R1200RT circa 2010-2013 owner thoughts
Discussion
I'd like something smooth, low wind noise for long distance, mustn't have weight on my wrists so no sports tourer(?). Oh plus great low down torque, reliable and older.... I.e. cheaper.
Does the R1200RT sound like the prime contender?
Any owners, experiences of this era bike for any advice?
Does the R1200RT sound like the prime contender?
Any owners, experiences of this era bike for any advice?
I would suggest it is - try one. An RT was the first tourer style I tried and initially thought it was a tad thrummy on a test ride and left me a bit neutral generally. Subsequently tried several other tourer types and currently own a VFR800 . In hindsight the RT was very good. Great wind protection, plenty of grunt for relaxed riding on motorways.
Just back from a 3 day 700 mile France trip with a mate who was on his 2010 RT1200 & we are 3 weeks out from a 1500 ish mile trip down to Valencia & back. As a touring bike it’s hard to beat, wind/weather protection is 1st rate, things like heated grips, heated seat, electric screen, cruise control all add up to making a very comfy machine to do some miles on.
It’s not the last word in power or smoothness, but I guess I depends on your frame of reference, compared to my old Ducati 900 it’s lovely!! But whilst the engine is a big part of what makes the bike smooth/comfortable it’s also stuff like the screen effectiveness, telelever front suspension etc that make the bike very good over distance.
Try one, I’ve a feeling my mate’s will be on the market post Spain trip.
It’s not the last word in power or smoothness, but I guess I depends on your frame of reference, compared to my old Ducati 900 it’s lovely!! But whilst the engine is a big part of what makes the bike smooth/comfortable it’s also stuff like the screen effectiveness, telelever front suspension etc that make the bike very good over distance.
Try one, I’ve a feeling my mate’s will be on the market post Spain trip.
My tuppence:-
Consider the Yamaha FJR. Made from granite, do huge mileages. Comfy and cheap for what they are.
OR
Honda VFR1200 a nice inoffensive bike.
OR
Kawasaki GTR 1400 again granite and cheap for what they offer.
OR
BMW K1300S. I saw one on UKGSers with 14000 miles and a small dent in the exhaust can for only £4500 which is pennies for one of these.
These would be on my shopping list before an R1200RT and I love the Boxer Twins.
Consider the Yamaha FJR. Made from granite, do huge mileages. Comfy and cheap for what they are.
OR
Honda VFR1200 a nice inoffensive bike.
OR
Kawasaki GTR 1400 again granite and cheap for what they offer.
OR
BMW K1300S. I saw one on UKGSers with 14000 miles and a small dent in the exhaust can for only £4500 which is pennies for one of these.
These would be on my shopping list before an R1200RT and I love the Boxer Twins.
Chipchap said:
My tuppence:-
Consider the Yamaha FJR. Made from granite, do huge mileages. Comfy and cheap for what they are.
OR
Honda VFR1200 a nice inoffensive bike.
OR
Kawasaki GTR 1400 again granite and cheap for what they offer.
OR
BMW K1300S. I saw one on UKGSers with 14000 miles and a small dent in the exhaust can for only £4500 which is pennies for one of these.
These would be on my shopping list before an R1200RT and I love the Boxer Twins.
Consider the Yamaha FJR. Made from granite, do huge mileages. Comfy and cheap for what they are.
OR
Honda VFR1200 a nice inoffensive bike.
OR
Kawasaki GTR 1400 again granite and cheap for what they offer.
OR
BMW K1300S. I saw one on UKGSers with 14000 miles and a small dent in the exhaust can for only £4500 which is pennies for one of these.
These would be on my shopping list before an R1200RT and I love the Boxer Twins.
I'd agree with the above with one small addition.The K1300GT (instead of the K1300S?) as it's more upright.
I tried joining that forum to look at that K1300 it's nigh on impossible! You have to register first and one of the qualifying quesrions to register is how many cylinders does a boxer engine have? Boxers have 4 cylinders yes?!
The registration won't accept 4 or four.
The registration won't accept 4 or four.
Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Wednesday 10th August 12:08
Hugo Stiglitz said:
I tried joining that forum to look at that K1300 it's nigh on impossible! You have to register first and one of the qualifying quesrions to register is how many cylinders does a boxer engine have? Boxers have 4 cylinders yes?!
The registration won't accept 4 or four.
The registration won't accept 4 or four.
It's an effective anti-spammer method though, they definitely can't create new accounts.Hugo Stiglitz said:
I tried joining that forum to look at that K1300 it's nigh on impossible! You have to register first and one of the qualifying quesrions to register is how many cylinders does a boxer engine have? Boxers have 4 cylinders yes?!
The registration won't accept 4 or four.
No smilies but I assume this is a joke!The registration won't accept 4 or four.
Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Wednesday 10th August 12:08
(If not - the answer is 2)
If you're looking at a K1300S or K1300GT then check out www.eurokclub.bike as they have a potential buyers guide with a list of what to look out for and what to check.
black-k1 said:
Hugo Stiglitz said:
I tried joining that forum to look at that K1300 it's nigh on impossible! You have to register first and one of the qualifying quesrions to register is how many cylinders does a boxer engine have? Boxers have 4 cylinders yes?!
The registration won't accept 4 or four.
No smilies but I assume this is a joke!The registration won't accept 4 or four.
Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Wednesday 10th August 12:08
(If not - the answer is 2)
Any BMW of that era is NOT going to be the last word in reliability.
Spend a few weeks on the facebook groups and compare major/catastrophic failures with those on a competitor (Japanese) group or forum.
About all I see on the VFR group are people complaining about the seat or fuelling. On the K1300 group it's VERY nearly a daily occurance with major failure of some component that stops the bike dead.
That's before you even get to the corrosion issues on BMW - my 33 year old CZ125 GENUINELY has less corrosion than my 2010 K1300 did.
It's actually laughable how appalling their reliability is.
Yes, you may get lucky but a MUCH higher proportion of people don't compared to a Jap bike.
Oh, and for the RT you're looking at around a full bag for a clucth replacment.....
Spend a few weeks on the facebook groups and compare major/catastrophic failures with those on a competitor (Japanese) group or forum.
About all I see on the VFR group are people complaining about the seat or fuelling. On the K1300 group it's VERY nearly a daily occurance with major failure of some component that stops the bike dead.
That's before you even get to the corrosion issues on BMW - my 33 year old CZ125 GENUINELY has less corrosion than my 2010 K1300 did.
It's actually laughable how appalling their reliability is.
Yes, you may get lucky but a MUCH higher proportion of people don't compared to a Jap bike.
Oh, and for the RT you're looking at around a full bag for a clucth replacment.....
The BMW 1200 boxer engine circa 2010 - 2013 was the last development of the air cooled motor, its as good as it gets before water cooling was introduced, in fact it had a stay of execution in the R9T
I had a 2012 R1200R, not the same in terms of weather protection as the RT but a brilliant bike with a peach of an engine.
The other suggestions are good but give the RT a try before you dismiss it.
I had a 2012 R1200R, not the same in terms of weather protection as the RT but a brilliant bike with a peach of an engine.
The other suggestions are good but give the RT a try before you dismiss it.
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