REVIEW: 2016 BMW R1200RT - three weeks in

[guest2360]

Says it's 16 bike.  Can't ever remember seeing one in UK.  Then again I'm blind to any bike colour but grey.

[richardbd]

I quite like the "white" look.

What would you do for a top box though .... Spray one white?

or just take the sensible option - don't have one and look much cooler!


8)

[Noel]

17 spec bikes should be with us shortly.

'17 RT gets ABS Pro & Dynamic Brake Light--I'd love to have both and am hoping they can retrofit the ABS Pro for '16 models.

[guest2360]

Not a chance me thinks.


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[Noel]

Not a chance me thinks.


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If you mean as a retrofit, I think there's a chance, perhaps slim, but a chance.  I can't see a whole lot of '16 RT owners wanting to trade up in such a short time, so BMW would stand to make $$ offering retrofit as they have done for GS, for RT.


[size=medium]Since August 2015, ABS Pro has been available for the R 1200 GS and [/size][size=medium]R 1200 GS Adventure (optional equipment ex works or retrofit option) as well as the K 1600 GT/GTL (standard equipment).[/size]

[richardbd]

If you mean as a retrofit, I think there's a chance, perhaps slim, but a chance.  I can't see a whole lot of '16 RT owners wanting to trade up in such a short time, so BMW would stand to make $$ offering retrofit as they have done for GS, for RT.


Since August 2015, ABS Pro has been available for the R 1200 GS and [/size]R 1200 GS Adventure (optional equipment ex works or retrofit option) as well as the K 1600 GT/GTL (standard equipment).[/size]

But doesn't it require a whole bunch of accelerometers that the existing bikes just don't have?  Without them, how does the ABS system know that you've got the bike leant over?


Strikes me (as a total layman) that it won't be so easy to retro-fit.


Anyway, I'm all in favour of electronic aids but given that I can count on the fingers of one thumb the number of times I've triggered my bog-standard ABS in the last 50,000 miles, I reckon this cornering ABS stuff is one thing I can probably live without - especially on a telelever bike that allows to brake mid-corner if I screw up my approach...

[guest2360]

+1 on that.  In 20 years of having ABS I don't even need a thumb.  I remember braking hard going over cats eyes once and got this strange pulsing in the brake lever. Could have been the ABS. AS Richard points out  you can brake in corners with telilever and the bike won't sit up, unless your an idiot of course and then Pro anything isn't going to help. And the chance of a flashing brake light stopping some lunatic driver rear ending you is slim as they never see the whole bike let alone a light,


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[Peter Baker]

What about this white one ?

White looks very nice!  Peter

[guest2360]

It's the colour a lot of cars come in at no extra cost.  Can see that happening here.

[Noel]

Anyway, I'm all in favour of electronic aids but given that I can count on the fingers of one thumb the number of times I've triggered my bog-standard ABS in the last 50,000 miles, I reckon this cornering ABS stuff is one thing I can probably live without - especially on a telelever bike that allows to brake mid-corner if I screw up my approach...

If it works as advertised the reason you want it is to be able to stop quicker in mid turn if you happen to have a reason to, like a couple of deer in the middle of your blind curve.  Not sure what beyond the Bosch Lean Angle Sensor needs to be added to the late 2015 R1200GS to retrofit ABS Pro, and if GS has different basic hardware than RT does in 2016.  BMW is adding ABS Pro and Dynamic Brake Light to 2017 R1200RT.

[richardbd]

If it works as advertised the reason you want it is to be able to stop quicker in mid turn if you happen to have a reason to, like a couple of deer in the middle of your blind curve.  Not sure what beyond the Bosch Lean Angle Sensor needs to be added to the late 2015 R1200GS to retrofit ABS Pro, and if GS has different basic hardware than RT does in 2016.  BMW is adding ABS Pro and Dynamic Brake Light to 2017 R1200RT.

I'm unconvinced that it will do anything at all on either an RT or GS.  Te tele lever front suspension already gives you far greater access to the brakes in a bend than on a bike with forks.


I'd be fairly sure that cornering ABS is only being added to keep up with the Joness at KTM and Ducati.


Now, on the S1000XR, I get it...

[Noel]

I'm unconvinced that it will do anything at all on either an RT or GS.  Te tele lever front suspension already gives you far greater access to the brakes in a bend than on a bike with forks.

Now, on the S1000XR, I get it...

It either allows you to brake in significantly shorter distance while leaned or it doesn't.  I'm new to telelever and all I understood was that it helps reduce front end dive in hard braking.  What is the mechanism by which it allows one to brake while the bike is leaned and have significantly less chance over other suspension designs of losing traction traction then regaining traction leading to a spill?


The way I see it, if it works as advertised, it is a safety attribute you would like never to have to use, but when you need it it's there.  So counting the number of times you'll use the feature isn't relevant if it prevents one or more spills that can lead to being mangled, etc.  Same same for straight ABS, ASC, etc.

[richardbd]

It either allows you to brake in significantly shorter distance while leaned or it doesn't.

That's absolutely NOT what ABS does - cornering ABS or otherwise.  ABS stops you locking the brakes and so (in theory) allows you to steer whilst braking.  It's designed to cope with our clumsy emergency braking but in many circumstances it actually extends braking distances.  That's why off-roaders usually deactivate the ABS - with ABS on, sometimes you can't stop the bike at all!


Telelever has some benefits when using the brakes in the bends (if you're gentle) because it keeps the braking and other forces separate.  Compared to a bike with forks, a telelever bike has less of a tendency to stand up if you brake when leant over - simples...
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[guest2360]

Find an open bit of bendy road and using the hand lever only brake while turning. You will discover the bike doesn't try to sit up. Its because the braking forces aren't directed straight down the forks to the wheel. They are transferred to the chassis vie the telelever arm. Very clever. That just happens to stop the bike diving.

[Noel]

That's absolutely NOT what ABS does - cornering ABS or otherwise.  ABS stops you locking the brakes and so (in theory) allows you to steer whilst braking.  It's designed to cope with our clumsy emergency braking but in many circumstances it actually extends braking distances.  That's why off-roaders usually deactivate the ABS - with ABS on, sometimes you can't stop the bike at all!


Telelever has some benefits when using the brakes in the bends (if you're gentle) because it keeps the braking and other forces separate.  Compared to a bike with forks, a telelever bike has less of a tendency to stand up if you brake when leant over - simples...
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OK, I didn't add the qualifications that in my mind were implied:  cornering or other ABS, theoretically, allows you to SLOW the bike as quickly as possible, in the context of less than perfectly applied hard braking, with the least risk in the case of ABS-C of traction loss, or a lockup and release of the wheel leading to a crash.  You seem to be completely discounting this idea, that it doesn't work to do this.  From where do you get this opinion?  From what I've read re practical tests of ABS Pro is that indeed it just does that.  How much does it do is the question as to whether or not it's worth adding to something like RT.  If I am leaned over significantly around a corner and need to stop in 100', or slow to the least possible speed so I can avert hitting something planted in my line, does it allow me to slow to 30% of my initial speed w/o a lockup/slide/crash, whereas w/o ABS Pro maybe by the most skilled rider w/ hard braking in a telelever equipped bike, maybe gets to 75% of the initial speed?  This is the real question.


Thanks for the enlightenment on telelever, I appreciate that and it's nice to know, though again it's rather nebulous because as w/ ABS Pro I have no idea how much better braking is allowed w/o setting up a crash in a corner, etc.