BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

After four very happy years with my 1200rt-lc, the time has come, due to age and infirmity, to swap it for a smaller and lighter bike.


I have decided after much research and  several road tests to buy a F800GT. I will miss the power and comfort of the RT, but I am keen to continue my riding 'career' beyond the age of 76.


I have enjoyed membership of this forum and have found it instructive and enormously helpful.


I wish all forum members good health and safe riding.


MHR43


PS I have advertised a 24 inch Werks screen and an Akrapovic silencer on EBay!

Good luck and happy riding fella, no matter the bike.  May comfort cushion your behind for many years to come.

I'm wondering when this will be a concern for me, having just turned 69.  Haven't had any trouble yet picking it up so far.  BUT .  .  .  I don't think there's any rule of this site that says you have to currently own an RT .  .  .  I'm sure that years of riding them have left you with knowledge, insights and even stories that you could still contribute here.

mhr43 wrote: After four very happy years with my 1200rt-lc, the time has come, due to age and infirmity, to swap it for a smaller and lighter bike.

I have decided after much research and  several road tests to buy a F800GT. I will miss the power and comfort of the RT, but I am keen to continue my riding 'career' beyond the age of 76 .....

At 71, I have found myself thinking along the same lines.  My local Motorrad dealer has a shiny new F800GT SE in the showroom which I found interesting - it comes with panniers and a Garmin satnav. 


On the other hand, I have just had a trip on the RT which took in Ipswich, Bourg-en-Bresse, Rimini, Palermo, Split in Croatia then back to Scotland through Austria, Germany, Belgium and France - 4852 miles door to door.  There can't be a bike anywhere which would have been better for that trip so, although I would occasionally like to have something lighter and easier to manage at very low speeds, I think I'll stick with the RT for a little while yet.  ;D

Interesting that the RS is not a consideration. Same engine and drive line but a lot smaller and lighter than the RT. Just a thought. Probably still too heavy. Enjoy your new bike.

I returned to biking after a 25 year hiatus when I bought an F800ST as a 60th birthday present for myself.  I kept that for 3 years then traded to an F800GTwhen they came out.  The GT is a nice bike but after 3 years I happened to wander into the dealer one day and saw an RS in the showroom - one test ride later and I went back the next day and bought one.  With the RS coming up to 4 years old and me coming up to 70 I have bitten the "its now or never" bullet and traded it for an RT - and am not regretting it so far !!

Interestingly, whilst waiting to collect the RT they lent me an F850GS - I had two observations regarding that:- one was that, at motorway speeds, the wind noise / buffeting was indistinguishable from that on the RS, despite the GS having only a small square of plastic on the front and the RS having a reasonably substantial fairing and windshield - although I could never find a position in which it seemed to do very much;  the second was that, taking into account the smaller fuel tank on the GS, both bikes are essentially the same weight, leading me to conclude that either the GS is strangely heavy for a bike with not much on it or that the RS is remarkably light.

The GT is only about 20kg lighter than the RS, so what I'm saying is that personally I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor.  There are others of course - not least cost  :))

If age and mobility is your key concern, I highly recommend you test drive a BMW C650GT.  Yeah, it's a [maxi] scooter, and you may get some strange feedback from "traditional" motorcycle enthusiasts, yet just smile and pass them all with comfort and more importantly, step through (versus step over) seating in your back pocket.


Just my $0.02,


Ride on my friend

Best wishes with the new bike

Kunkies wrote: If age and mobility is your key concern, I highly recommend you test drive a BMW C650GT.  Yeah, it's a [maxi] scooter, and you may get some strange feedback from "traditional" motorcycle enthusiasts, yet just smile and pass them all with comfort and more importantly, step through (versus step over) seating in your back pocket.


Just my $0.02,


Ride on my friend

Got to agree, what's wrong with a scooter? I sat on the the new BMW 400GT when my bike was in for a service. OK, a little bit cramped but would be be fine for a short tour ( with a top box). I'm tempted to have a test ride and see what its like on the road.