lbs.), which means more usable power. The combination of more torque and less weight is something you clearly feel on the road.
New to the R1200RT is cruise control, which is standard on U.S. models, something I sorely missed on the R1150RT, and ESA, or electronic suspension adjustment. We learned at the intro that this will be standard on U.S. models — meaning the MSRP has been upped to $18,240 (it was initially set at $17,490 in the U.S. without ESA).
A neat flat screen information display comes on the new RT. It includes the usual information — but the gear indicator is much more visible than it is on the R1200GS. The RT I rode also had an optional trip computer, which toggles through (1) miles remaining on your fuel, (2) your average MPH since last being set, (3) your MPG, (4) whether you have enough engine oil, and (5) what the outside temperature is. I really like the miles-to-empty and the thermometer features.
The new RT, compared to the ’04 model, has a larger gas tank, a bigger alternator, and partially integrated brakes. So most of the physical attributes of the R1200RT are good news.
The bad news, after the nearly $2,000 jump in MSRP, is relatively minor. You can forget BMW’s famous standard tool kit — that’s optional now (price unknown by staff present) — and color choice is extremely limited and, at least to me, unsatisfying. Regarding the latter, you can choose only between light gray, dark gray, or red. During the intro, there were no red models present, so all we saw was gray RTs or gray RTs. BMW came up with some wonderful colors for the R1150RT, such as silver and Biarritz blue (the latter named after Biarritz, France). Neither is available on the new RT. We can hope for more options in the future.
The R1200RT’s radio was useless above 50 MPH for me, but then I am too tall for the stock windshield. Other riders, who are shorter, found the radio just fine at high speeds. Sadly, the radio lacks NOAA’s weather channels, which can be found on the K1200LT’s radio. When I owned a K1200LT, the NOAA channels were all I ever listened to. If I owned an R1200RT, I would not bother with the optional radio. On the plus side, however, all the radio’s controls are visible and at hand. The radio station information is displayed neatly in the motorcycle’s flat screen.
Regarding riding the R1200RT, let me note first that, as a long-time RT rider, this bike felt very familiar to me. The shared controls are all the same, so there was no adjustment for me. I found that it handled similarly to the R1150RT, though being 50 pounds lighter it was a little more responsive. The big difference, however, is in the engine. With that big jump of usable torque power, the new RT really hauls. And it has strong power from 2,500 RPMs on up, whereas the 1150 has to see at least 3,000 RPMs before it starts moving. That doesn’t mean, however, that riders who click into 6th gear at higher speeds don’t have to downshift to accelerate hard. It does mean, however, that after you downshift one or two clicks you should be prepared to be launched forward when you ease out the clutch and roll the throttle on.
The engine’s downside, however, was that noticeable vibration sets in at about 5,000 RPMs — or at least it did on my RT. Fred Rau noted that same sensation. My R1150RT has more low-speed vibration, but it does not increase so noticeably about 5,000 RPMs. To be fair, however, other riders, including Arturo Pineiro, said they did not notice the vibration, so it could be that Fred and I simply drew RTs with that characteristic. On the other hand, the engine is wonderfully and deceptively smooth up beyond 4,000 RPMs, and at 70 MPH indicated you are only turning 3,600 RPMs in 6th gear, which is the same as the R1150RT.
I am 6’-4”, so I have Cee Bailey’s tallest windshield on my R1150RT. While the R1200RT’s stock windshield offers better wind protection than the R1150RT’s small stock shield, aftermarket windshield
manufacturers should be prepared for brisk R1200RT business. For me, I would want an additional five inches of windshield height, whereas I need seven inches over stock for my R1150RT.
Also, aftermarket saddle makers will not be put out of business by the R1200RT. Customers will come calling. The only BMW motorcycle stock saddle I have ever found did not need replacement in the aftermarket to handle my butt was that on the K1200LT.
Now let’s talk about exhaust sound. Those familiar with the R1100RT and R1150RT may join with me in noting that the exhaust note is kind of a “chuff-chuff” sound. Not at all enchanting on a motorcycle. The R1200RT provides a much more authoritative sound, like that of the R1200GS. It’s hard to describe. I call it a taut growl. It is pleasant to hear when accelerating and makes you think that a real, powerful engine is working for you. It is part of the pleasure of riding this motorcycle as well as riding the GS and the ST, which, respectively, share similar and the same engines.
The R1200GS transmission is wonderfully smooth. So is the R1200RT’s. Not that the R1150RT’s tranny is bad — it isn’t. It’s just that the R1200RT’s is better.
Heat management on the R1200RT is superb, as it was on the R1100RT and R1150RT. Engine heat does not reach the rider. One well known Honda ST1300 owner at the intro complained to me about how that bike’s engine heat cooks him. He said it even melted his sunglasses once when he left them in the glove box! Similarly, the Yamaha FJR 1300 is noted for the engine heat it presents to the rider. In this area, the oilhead RTs, including the new model, have it all over the competition. Ducting engine heat away from the rider seems to me to be an obvious and basic design consideration, so I am baffled as to why BMW is so lonely in doing this well.
Other details: The R1150RT’s nifty lifting handle to get the motorcycle on its center stand is gone from the R1200RT. Instead, a “handle” is found on the front of the luggage rack, and it works quite well, assisted by the bike’s lighter weight. The saddlebags are an improvement over those of the earlier RT models. Why? They are larger. The new RT bag swallows easily my enormous size 8¼ Bell Star XL full-face helmet.
BMW’s two top cases and tank bags were not available at the press intro, so I cannot comment on them other than to note that the bike includes an ingenious, new mounting system for the tank bag. The tall BMW windshield also was not available at the intro, but past “tall” BMW-offered windshields were not tall enough for yours truly, so I headed to Cee Bailey for solutions and I imagine that Steve Chlavin will be up to the R1200RT challenge as well [Later note: Cee Bailey is now producing R1200RT windshields in various sizes. Click here to see them.]
The most divisive topic I have noted on internet bulletin boards about the R1200RT deals with esthetics. The R1150RT, and the R1100RT before it, are wonderfully beautiful motorcycles, with smooth, streamlined Art Deco lines. When RT riders first saw photos of the R1200RT, reactions tended to be of shock or disappointment. It has been called disjointed, layered, piecemeal, and evocative of the F-117 stealth fighter.
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R1200ST
After Lunch, we were told to switch motorcycles, so I traded my R1200RT for an R1200ST.
I think that has abated somewhat as riders get used to the new look. David Robb feels the new design is more edgy and athletic. Fred Rau said it reminds him of a sprinter on the starting blocks, waiting for the starting gun. Esthetic opinions are highly personal, however. I have included some photos with this article that show 2004 and 2005 RTs next to each other, so readers can form some opinions of their own. Speaking personally, I can say that as I spent some time with the R1200RT I grew more used to its “edgy” design.
I spent Thursday morning riding the R1200RT about 140 miles. The route we covered included normal two-lane roads and a variety of curved roads, including the road up to Mt. Palomar, which has some of the nastiest hairpin curves I have ever ridden. In these conditions, the R1200RT feels more nimble than the R1150RT, moving readily from swift left to right curves and back with minimal handlebar pressure. On the other hand, could you enjoy these roads with an R1150RT? Of course you could! You just might be a tiny bit slower. But the R1200RT gives you a stronger kick in the pants when you roll on out of curves and charge to the next ones.
The RT I was riding did not have the new ESA technology. Of all the RTs BMW brought to the intro, only one had it. Its ride received high praise for the ESA suspension from the rider assigned that bike, who noted that its automatic weight compensation kept him from grounding in hairpin turns even once. When he traded briefly for a non-ESA RT, he said he started grounding. Clearly, ESA would be an advantage to an RT rider interested in pushing the limits of his cornering capabilities. And, as I have noted above, except for the first 500 imported, ESA will be standard on all U.S. R1200RTs. If I were spending the money for a new R1200RT, I would want ESA on it even if it were optional.
When I first mounted the ST, I couldn’t find the footpegs with my feet. Wow! They are way back there! I really had to bend my legs back to reach the pegs, so I was immediately uncomfortable with the ST. I even wondered if there wasn’t some way I could get back on an RT, but that was not to be. It is good that I could not. One of the other riders came over and raised the seat to its highest position. That helped, but I admit up front that the ST’s riding position and my 65-year-old knees not really compatible. Perhaps this is one reason why, since 1995, RTs have outsold RSs by over four-to-one.
Another reason may well be that the RT, unlike the ST, has a full fairing with an electrically adjustable windshield for excellent weather protection. According to BMW, the average American RT owner since 1995 piled many more miles on an RT annually than did the average RS owner — data that will likely be replicated with the new ST.
I decided to ignore the complaints of my knees, however, and try out the ST. I learned that it is a helluva gas to ride this machine! It weights 66 pounds less than the RT, but has the same engine. Weighing only a little more than the R1200GS, the ST has more power. That means riding the ST is a challenge. It challenges you to keep its smoothly and rapidly building speed down to something approximating legality (I was not able to do that because 90 MPH seemed like a comfortable minimum), and it challenges you to rack your riding skills up to the higher level this machine wants of you. As with the RT, handlebar vibration seemed to settle in at 5,000 RPMs and up, but it seemed less noticeable to me. Perhaps the shorter handlebars reduced the sensation.
I own an R1200GS, so I was somewhat aware of what the ST was going to throw at me. A 500 pound motorcycle (wet) with a high-revving, torquey 85-ft.-lb. engine means serious excitement and riding fun.
The ST has the same instrumentation as the GS, but it is more effective on the ST. The flat panel display on the GS is hard to read because the digits are so small and the rider sits upright. But your eyes are close to the display on the ST, so it is much more easily read. However, the nifty trip computer of the RT is not found on the ST. The latter gives you "just the facts, ma'am.”
The ST’s horn is the same useless appendage as found on the R1200GS. Why BMW doesn’t put the RT’s excellent horns on these two models escapes me. I quickly installed a pair of PIAA’s Sport Horns on my R1200GS. They awaken quickly somnambulate drivers crowding my lane.
A couple of hours into riding the ST, I felt that the riding position was becoming more tolerable. I was getting used to it. Nevertheless, for a person as tall as I am it would not be a good long-distance motorcycle. Legs are too bent over, and the seat is not up to the RT’s level.
From the side, the ST is a beautiful motorcycle. The view from the front seems incongruous to me. Rather than the curves along the side, it is suddenly pointed and angular from the front. The top of the stacked headlight reminds me of a Carpenter Gothic pointed arch, and I want it to become curved, not pointed. As with the R1200RT, elements of the design of this motorcycle are controversial and beauty becomes defined in the eye of the beholder.
The MSRP of the ST is $14,990 without ABS. Adding ABS brings it to $15,940. Throw in heated hand grips, ESA, and a luggage rack (no saddle bags) brings it to $17,015 and you still do not have saddle bags The ST’s pricing, to me, makes the R1200RT, which includes all the above plus a full fairing, electric windshield, and saddlebags as standard, look pretty desirable. I always felt a fully equipped R1150RS was overpriced compared to the R1150RT, and the R1200ST seems to me to continue that trend.
To sum up, in my opinion the R1100RT/R1150RT series motorcycles, made from 1995 to 2004, have been the finest touring motorcycles on the market and the finest ever made. Other manufacturers have made worthy attempts to match the oilhead RTs, but just have not been able to do it. Raising the bar higher presented BMW with a significant challenge. By lowering the RT’s weight and adding a significant boost in power as well as cruise control, ESA, a trip computer, and smoother transmission — all the while maintaining the excellent existing features of the R1150RT — BMW has done just that.
If you want the very finest touring motorcycle on the planet today, your choice is very simple. It is BMW’s new R1200RT. |
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