BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I'm wondering about the durability and upkeep of the Matte finish on the RT.

1) I understand that it should not be waxed or polished.
What are you folks doing to give this finish protection?

2) How does it hold up against bird droppings, tar, bug splatter (some of which can be real harmful to paint) etc?

3) Does it scratch easier than it's shiny counterparts?


BTW...
I'm a K1600GT rider that is longing for the lighter-weight of the RT and owned an RT until I traded my 1999RT in for my K16.
Although the K1600 engine IS fantastic!

Thanks for any/all info.

I have the grey mat. It gets a wash and  shampoo when dirty and now and again a polish with normal liquid car polish.  I doesn't make it shiny just feels nice.  I have no bits of plastic stuck on for protection and after 5K there are no signs of scuffs or scratches.  So my conclusion is not only faster but tougher

RTman10 wrote: I have the grey mat. It gets a wash and  shampoo when dirty and now and again a polish with normal liquid car polish.  I doesn't make it shiny just feels nice.  I have no bits of plastic stuck on for protection and after 5K there are no signs of scuffs or scratches.  So my conclusion is not only faster but tougher

I agree with RTman... :swat:

Unfortunately my tank around the knee area had started to show scuff and signs of wear from contact with my knees. So I had to fit tank protectors on or 'plastics as RTma10' refers. I would have preferred not to have put them on, but felt it the cheaper option at the time. See what happens further Dow the road?

Spencert231 wrote: Unfortunately my tank around the knee area had started to show scuff and signs of wear from contact with my knees. So I had to fit tank protectors on or 'plastics as RTma10' refers. I would have preferred not to have put them on, but felt it the cheaper option at the time. See what happens further Dow the road?

And yours is Grey? surely not.  You must be wearing sand paper trousers. 

Yeah the grey stealth fighter, a bit peeved to be honest when I saw it. But the pads have protected it since so there's a plus.

I also have the grey. I've noticed scuff marks where my legs contact the sides of the tank. I seem to get some static cling with dust accumulating in that location while riding. My riding pants rub the dust into the finish like sand paper and scuff it up. I may paint mine this fall with the 2016 color. The more I look at it, the more I like the new color.

Let me understand this correctly, you are contemplating getting rid of the best colour in the fleet which also denotes the fastest or in other words the 'flagship' bike in the fleet for a 'black bike' or the 'blue bike' surely not? >:(

You will think twice about that idea if you intend to use original BMW paint.  Cheaper to swap bikes. 

A couple of weeks ago I purchased some waterless car wash, the make is Williams FI,  believing it would turn my Citroen Picasso into race track monster. It didn't but the finish is fantastic.
Unable to stop the urge I then applied it to the bike.  Its still mat but in the right light it glows.  It also feels like glass.

Looks good RTman.
I'm trying to determine if the stealth-grey panels on the RT are like the matte panels on my 16GT.
I clean my entire bike with a spray-wax, Ice Spray Wax by Turtle Wax works great.
And I haven't noticed any change to my matte panels, other than after using the wax, it does create a slicker surface and that "glow" you speak of.


I guess I got concerned about this matte finish, when I started some research online, but all of what I read about were the matte finishes on new cars, BMW included.
There were warnings about not using typical car waxes, and obviously you wouldn't want to use anything with a cleaner or abrasive in the wax.
I also know from many years of experience that sometimes you need a little help removing stubborn stains and minor surface scratches.
And if this paint IS that delicate, then it has no business being used as an automotive/motorcycle paint. Other than it looks totally cool!
Not sure where that leaves those riders that have the matte paint, and the reported scuffs has me a little worried.
But maybe those pants are too abrasive to be pressing into that area.


Not sure yet, which color I'll choose. Not much of a selection. But of the three for 2015, the C.Grey has my eye.
And this much I know, after that demo ride last week, I want another RT.


Now...
The K16 goes on sale.




Thanks all, for the info.

I have 2 choices to make with a dealer.&nbsp; One is a Calisto Gray bike, deeply discounted ($2500+) just because they had intended it for demo use, but never built it.&nbsp; So, it's warranty was actually activated a month ago.&nbsp; I can't do 3easy financing on it, because it would technically be a used bike (<10 miles), so it would just be standard BMW financing.&nbsp; The other is an Ebony bike that will qualify for the 3easy financing, so out of pocket is less, but of course there is a residual at the end.

Looks like my kidney cancer may have returned, so how do I know what I'll be doing 4 years down the road?&nbsp; Payments on gray bike would be $100 more (for 60 months), but it's a straight ownership, where the ebony bike would be $100 less, but I'd still have to finance the other part (or trade again) in 4 years.&nbsp;

Anyone have any pearls of wisdom?&nbsp; I like the gray, but afraid of how hard touchup would be by any local paint shop, if needed.&nbsp; The ebony looks fantastic out in the sun, and has $1200 factory incentive right now, but straight up bike price is $2500+ less on the gray one, simply because of activating the warranty.

I cant speak to our finances but I really like my matte grey bike. The Ebony looks like Harley Davidson rootbeer to me. Had the Ebony actually been blackI might have picked that instead.


Best of luck with your choice and prayers and good thoughts headed your way on the Kidney cancer.


Im not really close to Alabama but I can be of assistance feel free to PM me.

Go for the gray (or grey as we prefer to call it over here!).


It will be WAY faster and anyway, who wants a brown bike??

Mercator1 I would go grey, but that's up to you and no other good luck on decision making.


With regards to your cancer my prayers are with you and wish you all the luck in the world.