R nine T coming ....
Discussion
jhoneyball said:
personally prefer my 2013 r1200r. A better ride in most every way, but clearly not as achingly cute.
How does the R1200R differ from the RnineT as a ride - I'd have thought they were pretty similar? Like the OP I'm unlikely to be commuting or taking a pillion for a fair few years so thinking about what to do...
No reliability issues that I am aware of - I accidentally put premium diesel in mine (old BP stations have green handles on their 'Ultimate' diesel pumps - so easier than you'd think). Recovery driver said he'd only ever recovered one other R9T and that was for.... accidentally filling with diesel at a BP station.
Gearbox is sometimes reluctant to go from neutral to first, but you just let the clutch out a smidge and it pops in. A bit unnerving the first time it does it with a queue of traffic behind you, but quite normal for the bike.
BMW made the bike with customising in mind and you can spend a fortune making it 'yours' if minded to - BMW do their own range of trinkets as do companies like Wunderlich and Pier City Cycles (specialist R9T people). Everything from carbon and billet ali bits, upgraded seats, exhausts, luggage, different fuel tanks, air intakes, wheels, bars, mirrors, bobber kits etc, so you can completely change the look of the bike if you are that way inclined.
The one area that seems to come in for some criticism is the suspension. The rear shock is very firm even on the softest setting and on bumpy roads it can bounce you around. I switched mine for an aftermarket shock and it transformed the feel of the rear.
I love mine - the engine is full of character and has bags of low down torque. All the weight is low down and the seat is low so its a very easy ride. Always gets comments when parked up. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Gearbox is sometimes reluctant to go from neutral to first, but you just let the clutch out a smidge and it pops in. A bit unnerving the first time it does it with a queue of traffic behind you, but quite normal for the bike.
BMW made the bike with customising in mind and you can spend a fortune making it 'yours' if minded to - BMW do their own range of trinkets as do companies like Wunderlich and Pier City Cycles (specialist R9T people). Everything from carbon and billet ali bits, upgraded seats, exhausts, luggage, different fuel tanks, air intakes, wheels, bars, mirrors, bobber kits etc, so you can completely change the look of the bike if you are that way inclined.
The one area that seems to come in for some criticism is the suspension. The rear shock is very firm even on the softest setting and on bumpy roads it can bounce you around. I switched mine for an aftermarket shock and it transformed the feel of the rear.
I love mine - the engine is full of character and has bags of low down torque. All the weight is low down and the seat is low so its a very easy ride. Always gets comments when parked up. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
zzrman said:
All the running gear - engine, transmission and final drive - is tried and tested to say the least so you need have no concerns on that score.............
...........unless you keep it long enough to need the clutch changing, when, if you are lucky, you might find a good indy who will do it for about £1400, otherwise it's closer to £2k at the MD.I've done lot of miles on GSs and would really like one (so shoot me) but the cost of running my RT has me looking at other options.
CAPP0 said:
...........unless you keep it long enough to need the clutch changing, when, if you are lucky, you might find a good indy who will do it for about £1400, otherwise it's closer to £2k at the MD.
I've done lot of miles on GSs and would really like one (so shoot me) but the cost of running my RT has me looking at other options.
fI've done lot of miles on GSs and would really like one (so shoot me) but the cost of running my RT has me looking at other options.
k me! How long do you get out of a clutch? If it's 100k it's not an issue, if it's 15k it is!zzrman said:
All the running gear - engine, transmission and final drive - is tried and tested to say the least so you need have no concerns on that score. Check the owners forums but I doubt if you'll find any horror stories.
Second this. It only took them 10 years 
but BMW got the 1200 air/ oil cooled engine, gearbox and clutch spot on by the end. Only thing to watch out for is corrosion. BMW motorbike paint falls somewhere between ‘poor’ and ‘appalling’. Check the underside of the engine, front of the cylinder heads and the area on the final drive in and around the main bearing. Consider buying a large bottle of ACF50...
Really nice bikes, especially in the ‘standard’ variant with the upside down forks.
Stuart Fordyce said:
CAPP0 said:
...........unless you keep it long enough to need the clutch changing, when, if you are lucky, you might find a good indy who will do it for about £1400, otherwise it's closer to £2k at the MD.
I've done lot of miles on GSs and would really like one (so shoot me) but the cost of running my RT has me looking at other options.
fI've done lot of miles on GSs and would really like one (so shoot me) but the cost of running my RT has me looking at other options.
k me! How long do you get out of a clutch? If it's 100k it's not an issue, if it's 15k it is!As others have said, beware of the clutch - once it starts slipping it's on the way out, and you have to split the bike in half to change it. So unless you're a very competent DIYer you'll be looking at a largish bill.
Otherwise they're great bikes, if you plan on riding for much more than an hour at a time I'd recommend getting a Sargent seat, as the standard one compresses and the edges of the seat base cut off the blood supply to your legs eventually (I rode mine from the UK to Amsterdam and wasn't sure if my legs were still going to work when I got there...)
Would recommend a "RRRapido" quick throttle cam, but of a ball ache to change (tank off etc) but reduces the throttle travel by a good amount so you can reach full throttle more easily. Similar to sticking an R6 throttle tube on an sv650. I also had a Hilltop remap on mine, which (whilst excellent) did lead to a little clutch slip from the extra power and ultimately my sale of the bike to avoid the aforementioned big bill.
Get a security torx bit to remove the baffles from the standard Akra pipe and a "flapper delete" pipe for the exhaust, sounds fabulous without being overly obnoxious. I did run remus decat headers on mine for a while but they were honestly a bit much noise wise.
Otherwise, enjoy! I never needed an oil cooler guard, the front of the engine case seems to take the brunt of the crap from the front wheel.
Otherwise they're great bikes, if you plan on riding for much more than an hour at a time I'd recommend getting a Sargent seat, as the standard one compresses and the edges of the seat base cut off the blood supply to your legs eventually (I rode mine from the UK to Amsterdam and wasn't sure if my legs were still going to work when I got there...)
Would recommend a "RRRapido" quick throttle cam, but of a ball ache to change (tank off etc) but reduces the throttle travel by a good amount so you can reach full throttle more easily. Similar to sticking an R6 throttle tube on an sv650. I also had a Hilltop remap on mine, which (whilst excellent) did lead to a little clutch slip from the extra power and ultimately my sale of the bike to avoid the aforementioned big bill.
Get a security torx bit to remove the baffles from the standard Akra pipe and a "flapper delete" pipe for the exhaust, sounds fabulous without being overly obnoxious. I did run remus decat headers on mine for a while but they were honestly a bit much noise wise.
Otherwise, enjoy! I never needed an oil cooler guard, the front of the engine case seems to take the brunt of the crap from the front wheel.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Me! Except I got the one you dont like.
I've been thoroughly impressed by BMW, through the purchase of it, to the supply of parts. Pedestrian ran into me 2 miles from leaving the dealer, and they sorted me out some bits at cost to put that right, and I've since added a few things. I actually do not think it will be expensive to service, but we'll see.
A mate’s got one that I’ve ridden a few times. Lovely thing that’s perfect for road use.
He’s had a few issues with it maintaining tyre pressure and it’s managed to kill a battery despite having no alarm and being on a (special CANbus) battery maintainer. This was exacerbated by the dealer wriggling out of replacing it under warranty.
In other words no real problems.
He’s had a few issues with it maintaining tyre pressure and it’s managed to kill a battery despite having no alarm and being on a (special CANbus) battery maintainer. This was exacerbated by the dealer wriggling out of replacing it under warranty.
In other words no real problems.
Awesome! I had one of the flashy ones as a courtesy bike a couple of years back. First half hour I dislike it (coming from my K1300S), but after stopping at a country pub, where it sat happily next to an old Bentley, the second ride I fell for it. Is a completely different riding experience to the K, more leisurely and I had a great country rode whizz back to the garage.
Still want one!
Still want one!
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff