'21 BMW R1250RT

[Andrew Shadow]

I believe Joe has always recognized these mileage achievements. Doesn’t need to be a Honda.

Not as of Sunday;
And only an ST1100 or ST1300.

 

[Upt' North]

A blummin BMW motorrad thingymabob........who'd have thunk it.
You'll need the braces, or is that just a European thing?
Congratulations Joe and enjoy, like you won't anyway.
Upt'North.
No cap for me then .

 

[JCB]

Congratulations Joe!!!

 

[rjs987]

Now you'll have to build a water cooler for your garage.

Wow, it even has a center stand! BMW is coming up in the world!
Oh, wait, I was thinking of Harley cruisers...

 

[rjs987]

Does this now mean we'll be recognizing mileage awards for Beemer riders?

Yet another reason I only put on no more than 49,999 miles and then sell the bike for a new one.

 

[Mellow]

I believe Joe has always recognized these mileage achievements. Doesn’t need to be a Honda.

The award system for this software isn't as flexible as the previous software. I haven't been on a Honda for a while so not sure why this changes anything.. lol... but, I'll think about it.

 

[BakerBoy]

• Basic package I guess - it does have ESA - electronic suspension.
• The headlights/DRL strips are very bright.
• 4 LED high beams, haven't ridden at night yet to see how well they work.
• The LED Aux lights are also very bright, I found some flip covers that allow you to make them amber and flip up if you think you need the white light.
• 
• I do plan on some Ilum Works crash bars, not sure if I'll get the rear ones, I've come close to breaking my foot on previous bikes w/rear crash bars when I put my foot down.
• I'll probably wait 'til the 12k service to get the GS911.
• No whip antenna - it's apparently hidden inside the faring somewhere. I don't think the radio module is even installed, same for Sirius.
• BMW has a Connected App. You have a wireless charging pad in the right compartment.
  • Not crazy about the app - I have an Android phone and it seems to work better with those.​
  • You can import your gpx files into the app, select that route, and the phone will show navigation on the dash.​
  • It will also use the media on the phone - stored or streaming.​
  • The whole thing, when working, is just ok... it uses Tom Tom maps and they seem to be better than Garmin but the interface to the bike is just missing some convenience.​
  • When you stop for gas, everything disconnects and it takes time once you're back on the road before it all connects again and, for me, the media would always mute even though the volume showed max... I'd have to turn the handle bar controller all the way down to mute then back up for the media to be heard again.​
  • The nav perspective always defaults to 3d and I hate that, you have to zoom out to get to the top down view.​
  • In daytime mode, the secondary roads are almost invisible, most folks I've heard will keep it on night mode for a better view.​
  • So, the app and bike interface have some work to do. Again, when it works it's not bad but IMO not a replacement for a dedicated zumo that gives you better control over routes/media/phone/weather radar functionality.​
• High beam - I hate the switch - it's a toggle with your left forefinger, forward for high, and that just doesn't feel natural but I'm sure after some time I'll get used to it, but it's kinda hard to find right now.
• Self Canceling turn signals - yeah! I do that like
• Wireless phone charger - yup, the right cubby has that and it even has a dedicated fan that will keep air circulating when a certain temperature is reached.
• Seat - seems good, I did 250 miles Saturday and it felt ok, I need a good 500 mile day to really know how it's going to work out. I hope it does as it's heated and that's awesome - first heated seat I ever had.
• Performance - very nice! - the torque seems like it's everywhere and very smooth which I didn't expect, I had a short test ride a couple weeks ago on a different bike but it wasn't very long.
• Service - I'm not planning to ever take it to a dealer - unless there's warranty or recall work - so I'll be doing everything on my own, I know there are some specialized tools necessary but have looked at a few videos and I think it will be good.

Doh, i went back to your pictures a couple pages ago and see it already has DRLs--missed that.

Bullet by bullet...

• Mine had ESA. Nice--only downside was my generation required stopping for one mode to fully activate (I forget the details now).
• The built-in DRLs (in headlight) do look brighter on yours than for the prior generation.
  • One way to get an indication of how bright they are (or aren't) is to turn on your headlights at the same time as the built-in DRLs and look at their reflection off the rear of a vehicle (such as a pickup tailgate at a stoplight). It is surprising how (at least on my 2016) noticeably fainter they were than headlights. Perhaps solved on your newer model.
• I'm sure the LED headlights are great--the high beams on mine were a bit weaker than desired (but still much better than the ST1300's)
• The crash bars may not fit concurrent to your existing DRLs -- unless BMW redesigned the crashbar mount, they're mounted to the same hole and the existing BMW OEM DRL brackets have an alignment pin that crash bars don't implement (can't sandwich them one on top of the other, at least for the prior generation).
• Nice they've done away with the annoying whip antenna. It also was always dirty and hard to clean around the base (not my cup of tea! )
• Yeah, the BMW onboard software, bluetooth, functionality can be a bit glitchy.
  • You have to be patient and learn the order to start your electronic connections for success. Mine was intermittently dropping connections between my BT headset and the onboard system. Only way to get it back was to stop, shut down, wait (~15 sec?), and reboot the bike--I got tired of that and simply BT connected my headset to my phone, no longer receiving GPS guidance prompts (but seeing them front and center on the GPS screen).
• The Wonderselect wheel is great.
• I got use to the High Beam switch pretty quickly, but I'd still bump it once in a while (which cycled the headlights and DRLs on mine; not good if you're behind someone and they think you're showing irritation at them).
• As I posted somewhere here when I got my RT: I paid $14k (? or somesuch) for self-cancelling turn signals. Worth it.
• No wireless phone charger in the prior model.
• Seat was very good for me; plus the seat (and handlebar) heaters were NICE!
• Performance: yeah, very well done BMW! And the 1250 with ShiftCam must be better yet. The RT is light, excellent torque, surprisingly smooth and stable at 1xx mph. Or so I've read.
• Service is easy. Yeah a couple tools, but they're cheap and the bike is easy.

Mine also had Shift Assist Pro ... I didn't know that when I got it but found it by accident. It allowed me to be lazy and adds to the accel performance. I especially liked it in coasting & downshifting. Mine was virtually seamless except 1>2.

Mine also had front brake auto-hold ... I used it rarely as it was a bit discoordinated at releasing when starting to move.

Mine also had keyless drive ... I really liked that feature. It gave a warning on screen if the key was out of range so you didn't leave without the key (unlike the first gen Kawasaki keyless ride on the Concours where you could leave home without the key and not know it--you're stranded once you shut off the bike.)

Congrats!

 

[Mellow]

Mine also had Shift Assist Pro ... I didn't know that when I got it but found it by accident. It allowed me to be lazy and adds to the accel performance. I especially liked it in coasting & downshifting. Mine was virtually seamless except 1>2.

Mine also had front brake auto-hold ... I used it rarely as it was a bit discoordinated at releasing when starting to move.

Mine also had keyless drive ... I really liked that feature. It gave a warning on screen if the key was out of range so you didn't leave without the key (unlike the first gen Kawasaki keyless ride on the Concours where you could leave home without the key and not know it--you're stranded once you shut off the bike.)

Yep, ditto all of the above comments on mine as well...

 

[wbgva_roadkill]

Beautiful bike, congrats & enjoy Joe!

 

[Moto-Charlie]

Congratulations on your new RT - great looking bike. I generally rent smaller bikes like the BMW 850/900s when riding in the Alps. Every 2 or 3 years I rent an RT for 2 - 3 weeks just to see how they are progressing with the thought of buying one as my long term keeper here in NH. I rode a 1250 for 4 weeks in 2019. I have found the RT to be a great bike solo or 2 up. Plenty of power, great weather protection, good luggage capacity and good handling.

This past September I decided to buy a new bike (vs having purchased pre-owned) for the last few bikes. Based on research and preferences I had narrowed my choice down to either a new R1250RT or a 2018+ Goldwing. Ultimately I went with a very low milage 2018 Goldwing Manual transmission. which I found to be less top heavy and preferred by my passenger. I have to say the Goldwing is the nicest bike I have ever owned and has exceeded my expectations with regard to handling and fun - but the RT was oh so close. If I rode solo it might have gone the other way.

I wish you many trouble free miles and loads of fun.

 

[Mellow]

Congratulations on your new RT - great looking bike. I generally rent smaller bikes like the BMW 850/900s when riding in the Alps. Every 2 or 3 years I rent an RT for 2 - 3 weeks just to see how they are progressing with the thought of buying one as my long term keeper here in NH. I rode a 1250 for 4 weeks in 2019. I have found the RT to be a great bike solo or 2 up. Plenty of power, great weather protection, good luggage capacity and good handling.

This past September I decided to buy a new bike (vs having purchased pre-owned) for the last few bikes. Based on research and preferences I had narrowed my choice down to either a new R1250RT or a 2018+ Goldwing. Ultimately I went with a very low milage 2018 Goldwing Manual transmission. which I found to be less top heavy and preferred by my passenger. I have to say the Goldwing is the nicest bike I have ever owned and has exceeded my expectations with regard to handling and fun - but the RT was oh so close. If I rode solo it might have gone the other way.

I wish you many trouble free miles and loads of fun.

I really liked the 850GSA I test rode last year... but I did want a bigger bike but not as big as the wing, that being said this isn't small by any means. The RT feels like a merge between my previous Wings and STs... I like the 6.6 gallon tank, should be good for 200-220 before the 1.1 gallon reserve warning comes on. The current Wing was a possibility but life is short and I want to try as many different bikes given the time I have left lol... The final drive issues were on my mind but I learned quickly that those are mostly from the old 1150 days and many changes have been done to make them as reliable as Honda FDs.

 

[DaveM]

2021 BMW 1250 GSA Triple Black

 

[Mellow]

Oh.. I forgot.. not only does it have Cruise Control, it's Adaptive - the square on the front is the radar... I rarely use the CC to begin with so I doubt I'll use the ACC function. There are some things I wish I could un-install and get a discount for lol

 

[Mellow]

Very nice bike. I have spent some time on a 2009, you are going to enjoy this bike I am sure.

How do you find these? Do they cancel quickly enough in city driving where intersections are positioned closely together?

The reason that I ask is that my brother-in-law has had many BMW's over the years. When I am riding behind him, I always find that they take to long to cancel. This is not an issue on country roads, but in a congested city environment I find that the length of time that they take take to cancel leaves him exposed to someone pulling out in front of him. This is because other drivers think that he is going to turn at the next intersection because his flasher is still flashing from his last maneuver.

He currently has a 2009 R1250RT, and I find it to be the same. I am curious to know if they have changed the logic involved in controlling the canceling feature now that everything is computer controlled, if they are computer controlled now that is.

The turn signals automatically turn off under the following conditions:
Speed below 19 mph (30 km/h): After 164 ft (50 m) distance covered.
Speed between 19 mph (30 km/h) and 62 mph (100 km/h): After a speed dependent distance has been covered or in the event of an acceleration.
Speed above 62 mph (100 km/h): After turn signals blink five times

 

[dduelin]

Congratulations Joe. It's beautiful!

Many happy miles to you.

 

[dduelin]

The award system for this software isn't as flexible as the previous software. I haven't been on a Honda for a while so not sure why this changes anything.. lol... but, I'll think about it.

No problem, BMWMOA has their own Mileage Contest that is brand specific. See you in the next award issue!

 

[Paul]

Have you taken the "stickers" off yet? Nice bike Joe!

 

[ST1100Y]

• Basic package I guess - it does have ESA - electronic suspension.
• The headlights/DRL strips are very bright.
• 4 LED high beams, haven't ridden at night yet to see how well they work.
• The LED Aux lights are also very bright, I found some flip covers that allow you to make them amber and flip up if you think you need the white light.
• 
• I do plan on some Ilum Works crash bars, not sure if I'll get the rear ones, I've come close to breaking my foot on previous bikes w/rear crash bars when I put my foot down.
• I'll probably wait 'til the 12k service to get the GS911.
• No whip antenna - it's apparently hidden inside the faring somewhere. I don't think the radio module is even installed, same for Sirius.
• BMW has a Connected App. You have a wireless charging pad in the right compartment.
  • Not crazy about the app - I have an Android phone and it seems to work better with those.​
  • You can import your gpx files into the app, select that route, and the phone will show navigation on the dash.​
  • It will also use the media on the phone - stored or streaming.​
  • The whole thing, when working, is just ok... it uses Tom Tom maps and they seem to be better than Garmin but the interface to the bike is just missing some convenience.​
  • When you stop for gas, everything disconnects and it takes time once you're back on the road before it all connects again and, for me, the media would always mute even though the volume showed max... I'd have to turn the handle bar controller all the way down to mute then back up for the media to be heard again.​
  • The nav perspective always defaults to 3d and I hate that, you have to zoom out to get to the top down view.​
  • In daytime mode, the secondary roads are almost invisible, most folks I've heard will keep it on night mode for a better view.​
  • So, the app and bike interface have some work to do. Again, when it works it's not bad but IMO not a replacement for a dedicated zumo that gives you better control over routes/media/phone/weather radar functionality.​
• High beam - I hate the switch - it's a toggle with your left forefinger, forward for high, and that just doesn't feel natural but I'm sure after some time I'll get used to it, but it's kinda hard to find right now.
• Self Canceling turn signals - yeah! I do that like
• Wireless phone charger - yup, the right cubby has that and it even has a dedicated fan that will keep air circulating when a certain temperature is reached.
• Seat - seems good, I did 250 miles Saturday and it felt ok, I need a good 500 mile day to really know how it's going to work out. I hope it does as it's heated and that's awesome - first heated seat I ever had.
• Performance - very nice! - the torque seems like it's everywhere and very smooth which I didn't expect, I had a short test ride a couple weeks ago on a different bike but it wasn't very long.
• Service - I'm not planning to ever take it to a dealer - unless there's warranty or recall work - so I'll be doing everything on my own, I know there are some specialized tools necessary but have looked at a few videos and I think it will be good.

So besides all the glossy pamphlet listings:

how does is handle and ride compared to... what we know and rely on?
what about ergos (dunno how tall you are), will big guys find space?

 

[Mellow]

So besides all the glossy pamphlet listings:

how does is handle and ride compared to... what we know and rely on?
what about ergos (dunno how tall you are), will big guys find space?

It's been a long time since I've been on an ST... but, it does remind me of that smoothness but does not feel top heavy like the ST1300 did.. obviously the engine configuration has a lot to do with that.

I had it on the low seat and the butt-to-peg distance seemed weird. It felt like you were lifting your knees up higher than necessary but I did like that I could almost flat-foot at a stop. Yesterday I had some errands to run after work and set the seat to the high position and that made a huge difference and felt more normal to me. If you sit on one or test ride one I would make sure you try the high seat height if it feels strange when you sit on it.

I'm 5'8" 28" inseam if that helps.

It's still new to me so as far as the twisties I always take my time learning a new bike before pushing it's (my) limits and we don't have many fun places to ride around here. But, in the few light twisties I could find it felt very nice and stable and the power was immediate and felt like linear.

There's also no twitchiness you get with most modern ride by wire bikes, it felt like the throttle was connected to carburetors.

 

[Fred Primmer]

Congratulations on your new bike Joe. Are you keeping your Tracer or did you trade it?

I thought the Tracer seemed like a good ST replacement. Same hp, much lighter. That's the direction I was thinking of if/when I decide the ST is too heavy or too old for me anymore. What about the Tracer didn't quite do it for you?