Howzit? If youre reading this as an experienced BMW long time owner, please tell me where to get mine serviced, preferably in Kent. If your reading this as a want to buy one or other brand owner, then the service costs arent that surprising. This was the 24k service for a BMW 1150RT 5 years old, with a failed oil seal after a bearing seized/wore out/broke. Also the Oil warning indicator switch thinggy was replaced, as well as front discs. So first things first,a s a BMW owner the dealers really do shaft you, and having discussed the options for trade in with a dealer, understand this now, the tell you that they are going to shaft you, and that you could easily get £1000 more in a private sale tomorrow! Lesson: dont Trade in your bike at a BMW dealer. Having whinged sufficiently, I must say that the pleasant side of owning a BMW is that they dont quibble about loan bikes whilst they do the work, and even offerred this facility. I also explained that i would be putting on 90 miles a day minumum, they said fine, sign the £1000 insurance payment and off you go. So I was presented with a yellow 1200 GS (pictured) with 5600 miles on the clock, a set of keys and bade fare well, we will see you on Wednesday. I then proceeded to turn south and ride exactly 28 miles the wrong way at night in the rain, before stopping and asking for directions for the 17 mile journey home from the dealership. So first outing at night in the rain and covered just short of 90 Miles in Eastern England countryside First time for me astride a 1200 (any 1200) and I was really impressed with the sound upon starting the motor, wished my RT sounded like that. Now 320 miles later I have got a good handle on the bike. and can make some coments on riding it in the UK winter at the worst time; nights and pre-dawn in 5-7 degrees C. Loads of cross wind, on motorways, and A roads through lots of meandering traffic. My lasting impression is how much I appreciate my old R1150RT. The placement of the Wing mirrors above all else is suited to motorway riding. Somehow I diddnt hit every bloody ford transit mirrors with mine, as they are ideally placed to do this with more efficency than a pillion could with a baseball bat. They also give you a false sense of how wide the bike is. I measured, and the 1150RT is only just wider than the 1200GS, yet I always felt considerably smaller on the road and able to squeeze through gaps, "Get Skinny style" with the RT. There is absolutely no way these two bikes could be compared from a wind buffeting factor, yet the 1200GS was surprisingly weather resistant considering how open it was. the only place that got truly drenched was my lower legs, just below the knee down. I was happy with the minimal amount of spray and rain that hit my torso. Buffeting was also reasonable, better than my Yamaha xt with improvised Screen, but not in the league of the RT. On a positive note the seated position was less sit up and beg than the RT, but was not as comfortable. However the actual seat was more comfortable being flat. But to be comprehensively clear, The RT affords an indredible amount of protection and is so much more suited to motorway travel than the GS, they cannot compare, perhaps in Summer the wind blast could be considered a positive. The centre stand on the GS is really great and much much easier to get on and off than the R1150RT, something that I though would be daunting and was very pleasantly happy with getting it up and off. Something interesting to note is that BMW still havent figured out that we take ages to fill up that bloody last 3 litres, it should be addressed, and is kind of like Mugabe, its now embarrasing that no one has wiped it off the face of the earth. The Rider infomation display is great, and much more informative. Not having a manual i have to assume that the one reading is the two tyre pressures, front and rear. cool eh? Anyway this is a great improvement over the RT, well done, but I believe ther eis scope for more I was not sure which reading menu to leave it on when riding, I think on the balance I preferred the temperature setting, because watching a digtal read out of how much fuel range you have left is actually stressful, Sure you can go another 180 miles, but will that mean i fill up at CLacket lane services, or will I make it all the way to home? The Rear brake is also another contentious issue, on a couple of occasions when depressing the brake whilst manovering at low speed, it juddered up quite sharply. I think that this was the ABS, but it worried me. The engine revs more freely, and has another (needed) 1000rpm to play with, I diddnt use it in aggresion, but I did notice that at around 6000rpm, the bike was quite exciting, and very responsive, particularly in 3rd gear. I also noticed that the 1200 GS engine is not as economical as my 1150RT, probably an aerodynamic design thing, but there you go. I also noticed that the 1200GS engine seamed to be lighter, this came across as cheap and not light, i could be wrong but the 1150 really is built like a tank by comparisson. At all times I felt mildly twitchy on the 1200GS, something that I have felt to a greater extent on my xt600. Obviously the 1200 is twice the bike, but it distinctly was twitchy where as the RT was always much more planted and secure particularly noticeable in corners on a negative camber. When being blasted with side wind at those areas where there is a sign warning you about cross winds, I was knocked around quite a bit, though it is impossible to compare this I felt more buffeted, and had to push through the dirty air when overtaking trucks with much more enthusiasm than on the RT. In all I still cant really see the point of the 1200GS unless there is an abundance of bad or dirt roads that you would be travelling on. However I can totally see the appeal of that fantastic aggressive looking bike. Particularly the GSA version fuel tanks, offering more protection and better range and alluminium tanks. However it is not for me. If I were living in South Africa with their great highways and off roads, I would deffinetly be tempted by one, but I would probably go with the 800GS or that new Yamaha xt tenere last thing, a lasting and not positive coment the blasted left wing mirror with the reverse thread, is screwed into converter which is sort of redundant. Anyway I was travelling along at quite an excited pace when the wing mirro loosened itself and swung around waggling itself in my face, at 5000 rph in 6th gear, it was scarey. Apparently the HP2 pro version is awesome and a real thriller this I can understand a s the natural progression of where their performance enelope goes. So in all I must say I am horrified that the bearing replacement was so damn expensive at BMW, but I do appreciate all the extras that come with for free. Hand warmers, decent luggage actual wind protection comfort, and 6000 mile minor service intervals with 12000 major servicing. Its the most reliable bike out there, with a consistent (if expensive) service network. P.S. The guys I am using at the moment are a damn sight better than the shower I used to use when living in South London.
I just did the reverse and was riding a loaner while my GS1200 in. Getting back on the GS is weird. Wide high bars, low footrests. Takes 10 miles or so to get back into the swing of it.......
The only thing I miss on my K100RT is lowers (as you said: better protection) on the fairing, but not often, and the upside of the GS makes it alllllllll worth it. Good report, though. Thanks.
You answered your own question. That's the primary reason I bought mine. I had a fully faired sport touring bike (Honda PC800). For my purposes now, the R1200GS is vastly superior.
I have an 07 GSA and my buddy has an 05 RT1200 - we switched bikes and rode through the canyons in Malibu and what a different bike! The RT is a streetbike, pure and simple...I could not get used to the heavy steering in the 180 degree downhill canyon swicthbacks. The mirror placement is tucked in and out of the way, which is nice for splitting lanes, but it left me staring at the bottom of my wrists and would definatley take awhile to get used to. Hopping back on my GSA...man, that thing really felt like a dirtbike now, with its upright stance and quick and dicey turning. Moral of the story...they are completey different bikes for different purposes. I'm a dirtbike guy, so my GSA suites me just fine...even though I can't touch the ground with both feet at the same time
Just come back from collecting my 1150RT, and it did feel a bit weird at first, (stalled on a hill) but the feeling of putting it into a corner and then it just stays there, at that bank angle, without any effort cool. Yes it did feel much heavier than I remember it, but a quick burst down the A roads and home along a really short stretch of M20 and I was so happy. Remember I do also own an XT600 tenere (The Paris-Dakar bike) which is deffinetly a Dirt bike and even then a bit too big. So I was sort of observing my feelings towards this Pinnacle GS marque. As it certainly looks like the dogs kahunas and has an enormous following yet, I just found it good. Whereas I rave about the XT, and love buggering around on rock strewn paths, i've learnt to low speed power slide it around which always is fun, and I am getting to grips with lofting the front intentionally (I've mastered doing it unintentionally!) The RT is just a mile munching machine, which performs better two up and loaded with luggage hacking its way through Europe. Again anyone any hints as to where to service the bike outside of the BMW dealer network? At these prices I would never take my GS off road, the servicing charges would be horrific, and I am not trying to launder my money or hide from the Tax man yet. Cheers G