are 1200's...
Must be better, so took the misses and went for the obligatory test ride... A very long (?2hr) drive...
Got back very disappointed...
Felt top heavy, the indicator controls were confusing (kept hooting at everyone when trying to cancel), the gearbox was very "clunky" and couldn't find a happy place on the windscreen (misses was unhappy)...
We left sad... I wanted a BM...

As we passed the Honda dealership she said lets take a look...
There was a silver ST1300ABS for sale.
I got to take it for a test with the misses, but first we had to go fuel it up.
The gas station was about a mile away...
As we stood at the garage filling the bike the misses says to me..." do we need to go any farther?"
She was right! That was the difference. We returned without going for the ride and bought it.

And the rest they say is History... 3 ST's later..love them (still got 2).

But now BMW goes and build the bike we STowners were waiting for.... THANKS Honda!!!! NOT!
I travelled a way with a guy who had purchased one a week before.. What a sound!!
That 1600 is beautiful.
Unfortunately he had dropped it. I think it was going to be very expensive to fix...

And then there is always going to be the GS Adventure...I'm just to vertically challenged to have one!!!
Have had a couple of BMW cars also (M1, Z4 etc) Now have a Jaguar XJ 5,0 litre...beautiful cage...
Still choose to ride the ST's though....

So it's really each to his own and what works best for you...
You cannot make someone like the vehicle the way you do...it's personal...
Otherwise we would all be riding one brand ...hehe....(wont mention any brand...)

Just enjoy the fact you have a bike and can ride...
There was a time I couldn't afford any bikes...

 

[longerone]

Thanks all. Redfish do you think i can get the mirror and plastic cover from other online source rather then the dealership, aint no dealers here a a a bouts.

 

[Redfish]

Thanks all. Redfish do you think i can get the mirror and plastic cover from other online source rather then the dealership, aint no dealers here a a a bouts.

I would suppose almost anything could be bought online nowadays. I never gave it much thought. I know my friend bought the replacement cover and the mirrors at the same time. When he was shopping for that bike we kept seeing pics of the RT with those bar mounted mirrors and could not understand why. As soon as he rode the bike he understood perfectly. Since my ST mirrors seem to be in the same location I thought it was just an adjustment problem. Once I rode it, I knew better. The bar mounted mirrors work great.

 

[longerone]

BMW parts seems difficult to get even online compared to Hondas.
Reason why i might not keep the BMW.

1- Difficult to source parts easily online.
2- Only 1 key, and no possibility to program spares.
3- Air cooled. On a hot tropical day in heavy traffic, my engine could melt down. I have observed full high temp reading on the R1150GS.
4- Expensive parts, even if readily available.
5-Complicated electronics like ASC and ESA, if anything goes wrong, i cant easily get it fixed.
6-Black color.
7- Lack of weight
I still intend to keep it awhile, before final decision.