2010 BMW R1200RT vs 2010 Concours

[royal]

I will be pulling the trigger on one of these two bikes this week. However, I'm on the fence between the two. My main concerns when choosing a bike are comfort, low end grunt, smooth, good wind management, stability, reliability and heat management.

As I see it here are the positives and negatives of both rides.

RT: Comfortable, stable, excellent wind management, no engine heat.
Areas of concerns are vibrations in the handgrips, not enough low end torque, and reliability.

Concours: Comfortable seat, stable, fast with plenty of low end torque, smooth, reliable.
Areas of concerns are engine heat, buffeting.

In both the BMW and the Kawasaki, the areas that concern me, supposedly, have been addressed in the 2010 editions.

The dealers: I have a BMW and Kawasaki dealer within 10 miles of where I live. The Kawasaki dealership is pretty bad. I know more about their bikes than they do and I don't know anything. Their customer service is terrible. No test rides, ever. The BMW dealer treats me like family. Truly fantastic people to deal with. I can test ride any bike, any time. I could go on about the BMW dealer, but suffice to say, there is no comparison between dealers.

So, if both bikes were the same price (I'm not saying they are, but for this exercise, let's say they are), which bike would you choose.

Roy

[RocketJohn]

To quote you: My main concerns when choosing a bike are comfort, low end grunt, smooth, good wind management, stability, reliability and heat management.


You just described the R1200RT...

[Budman]

Get the RT and besides all the other good stuff it gets about 10mpg more. I like my 06 and want a 2010 but the dealer only wants to give me $8000 for mine. Aint gonna happen. Nothing wrong with my bike I just want a new one.
If I sell it outright I will buy the new RT. Looked at the Kawi, just no my cup of tea.

[icebox]

I work in the commercial ski slope prep business, people from all across North America ask me all the time what snowmobile to buy, first thing I ask is who is your best dealer. A crap dealer makes for a frustrating and usually less than satisfactory experience.

[Infallible]

Originally Posted by icebox

A crap dealer makes for a frustrating and usually less than satisfactory experience.

I have to second this. Over the years after owning several different brands sometimes its nice to just be able to pop in and ask a tech a question, the local BMW shop is always available and knowledgeable.

[icebox]

I live a hundred miles from ANY dealer, my Yamaha or my Suzuki dealer won't loan me a bike. So a trailer or into the back of the truck it must go. BMW will let me ride a demo to run errands, and buy me a cup of coffee, of course it's a real expensive cup o jo. The Zuke dealer in Bozeman are good folks, but no loaners.

[Deans BMW]

You say that you have a good relationship with your nearby BMW dealer add to that that they are professional and knowledgeable as opposed to the near by Kaw dealer.

Add to that how much your relationship to the Beemer dealer would no doubt go to an even higher level.

Again, what is the question?

[mrbreeze]

it sounds to me like you would be happier with the BMW

[RL Lemke]

Find the new Bike Magazine, and March Ride Magazine, articles on the 2010 RT and you will be impressed. Other UK tests of the Kawasaki have shown problems with slow in-town riding. In addition, my brother was riding with a guy on the Kawasaki (my brother has a KGT) when they both rode thru a big pothole at speed. The frame and wheels of the Kawasaki were destroyed, the GT was just fine.

The Kawasaki is an OK bike built around a great motor. The RT is a great all-round package. There is a reason why the RT comes out in the top 10 of every annual Ride Magazine subscriber survey.

[Desertbilly]

What they said. You've clearly described the RT.

I have an 09 C14, and it's a great ride, but it's clearly on the heavy-sporty end of the scale. I've ridden RT's and have tremendous respect for them. I could definitely see me getting an RT if my needs and stable change in the future.

But they're clearly both great, albeit different, bikes. It's a win-win decision. It has to be driven by your personal preferences. Ride both, if you haven't already, and I predict you'll have your answer.

[GB]

I'd go with the RT. There really isn't anything in its class when it comes to nimbleness, wind management, all day comfort, fuel range, less weight.. and better resale / trade in (at least in my market)..

But the dealer experience is even more important than the bike decision. If the BMW dealer near you sucked, I'd say go with the C14. And if the Kawi dealer sucks, you certainly don't want them adjusting the valves on that bike, which is an involved process.

[Rick West]

I had an 09 C14 and now have the 2010 version, so you might be surprised that I would say go with the RT.

After having done a roadtest on the 2010 RT, I was surprised how much it was improved over the 2009 model. It has enough power for a touring bike, great wind protection, and a decent sized fuel tank. The adjustable suspension works better than earlier models and the handling and braking is good.

The C14 is slightly less of a touring bike than the RT. The improvements made to the 2010 C14 have made it somewhat better too, including better range with the fuel miser mode. It is at it's best when ridden hard and fast though, while the BMW likes you to slow down a little and see the sights.

It sounds like you prefer the touring side of sport touring, so have a good look at the RT.

[DropinParts]

I have owned 82 motorcycles over the past 34 years. Going ahead and make your comments... and I have owned several BMW's and they are great bikes. But... I currently own a '09 Concours and I have to tell you, it's the finest motorcycle I have ever owned. I ride with a sport touring group which has a couple of K1200 GT's and a couple of Honda ST1300's. These guys are all great riders and have really nice bikes, but any time they get a chance they ask to ride my 14. I have added a Sargent seat, Cee Baileys Euro Cut Windshield, Bar Risers, Area P Exhaust, Power Comander, took the secondary butterflies out, Garmin Zumo 550, Escort Radar Detector, Powerlet for Gerbings Heated Jacket. Just did put some Michelin PR 2's on her. As I am an Iron Butt member, I don't hesitate to ride this bike anywhere. Cranking this baby up to 150+ mph is no problem either.

The bad Kawi dealer does complicate things tremendously... been there done that.

Fortunately, you are looking at two super bikes and either one will serve you well.

Good luck.

[royal]

Thanks for all the great replies. You all pretty much confirmed what I was thinking. Test riding a 2010 BMW RT on Thursday. Assuming that goes well (Which I'm pretty confident it will), I'll be placing my order.

I must admit though, the Kawasaki C14 is a very interesting bike. When you see it in person, it is a terrific looking bike. Far nicer in appearance than the BMW, IMHO. And I'm sure the power would be intoxicating. I, certainly, can see why this bike has such a devoted and avid following. If I were 15 years younger, I think I would have gone in the Kawasaki's direction, regardless of the dealer.

Thanks again to those who responded to my query. I value all of your opinions.

Roy

[Deans BMW]

Another slight bit of info re the two bikes.

The new RT requires a valve check every 12,000 miles, notice I said check and not necessarly an adjustment. the complete service is 3 or so hours of labor.

The C 14 is serviced at appx 20-24,000 miles, 8 hours labor for the valve adjustment/check.

The Beemer is a very easy do it your self.