BMW R1150RT / 1200RT / R1250RT Mega Thread

I rode the 1200RT and the K1600. Love the 6cyl motor, but the wheelbase is just a little too long for me. I ended up with the RT in the garage next to the Rockster and the GSA. The RT handles superbly, and without all the extra doo-dads the K-bike has ( kind of distracting). They should offer the 6cyl in the RT. Now that would be SPORT-TOURING!!!

I'm in Charlotte and I have a 2011 RT with a Russell on it you can check out...

Close enough?

Never needed the external antenna , as the unit worked just fine without it. i might look for one & see it it helps (they go pretty cheap)

Cool! That Craigslist tool is awesome! But what is up with BMWMOA charging $40 to look at their ads? :huh

Would it be safe to say that 2004 and up are the best years to look at for used RT's?

Thanks!

Actually, if you want to avoid the boosted brakes, start 2007, which is also hexhead engine. Camhead starts at 2010.

I had the same thoughts on the BMW moa 40$ membership, I've had 5 BMW motorbikes and can do without the BMW moa and the 40$ crap

Since I got my GSA new in '08, I have had almost zero problems with it. That's why I went with an '08RT. Though I do like that Camhead engine, just not enough to drop an extra $10k over a used bike. Not to mention having the same year bikes cuts down on consumables (air/oil filters, sparkplugs, valve cover gaskets) to keep on hand. The Rockster requires me to keep some spare that only fit it.

Has anyone used the Uclear?

I took delivery of my Suburban Machinery bar risers today. Just installed them on the bike. It took about 20 minutes, no big deal. They have just right amount of pull back for me and give me a better view of the mirrors. I am very pleased with the fit and finish. No problem with the cables or freedom of movement. The people at Suburban are very friendly and I took delivery very quickly. All in all I am very pleased.

Bud

Has anyone tried the new Metzler Z8 tires on an RT (or anything else)? My 2012 came with Bridgestones which I am not happy with. I used Z6's on my K12RS and they were great, and I keep hearing about the latest and greatest Z8's but have not seen or know anyone has them.

Thanks!

Jim
Canton, OH

I have Z8s on my '12 RT and I will buy a different tire soon.I am feeling them in corners,a slight wobble in the bars from the tread design.Only 7000 miles on them,and they are about done.

Hmmm. I loved my Z6's. 7,000 was about what I would get out of my K12RS, but it was a lot heavier, would expect more on the RT.

Thanks for the input.

Jim

I keep thinking that the "perfect" bike for me (prob not for everyone else....) would be the RT with the ST1300's V4 - reliable, powerful, smooth. After 4 days on a rented RT (ride report in the works), I have to say the weakness of the bike - for me - is the engine. Everything else is really good.

You basically just described the K1300GT. Give that a try. Nobody would describe it as "weak"

I have the Z8's on my '08 RT and I love them. I have only had them on the bike for about 2000 miles. When leaned over in a turn they are rock steady.

You know, I tried the K1300GT and really liked it. My first words after shutting down the bike were "Yeehaw, Cowboy" (I was in Ft. Worth). I don't think I'm going to pursue one because my license would be in constant jeopardy. Other downsides are that the fairing just doesn't work as well as the RT and the engine has that inline-4 vibe to it. But man, that combination of engine and suspension is so well hooked up yet civilized ....

CrustyAPO, the feeling of uncertaintly in turns, especially on tar snakes, is why I want to get rid of th OEM Bridgestones. You never really feel planted in the corners. I'll give up some tire life for stability and better handling.

Kerkuffle, I test rode a K1300GT when I was trying to make up my mind, and I really liked the bike. However I had just come off a last year K12RS, and knew the K1300GT was going to be discontinued too. I've followed the history of the current 1200 / 1300 series at i-bmw.com and have to say BMW did not do a very good job engineering out the problems before they introduced it. Lots of problems with transmissions, fuel mapping, switchgear failures, etc. etc.

Lets hope they do a better job with the new watercooled boxer.

Jim
Canton, OH

I hear you about the license and fairing:

First time I took out the K13, I did my usual run along River Road south of Baton Rouge. I kept getting calls on the cell and decided to see who was calling and discovered that I needed to head back to the office instead of playing .

I cut across to I-10 below Gonzales, La. and headed back north and was cruising along in the zone. After about 5 minutes the thought came to me "why is everyone going so slow on the interstate today", at which point I looked at the speedometer and was shocked to see 110 on the clock :eek1. Quickly I reduced speed and set the cruise at 70 to avoid attracting too much attention

A couple of weeks later the SO wanted to try the bike, and within 5 minutes she vetoed it because the turbulence was beating her to death. I was told to go back to the dealership "slowly" !

RT ended up being the way better choice for us.

Hey Jim Mer -

I mentioned my dislike for the Bridgestones over in another thread, and a lot of us have the same feeling about them. I've been riding for 45 of my 54 years and I think they're the most squirrelly tire I've ever been on. Some other guys seem to love them though. Mileage seems to vary from 3000 to 10000 depending on who is posting, with one guy swearing that they're rock solid great tires..

Either way, I really do hate them, and will be installing Michelin P3's when I get the 6000 mile service done in a couple of weeks. I don't know anyone with the Metzlers so I can't help you there.