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

Like many readers of this forum I have been wanting to improve the weather and wind protection on my wonderful 2009 R1200R which is fitted with a stock BMW "sports" windshield. I have been reading the many threads and posts on options for windshields for the R1200R, and wondering whether a better (but much more expensive!) solution would be to trade up to a R1200RT. The problem with that idea, apart from the cost, is that there are so many things I like about the R1200R, and I am not at all sure that I would be entirely happy with the "upgrade". On the other hand, there is a chance that I could go up the whole R1200R windshield learning curve, and then decide to trade for an RT because the result wasn't what I was after. 

So, I went to a dealer in a semi-rural area and took a 30 minute test ride on a 2010 camhead R1200RT SE to help me make up my mind. 

I am not presenting this as a review of the RT; I don't have the experience or expertise to do that properly, and in any case it would be silly to try to write a review on the basis of a 30 minute ride (I bet it has been done though...). However, I think there must be quite a few of you out there who ride a R1200R and are thinking about the same issue as I am. You might be interested in the impressions I gained from that short ride, having spent 35000 km on a R1200R but never having ridden an RT before. 

The location of the dealer I used is ideal for test riding, since in the 30 minutes I was allowed with the RT I could take it on a freeway, on a winding road and on a rough bitumen country road. On starting the RT and riding it slowly out of the dealer's driveway it was immediately obvious that it shook noticeably less at idle than my R1200R. I was soon on the freeway at the 110km/h speed limit, and fiddling with the adjustable windshield. With the windshield at its highest setting I could feel and hear the airflow hitting the top of my helmet, above the visor. If I hunched down just a little there was no wind hitting my helmet (I am 5 feet 11.5 inches tall, and I don't know what my inseam is). The RT's seat was at its highest setting. I could still see over the top of the fully raised windshield. I was surprised how much the windshield shook in the turbulence generated by cars. 

With the windshield all the way down my helmet was in clean air following the rising profile of the lowered windshield. My shoulders were mostly out of the wind regardless of the windshield position. My hands, legs and boots were also out of the wind. I think with the seat in the normal (middle) position I would be almost completely shielded from wind and weather from head to foot on this bike, which would be great in winter and in rain, but I am not so sure how I would like it in an Australian summer. 

To my surprise I thought the vibration level of the RT, as felt through my hands, my butt and my feet, was about the same as, or even a bit more than, my R1200R. I recently carried out a very careful valve and throttle body adjustment on my bike, which made a big difference to the vibration levels, and maybe the dealer demo bike needed a bit of adjustment. Power and torque seemed much the same to me, except that the RT would pull happily from about 2000 rpm, whereas my R1200R prefers to stay above 2500. 

I found the speedo, tacho and the digital display panel of the RT significantly harder to see in varying angles of sunlight than the equivalents on my bike. Perhaps this was partly because I was unused to the RT's instruments. 

On the winding section of road (familiar to me over several years) I felt immediately confident riding at speeds similar to what I would have used on my R1200R. I don't push things too hard in corners, and I don't think the extra bulk of the RT would limit the fun I have on that sort of road. Regarding the relative comfort of the two bikes, 30 minutes on the RT wasn't long enough for me to comment.

The most striking contrast between the two bikes was evident when riding home on the freeway on my R1200R immediately after returning the RT. I felt like I was sitting in a hurricane, and could feel wind on my legs and even down the sides of my boots. The change from the RT to the R1200R was much more noticeable than the other way around. 

So, those were my impressions of getting off a familiar R1200R and getting on an RT, and then going back again. I didn't get off the RT feeling that I had to have one. I thought it was a great bike, but then so is my R1200R. I haven't fully decided yet, but I think I am going to join the windshield fiddling club, starting with a tall Cee Bailey and a tilt block.

Cheers,
Peter

Install the tilt block, then follow the measuring instructions on the Cee Bail's web site to determinbe what size to order. I believe you will be very happy with the result, right out of the box... and no fiddling.

Bruce

Hi Peter !

Good report on the RT vs. the RR.

I agree that you should try the tilt block / windscreen mod that most of us have tried. It makes things quite nice. I am using a tilted CalSci Tall screen and it is very comfortable ride for long periods at speed. I am basically the same height as you, and have a 30" inseam.

I find that handling on the RT is pretty much the same as the RR in twisties, only real difference being the adjustable suspension on the RT is nice to play with, but I generally do not fool with my RR suspension much since I got it dialed in. I am actually thinking hard about doing an upgrade this summer with Wilburs shocks as the OEM stuff is getting a bit unsettled at times.

As to the cost difference, I have discovered, as many of us, that when you add all the usual stuff to the RR, it is very, very close to the cost of the RT. This particular situation is probably why the RR is not selling in great numbers, and is a rare sight to see anywhere.

You have discovered one of the "problems" that the RT has: The wind protection is so good, that in a hot climate (I am in south Louisiana: 95 degree / 90 percent humidity in summers!) it is a very uncomfortable ride. The RR is much more comfortable in our conditions, and why I probably would not "upgrade" (sidegrade ??). Winters are easy with proper gear and electric liners. I have the Throttlemeister cruise control, so have that covered also.

In all, I still love the RR as much as the day I first became a test ride victim. It does everything I care to do quite well, is easy to work on and generally a hoot to ride anytime.

I have to admit that I have been playing with a GS Adventure at our dealership lately. The beast is delightfully agile in twisties, has a huge gas tank that acts like the fairing on the RT, and the ride is very nice with the long suspension travel. Actually I would probably consider the Adventure now, before the RT.

I'm getting back into BMW bikes after a two-year hiatus - I had a 2002 R1150R with a large CalSci windshield that I absolutely loved. I, too, am just under 6 ft tall with a 30" inseam. I've test driven the R1200RT at my local BMW dealer, but when I order my new "Beelzebeemer" later this month, I've pretty much decided it's going to be the R rather than the RT, equipped with an extra-large CalSci windshield (NOT that dinky little Sportshield). I simply had too much fun with the 1150R. Maybe my future trips out to Iowa or Knoxville, TN (from my southcentral Pennsylvania home) to visit kids and grandkids would be a bit more comfortable on an RT, but most often my riding will be local tooling around on rural roads. So, "Beelzebeemer
II" will be an R1200R in matte metallic grey. It will be my (second) retirement, so I'll have lots more time for riding once I'm out of the high school classroom for good.

I went from an RT to an R, and the new bike will never be an RT. I have the Cal Sci extra tall windscreen and the tilt block. The extra weight of the RT was noticeable. The electric tilt on the RT is critical, because the resistance at full height at interstate speeds makes the bike less stable. The R bike gets down in the twisties better if you really want to go with high revs.

Has anyone had experience with the R1200GS? If so how would you compare it to our beloved R?

xcell1600 wrote:Has anyone had experience with the R1200GS? If so how would you compare it to our beloved R?

Bloated.

xcell1600 wrote:Has anyone had experience with the R1200GS? If so how would you compare it to our beloved R?

The GS is more plush riding due to the long suspension travel. If you put lowered shocks on it, it is a very nice balance between sporty handling and plush ride (even with shorter shocks, it has a ton of travel). A very nice long-distance bike. With the right windscreen (Aeroflow), it can be RT-smooth at high speed, but without the big dorky lower fairing.

I had a GS and R in my garage side-by-side for several months. It was a hard choice, but I kept the R partly due to the fact that you don't see any. I see a GS or two every time I go for a ride. I like having a bike that isn't that common. I also came to dislike looking down at all the plastic on the GS. The R is one of the last bikes around with a proper metal tank.

But, truth be told, the GS is a better long-distance bike, it carries a passenger better and it is nearly as sporty as an R. But -- it really needs a lowered suspension. It's just too damned tall, even for 6' drivers.