Question for R1200RT people, Vibrators?

[hopz]

OK, now that I have your attention. I took a pretty long demo ride today on a '05 R1200RT with about 6k miles on her.

Sales person did not know if it had the 6k service or not.

You can read my longer review here:http://www.k-bikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10726&page=2

What I wanted to ask you guys is about the vibrations. In top gear on the highway at about normal cruise- call it 80mph, there was this annoying vibration- not only in the grips but in the seat.

What is the consensus? Is this just the inherent vibes of the opposed twin, or perhaps it may need a decent throttle body synch? I used to ride a '95 R1100R and it was smoother, but then I did the TBS myself and got it nailed. How do you deal with this or did I just get a bad example of the breed?

Other than this I liked the RT, but it did seem a little down on power... how do you deal with this? Downshifting when needed or what?

Reason I ask is that I have this deep feeling that my passenger would like the RT a lot better than my GT made out of an RS.

Please take this as an honest quest for information, no troll or slam intended.

[johnbeaven]

My '05 R1200RT also has some vibration in the 4-4500rpm rev range. It is only noticeable through the seat when in 3rd or 4th gear. At the 30000km service I mentioned this to the dealer and he told me that this vibration is normal.
For me this is not a problem as I cruise at 110-120kmh (70-75mph). In the lower gears I am accelerating through it - changing up at 4500-5000rpm.

[DanForker]

I have an '05 RT with 12,000 miles on it now. When I first got it I thought the vibration level was a real dissapointment.

It had seveal thousand miles on it when I got it but had not had the 600 mile tune up and wasn't ready for the 6000 mile tune up. I was leaving on an extended road trip and got the BMW mechanic to do both tunes. The difference was amazing. I couldn't believe it, but it wasn't as smooth as the GL1800 that I sold before buying the RT.

From that point to now it just kept getting smoother and the vibration level decreased. In my opinion, getting the valves adjusted and throttle bodies balanced makes all the difference in the world and then the bike just keeps breaking in. I still use a little oil(6 oz to an oil change) so I don't think it's completely run in yet, but I do know that it's as smooth as the GW I had before and a lot more fun to ride. If your bike vibrates too much to be acceptable have the valves re-adjusted and the throttle bodies balanced again and then just be patient. You'll never regret it.


Dan Forker

[cfell]

Worked for me back in the 70s... "Hey, baby, wanna ride on my 650# vibrator?" (foggy Harley Daze.)

[motorman587]

Never noticed either issue. Love my RT for work.

[brianbeemer]

Mine vibrates and whines like a baby - a spoiled brat that is. :mad: It's going in for its 600 service next week so we'll see how well it performs after that. (It has been stored for the past 6 months while I've been in Europe.)

The biggest problem I have is that it sets off SWMBO's tinnitus and if it's not fixed the bike will have to go... :( However, I think it's either the alternator or the drive belt that is causing 99% of the whine problem, so it should be fixable. On other r1200rt's we've ridden she hasn't had any problems.

[RVB1019]

HEE HHEEE,....HEEE..HHEEE... UH...He said vibrator!!!!!!!

http://www.wisopinion.com/blogs/uploaded_images/BeavisButthead-711924.jpg
Sorry, couldn't resist it any longer!

[motoguy128]

Mine got noticeable smoother after the 600 mile service as I thought it might. I think another 5000 miles or so will help smooth it out.

I might still get some heavier bar end weights. I had those on my 1150R and they helped quite a bit. My 1200RT is still almost as smooth without the weights.

[Bheckel169]

I have an 06 1200 RT and have never noticed a vibration at any speed. Interestingly, at my 6,000 mile maintenance, my mechanic told me someone at BMW must have been having a good day. He said my bike was the smoothest one he had ever ridden after the maintenance work.
Bruce