R 1150rt

[Doug Zielke]

Any Pelicans have one?
Please share your "road test".

[motion]

Hey Doug,

I don't have one.. but do have an 1150GS and just sold my R1100S. A buddy has an '03 R1150RT, which I've ridden for many hours. Bottom line: I think its the best "sport" tourer on the market. Plenty of horsepower, good fuel economy, great ergonomics, personality. Its probably not as good a touring bike as a Gold Wing, but when the road gets twisty, you'll be glad you're not on a big pig. Only downside I can think of is the relatively short maintenance interval, 6000 miles. But that's only suggested, and valve adjustments and oil changes are fairly easy on BMWs.

[Doug Zielke]

Thank you, Richard.
I guess there might be something good, as the R1150RT was picked by Cycle World in their top ten, 3 years running.

[john70t]

Off the topic subject- "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" was a good read and an inspiration for touring and on-the-fly repair.
I had a full-fairing Honda 750 which I wish I'd taken on the road way back when and was impressed the one time I rode a BMW 1975(?) 75R. Nice low center of gravity and like being on a steerable train.

[Doug Zielke]

"Zen and the Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig (?)

I struggled through it many, many years ago. If you had a head full of acid, and could still focus your eyes, I guess it might be readable.

Pirsig's son (who is prominent in the book) lost his mind, and killed himself some years after the book came out.

[Superman]

Yeah I read the book too. I also toured on the SOHC Honda 750. Many times. Hwy 101 was a magical place thirty years ago and I can still remember waking up on the beach. I want to go back there.

Harleys look and sound the coolest, and BMW's have historically been among the ugliest. But just like aesthetics are immaterial in racing, so they are in touring if your focus is performance. BMW touring bikes are probably overall the best on the planet. The HO twins were always the lightest in their class by a longshot, their center of gravity makes them handle like a dirt bike when necessary, and the torque and smoothness are phenomenal. They always out-pulled everything else from 60 mph in high gear. And then there's the German reliability and functionality. Those old twins are all still running. I've never heard of a problem with these machines. Go figure.

I'm guessing the R1150RT is a water pumper but in my humble view, a BMW bike is a smart bet sight unseen.

[Doug Zielke]

Originally posted by Superman

I'm guessing the R1150RT is a water pumper ....

No, Jim, the "R" Beemers are air/oil cooled (just like god intended them to be). It's the "K" models that have wasser in their veins.

The R1150RT:

[Superman]

Ooooo. Oooooo-ooooooo. Ohhhh! Whoa!!!!

Now that's my idea of a motorcycle built to go the distance. And I take back what I said about BMW twins being ugly. Sure does not apply to that picture.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I rode an R1100S and felt let down...no torque at all at low RPMs, and buzzy in the high RPMs when it starts to make HP. Never stalled out so often at stoplights as I did when I first swung a leg over that bike. Plus the foot accomodations were cramped for my size-13 (well, size 48 Euro) boots. Is the RT or GS tuned differently?

The K bikes are just too buzzy for me (I've sworn off all I4 engines on that principle). I'd really love a R90s someday.

LOL, Doug on "Zen". Years ago I struggled 3/4 of the way through and just gave up. Wound up reading a bunch of Asimov stuff instead. Much more interesting anyway!

[Superman]

Agreed. Asimov is most excellent.

[vash]

Isaac Asimov! embarrassingly that is the person that re-introduced me to reading. before that, i was a kid reading "big red" and other outdoor story books. that robot series is amazing!

back to motorbikes. i cant really stand harleys. the beemer bike is better looking than a goldwing, but for any ironbutt riding i am going with the big honda.

[motion]

Blue,

The R1100S is a bit buzzy... that's one of the reasons I sold mine. The RT and GS bikes are tuned differently, and don't buzz nearly as much. 04 bikes came with twin-plug heads, wich also reduce buzzing.

The RT is a wonderful bike. It has a great pulsing-twin feel to it.

[Doug Zielke]

Well, seeing as how I'm on the verge of RT ownership, I've been doing my homework....both riding *and* reading.

The latest 1150 RT is quite a different cat than the earlier 1100's.
They now have twin-plug (per cyl.) ignition, which smooths the typical boxer pulses quite a bit.

I have ridden 2 RTs so far; a 2002 and a 2004. The '02 needed a tune-up badly. It surged and had strange vibes. The well-fettled '04 I rode reminded me of my old Moto Guzzi LeMans...vibration present, but not intruding on the enjoyment of the ride.

Reading RT owners web forums, has taught me that accurate synchronization of the EFI throttle bodies is *critical* to smoothness.
A great many owners complain about EFI surge, but that is said to be eliminated by careful tuning.
I work with Harleys, and they have a very good EFI system (Delphi).
But, even they will get rough when things get out of whack.

For now, my '96 (carb) Road King is still in the garage....for now.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

The '02 surge may or may not be fixable by anything BMW can do (or will admit they can do). Have a look at some back issues of MCN about it...many, many people wrote BMW about this problem and the general response from BMW was "It must be your incompetence at riding because nothing could possibly be wrong with one of our perfectly-engineered German motorcycles."

[Doug Zielke]

RT Update:
Rode a pristine (sano?) '02 R 1150 RT today.
Silver as a beemer should be.
Smooth as silk. Only 5500 miles on the clock, c/w extended factory warranty. Flawless cosmetics.
Owner is a mental case perfectionist. Like me.

I moved my H-D Road King over to one side of the garage, to make some room. I think the RT is coming home.

[Drago]

Originally posted by Doug Zielke
I moved my H-D Road King over to one side of the garage, to make some room. I think the RT is coming home.

Nice choice Doug. I've considered the RT as well but when I get back on the bike I hope to pick up a '02 or newer GS (I fit better).

[nostatic]

pristine would be the adjective, not sano, assuming you're talking about the condition of the bike. "Sano" means well designed/well executed.

[motion]

Todd - What planet are you from? Sano means sanitary, as in clean, cool.

Doug - You'll love it! Post some pics when you get that dork-mobile in your garage

I'm scoring a Road King Custom in Sept when the 05s hit the dealers. Black. I like em!

[nostatic]

must be a different planet (as usual). My experience with the word comes from the mtb world, where sano would be used to describe a bike build or installation/routing of something. It could be called "clean" or "sano", but it was always used to describe something well done as opposed to something in very good condition.

ymmv...

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I'm with Todd on "sano"--both on bicycles and motorcycles.

Have fun with the Bimmer (or is it Beamer) Doug! Don't wear down the hero pegs too much.