The ultimate Sport Touring motorcycle?
Written: Sep 16 '09
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Pros: Comfortable, agile, quick, stylish, smooth, sophisticated, well equipped.
Cons: Expensive, eats its battery, options add to the price. Did I mention expensive?
The Bottom Line: The R1200RT is simply a supurb motorcycle. It is, perhaps, the finest sport touring bike made to date. It's well worth the (steep!) price of admission.
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| live4java's Full Review: 2007 BMW R 1200 RT |
Caveat: This comes more from the "Road Test" perspective than the "Lived with it" perspective. Thus, no long term assesments and I didn't have opportunity to test all of the bike's many feautures. A close friend of mine swapped bikes with me during a recent BMW Club rally, which gave me some long anticipated time in the saddle - rather than the usual view I have following it up a canyon road.
If I get my way, an R1200RT will be my next bike.
Background: The R1200 series, introduced in 2005, is BMW's latest iteration of the venerable Boxer Twin they've been building for the better part of a century. The RT is the Touring member of the R1200 family, which include the R (Road), S (Sport), ST (Sport Touring) and GS (Adventure) models. Not all of these are currenly available new, but they all retain a healthy resale value.
The 1200 is an evolution from the R1150 series, itself an evolution of the R1100 introduced in 1995. The current motor is smoother and more powerful than its predecessor, while still delivering better than 50 MPG in typical touring or commute conditions.
The RT series has always been a Touring motorcycle with an emphasis on sporting performance. As such, the current RT is quick, agile, and surprisingly light weight for it's size. Like any good touring motorcycle, the RT has ample storage, a suspension that eats up the miles and a comfortable riding position.
The Good: Where to start. How about the engine? As reviewed elsewhere, I have an R1100R of my own and the evolutionary development of the 1200's Boxer Twin really shows. With a counterbalancer, the engine is silky smooth and the six speed transmission shifts without the deep seated 'thunk' so noticible in the older motors.
BMW has worked on the fuel injection and the 1200 is smooth at all speeds, without the surging that was common to some earlier generations. Fuel economy is exceptional, with low 50's being common in typical commuting, getting up into the low 60's in sedate touring conditions.
The motor is surprisingly free spinning for a big twin and cranks out 110 HP and 85 Ft/Lbs of torque. Being air cooled, there's no radiator or cooling system to worry about. Also, the boxer arrangement makes routine (and not so routine) maintenance simple if you're inclined to work on your own bike.
The suspension is the latest iteration of BMW's Telelever front end and Paralever single sided swingarm with shaft drive. Electronic control of the suspension is an available option, which I've seen in action but didn't get to play with myself.
The suspension is compliant, comfortable, and responsive. The Telelever up front separates the 'suspension' function from steering and braking inputs, making for a very smooth ride and consistent handling. The Paralever in back eliminates the 'shaft jack' common to many shaft drive bikes. The iteration on the 1200 is a new version, quite different from the one that graced the earlier 1150 and 1100.
BMW currently offers a "low suspension" version of the bike as an option that can accomodate shorter riders.
Unlike the 'bucket' front seat of my own R1100R, the pilot's perch on the RT is great. Not too soft. Not too firm. Nice layer of padding. Nice shape. The seat is hight adjustable and there are several variations available from the dealer - including Low and Tall versions. A heated seat is an option, though I've not had opportunity to try it out.
While I've been on the passenger pillion, I've never actually gone anywhere on the bake of the RT, so my "it felt good" is from a few minutes of static sitting. The R11's seat felt fine in a few minutes of static sitting too, though I haven't heard anyone complain about the passenger perch.
The bike's controlls, from shifter to clutch to steering to brakes to switchgear, are excellent. Though like most BMW's, the turn signals are under your right and left thumbs with a separate switch to cancel them. Most other bikes use a single toggle under the left thumb, and that's what most people are used to.
There are a lot of controls on the hand grips, and more on the console. The actual number and position of some of the accessory controls (like for the trip computer, the radio, the suspension, etc) depend on the specific year RT you're looking at and what options the bike came with. They're all easy to reach (The adjustable windscreen is a personal favorite of mine) but some of the accessories may take some figuring out.
Read the manual.
Hard shell luggage is standard on the RT and the bags are surprisingly spacious for their apparent size. They just don't look athat big. They lock, and latch, with the bike's ignition key and are weather tight. They look great, but are quite expensive to replace if they're damaged.
For over 10 years now, BMW has used the Powerlet style 12VDC accessory outlets and, while listed as an option, I have never seen an RT that didn't include at least one. The upside to the Powerlet is that it's more weather tight and secure than a standard cigarette lighter plug. The down side is that accessory plugs are a lot more expensive. One socket is mounted on the left side of the fairing at the back edge and is easily accessible for plugging in a heated vest, gloves, pants, or what have you. As is typical BMW, the alternator is an automotive style unit and produces more than enough power to run heated clothing, extra driving lights, or whatever you want.
The Bad: No bike is perfect. Not even the superb R1200RT. For example, the Klingon Battle Cruiser styling might not appeal to everyone. The large fairing, while providing excellent protection and wind control, looks disproportinately large. While I personally like the styling in general, it does look nose heavy.
Next, is the price. While the RT, new, has a base price under $17K, good luck finding one for that. Like BMW Automotive products, there's a long list of options you can tack on and it's not uncommon to see a well equipped RT pushing $20K.
As mentioned above, these bikes hold their value and it's hard to find even a 4 year old used one for under $12K. If you're looking for a used one, remember that long option list and see what the one you're looking at actually has.
To my surprise, while the engine is smooth and powerful, it feels like it had less torque on tap than my 9 year old 1100. In fact, in top gear roll on acceleration, the R11 could easily keep up with the R12 - at least until higher in the rev band where the motor is happier.
The servo-boosted power brakes on the RT got a lot of criticism from the moto-press when it was released, and it doesn't grace all years of the bike. My own impression is that it "takes some getting used to" and it's not as easy to modulate as the non-power option. While it's not "all or nothing" as the servo brakes on some cars have been, there's an odd feeling of "a little braking" when you first get into them, then "a whole lot more!" just a little further into the travel. It's not bad once you're used to it, but personally I'd prefer to ride without power brakes.
While the electronics are pretty amazing on this bike, the radio, a $1500 option, is actually pretty weak. Volume and sound quality just weren't what I'd expect for the price. Even the "radio prep kit" to install your own aftermarket radio is a $450 option. Seriously? Is it made from titanium alloy or something?
Speaking of electronics, the CANBUS system means you can't just hook up that ferroresonant battery charger you have in the garage to keep the battery topped up. No. You need a special charger from BMW that's specifically designed for the canbus equipped bikes.
While it may actually be possible to use a normal charger (I haven't done that specific research - this is coming from observation and conversations with the bike's owner, so this might not be entirely accurate) the special BMW charger is over $100.
Why would you need to keep the battery topped off? Because all the electronics on the bike are vampiric. Leave it sit and it'll drain the battery flat in no time.
The Bottom Line: The R1200RT is a supurb motorcycle. There's really no denying that. I would own one in a heartbeat. It really is that good.
Every motorcycle is a compromise in some way. Sure, there are faster sport bikes, and more comfortable pure touring bikes, but I can't think of any bike that combines the same levels of comfort and performance found here.
On the other hand, it is an expensive motorcycle. And, after literally hopping off a 12 year old R1100R and onto an '06 R1200RT for compareson, I found it to be "way better" than the old bike, but not "oh my god, I gotta have one!" better.
I came away from the ride loving the R1200RT, but at the same time appreciating the old R even more.
Would I recommend one? Yes. In a heartbeat.
Would I recommend one over a used R1150RT at half the price? That is a much tougher call.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 18500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2006
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Epinions.com ID:
live4java
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Member: Mike
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 0 members
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