Test rode 2014 RT - nice, but.....

[art miller]

I have not owned a R1200RT however one of my riding buddies has a 2005. He is 6' 240lbs. At rest he is on tip toes. Once while on a very twisty ride steep incline and hairpin right he was late on down shift. The bike stalled and down he went into the ditch. $700 to replace the mirror and rear tail light assembly. That was his error. Just after the bike went off warranty he was on a ride to San Diego and the final drive went out near Riverside. Repair alone was $1200. Last spring we were on a trip to south eastern NM and on the return ride near Las Vegas the final drive went out again. This time he had to leave the bike in L.V. (Sunday) fly home, arrange repair on Tue and then fly back to L.V. to pick up the bike. This time it was $2000 and BMW would not pay a dime. If you check with BMW Forums you will find the RT is notorious for final drive failures. I do not know if they redesigned the final drive on the newer RT's but his has no drain or filler plugs and no vent tower. I suspect heat builds up pressure and the seals go.

Aside from purchase price you may want to consider the RT's require high octane gasoline . Valve check intervals are more frequent and dealer maint. is more costly. Check Motorcycle Consumer News and you will find BMW is on the lower rung for reliability. I am 5'9" 145lbs 72 yrs old and the current 2014ES is my third FJR. I have no issues with weight or handling. The ES is a much sweeter bike than my prior GenII's.

If you can find a local dealer that will let you have it for list plus tax and registration I think you should pull the trigger. I paid list plus shpn/set up, sales tax, and registration. The dealer threw in Y.E.S. That was the best deal I could find without fly and ride.

 

[garyahouse]

...$700 to replace the mirror and rear tail light assembly....Repair alone was $1200.

...the final drive went out again. This time it was $2000 and BMW would not pay a dime. If you check with BMW Forums you will find the RT is notorious for final drive failures.

...consider that RT's require high octane gasoline .

Valve check intervals are more frequent and dealer maint. is more costly.

Check Motorcycle Consumer News and you will find BMW is on the lower rung for reliability.

This is not the first time I've read something like this. For nearly 4 years now, I've perused these pages. I've read thousands of articles on this forum, and many times, I've heard stories like this. Thank you Art for your words of wisdom.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[LgFJR]

I would avoid the BMW........they do have snob appeal and a nice dress code. I ride with a couple Wings and a 1300GT and a 1600GT.........the Beemers have some whiz bang stuff and the guys like them but your maintenance costs will make even the heavy hitters take note. The 2010 1300GT is owned by a meticulous gearhead, and the rear drive bearings went out on his machine last summer. Two weeks and $2,000. You better believe that rear drive is on those RT guys minds a lot. As for performance I have a Gen 1 and I have no problem keeping up with either one.......we are all retired dudes and more or less the same skill level. The FJR is bang for the buck + cheaper to own and more reliable by a mile.............

 

[fjrzrcool]

This is good to know Art, I'm 60 yrs old and was wondering if there were any other "experienced & mature" riders like us on FJR's.

 

[CA G-Man]

This is good to know Art, I'm 60 yrs old and was wondering if there were any other "experienced & mature" riders like us on FJR's.

You're a young 'un among the group here! There are a few of us younger (some of us substantially younger) but trust me, you're bringing the average down.

 

[Sno Cat]

With regard to the original post: An air cooled twin with the inevitable blue pipes is about as modern as the 'other' twin cyl from Milwaukee. And better yet, when you ride an FJR, you don't have to speak w/that phony lockjaw Haahv'd accent like John Kerry or Al Gore.

 

[Cal24Master]

If you look at total cost of ownership, cost of the bike, maintenance and resale value at the end the BMW is far, far more expensive. BMW has done everything possible to make it as difficult as they can for a owner to do their own maintenance. It costs me about $400 to have the valves adjusted. You will never get out of the BMW dealer for less than a grand. Some people like the twin, I don't. The stupid auto style clutch on the BMW goes out, and just wait till you see the cost of replacing that. You have to dismantle the entire rear end of the motorcycle. If you have alot of money, don't put many miles on and it is important for you to be seen on something everyone knows is expensive, the Beemer is for you. I would never spend that kind of money on a pretty unreliable, overly complicated, and not supported much by the manufacturer.

 

[Chiefblueman]

My best bud rides a '12 RT, I've spent time riding it and riding alongside it. Redfish commented about lack of cornering clearance on the FJR. Stock suspended GenI and II, I would agree, having ridden both and owning a GenI. FJR's are sadly undersprung from the factory. My m odded GenI has no trouble with lean angle now that the suspension stays up in the stroke. I've not ridden a GenIII but from what I've read here Yamaha has finally gotten wise about suspension.

Tire pressure is key. 40 lbs front and 42 rear and my old girl is at least as flickable as the RT.I would deem the handling to be different feeling but very close between them. I think the RT's front tire feels a little numb compared to the Feej. The RT is rangier in size, the FJR more compact.

The RT gets better fuel mileage every time, slabbing, twisties or gettin crazy like cruising 120+ (just the one time). Powerwise, at least vs the'12 oilhead, FJR hands down. The beemer can fly, no doubt, but when I see my buddy kick down a gear to pass at 70 I just roll on in top. I usually have to back off to keep from hitting him by the time we hit 85 or so.

I like the RT and would definitely own one. The buy in is a little much. I'm not that impressed with the ESA suspension, after going through the adjustments sport mode was where she stayed. Experienced the same thing on the GSA I rented. I suspect it would be the same for me with the ES Yammie but the quality of the ES suspension appears to be higher than what was on the Gens I&II.

The good thing about the choice you must make is that you really can't go wrong either way, IMHO.

BTW, I'm 60 yrs of age, just a pup 'round here!

 

[07FJRVegas]

Regarding the concern over lean angle and the FJR scraping... I know others have scraped the pegs on the FJR. I'm not sure if this is by need to make corners or want to push the bike to its max. I've done lots of tight low speed and sweeping high speed twisties in what I'd consider moderate aggressive mode and I've never scraped the pegs in these situations. I wouldn't be concerned about the FJR scraping unless your planning to ride in the max aggressive mode.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

With regard to the original post: An air cooled twin with the inevitable blue pipes is about as modern as the 'other' twin cyl from Milwaukee. And better yet, when you ride an FJR, you don't have to speak w/that phony lockjaw Haahv'd accent like John Kerry or Al Gore.

Pu-leez. If that's your level of knowledge of the BMW boxer twin, you're painfully uninformed.

If you look at total cost of ownership, cost of the bike, maintenance and resale value at the end the BMW is far, far more expensive. BMW has done everything possible to make it as difficult as they can for a owner to do their own maintenance. It costs me about $400 to have the valves adjusted. You will never get out of the BMW dealer for less than a grand. Some people like the twin, I don't. The stupid auto style clutch on the BMW goes out, and just wait till you see the cost of replacing that. You have to dismantle the entire rear end of the motorcycle. If you have alot of money, don't put many miles on and it is important for you to be seen on something everyone knows is expensive, the Beemer is for you. I would never spend that kind of money on a pretty unreliable, overly complicated, and not supported much by the manufacturer.

Due respect, I think that you're operating on hearsay, and you're discussing the older engine. Pre-camhead, valve adjustment is an easy DIY. With the camhead, it's doable, but you're going to need shims, just like (my limited understanding) the FJR. With the new wethead, I can't comment. But, with the wethead, the clutch is a multiplate wet item...just like the FJR.

Buy and ride what you like; you don't build yourself up by tearing someone else's ride down.

 

[CheesyRider]

I've noticed a bit of misinformation in this thread. The RT switched to an easy to replace wet clutch for 2014. Valve adjustments on the old camheads are almost as easy as an oil change. I suspect they are similarly easy with the new wethead. The final drives have had a drain plug and vent for the last few years.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Actually the valve adjustments on the new ones are amazingly easy. I'm sorta jealous of that.

 

[Chiefblueman]

I just did a valve adjust on the FJR a few weeks ago. Having the head sticking out the side of the bike in the breeze woulda made it a whole lot easier. You gotta wade through a ton of stuff just to get to the damn cam cover.

There is one feature of the '12 RT that is the worst - the mirrors. You gotta look down to see 'em and you can't see much out of 'em. Some guys put aftermarket handlebar mounted mirrors on 'em. Did they fix this with the latest and greatest?

 

[tnjallen]

I moved from an '09 RT to a '14 FJR without ES. I am 6'2" and about 180lbs. Haven't noticed any issues with the FJR's weight. I frankly don't have any issues at slow speed on the FJR, either. I owned a Honda ST1300 before the BMW, and that bike had another 100ish lbs on the FJR. I did notice the difference when moving to the RT, especially at slow speeds.

I know the newer RT has more power than my '09 had, but the raw rush of power from low in the band all the way through to red-line is pretty awesome. Kind of makes you forget all about the extra weight . My '09RT had to revved a bit to get it moving, and never really seemed happy unless it was above 4k.

Good luck on your decision no matter which way you go.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

FWIW, I never said the FJR did not have enough cornering clearance. I simply said the RT has more clearance.

The RT is a great bike and there are so many little features that impress me, it is hard to list.

Yes, there are negatives. My friend had to install the bar mounted mirrors because the fairing mounted ones are useless. The weird front end set-up does reduce front end feel. It cannot come close to the FJR in acceleration and it requires lots of downshifting.

All that said, if you like the RT you should buy one. There is nothing wrong with liking the RT. I happen to like the FJR better.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I went from a 2004 FJR to a 2011 RT. This was before the Gen 3 FJR hit the streets.

The 2011 RT has:

- Lower center of gravity

- Is lighter

- Has cruise control

- Has on the fly suspension adjustments

- Heated seats

- Heated grips

- 6 gears

- Better ergonomics (for me)

- Better wind protection (for me).

The RT is a better bike... FOR ME. It may not be a better bike for you. I can see myself on this bike for the next 10 years. I could not see myself on a FJR for the next 10 years. My advice is to get the bike that appeals to you the most and ignore the naysayers of one bike over the other.

There are some BMW snobs out there, but there are also great people similar to the FJR crowd. You just have to know where to look: https://bmwsporttouring.com/

 

[fjrzrcool]

Lot's of great info here guys, thanks for all the responses. I'm trying to find a dealer close by today who has a FJR in stock for a demo ride - they've been hard to find though. Inside I'm really being pulled toward the FJR vs RT. It's a great bike, a great looking bike and with the money saved from the RT, I can really add some accessories. The RT would have me shuttering over the fact of having to buy accessories after dropping 23K.

BTW, I was in the bank the other day and saw a motorcycle at the stop light across the street. Making a left turn in front of the bank was a 14'FJR. It was beautiful. Visually, I really like the look of the two exhaust pipes vs one.

Omen?

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Inside I'm really being pulled toward the FJR vs RT. It's a great bike, a great looking bike and with the money saved from the RT, I can really add some accessories.

True dat. Like I said earlier, I went with a used FJR. But one of the dirty pleasures has been how much less expensive FJR farkles have been than BMW ones.

 

[Aasland]

I've heard the wind management is like magic on the RT's. Clean, quiet, no buffeting etc, which is the exact opposite of the FJR with a stock windshield.

 

[fjrzrcool]

My personal experience only, but the RT I test rode was nice, but not magic. The windshield produced a lot of noise and I could never find a quite zone, especially at 70-80 mph. Was surprised because I had read that the new shield was like magic. The thought of having to buy another windshield so soon is another reason I balked.

All the extras I intend to buy are, at least right off:

-shield?

-sliders/cages

-topcase

-tank protection

-seat?

Adding just these to original cost of either the FJR or RT means even more money. This why I can't see a 6-8K difference in the two bikes. My opinion only.