The 1200RT is on my shopping list!

Post by **SaultGuy** » Tue May 02, 2017 5:28 pm

I joined this forum looking to 1200RT owners for both positive and negative feedback on the the bike.  Thinking of pulling the trigger in the next year or two.  A general question is what you like and don't like about the bike.  More specific questions include

1)  In addition to being a long distance tourer would you say the RT works well or poorly at being an every day commuter?
2)  How reliable are they, have you incurred major repair expenses?
3)  What type of expense we looking at for annual maintenance at the dealer?
4) In addition to the OEM accessories, what additional mods would you recommend, ie Highway pegs, crash bars etc?
5) Would you buy another RT again and what is your general recommendation?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.  I currently own a 2013 Kawasaki Versys 1000.

Post by **nh_handyman** » Tue May 02, 2017 5:43 pm

I never thought about any bike being a poor commuter bike.  I used to ride my '98 R1200C any warm/non-weather issue day I could.  I plan on doing the same with my R1200RT - 7-8 times so far this season - who cares if it has all the bags on it ... I'm getting used to them.

guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Tue May 02, 2017 6:21 pm

Wrong way round.  Go ride a few, decide what model you prefer , than ask.

Post by **Royal** » Tue May 02, 2017 7:26 pm

Hi SaultGuy, I'll try to answer your questions and welcome to the forum.

[quote author=SaultGuy link=topic=3148.msg31704#msg31704 date=1493742519
I joined this forum looking to 1200RT owners for both positive and negative feedback on the the bike.  Thinking of pulling the trigger in the next year or two.  A general question is what you like and don't like about the bike.  More specific questions include

1)  In addition to being a long distance tourer would you say the RT works well or poorly at being an every day commuter? **I commute 60 miles every day on A roads and always enjoy the ride. **
2)  How reliable are they, have you incurred major repair expenses? ** mine is a 2015 SE model and had no major repairs yet.**
3)  What type of expense we looking at for annual maintenance at the dealer? ** just done 12000 mile service cost £320 **
4) In addition to the OEM accessories, what additional mods would you recommend, ie Highway pegs, crash bars etc?** only mods I've added are top box, lockable oil filler cap, cylinder protectors and engine guard but additional mods are plentiful and you'll have to make your mind up.**
5) Would you buy another RT again and what is your general recommendation ** I would definitely buy another and you should try one and make your own mind up.**

Hope that helps

Royal

Post by **Casbar** » Tue May 02, 2017 7:30 pm

Lockable oil filler cap! Is that a BMW accessory or some other aftermarket. Never seen one of those  8)

guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Tue May 02, 2017 7:37 pm

Casbar wrote: Lockable oil filler cap! Is that a BMW accessory or some other aftermarket. Never seen one of those  8)

Not really lockable.  It's an alloy screw in cap to replace the black plastic one.  You get a special key/spanner to unscrew it. I had one on my 2009 and although it fitted the LC  the plastic round the back of the pot partially comes overs it and its difficult to get the spanner in. Think it's shown on Real OEM in the last section.

guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Tue May 02, 2017 7:50 pm

RTman10 wrote:
Not really lockable.  It's an alloy screw in cap to replace the black plastic one.  You get a special key/spanner to unscrew it. I had one on my 2009 and although it fitted the LC  the plastic round the back of the pot partially comes overs it and its difficult to get the spanner in. Think it's shown on Real OEM in the last section. It's got BMW stamped into it so its a must buy item.

Post by **richardbd** » Tue May 02, 2017 8:07 pm

RTman10 wrote:
Not really lockable.  It's an alloy screw in cap to replace the black plastic one.  You get a special key/spanner to unscrew it. I had one on my 2009 and although it fitted the LC  the plastic round the back of the pot partially comes overs it and its difficult to get the spanner in. Think it's shown on Real OEM in the last section.

I understand the appeal of the BMW branding but a lockable oil filler cap - really??

Who on earth is going to nick your oil?

guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Tue May 02, 2017 8:17 pm

In my case on an 1150 they nicked the cap. Very messy when you start up

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Post by **SaultGuy** » Tue May 02, 2017 9:21 pm

[size=78%]I'm scheduled to demo both the RT and GS at the dealer in London Ontario Canada June 9.[/size]

Post by **SaultGuy** » Tue May 02, 2017 9:22 pm

Thanks Royal for your answers..

guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Tue May 02, 2017 9:23 pm

That's a good distance between dealers

Post by **SaultGuy** » Tue May 02, 2017 9:49 pm

Post by **k9doc** » Thu May 04, 2017 12:28 pm

#4. First thing I would buy, if it's a used bike and non-franchise dealer, would be a Warranty, closely followed, depending on experience, by some decent training.

https://www.youtube.com/user/kiki231000 · Post by **kiki** » Thu May 04, 2017 1:03 pm

SaultGuy-- Assuming you are of average stature, If you can, call the dealers and attempt to try the GT in addition and back-to-back with the boxers. my reasons are as follows:

1) you will appreciate the boxer personality more if you have a recent comparison with the 6 cyl
2) you may like the GT more ( i doubt it , but you never know 

) and you should get into the Beammer world being fully informed

As far as additions, being a fellow canuck and with significant riding experience in the southern Ontario region, you may want to consider a seat and shield upgrade. You will find that, where you can do 4 hours on a Kawi, you can do 8 on a BMW, and with the upgrades you can extend that out much further. As far as pegs are concerned, i would try a few months with the stock ones first and see how they work for you.

BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum