BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Well the RTLE 1200 approaching three years old , honest opinions required !!!!is the new shift cam worth the money to part exchange ,is that the only difference between the bikes ?

I test drove one  - the megga increase in low down torque (on paper) - was not there. Lots more power at top end  ..... which I did not need . I concluded NO  , no point it changing ... in fact if anything my 2015 bike felt better low down (miles may have had an impact ??)
The LC was however a massive improvement over my older 2009 / 2008 ?? model (night and day difference)
... have now gone a different route with DCT and 6 cylinders !!

Well I went from a 1200 GSA to a 1250 RT, I much prefer the 1250.  Its combination of torque and top end encourages a different style of riding that seems to suit me.  I find i'm running in lower gear and higher revs.

So in my opinion, a smart move. But each to their own eh?

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The thing is, everyone has to make their own judgment, not only from seat of the pants but also from £££.


Personally I went from a 2014 RT which was great to a 2019 1250RT which was a step change and am very happy and impressed. But that was a move from the first iteration of the LC to the latest. Further up the years, maybe not such a dramatic improvement. But again, if I couldn't have stretched to the 1250, I would have been very happy with my 2014

hammo wrote: Well the RTLE 1200 approaching three years old , honest opinions required !!!!is the new shift cam worth the money to part exchange ,is that the only difference between the bikes ?

A decent test ride on a  dealer 1250 will answer your question. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that there isn't that much of difference to justify the cost of changing.


I would wait until they bring out the latest incarnation if I had money to spend. Casbar posted about the update a little while ago.

Last week I went to my dealer and agreed a deal on swapping my 2017 1200RT for a new 1250RT. However, BMW HQ cancelled the order as they are not taking any more orders this year. \it seems that the UK allocation for this year is already allocated and there are supposedly spec changes on the way for 2021.
The dealership are expecting further details before the end of the month, and although I have still paid my deposit, we have agreed that if the price rises significantly I will get that back. I'll be quite happy to keep the old bike anyway.

Nin wrote:I much prefer the 1250. Its combination of torque and top end encourages a different style of riding that seems to suit me. I find I'm running in lower gear and higher revs.

At what engine speed does the shift cam kick in and is there a noticeable surge in power. Has some of the low down torque expected of a Boxer Twin been sacrificed for top end power.

Having owned a Honda VFR 800 VTEC, I found the change from two to four valves per cylinder around 6,800 RPM could be disconcerting, particularly when cornering. I found myself selecting a gear to avoid the VTEC kicking in or out whilst, if necessary, rolling the throttle on/off during cornering. I much preferred the pre-VTEC 800 with its more predictable power delivery.

Has anyone switching from a 1200 Wethead to a 1250 Shifthead noticed a similar experience or have BMW got a better system than Honda.

The VFR800 Vtec was a little wide when the additional valves kicked in (I've still got the old girl) but the R1250 isn't like that.


It's hard to say when it comes in on the 1250 as it's around 4500ish but you do notice the exhaust note and performance change.


I much prefer it to the 1200 and it's plain to see the difference when I'm out with 1200RT's and GS's as it seems effortless to catch them up. (reel them in lol)
Definitely pulls out of the bends better when being ridden hard.

michaelc2710 wrote:I much prefer it to the 1200 and it's plain to see the difference when I'm out with 1200RT's and GS's as it seems effortless to catch them up.

That's because you are a very good "progressive" rider!

Not sure that Mr Steadyaway would see the benefit.

David. wrote:
Not sure that Mr Steadyaway would see the benefit.

That'll be me then, apart from a slight change in the exhaust note i would struggle to notice the difference.

I very rarely go above the UK posted speed limits so it'd be pointless changing either of my 1200's for a 1250. In fact, I get just as much pleasure from riding my 2011 Twin Cam as I do from riding my 2016 GS, Yes the GS is faster and more powerful, but speed's not the reason I bought either of the bikes.
Speed Kills.

I was out on my 40 year old Yamaha XJ650 yesterday, I never exceeded the NSL of 60 MPH and ended up waiting several times for others to catch up.

The others included, BMW K1600, Yamaha FJR1300, Triumph Thruxton 900 & Kawasaki Versys. It's not what you ride but how you ride it!

I don't know how some of these guys passed their IAM test when you need to ride up to the NSL if appropriate to do so.

David. wrote: I was out on my 40 year old Yamaha XJ650 yesterday, I never exceeded the NSL of 60 MPH and ended up waiting several times for others to catch up.

The others included, BMW K1600, Yamaha FJR1300, Triumph Thruxton 900 & Kawasaki Versys. It's not what you ride but how you ride it!

I don't know how some of these guys passed their IAM test when you need to ride up to the NSL if appropriate to do so.

David, the merits of the IAM test doesn't have a great deal of relevance  to the original question in this thread.

To get the thread back on topic:
I've had my new R1250RT just over a week now and have had the 600-mile running in service done today. Prior to the 1250, I've had two R1200RT LCs and every model of RT since 2001.

Initial thoughts on the R1250RT:
It seems to be a bit more 'revvy' and spins up easily. Feels like a well run-in 1200LC.
More engine noise. A rather odd 'pinking/pre-ignition'-type sound when it's under load. Possibly the 'shift-cam' doing it's thing?.
The 1250 seems to be shorter-geared. 4000 rpm in 6th is about 74 mph. From memory (may be unreliable!),I think that 4000 rpm in top gear on the 1200LC was 80 mph.
It's too early to tell just yet, as I haven't been able to use the full performance potential during the running-in period, but it (the 1250) feels a little bit quicker in the mid-range. Not that the 1200 was slow by comparison. I suspect real-world riding will show very little difference in journey times. I'm a quite progressive rider, but I don't think that the additional performance (if there is any) will make me any quicker.

Overall, I'm very happy with the R1250RT. Some other minor changes are:
Different attachment of the lower fairing panels. No more rubber grommet at the fixing point above the oil filler cap area.
Heated grip and seat settings are 'remembered' during ignition off. I think that the 1200 used to 'forget' these and reset after 4 hours power-down.
More functionality in the 'My Motorcycle' feature on the Navigator 6. Number of gear changes, front/rear brake usage, lean angles, distance to next service and tyre pressures etc are all displayed on the nav.

My 1250 makes that pinking noise and so does the brand new 1250 blood bike I have in the garage. There was a lot of discussion about this on the LT forum in the US. It seemed that the noise is nothing to do with the shift cam, but to do with the flap in the throttle bodies. Some bloke said you can twist them slightly and if you get it right the noise goes. But to be honest, I don't even notice it now on my bike, its done around 4k now.