Is this RT worth considering?

Post by **davidr8** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 1:20 am

2007 so no servo brakes. But mileage scares me.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-touring/mi ... nFlag=true

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Post by **mcwhirtj** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 2:57 am

I can't comment on fair market value (without doing some research), but I have an '08 with nearly same mileage and I've owned and maintained it for five years, starting with about 50,000Km.  Still runs great.  But I would ask about mileage on the clutch and the Final drive.  I do all maintenance myself, but I've had to have both of those replaced at BMW dealer, at about $2k usd each.  Just factor that into decision.  e.g., if clutch has >50k miles on it, I'd be looking for some consideration under book value.  Final drive is harder to judge; some seem to go forever, but my bike has had two over its life.

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Post by **davidr8** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 3:47 am

mcwhirtj wrote: I can't comment on fair market value (without doing some research), but I have an '08 with nearly same mileage and I've owned and maintained it for five years, starting with about 50,000Km.  Still runs great.  But I would ask about mileage on the clutch and the Final drive.  I do all maintenance myself, but I've had to have both of those replaced at BMW dealer, at about $2k usd each.  Just factor that into decision.  e.g., if clutch has >50k miles on it, I'd be looking for some consideration under book value.  Final drive is harder to judge; some seem to go forever, but my bike has had two over its life.

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Apparently it's had a new clutch, abs pump and final drive rebuild. I'll find out if it's been serviced at my local dealer.

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Post by **rglassma** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 2:38 pm

Since I am in the US., that equates to approx. 104K.  I think that price is a bit on the top end of the spectrum.  If it has every option mentioned, that includes ESA suspension.  That is a pricey option to go bad as well.  Also, check out the starter (potential run on at starting).  Starters are easy to replace, but after market does cost 100-200.  Also, battery age, type, etc.  Check out kbb.com/motorcycles for actual retail and trade in value.

If it were me, I would through a thousand more in and get something with less than 50k miles (80K killometers).  There are some nice bikes out there with less mileage.  The hexhead is a great bike.  I have an '05 with 72K miles on the ODO.  It runs great and I love it.  They aren't as fancy as the newer ones.  But they are alot easier to work on.

Post by **davidr8** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 3:15 pm

rglassma wrote: Since I am in the US., that equates to approx. 104K.  I think that price is a bit on the top end of the spectrum.  If it has every option mentioned, that includes ESA suspension.  That is a pricey option to go bad as well.  Also, check out the starter (potential run on at starting).  Starters are easy to replace, but after market does cost 100-200.  Also, battery age, type, etc.  Check out kbb.com/motorcycles for actual retail and trade in value.

If it were me, I would through a thousand more in and get something with less than 50k miles (80K killometers).  There are some nice bikes out there with less mileage.  The hexhead is a great bike.  I have an '05 with 72K miles on the ODO.  It runs great and I love it.  They aren't as fancy as the newer ones.  But they are alot easier to work on.

It's funny; there are more 05's and 06's on the market here than other years (except new near '15's and 16's) however it seems those are the years to avoid due to the servo brakes.
Feels a bit like a crap shoot if I went with an '05 or '06.
The only other model on my list is the Honda ST1300.
What makes me hesitate is it's 730 lb wet weight. That's a full 200 more than my Tiger.

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guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 4:28 pm

Police used to have the Honda over here some years ago.  It kept spitting them off though so they swapped to the RT in most cases.

Post by **davidr8** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 5:59 pm

I need to do a second test ride on an RT with my lady. The first time I was very nervous about the size of the bike so that affected my ability to relax and get a real sense of the bike. She also sensed my nervousness so couldn't relax either.
Subsequently we rode an ST and she really liked it.
After the two-up ride on the ST I rode an '06 RT solo and was really quite blown away by its handling in the twisties.
I rode another ST solo and really noticed how heavy it was.
I have a gravel driveway and am stuck at how difficult it could be to move the ST around.
At 510 lbs wet my Tiger is fine to push around. At 570 lbs wet the RT is only a bit heavier.
At 730 lbs the ST is like a Tiger and a half!

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Post by **Levisp** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 6:08 pm

I currently run a 2014 RT and a 2011 Honda ST1300. If weight is important then I would stick to the RT. If you think you can handle the weight issue then the ST is a bullet proof bike that is capable of big miles. The police issue over here was I believe due to high speed and the extra loading of the police bikes. I have never experienced any weave but then I don't ride at 130 mph ! The ST is not as dynamic a bike as the RT. As you have a gravel drive I think I would go RT. I think the weight of the ST will cause you grief.

guest2360 · Post by **guest2360** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 6:18 pm

Levisp wrote: I currently run a 2014 RT and a 2011 Honda ST1300. If weight is important then I would stick to the RT. If you think you can handle the weight issue then the ST is a bullet proof bike that is capable of big miles. The police issue over here was I believe due to high speed and the extra loading of the police bikes. I have never experienced any weave but then I don't ride at 130 mph ! The ST is not as dynamic a bike as the RT. As you have a gravel drive I think I would go RT. I think the weight of the ST will cause you grief.

Honda,s advise at the time was the civilian version with loaded panniers was perfectly safe and would not weave at speeds up to 80 mph.  Ummm.

Post by **Levisp** » Wed Jul 05, 2017 9:39 pm

RTman10 wrote:
Honda,s advise at the time was the civilian version with loaded panniers was perfectly safe and would not weave at speeds up to 80 mph.  Ummm.

Sounds like the lawyers have been at work. The ST is basically a sound bike but times have moved on and its showing its age. Pity Honda have lost interest in updating it, especially when they have in their current range of bikes all the ingredients to make a great tourer. Give BMW some competition.

Post by **ds99** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 9:47 am

the ST is much heavier and cumbersome than the RT. the RT is a more versatile bike

I would look for a non-servo 2007 onwards RT with around 40-60,000 miles on it

Post by **davidr8** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 3:29 pm

Thanks for your very helpful advice everyone.

There's two other things about the ST that are a concern for me:
- the engine is very hot and tends to cook one's legs and nether regions.
The Tiger does this also and I can't do anything about it. There are some fixes for the ST however.

- the ST is out of production. My Tiger is out of production as well and bike-specific aftermarket parts are pretty hard to come by.
Not a huge deal but it's annoying.

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Post by **ds99** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 4:50 pm

The ST was good in it's day, but it's a bit old now. It's long and heavy.

With full luggage/passenger the RT can be a handful to park/maneuver around at slow speed. The ST is even worse.

Post by **ds99** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 4:52 pm

http://www.visordown.com/features/road- ... vs-fjr1300

http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/rt-series/3 ... t1300.html

https://forum.motorcyclenews.com/topic/ ... mw-r1200rt

Post by **ds99** » Thu Jul 06, 2017 4:53 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgVg__TG_HA

BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum