Potential owner in Yorkshire

[Minty]

Morning from West Yorkshire. I am hoping to make a new home here if all goes to plan.

Edit; make a new home On This Forum. Thanks Elkinell!

I currently own a 2017 FJR 1300 AE but would like to trade in for a new RT soon. I have a few questions that hopefully can be answered here and, one very important deal breaker question! I have a test ride in grimsby in a couple of weeks so I'd like to go in with a bit more knowledge.

I have mostly always owned this style of bike, two 1300 Pan European, two GTR1400, absolutely love the GTR, if only kawasaki had updated it with semi active suspension and cruise control..., so the weight of the RT won't really be an issue, it's lighter than the FJR on paper!

Here's the thing, I'm not a boxer virgin. In 2022 I traded my lovely 2015 GTR for my first ever factory ordered bike as a 50 year birthday treat, a GS TE triple black. Before ordering I had two test rides on the GS, I liked it and didn't notice anything bad.

After a couple of months with the GS I noticed when I got home from a ride out that my ears would be ringing quite a lot more than normal (I've had tinnitus since a trip to Germany on a VFR in 2002) and my head would be pounding then, during a ride I noticed the noise coming up through the fork tunnel on different road surfaces from approx 35mph and up. It got to a point where I just couldn't ride the thing. I asked the dealer (in york) about it and got the standard reply 'never heard of that before sir' Luckily the finance guy at the dealer heard and let me try his own 1200 GS with road tyres, my bike had anakee adventures, the noise was still there but less so, maybe its the frequency, who knows. There's lots online about it, Africa twins are bad too apparently.

So, my question, does the RT have the same issue? I don't know much about bmw bikes but to me, the RT looks like the GS frame but faired, don't hate me for my ignorance lol

I really enjoyed the engine and particularly the GS suspension and would like to go back to that kind of ride, it actually made me laugh out loud when I looked down and saw the forks furiously bobbing up and down smoothing out a rough road

So any comments would be really appreciated. I know a test ride or two is the only way to know and I should know bank holiday week.

I have other questions but I think I've put you all through enough for now!

Paul.

[Elkinell]

Hello and welcome, You'll find Yorkshire a great place to live so don't worry about that. I think the noise problem will be down to tyre choice and the variable road surfaces we have. There's somebody here who will be able to tell you where the noisiest roads are around Humberside for your test ride.. You'll love how much lighter the RT is than your FJR and you'll love how much more protection from the wind and weather it gives you over the GS. Also Helmet choice/ear plugs etc has a lot to do with noise as I'm sure you know. I tried earplugs years ago and found that I rode faster... anyway you'll love the RT. That 1250 Shiftcam engine is lovely

[Minty]

Oh no, my first post and I've messed up
Thanks for the greeting.

Now I've had a chance to read it, I was trying to say make a new home here on this 'forum' I'm Yorkshire born and bred lol

Thanks for the information, I am looking forward to try a lightweight like the RT haha.

I did have some new custom plugs made by ACS Hearing with their maximum 27db filters and bought a new hjc helmet but still couldn't handle the GS.

[Doctor T]

It's all down the screen size. GS has the screen the size of a A4 piece of paper. Whilst the RT has a barn door.

[scunny12]

No such place as Humberside as the county was divided up. Its now North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, or East Yorkshire. Plenty of pot holed roads throughout each local authority.

[Stu]

Humberside

Where

Anyway from marshalls in grimsby head to the A180

Nice solid concrete road from Grimsby up to the Humber bridge turn off with some of it re surfaced

[DaveCly]

I’ve had my latest RT for nearly 8 years now, and was under pressure from a friend to move up to a tractor.. Oops sorry a GS …. Anyway after giving in and test riding his GS, I think he was disappointed with my response … to much noise coming up through the forks, to wide in the bars for my liking and I seemed to have to toe in to the rear brake, I was glad to give it him back

[Minty]

I’ve had my latest RT for nearly 8 years now, and was under pressure from a friend to move up to a tractor.. Oops sorry a GS …. Anyway after giving in and test riding his GS, I think he was disappointed with my response … to much noise coming up through the forks, to wide in the bars for my liking and I seemed to have to toe in to the rear brake, I was glad to give it him back

Thanks. This makes me feel better about the test ride. I did notice on the new gs there is now a fork shield installed so it's obviously known by bmw.

It is marshall bmw in laceby for the test ride, they are twice as far away as barrie robson in york but they seem very obliging and more forthcoming with answers to all my questions. But being from Yorkshire, I'd go anywhere to save a few bob

[Stu]

I have had some good experiences with Marshalls and not so good with barrie Robson

Also worth looking at vertu bmw in Shipley formerly Allen Jeffrey's

I bought my bike from them and everything was a breeze

[simbo]

Put some road focused tyres on a GS instead of the 70/30 adventure types and buy a GS. Thank me later

[Elkinell]

It's all down the screen size. GS has the screen the size of a A4 piece of paper. Whilst the RT has a barn door.

At least you get a reasonable choice for an RT screen, mine had the sport screen on when I got it. After a couple of soakings and I changed it for the Wunderlich marathon.

[Minty]

I'll test ride next week and if its all good I'll see what deals can be done against the FJR and other dealers too.

I did hear bad reviews about barrie robsons but I'll give anyone a chance.

I found with the GS, after fitting a Puig screen, the noise was even worse, probably because I was more isolated from the breeze. I did try the dealers bike on road tyres, I think they were metzler. Thinking back, I ought to have fitted the road 6 to my bike and given it more of a chance. The thing is, I've wanted a GS since the 1200 came out in 2004 (nothing to do with Charley and his buddy!) so when I didn't bond with it due to the pain, and it was painful, I was devastated and just wanted it gone.

Anyway, I'll know bank holiday week.

Paul