I picked the bike up last Tuesday and rode it 160 miles home. This is no Goldwing. That's neither a negative nor a positive, just an observation. Each have their strong points, but this is a very different motorcycle. Sort of like a Cadillac and a Corvette, either will get you where you're going, but in different style.
Seating position is fine for my 6'2" frame, handlebars are OK, and foot position is very similar to the GW I've been riding.
Suspension is vastly different. The RT barely moves over reacts to bumps and pavement imperfections, whereas the GW would bounce you out of the saddle. This and the aerodynamics are what I initially noticed. You are sitting in a bubble of still air with the RT, no head buffeting, no helmet movement, just clean smooth air. On the GW my head was constantly moving, being buffeted about by the wind. I never realized how fatiguing this was until I rode the RT. The RT almost felt "toy like" compared to the Wing due to the much lighter weight and the way it responds to input from the rider. It handles like it weighs much than the stated weight.
One big surprise is that the RT is hardly affected by the turbulence of large trucks. Much less so than the GW. I wold have thought it would have been affected more due to the 284 lbs lighter weight.
Speaking of weight, the lightness and flick-ability of the RT is a welcome relief to the cumbersome feel of the GW. The Wing is a capable bike in the curves, but it pales in comparison to the RT.
MPG was a pleasant surprise as well. I averaged 57 mpg on the way home according to the computer, whereas I average around 38 on the GW. The GW did burn 87 octane fuel, but the low mpg offsets any gain there.
Passenger comfort is the only place the GW outshines the RT. The GW is like riding in a big old Cadillac convertible with the wind blowing your hair everywhere. On the RT the passenger feels a little more exposed without the wrap around backrest. Better wind protection by a large margin on the RT, but seating accommodations are not quite as plush. My wife doesn't prefer one over the other, but says they're just different.
I find myself gong around curves with never a thought that I'd have to slow down for with the Wing. I really love the solid feel of the bike in the curves. I've even pushed it hard through a few curves and shifted in the middle to see if it stays planted. No problem.
I was pleasantly surprised by the power of the RT. The GW seems to have a little more torque just off idle when starting out but that may be just the difference in the throttle and clutch feel, but once moving the RT would leave the Wing in the dust.
Everything considered I'm very happy with my purchase. The RT seems to have everything I was looking for at this point. I'll know more about it's long range capability in a few more weeks as we are going to take a trip somewhere.
The only problem I have is the bike doesn't recognize the Navigator VI, and won't turn it on or off in the cradle, nor will any of the functions work. I have an appointment in the morning at the BMW shop to sort it out. They seem to think it's a bad cradle.
Initial impression
Re: Initial impression
Very interesting to read your comparison and initial thoughts. Hope you enjoy the bike for many thousands of miles.
So when is this “old enough to know better” supposed to kick in?
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beemerboy9
- Posts: 603
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- Location: North London
- Bike Model and Year: 1250RT 2019
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Re: Initial impression
tamiller wrote:
The only problem I have is the bike doesn't recognize the Navigator VI, and won't turn it on or off in the cradle, nor will any of the functions work. I have an appointment in the morning at the BMW shop to sort it out. They seem to think it's a bad cradle.
..or the cradle is good but just not plugged into the bike power loom.
John Bentall
Re: Initial impression
Thanks for the post,really interesting, I'm about to take delivery of a R1200 RT ICONIC after just today selling my Harley Davidson Heritage iv had for 10 year :alas: So nice to hear some very positive things about the RT.
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stayingupright
- Posts: 381
- Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:21 pm
Re: Initial impression
Marty wrote: Thanks for the post,really interesting, I'm about to take delivery of a R1200 RT ICONIC after just today selling my Harley Davidson Heritage iv had for 10 year :alas: So nice to hear some very positive things about the RT.
There is a Facebook group set up for us Iconic owners if you want to join. You will love it.
I was born with nothing and unfortunately I still have most of it left.
Re: Initial impression
beemerboy9 wrote:
..or the cradle is good but just not plugged into the bike power loom.
You're very close to the cause of the problem. I took it into the BMW shop on Saturday and the connection between the cradle and the bike wiring was faulty.
They [size=78%]cleaned the connection, put some dielectric grease on it and everything works as it should. Or rather works as it was designed. There is some debate as to whether it works as it should but that is a different subject. [/size]
