Saying goodby

[Top_Speed1]

I want to see a picture of the RT.

Maybe Lee will come back with his own imagery, here's a generic wet-head look-see

 

[LgFJR]

Good luck Lee and hope you have happy miles ahead............I ride with two RT's and I can't dispute the superior handling as they leave me in the dust. It helps to have unlimited funding in BMW land...........and both the guys I know have that so they could care less what happens.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

The only down I can think of is BMW riders are a bit more "snobbish" than FJR riders are, if that's even possible!

 

[Spud]

Good luck Lee and hope you have happy miles ahead............I ride with two RT's and I can't dispute the superior handling as they leave me in the dust. It helps to have unlimited funding in BMW land...........and both the guys I know have that so they could care less what happens.

I rode once a few days with a guy on a K1300GT. I know that bike would not leave my FJR in the twisties--they were very very similar in handling from what I could see. Does an RT really handle that much better? Serious question..... My Brother in law had an R1150RT, I rode that and boy did it feel different. If felt very underpowered compared to the FJR, but did feel very nimble. The new beefier motor was probably much needed.

Anyway, good luck with the ride, they have lots of cool gizmos. I like shiny new things, but as I was humming along at 130 the other day, I thought "my old girl still gets down the road just fine" lol....

 

[HotRodZilla]

No Spud, they do not. Our traffic unit has a whole new set of 2015 RTs. They're super pretty, and are obviously faster than the previous models. They are NOT as fast as an FJR, nor is their handling significantly auperior.

They feel lighter up top, but the weight is still there. We went on a ride the other day and played with the throttle side. There's just no pulling out of a corner as hard as an FJR on an RT. I will say this: If I was ahead, I could pull away. If I was behind them, I was right behind them, but passing them was going to take balls and be more risky than I really wanted to deal with. The older RTs were easier to pass. Still, the two cylinder motors have a hard time beating the in line 4.

 

[TomInPA]

Lee, you have been assimilated. Go ahead and enjoy the ride...you'll be back.

Or maybe you really are a clown.

 

[CA G-Man]

Stick around Lee - as they said above, it's not (just) about the bike. Enjoy the new ride!

 

[101stpathfinder]

Hmmm... The song that comes to me would be -

"Love stinks". Some times we think it's love and down the road we wonder "What the heck was I thinking?" Don't burn bridges and keep in touch on the forum... And next time you take your BMW in for service.... "Love Hurts" might come to mind.

Best wishes...

(I own a Beemer too) LOL

 

[art miller]

I had not planned to fall in love again but the 15 BMW R1200 RT WetHead did it to me!

So my girl just bought a new 15 Vulcan S with the 650 Ninja motor in it and I went down to pick up parts for her.

Of course the money just rolls out buying stuff that is needed and while it hurts a lot I will live with it.

I hope my RT becomes as comfortable to me as the FJR.

Lee

No need to leave if you don't want to.

The above kernel may be telling. While picking up parts, get a spare final drive.

Hopefully BMW fix'd the final drive failure issue. My riding buddy had a 2005 RT and the final drive went out twice. BMW would not stand behind it since it was out of warranty. He got so pissed at BMW he bought a 2014 FJR. Ironically, he claims the FJR is more nimble than the RT.

 

[bigred2007]

I may be led to believe many engineers LEARNED from BMW, but they designed bikes with open-minds and more sophisticated technology and less ties to the past, i.e. forward-thinking. Gold Wings SLAMMED the H Ds off their throne as " Kings of the hi-ways" with Damn good bikes ; Different, but damn good. Some URBAN LEGENDS say BMW had plans and a working model of an "opposed-4 Cyl bike" but HONDA released the Gold Wing first, so BMW trashed the 4 cyl boxer,more out of "pride" than competitive spirit.!! Strange thinking, no? Today I strongly believe we "CANNOT" buy a BAD bike. I have my Ideas,and others will have theirs. Thats our world, and we do have a world of those choices. My Yamaha '79 xs1100 special ,NEVER Broke , and I rode the hell out of it, What a trusty sweet-heart. MY loss.!!!

I owned and rode the devil out of my '84 FJ1200 for 20 years, Total repairs= 1 headlight bulb and ! rear taillight bulb. Again , My loss. I don't count oil changes or tires,of course.

Sooo you can guess I have faith and loyalty to Yamaha and since I "beat the hell out of a few HONDA bikes ,long ago,not to mention seeing SUZUKI and KAWASAKI put in similar performances,for More reasonable prices,I don't throw my money any other direction.

I see the sticker prices and hear the screaming of repair prices from other brand owners, and I "push "my Yamaha start button and drive away.

 

[Bounce]

Hopefully BMW fix'd the final drive failure issue.

I think the proper term would be, "those final drive issues" since it wasn't just one event or model.

You might want to ask Mr Liles about how he and his wife's large plans were dashed during the last IBR when his brand new Bimmer tanked and couldn't be put right in time; forcing him to DNF. It was a 2015 BMW K1600 GTL. It wasn't a final drive but a catastrophic failure that can't be fixed with in-stock parts was crushing.

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