If GOD rode a motorcycle, it would be an RT!
Written: Nov 05 '03 (Updated Nov 07 '03)
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Pros: All performance aspects, style, quality, storage, an elite club.
Cons: Sparse dealer network, obscene parts prices, radio stinks, some handlebar controls are counter-intuitive
The Bottom Line: This is a great bike, It has flaws, but it is a great bike. If you can afford one, buy one and don't look back
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| octagonpeg's Full Review: 2000 BMW R 1100 RT |
I'll give up the summary here. This is probably the best all around motorcycle made by any manufacturer in the past 20 years….. bar none.
Firstly, let me explain I like BMW products,
Secondly, I am a 51 year old male and have been riding every style and manufacture of bike on and off since I was 17 or so and
Thirdly, I am very particular about what I drive in and even more particular about what I ride on.
I have recently written several reviews here on Epinions for my K Bikes and saved the best for last.
On a trip to the Harley Open House in York, PA on a Ultra Classic, I had my first sighting of the new RT in Glacier Green at a picture perfect gas station in some rural area of PA. The kind of station with the old COKE Coolers outside and the bottle cap tools on the side of the cooler case. When I first saw the bike it looked like a spaceship. I was with some of my friends ( of course on Harleys ) and had to look over this bike. After chatting a few minutes with the owner, I called Westchester BMW in New York on my cell phone and ordered one on the spot. The dealer asked if I wanted the radio option and since my Harley had one, I of course went for it on the BMW. I wanted the Glacier color and he told me he would have it there when I got back from the Open House.
At the time I had 7 other bikes and a new K1100RS in the garage and had to explain to my wife why I needed another bike. A diamond tennis bracelet for her and I was off the hook, (Do I add that to the cost of ownership of the bike?).
After riding he 850 lb Harley touring bike for a few trips and realizing that Harleys are over-all the worst bikes made on the planet, I really wanted a bike that I could do a few hundred miles on in a single day, even though I have a bad back and long days are not my thing. I am not a biker, but a motorcycle enthusiast, I liked all my Harleys, but realized that Harleys have become like assholes, everyone has one, and a guy who has saved a lifetime to won one thinks it is the acme of the motorcycle universe. I bear them no ill will. Most of my Harleys were customized down to every bolt and each had very expensive custom paint on each of them to the tune of $ 40,000 bikes.
No matter how much money you throw at at Harley it still rides like dreck ( yiddish for S- - T ) , brakes like dreck accelerates like dreck and vibrates like , yup, dreck.
So I get a new BMW. Seating position is excellent, seat form is very good (at least to my body), body envelope is shaped to keep the rider dry and passenger reasonably dry if you are at speed and can outrun the raindrops. The optional tall windshield was perfect for me as even though I am 6-2. I am inseam-challenged and have a long torso that puts my head in the wind.
The bike has telever and unilever suspension designs that keep the front end from diving under hard braking and the rear end from rising under hard acceleration.
Braking was not linked this model year but was excellent nonetheless. I know the newer R1150 RT has the linked system that I love my K1200 LT. The new R1150RT also has the extra 6th speed that I always felt was needed, Not used to the opposed twin and it’s design characteristics, I always found myself looking for one more gear at 80 mph where I usually cruise. At 60 mph, a Harley ( especially in a rigid mount model ) would hae your hands numbing at 3,000 rpm and 50 mph. The RT just feels like it wants to settle into a cruise at 80 mph, and it never feels that fast.
The bikes center of gravity is very very low and even with a 6 gallon fuel tank ( one in reserve ) and I found myself riding the thing like a sport bike, even with a passenger on the rear. My ex wife (she kept the bracelet and most everything else, I got the bike) always felt comfortable and relaxed with the bikes movements and my subsequent new fiancée who is a taller woman was also very comfortable as a passenger,
Negatives to the bike:
The sculpted aero shape of the bodywork precludes anyway way of stretching out the riders legs on a long freeway run. This is a nature of the body work and I find myself cramping on trips over an hour and I need to stop to stretch often. My Harleys have highways bars and pegs on them so I could do more miles at one time if I could handle the stage coach ride and the vibration.
Rider controls have some quirks. I have the same comments here as I have for my LT, Wrong, wrong, wrong!. The turn signals are wrong. On my Harleys if I want to turn left, I press the left turn signal, for right, I press the right turn signal. If I want to cancel the left turn signal, I press the left button again etc. Simple..... Press to start the signal, Press the same button to cancel, Left for left, Right for right ,There is no fix for this.
Given the number of tasks a motorcycle rider has to perform while riding (Braking with two hands, shifting with hand and foot while steering and balancing and avoiding the chestnut in the middle of the road), there should be certain tasks that require no thought at all. I beleive the turn signals are that task
It is just as dangerous to forget to cancel a signal as it is not to signal at all. I do not believe that BMW could make a single case for why they designed the signals this way,and I have yet to meet any rider who would disagree that left for left and right for right could use "any" form of improvement.
Another negative is the stupid 24 hour clock. My R1100RT had a 24 hour clock on it. In this country we call 2 pm, "2 pm", If I am out for a ride and my house wench wants me back by 4 pm to get the grill going, I don't want to be riding and looking at a clock an a 20 thousand dollar bike that says something like " 13:40 " and have to translate thirteen hundred and forty hours in my mind 15 times before I have to get home.
The last real negative I have to mention here is the factory fitted radio which I used one time and decided to forget it was there. The quality sucked, the controls for it sucked and the sound was horrible. It also took up the entire left side storage area in the fairing. I would have rather had the extra storage pocket and the extra $ grand in my pocket.
Having the Harley with a radio and and intercom, I got used to tunes on the road. And the ability to talk to my rear seat passenger to point out the cow on the side of the road. In order to add a tape or make changes to the radio you had to stop the bike, take out the key and unlock the radio door. This could not be done while riding and was a real pain. Everything about this radio was a total waste. If you bought the R in any other style such as an R or an RS, the radio would not have been an option, so I don't want to harp on it.It is just that on a bike designed for long distance touring, a good radio setup should have been seriously thought out by the factory before it was released.
Lastly, BMW parts and service are obscenely expensive and I am used to BMW prices in my cars and bikes. This engine will likely run for a hundred thousand miles before it needs any work so expect your big expenses to be routine service.
If you are in the market for this type of bike, make sure you get the BMW tank bag and ignore it's ridiculous pricetag. It is a great bag!. Skip the hard-bag liners and just take the bags off and bring them to your hotel room. It is easier to pack and repack inside out of the rain anyway. (Doesn't it always rain when you take a road trip?)
Corbin makes a great dual saddle for this bike with riders backrest and passenger back pad that affixes to the top storage case. I have a new one for sale if anyone is interested.
With all this said, and the few gripes I have there is good news.
The upgraded R 1150RT, has the extra 6th.gear: it has the linked brakes, I believe they changed the clock and who cares about the radio. Delete it if you can.
This is the best riding bike I have ever had, I love the feel of the opposed engine. The throb of it just feels right. I love being able to still hear after an hour in the saddle. I love the ABS brakes, I love the fit and finish, I love the balance.
This is a great bike. If I found no flaws this review would look like a paid - off review. It is not a perfect bike, but after 30 years of riding I have yet to find a better all around bike on the market. Get the tank bag, and the rear trunk and take off for a weekend and you will see how BMW riders on R bikes put hundreds of thousand of miles on them.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1997
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Epinions.com ID:
octagonpeg
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Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Interested in technology, industrial design, construction, computers and organic hobbies.
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