Shortlisted a BMW R1200RS to my list - owners reviews
Discussion
I've recently sold my Speed Triple. Nice enough bike but the wind blast got to me in the end on long rides. It was great blasting around country lanes but anything other than got hard work.
I'm now looking for a replacement and have ridden quite a few bikes this week and one that's getting my attention is the Bm'er R1200RS. It's a 2017 Sport SE model with keyless and a few other gadgets that's done 24k with full BM history and done at 6, 12, 18 and 24 with recent valve check. It's got a couple of marks on one cylinder head.
For comparison, the others on my short list are Yam MT10 - I've had 2 before and know that with the Yam touring screen it get's rid of the wind buffeting. A 20 plate Verys 1000 but felt slightly top heavy - pretty sure I'd get used to it. Kwak Ninja 1000SX - a bit more money than the others and I'd prefer to not spend too much on something that'll do 4/5k a year.
Is there any BMW RS owners that can let me know their experience with the bike? What things to look out for, what extras would be good, etc.
I'm now looking for a replacement and have ridden quite a few bikes this week and one that's getting my attention is the Bm'er R1200RS. It's a 2017 Sport SE model with keyless and a few other gadgets that's done 24k with full BM history and done at 6, 12, 18 and 24 with recent valve check. It's got a couple of marks on one cylinder head.
For comparison, the others on my short list are Yam MT10 - I've had 2 before and know that with the Yam touring screen it get's rid of the wind buffeting. A 20 plate Verys 1000 but felt slightly top heavy - pretty sure I'd get used to it. Kwak Ninja 1000SX - a bit more money than the others and I'd prefer to not spend too much on something that'll do 4/5k a year.
Is there any BMW RS owners that can let me know their experience with the bike? What things to look out for, what extras would be good, etc.
Hi - first post on here!!!
I've had a r1200rs for a couple of years, been to Spain and Germany in that time. Not looking to change it any time soon.
My previous bike was/is an Aprilia RST 1000 Futura bought new in 2002, that has also visited Europe a few times. Our longest two up day on the Aprilia was 750 miles from the Ardeche to Ijmuiden in comfort although I had to bleed the clutch twice (slave cylinder failed on Mont Ventoux). The aprilia has the best seat we've experienced.
With trips planned for 2022 and worries over reliability of a 20 year old Italian bike with an unobtainable rear wheel bearing I started looking at different bikes. Yamaha Tracer GT and Triumph Tiger 900 dismissed from a comfort basis (pillion led). On an off chance I tried the r1200rs, initially quite inpressed, enough power handled well (even on Metzeler Z8s), passed the pillion test - the pillion seat is better than it looks. I found the riders seat a little low but got the raised 'sports' option which made a big difference. The seat to footpeg sizes are within a few mm of the Aprilia although the handlebars are 50 -70 mm higher.
The screen is quite small but I find it OK. Dynamic ESA great for adjusting suspension. The BMW is better in side winds than the Aprilia. I use panniers and a Baglux tank bag with a waterproof bag strapped to the rack when necessary.
I changed the tyres (when worn out) to Michelin Pilot 5s which seem to suit the bike very well. It does almost 200 mile per tank and is comfortable for 5-600 mile days.
Hope this helps
I've had a r1200rs for a couple of years, been to Spain and Germany in that time. Not looking to change it any time soon.
My previous bike was/is an Aprilia RST 1000 Futura bought new in 2002, that has also visited Europe a few times. Our longest two up day on the Aprilia was 750 miles from the Ardeche to Ijmuiden in comfort although I had to bleed the clutch twice (slave cylinder failed on Mont Ventoux). The aprilia has the best seat we've experienced.
With trips planned for 2022 and worries over reliability of a 20 year old Italian bike with an unobtainable rear wheel bearing I started looking at different bikes. Yamaha Tracer GT and Triumph Tiger 900 dismissed from a comfort basis (pillion led). On an off chance I tried the r1200rs, initially quite inpressed, enough power handled well (even on Metzeler Z8s), passed the pillion test - the pillion seat is better than it looks. I found the riders seat a little low but got the raised 'sports' option which made a big difference. The seat to footpeg sizes are within a few mm of the Aprilia although the handlebars are 50 -70 mm higher.
The screen is quite small but I find it OK. Dynamic ESA great for adjusting suspension. The BMW is better in side winds than the Aprilia. I use panniers and a Baglux tank bag with a waterproof bag strapped to the rack when necessary.
I changed the tyres (when worn out) to Michelin Pilot 5s which seem to suit the bike very well. It does almost 200 mile per tank and is comfortable for 5-600 mile days.
Hope this helps
I've had my 2016 Sport SE for 2 1/2 years & 8000 miles - In that time it's been to France 3 times, had a week away (and several weekends) in the UK two up, been down to south east Spain & next year it'll be doing two weeks in Spain & Portugal two up.
For context, my previous bike (a 2002 Ducati 900SS) did just under 5000 miles in the 6 years I owned it.
Good points
- Its all day comfortable, longest day was 380miles in Spain, only 50 of them were on the Motorway.
- Decent enough power for the road, even fully loaded & two up it doesn't struggle getting a move on, all that low down torque means you don't have to be high in the revs to make progress. Need to watch for the front going very light when loaded...
- Weight is carried low down so easy to manouever (I tried a Triumph Explorer before this, found it fairly top heavy & even at 6'2" had to think about which side i was putting my foot down on test ride)
- It can hustle fairly well for a big bike, i've had it on track 3 times & while i wouldn't want to be in the fast group (or inters!) it can hold it's own & with the suspension in "two helmet" setting the footpegs go down before the cylinder heads!
Bad points
- Clocks/dash is rubbish, too small to read easily, I tend to run it in Style 2 so you have a clear speedo, but then you loose the rev counter.
- Maintenance, it's a bit pricey to maintain it with full BMW SH, i'm booked in for the 18000mile next month which means fork oil, final drive oil, brake fluid (but no valve clearance check due) & that will be, give or take, £500.
In summary an RT is a better tourer, something like an S1000R will be a better fun bike, but I only have space for one bike at the moment so need something that will tour & able to hustle a bit on the twisties & the RS fits the bill for me.
For context, my previous bike (a 2002 Ducati 900SS) did just under 5000 miles in the 6 years I owned it.
Good points
- Its all day comfortable, longest day was 380miles in Spain, only 50 of them were on the Motorway.
- Decent enough power for the road, even fully loaded & two up it doesn't struggle getting a move on, all that low down torque means you don't have to be high in the revs to make progress. Need to watch for the front going very light when loaded...
- Weight is carried low down so easy to manouever (I tried a Triumph Explorer before this, found it fairly top heavy & even at 6'2" had to think about which side i was putting my foot down on test ride)
- It can hustle fairly well for a big bike, i've had it on track 3 times & while i wouldn't want to be in the fast group (or inters!) it can hold it's own & with the suspension in "two helmet" setting the footpegs go down before the cylinder heads!
Bad points
- Clocks/dash is rubbish, too small to read easily, I tend to run it in Style 2 so you have a clear speedo, but then you loose the rev counter.
- Maintenance, it's a bit pricey to maintain it with full BMW SH, i'm booked in for the 18000mile next month which means fork oil, final drive oil, brake fluid (but no valve clearance check due) & that will be, give or take, £500.
In summary an RT is a better tourer, something like an S1000R will be a better fun bike, but I only have space for one bike at the moment so need something that will tour & able to hustle a bit on the twisties & the RS fits the bill for me.
I've got a '17 Sport SE, they come with a lot of toys as standard, mine included panniers and we've added a top box and tank bag. The bike was the "wildcard " choice when we were looking early '21, pillions choice! I've not taken it abroad, but we've done some decent trips around the UK and I've done some lengthy days solo, along with commuting and general pratting about.
Out of town the bike is comfy, economical and plenty fast enough. I find the steering light and quite natural and I like how the engine is quite relaxed in nature, it makes spending a long time in the saddle very easy.
I am thinking about changing it, mostly because I've had it nearly three years and fancy a change, but aside from a little more legroom, a bit more oomph up top and possibly more agile handling it's difficult to improve for what we want.
Touch wood I have little to tell you to watch out for: when two up the centre stand touches down before the pegs, that's my only grumble. The rear shock is a bit underdamped when pressingon, even in Dynamic. The speedo isn't easy to read but you get used to it. The QS isn't much use going up to 2nd & 3rd but you get used to it.
Out of town the bike is comfy, economical and plenty fast enough. I find the steering light and quite natural and I like how the engine is quite relaxed in nature, it makes spending a long time in the saddle very easy.
I am thinking about changing it, mostly because I've had it nearly three years and fancy a change, but aside from a little more legroom, a bit more oomph up top and possibly more agile handling it's difficult to improve for what we want.
Touch wood I have little to tell you to watch out for: when two up the centre stand touches down before the pegs, that's my only grumble. The rear shock is a bit underdamped when pressingon, even in Dynamic. The speedo isn't easy to read but you get used to it. The QS isn't much use going up to 2nd & 3rd but you get used to it.
Nath911t said:
I've recently sold my Speed Triple. Nice enough bike but the wind blast got to me in the end on long rides. It was great blasting around country lanes but anything other than got hard work.
I'm now looking for a replacement and have ridden quite a few bikes this week and one that's getting my attention is the Bm'er R1200RS. It's a 2017 Sport SE model with keyless and a few other gadgets that's done 24k with full BM history and done at 6, 12, 18 and 24 with recent valve check. It's got a couple of marks on one cylinder head.
For comparison, the others on my short list are Yam MT10 - I've had 2 before and know that with the Yam touring screen it get's rid of the wind buffeting. A 20 plate Verys 1000 but felt slightly top heavy - pretty sure I'd get used to it. Kwak Ninja 1000SX - a bit more money than the others and I'd prefer to not spend too much on something that'll do 4/5k a year.
Is there any BMW RS owners that can let me know their experience with the bike? What things to look out for, what extras would be good, etc.
I've been speaking to an old boy in Hereford selling his 2018 R1200RS for 7.2k. It has full bmw history etc and looks fantastic if you'd buy privately? I'm now looking for a replacement and have ridden quite a few bikes this week and one that's getting my attention is the Bm'er R1200RS. It's a 2017 Sport SE model with keyless and a few other gadgets that's done 24k with full BM history and done at 6, 12, 18 and 24 with recent valve check. It's got a couple of marks on one cylinder head.
For comparison, the others on my short list are Yam MT10 - I've had 2 before and know that with the Yam touring screen it get's rid of the wind buffeting. A 20 plate Verys 1000 but felt slightly top heavy - pretty sure I'd get used to it. Kwak Ninja 1000SX - a bit more money than the others and I'd prefer to not spend too much on something that'll do 4/5k a year.
Is there any BMW RS owners that can let me know their experience with the bike? What things to look out for, what extras would be good, etc.
The issue is the R1200RS is still semi naked so it will suffer from wind..
And it's a heavy bike.
baxb said:
Mine had a Puig touring screen on it when I bought it. Does a pretty good job with the wind & the odd time I've been caught in the rain I've not got too wet as long as I've been moving. Upper fairing & screen does a decent job. I'd not call it a naked bike at all.
I said semi naked, like it's wearing a stylish bra and knickers. Rather than a overcoat like the RT. grahamfraser said:
Hi - first post on here!!!
I've had a r1200rs for a couple of years, been to Spain and Germany in that time. Not looking to change it any time soon.
My previous bike was/is an Aprilia RST 1000 Futura bought new in 2002, that has also visited Europe a few times. Our longest two up day on the Aprilia was 750 miles from the Ardeche to Ijmuiden in comfort although I had to bleed the clutch twice (slave cylinder failed on Mont Ventoux). The aprilia has the best seat we've experienced.
With trips planned for 2022 and worries over reliability of a 20 year old Italian bike with an unobtainable rear wheel bearing I started looking at different bikes. Yamaha Tracer GT and Triumph Tiger 900 dismissed from a comfort basis (pillion led). On an off chance I tried the r1200rs, initially quite inpressed, enough power handled well (even on Metzeler Z8s), passed the pillion test - the pillion seat is better than it looks. I found the riders seat a little low but got the raised 'sports' option which made a big difference. The seat to footpeg sizes are within a few mm of the Aprilia although the handlebars are 50 -70 mm higher.
The screen is quite small but I find it OK. Dynamic ESA great for adjusting suspension. The BMW is better in side winds than the Aprilia. I use panniers and a Baglux tank bag with a waterproof bag strapped to the rack when necessary.
I changed the tyres (when worn out) to Michelin Pilot 5s which seem to suit the bike very well. It does almost 200 mile per tank and is comfortable for 5-600 mile days.
Hope this helps
Welcome to BB Graham!I've had a r1200rs for a couple of years, been to Spain and Germany in that time. Not looking to change it any time soon.
My previous bike was/is an Aprilia RST 1000 Futura bought new in 2002, that has also visited Europe a few times. Our longest two up day on the Aprilia was 750 miles from the Ardeche to Ijmuiden in comfort although I had to bleed the clutch twice (slave cylinder failed on Mont Ventoux). The aprilia has the best seat we've experienced.
With trips planned for 2022 and worries over reliability of a 20 year old Italian bike with an unobtainable rear wheel bearing I started looking at different bikes. Yamaha Tracer GT and Triumph Tiger 900 dismissed from a comfort basis (pillion led). On an off chance I tried the r1200rs, initially quite inpressed, enough power handled well (even on Metzeler Z8s), passed the pillion test - the pillion seat is better than it looks. I found the riders seat a little low but got the raised 'sports' option which made a big difference. The seat to footpeg sizes are within a few mm of the Aprilia although the handlebars are 50 -70 mm higher.
The screen is quite small but I find it OK. Dynamic ESA great for adjusting suspension. The BMW is better in side winds than the Aprilia. I use panniers and a Baglux tank bag with a waterproof bag strapped to the rack when necessary.
I changed the tyres (when worn out) to Michelin Pilot 5s which seem to suit the bike very well. It does almost 200 mile per tank and is comfortable for 5-600 mile days.
Hope this helps
I'm interested in your comments about the Sport seat making a big difference, I'm wondering if it would give my legs that bit more space that I'm looking for. Can I ask you to expand on that a little and also ask how tall you are please.
Thanks all for your replies and welcome to Mr Newbie and thanks for your input 
I went to view the bike (BMW) as planned having caught a train then taxi only to find the idiot seller had sold it and forget to tell me. I called the seller with the MT10 and arranged to view it, bought it and rode that home.
That solved that one, but one day I will get to buy an RS as I do like the looks of it, the spec of the Sport SE with keyless, etc.
I went to view the bike (BMW) as planned having caught a train then taxi only to find the idiot seller had sold it and forget to tell me. I called the seller with the MT10 and arranged to view it, bought it and rode that home.
That solved that one, but one day I will get to buy an RS as I do like the looks of it, the spec of the Sport SE with keyless, etc.
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