BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I'm another lowdown bum, 28inch inside leg. I have the low height seat and don't have any problem. I can get the balls of my feet down and feel quite comfortable.I am careful where I park and try to keep on the level.

Phil

Please see "I ordered my new bike" thread, it shows and confirms that the low bikes are now available.
Example:



GOOD NEWS FOR THE VERTICALLY CHALLENGED!
Low Suspension Option Available On 2008 BMW – February 29, 2008…
R 1200 GS: 31.1 inches
R 1200 R (rt also): 29.5 inches .....Otherwise : Normal= 31.5, low=30.3, high=32.7



The Low Suspension option, which includes the Low Seat option MSRP is $175

I have a 31" inseam. I can flatfloot my R12. Get the low seat option and you'll fit fine. You'll also love the bike. I was torn between the R12GS and the R12. Decided on the R and have not regretted it once. In my opinion since I'm not offroading it's a much better looking and handling bike.

By the way you also love the ABS on the new 08 R12R.

I am 5' 8", 130 lbs with 30" inseam.

My 1200R has the middle height seat and I can put one foot flat and the other almost flat. It has not been a problem. If you do test ride or even sit on one, make sure the preload on the rear suspension is adjusted correctly. That will affect the height.

I traded a 800ST for the 1200R. The ABS on the 800ST was crap. The brakes would release for what seemed too long a time over rough pavement. Over the same rough pavement, the 1200R (with ABS) does not release. Many 800ST owners do not report this as a problem, but it was one of the major reasons I traded up to the 1200R. I have owned several bikes with ABS and none behaved like the 800ST.

Other things I like about the 1200R (compared to the 800ST):

less engine heat (the 800ST cooked my left leg)
more nimble
better front suspension (the 800ST dived more during braking and clunked)
better saddle bags (bigger, easier to use with one hand)
more windshield options
more comfort (legroom, less weight on wrists)
easier low speed handling (perhaps due to wider bars? steering damper less noticeable too)
better mirrors (you need to move your elbows on the 800ST)
easier to get up on centerstand
kickstand has bigger footpad (the 800ST is very small)
traction control

A lot of little things which may or may not be important to you.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Tak wrote: My 1200R has the middle height seat and I can put one foot flat and the other almost flat. It has not been a problem. If you do test ride or even sit on one, make sure the preload on the rear suspension is adjusted correctly. That will affect the height.

i highly doubt that preload effects the height of the bike in any way.....................

Graf wrote:

Tak wrote: My 1200R has the middle height seat and I can put one foot flat and the other almost flat. It has not been a problem. If you do test ride or even sit on one, make sure the preload on the rear suspension is adjusted correctly. That will affect the height.

i highly doubt that preload effects the height of the bike in any way.....................

Actually - it does. Read up on static and dynamic preload (AKA "SAG") - they are measurements of the height of the bike unloaded and loaded. They are really critical for good handling and ride comfort.. And they do change the height of the bike.

http://www.eilenberger.net/Suspension/suspension.htm

Tak wrote:I am 5' 8", 130 lbs with 30" inseam.

My 1200R has the middle height seat and I can put one foot flat and the other almost flat. It has not been a problem. If you do test ride or even sit on one, make sure the preload on the rear suspension is adjusted correctly. That will affect the height.

Particularly for your weight (how DO you do that?).. I'd expect for the stock shock you'd want the rear hydraulic preload adjuster fully off. It appears BMW sets the stock shock "normal" position for about a 175lb rider.

I traded a 800ST for the 1200R. The ABS on the 800ST was crap. The brakes would release for what seemed too long a time over rough pavement. Over the same rough pavement, the 1200R (with ABS) does not release. Many 800ST owners do not report this as a problem, but it was one of the major reasons I traded up to the 1200R. I have owned several bikes with ABS and none behaved like the 800ST.

Interesting - never heard this about the 800ST.. but good info!

Other things I like about the 1200R (compared to the 800ST):

less engine heat (the 800ST cooked my left leg)
more nimble
better front suspension (the 800ST dived more during braking and clunked)
better saddle bags (bigger, easier to use with one hand)
more windshield options
more comfort (legroom, less weight on wrists)
easier low speed handling (perhaps due to wider bars? steering damper less noticeable too)
better mirrors (you need to move your elbows on the 800ST)
easier to get up on centerstand
kickstand has bigger footpad (the 800ST is very small)
traction control

A lot of little things which may or may not be important to you.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Yes I have to set the preload a few turns below standard. It helps to carry the saddle bags and some tools, air compressor, etc. The front has no adjustment so it is likely optimized for the standard 175 lb rider. Maybe next year I will try some aftermarket shocks optimized for my weight. Either that or eat more

Even with the stock shocks it is a great ride.

Tak wrote:I am 5' 8", 130 lbs with 30" inseam.

My 1200R has the middle height seat and I can put one foot flat and the other almost flat. It has not been a problem. If you do test ride or even sit on one, make sure the preload on the rear suspension is adjusted correctly. That will affect the height.

I traded a 800ST for the 1200R. The ABS on the 800ST was crap. The brakes would release for what seemed too long a time over rough pavement. Over the same rough pavement, the 1200R (with ABS) does not release. Many 800ST owners do not report this as a problem, but it was one of the major reasons I traded up to the 1200R. I have owned several bikes with ABS and none behaved like the 800ST.

Other things I like about the 1200R (compared to the 800ST):

less engine heat (the 800ST cooked my left leg)
more nimble
better front suspension (the 800ST dived more during braking and clunked)
better saddle bags (bigger, easier to use with one hand)
more windshield options
more comfort (legroom, less weight on wrists)
easier low speed handling (perhaps due to wider bars? steering damper less noticeable too)
better mirrors (you need to move your elbows on the 800ST)
easier to get up on centerstand
kickstand has bigger footpad (the 800ST is very small)
traction control

A lot of little things which may or may not be important to you.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

TAK, I have had my F800ST since March and it has around 7500 miles on it now. I like the bike enough to want to stay in the BMW family, but have been wafting back and forth for a couple of months about the R1200R. The looks of the F800 are more in line with the modern BMW look; I prefer the F800's look - but (for me) it's a bear to handle in the garage and I'm often worry about dropping the F800 when stopped or moving it. Once rollling however, it's a very nice bike, gets excellent mileage, is fun in the twisties and reasonable for touring (depending on the seat option).

F800riders.org is a great users forum for those interested. There has been a lot of discussion about the ABS on the F800's and a great deal of the inputs are unfavorable. The ABS on the R1200R is supposed to be a LOT better. There have been a lot of recalls and service issues on the early bikes that seem to have been rectified in more recent production. Apparently the engine and transmission tolerances are so loose that no two sound alike, but they all sound like a bag of loose hammers and melodic is NOT an adjective used to describe the exhaust note of the standard silencer. The F800 does tend to warm your left leg, it has a serious dive with even normal braking, and the mirrors are best at checking your elbows.

Still, I'd keep the bike until the warranty expires IF it didn't seem so top heavy. There seems to be some disagreement in this thread about how the R1200R and the F800St compare in this area and this is critical to me. I'm ready to order a 2009 if I could just convince myself that it would be easier to handle at zero mph. I did try one at a dealer (demo rides are just not available here) and it seemed significantly more manageable, but the tank was empty and that did concern me. 30 pounds at the top of the bike HAS to be detrimental to the handling, and I would really kick myself to spend the extra money for no improvement.

If only I could get a ride on one....since that isn't an option, I have to depend on the commnets, expertise, and wisdom of this panel of R1200R riders.

I'm open to absorb whatever you can tell me. It's becoming a very difficult decision, especially when all I can do is sit on the 2008 model.

I'll just comment - being short of leg (actually as far as I'm concerned - a normal inseam - for the 18th century).. the R1200R is a much easier bike to handle at any speed. If you can try it - give the low-seat/low-suspension a try (if they have one) - I think you'll feel quite comfortable on it. There is a reason so many of us here are nutty over these bikes, and putting miles on them like we've never done on other bikes..

WELL-- PER CORBIN SEATS AS OF LAST WEEK-- THEY CAN GET MY SEAT HIEGHT DOWN TO 29.5 INCHES AS COMPARED TO LOW PROFILE SEAT OF 30.3--------------- SO IN MY CASE THAT 3/4 OF AN INCH IS WORTH IT-- A BETTER LOOKIN, BETTER RIDIN SEAT , AN BETTER LOWER SEAT HIEGHT. CANT BEAT THAT COMBO.... IT AINT A RICK MAYER BUT IT AINT TWICE THE PRICE EITHER... CHARCOAL GRAY LEATHER WITH BLACK PIPING,, NARROWED NOSE-- FOR EVEN BETTER GRIP WITH THE LEGS.. MY BUTTS FEELING BETTER ALREADY-- I 'M HERE TO TELL YOU-- AINT A USED REPLACEMENT LOW PROFILE SEAT --STOCK- TO BE FOUND. IM PICKIN UP THE R12 IN A FEW HRS NEW CONTI RAOD ATTACK- I GOT 5000 OUTTA THE BRIDGESTONE,, NEW BATTTERY, NEW UPDATE PROGRAM, INSTALLED THE FRT BRAKE RECALL,, NOW IF WUNDER OR HORNIG WOULD JUST MAKE A CHROME AN NOT A BRUSHED SET OF TELE-LEVER END CAPS AN FRAME CAPS.

I'm 5'6" and I've just bought the R1200R with standard seat...I'm fine
with the lower seat it is lower so I'm pretty sure that you don't need to lower the suspension....

I have had bikes in the past where a full vs. empty tank of gas was noticeable, especially lifting it off the sidestand and at low speed (98 Triumph Sprint comes to mind). In my opinion, the 1200R is not too bad in this repsect. I would say it is still easier to push around the garage than the 800ST. The wider and higher bars on thwe 1200R may help in this repect.

The 800ST carries the battery, radiator and coolant resevior up top while the 1200R battery is below the seat and its oil cooler is smaller than the radiator on the 800ST. Maybe this helps compensate for the location of the gas tanks, as far as how they feel pushing them around the garage.

Maybe the dealer could give you a call when they have a 1200R in for service and let you push it around? With the owner's permission of course. You could even offer to fill the tank to return the favor. Just a thought.

Correction to my last post.

I should have said the oil cooler on the 1200R is located down low compared to the radiator on the 800ST being mounted higher. They are roughly the same size - for some reason I was thinking of the 1200GS.

Been a long time since I last visited my favorite site.
I've since had a Triumph ST, two Bonnevilles, and an FZ1 since selling my much loved '01Roadster. Memories linger.... of friends, of bikes, and of places seen from aboard my R1150Ra.

I recently bought another bike, and it may well be the single tallest, least comfortable, SEXIEST machine ever to grace my 24" inseam. And at 54 & 5' 2", this is going to be a very short love affair.
But when I heard about a factory lowered GS, my interest was piqued. When I was approached by Dirk (of Cycle Specialties in Modesto, CA) about a new lowered F800GS, I felt a bit put off by BMW. "Why not a factory lowered street bike, a Roadster ferinstance?!?" Dirk pointed to an RT with the $200 'low option',
and I sat on it,
and it was goooood (!!!).

I'm detailing the below pictured bike, I put red pinstripes on the wheels this morning, then took it in to have the bulging coolant hoses replaced (and brake/clutch/radiator fluids). What power, what sound (coming outa the Arrow can), what a sexy machine in Italian Red! But nothing can be done to make the bars easier to reach, and paying $700+- to lower the internals of the suspension is for naught if I can't reach the bars..... I'll hafta sell it before I drop it.

Pleeeease A&S of Roseville, pleeease Modesto, pleeease Mountain View, get a lowered version of the R1200R and tempt me. I am soooo in need of a bike this eternally young kid(trapped in the body of an old troll) can comfortable mount, then spank youngsters on their rockets from, through the canyons of Northern California.

ON A SIDE NOTE:
I sat on a lowered F800ST at the motorcycle show and was actually able to put the toes of BOTH my feet on the carpeted display floor. Only problem is, between my 215 pounds burdening the factory springs, pot-hole plagued California roads, and thinking that I know how to ride..... I'd be dragging ALL SORTS of hard parts and starting California wild fires from the sparks trailing behind me.

I can only hope that BMW did a better job with the Roadster 1200.


My impulse purchase.... on an empty stomach.... having been taken in by it's beauty: