2007 vs 2015 RT

[T6pilot]

My buddy with a primo 2007 got to ride my 2015 today, I should be a bmw salesman
Looks like another waterboxer convert

[XoomRT]

Yeah, no contest there.
Like night to day.


Shame on you!

[Manofleisur]

Well I have another take I have gone the 2007 route, my thinking that BMW are supposed to be a quality item that can last for years. So why pay top dollar when you can spend the cash saved on a new bike on touring Europe on the money saved. By there own admission the latest bikes are more sports orientated than the earlier bikes.
Do we actually need the very latest bit of kit to enjoy owning a BMW 

[Spencert231]

Manofleisur the answer to that is a resounding yes it's call technology and progress, but that does not mean you have an inferior bike, you haven't, enjoy.

[Manofleisur]

But does technology and progress equate to a more comfortable bike to use day to day ?

[Levisp]

Well I have another take I have gone the 2007 route, my thinking that BMW are supposed to be a quality item that can last for years. So why pay top dollar when you can spend the cash saved on a new bike on touring Europe on the money saved. By there own admission the latest bikes are more sports orientated than the earlier bikes.
Do we actually need the very latest bit of kit to enjoy owning a BMW 

That is always an interesting question, is the latest and greatest always better. The answer is not always depending on what your needs are. I last recently sold my Ducati Multistrada 1200 and bought a 2011 Pan European ST1300 to keep my RT company. The Pan first came out in 2002 so its an old school bike compared to the BM. The Pan has very little tech on it except ABS, no fancy CANBus, no cruise, not traction control, not power modes, etc.... Its heavy built like a tank. I love riding both. The Pan is 50 kgs heavier but with its low CG it handles extremely well. The V4 is silky smooth and the gearbox is in a different league to the BM. However the lightness of the BM makes it very agile, it has better weather protection, better fuel consumption, and of cause all those high tech toys. Which is best ? Well maybe the BM but not by much. What lets the BM down is the clunky slow gearbox but for me its the weight advantage more than the technology that edges the BM in front. If I only had to have one it would be a difficult decision, I like both equally.

[Manofleisur]

Interesting so buy brand new take a massive hit on depreciation, but hey you have the latest technology. Then 3 years down the line that is old technology, so buy new to get the latest technology and another massive hit of depreciation  >:D  I still think I prefer my my route but each to there own as they say.   

[richardbd]

My take on this is a bit of a "horses for courses" view.  Sometimes the new versions of a bike are WAY superior; sometimes they're not.


I also had a 1200 Multistrada - a 2012 one.  I thought about changing it when the 2014 skyhook version arrived but simply couldn't believe how much better the 2012 version was to ride.  I went in, expecting to come out with a new bike and came out keeping the old one for another 12 months.


Along the way I'd tried the RT - last of the Twin Cam versions.  I liked it but it didn't make me grin.  It felt like a bike to respect, not to love and I guess the reality was that it was just too big and heavy after the MTS.  The RTLC is a totally different kettle of fish though.  It's not as straight-line fast as the MTS but in the real world, I reckon I cover the ground as fast as I used to - and in a much more relaxed manner.


So, my vote is not in favour of change for the sake of change or new just because it's new.  Doesn't stop me preferring the LC to the TC though!

[XoomRT]

But does technology and progress equate to a more comfortable bike to use day to day ?

NO.
It's what YOU enjoy riding MORE!

[rglassma]

I'll stick with my '05.  It has 62k on it runs great and is paid for. . If I went new,  I would be more than 20k poorer,  couldn't maintain it myself and have a big depreciation hit..  The 05 is plenty bike for me.

[sgtgarnier]

I had a 2006 BMW RT which I just traded in for a 2015. All I can say is technology has really moved on in 9 years and a 2015 is probably one of the finest motorcycles in the world today. The bumper to bumper warranty is good for 3 years and so my plan is at the end of the three years to trade it in on the newest technology with full bumper to bumper warranty so I don't ever have to worry about doling out thousands of dollars for repairs.

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[Levisp]

I had a 2006 BMW RT which I just traded in for a 2015. All I can say is technology has really moved on in 9 years and a 2015 is probably one of the finest motorcycles in the world today. The bumper to bumper warranty is good for 3 years and so my plan is at the end of the three years to trade it in on the newest technology with full bumper to bumper warranty so I don't ever have to worry about doling out thousands of dollars for repairs.

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True but you lose thousand of dollars in depreciation. I'm guessing here but in the UK a new £15 k bike is probably worth £9 K after 3 years. You can do a lot of repairs for £6K !!

[Manofleisur]

True but you lose thousand of dollars in depreciation. I'm guessing here but in the UK a new £15 k bike is probably worth £9 K after 3 years. You can do a lot of repairs for £6K !!

Just what I was about to say !!! You beat me to it. May I also add you may also be missing the best part of your bike as like all good quality products, they improve with age.

[Levisp]

Yes spot on. The boxer engine gets better with mileage. My bike now has 14K on the clock and it feels much smoother than when it was new.

[Manofleisur]

Well my 2007 model I acquired last month only has 18,000 miles on the clock and runs like a dream. As I have never tried the latest model I do not miss what I have not ridden !!!