2009 vs. 2005 RT improvements - I'm glad I had a head-on with a car!!

[jackronner]

Replaced my stolen 2005 in short order with a black beauty of a 2009, everything stock. Did not have theft insurance, so would have had to eat the financial loss in its entirety but, luckily (?!?!) I'd had a collision a couple of weeks prior which, though it left the bike relatively cosmetically unscathed except for the bags, cylinder head covers and oozing oil from the spark plug holes, will probably total the value of the bike.  So now it will defray the cost of the new bike!!  Never thought I'd be glad of an accident (I was not seriously injured).  Plus, the thief had nicked my keys from the ignition some weeks before the accident, and in the dead of night probably didn't notice that the bike had sustained damage.  Good luck selling it now, asshole!!!  I guess I have some kind of perverse good luck in all this.


I much prefer the '09 in general, and for the following reasons.  Unless I've grown,  I can flat-foot the 2009 whereas I couldn't on the '05. Did BMW finally realize that they were eliminating a whole class of shorter buyers with the tallness of the bike?  Plus, you no longer need tiny Trump-hands to get to the bottom of the glove box!  The fairing now seems higher, with no need to install deflectors to keep the airstream from getting up your sleeves.  The mirrors are still crap, tho'.  Am I imagining all this, or did BMW actually listen to some of the feedback from riders in the intervening four years?


Also, I've read a post on another site that asserts that the 2007-2009 bikes were essentially bullet-proof,  I assume he meant that they'd ironed out any problems, engine and otherwise, from the prior years.  Is this a commonly held view?  Anyway, despite all the trials of the past weeks, I find myself grinning when I look at my new bike.  Gonna put some white pin-striping/piping on the all-black bike to make it look like an old-school Beemer.

[Rider1260]

Congrats on the new bike I just got a 2008 and couldn't be happier with my first BMW

[BBT600]

Mine is a 2009, love it, although I had to have the suspension adapted/lowered to reach the floor safely !!

[jackronner]

BBT, congrats on your new bike.  I'm 5'11 but long-waisted, and I found my 2005 to be too tall.  Couldn't flat foot it which made backing up an adventure.  If it's still a little tall, try taking out the rubber height adjusters.  It gives you another inch or so of lowering.  I also popped the return spring on the front foot pegs so that they can be folded back;  when backing up, this allows you to put your feet straight down since you don't have to splay your legs to get around the pegs.  It gives you about another inch of effective in-seam, plus you don't bark your shins on the inconveniently placed pegs.  Enjoy.