2005 or 2007, servo or non servo

[dand2]

Hi,

I am still trying to decide between the st1300 and the bmw. Which bike has a more upright position? I know risers are available for both. I would hate to buy either one to find out none of the risers help. I am 5'4 and have a short reach and don't care to lean forward too much. The RT felt more upright but hard to tell.


Also, I am looking at a used rt1200 2005 with 3500 miles. Should I be concerned with buying a 2005 over a new one? I didn't care for the servo noise myself, but just can't see spending 18k when there is a used one with everything the new one has. The used 2005 they are asking 12999. Is that a good price? Also I know one disadvantage would be the lack of warranty...I am a bit nervous with reliability going to a german bike. I went through the same thing when I bought my first german car recently..

I am confused..lol The 30 min test rides just do not help.. :dance:

[brianbeemer]

There is no servo noise until you operate the brake, at least not on mine, and if it is noisy there's something wrong! At worst you should hear a whirring of the motor, and it should be smooth.

Check Kelly's for used prices - http://www.kbb.com but that price sounds pretty reasonable as a forecourt price. Depends on what options the bike has.

[dand2]

It has a sort of high pitched whine, it gets louder as you step on the brake more. Only does it when stopped. At first I did not know what it was. Sounds like it is normal then..

As for options, it has ESA, heated grips, no heated seat. Trip computer, ABS, cruise control, elec windshield, all the standard options..







There is no servo noise until you operate the brake, at least not on mine, and if it is noisy there's something wrong! At worst you should hear a whirring of the motor, and it should be smooth.

Check Kelly's for used prices - http://www.kbb.com but that price sounds pretty reasonable as a forecourt price. Depends on what options the bike has.

[ATDRS]

Buy an extended warranty and check that it covers seals, this for the 05.
Although I now ride an 07 the brakes on my 05 were never any problem and were powerful.
3 or 4 year extended warranty should cost $900 to a &1000. Negotiate.

[Tom_K]

I'd agree with Tim. Equipped like the '05, the '07 would spec out at over $20,000; so even paying another grand for a warranty the '05 is a great deal especially at that low mileage. Except for the optional TPS and ASC on the '07, the two bikes are identical, other than the brake assist - which will become second nature to you within a month.

[dand2]

Decisions decisions... :confused: I wish there were some r1200rt near me with risers on them so I can see how they would fit me. Also, I am concerned about the maintenance schedule. The bmw dealer is about 40 miles from me. Thats a long way to go if I have to get the bike to the dealer for repairs. I hear a lot of stories online about the final drive...I wonder how common of a problem that is. I mean you can find tons of info on it, but are we just hearing about a small number...

Dan

[ATDRS]

My dealer is about 75 miles away. I enjoy the ride there.
If the worst occurred a 5 mile trailering is still just one loading and one unloading same as a 75 mile tow.
My free, worthless advice; Concentrate on how much joy you will get while riding not the possibility of a breakdown or a known maintainance appointment.
If you are going to worry about all that can go wrong then buy a car with a spare tire and a roof to hide under while awaiting the tow.
Sorry for the rant but it seems that on all of the motorcycle forums we turn into harbingers of doom. This is not meant to discourage anyone for being prepared..
You have two great choices and can hardly go wrong. :)

[dand2]

Well i don't dwell on the doom. But when spending 13k I think about it more....to me the ST1300 sounds like a better deal, but then the rt in my opinion looks better and has more farkles etc..:) Their both a bit tall for me and it's hard for me to compare the two as far as handle bar height etc. Which makes purchasing a tough decision. Just dropped my bike off with the buyer so now I am bikeless and my anxiety is getting the best of me.:) My biggest fear is spending 13k and not able to get the bike to fit me. I do think about the fact that my bmw dealer is 40 miles away, it isn't an easy 40 miles either, I have to drive through Philadelphia and then into NJ to get there..:) LOTS of traffic. I can always rent a trailer etc to tow it there if i ever had to. I think the same about the ST, what if....my Honda dealer is less than a mile from me. But there are things about the ST I wish it had that the RT has....I think BMW and Honda should jointly build a sport tourer..:) I go look at the kawasaki concour tomorrow. So the search continues....

Being a 2005 i would imagine there is only a year left for the warranty....so at least if I did go with the BMW I have a year of covered protection....hmmmm....:)

[ATDRS]

I went from an 05 ST1300 to an 05 RT.
The ST is a fine bike and if I was using a m/c as my transportation I would pick the Honda, if I could make it fit me that is. See, I have no sympathy for you because there a lot of bikes that I cannot even begin to fit as I am 6'6". You have many more to pick from.
IMHO the ST is a great motor/transmission. But that was about it for me.
The first mile of a test ride on the R12RT, which was not available when I bought the ST, convinced me that the BMW suspension was worlds better as far as quality was concerned.
The RT makes me look like a better rider than I feel that I am due to this. Plus it just fits better.
The ST is a fine machine. And if the heat and handling are OK with you then it will work well. The suspension can be vastly improved for just a little dosh if need be.
The RT has more character, and vibes, but IMHO is a better road bike.
By the way, all of this opinion is absolutely free :histerica .

[dand2]

Ok I am 5'4ish and not many bikes fit me..so I think we are even with the whole not fitting on bikes thing..:) The only bikes I feel almost right with are cruisers and even then I tend to feel like I am reaching...or the pegs are some times too far forward for my legs.. I guess pretty much any bike I buy I will have to tailor to fit me. I will NOT buy another cruiser right now as I am sick of cleaning the chrome

When it comes to these sport tourers there are only so much u can do with the handlebars for me to be able to reach. Either my wrists get sore or my lower back gets sore. Test riding both the honda and bmw my wrists got sore. Of course it could only be a temporary issue. But again, spending a lot of money to find out i can't get the bike to work. LOL I guess i will just have to take the plunge on one and see how the ride goes. I like the farkles that the bmw have but i can easily put the same on the st as well. I may even be able to get the RT for less than 13...13 is his asking price...

If i go the RT, and lets just say i need to lower the suspension, that wont happen with the 05 as it has esa. hmm....lol i feel like i am playing tennis with myself. I hit the ball run to the other side hit it back over. An 05 RT is 13k an 07 ST is 13 and change...hmm What I need is to do another test ride but I think the dealers are getting annoyed with me. The BMW is actually being sold at a used motorcycle dealer, not a BMW dealer. He has no history on the maintenance done up to the 3500 miles.

Dan

[Effjay]

Last Saturday, I rode (the FJR) 225 miles roundtrip to look at a used private party 2006 model (built Sept 05) with just 3600 (I didn't forget a zero) miles. The seller and I could have come to terms, but the full-zoot 2007 unit I tested at my local dealer open house last April reminded me how much I think I would really prefer "normal", non-servo brakes. So Sunday I viewed a full-zoot 2007 RT 200 miles round trip in the other direction (funny because my local dealer is just 6 miles up the hill!). Today I found another full-zoot RT even more appealing. If all goes well, I'll be RT mounted Saturday and the FJR will be on the block!

Jeff

[dand2]

You guys are lucky u get to rent BMW's out there. Out here on the east coast we get a 30 min ride around the block that is escorted. Hard to get a good idea of how the bike rides.

[brianbeemer]

Dan, Try another dealer. Second Wind BMW in NH gave me the bike and said 'see you later'. Doesn't help you much as you're in PA, but not all dealers are the same. Reading your posts, though, I'd have to say that to me it looks like you're trying to talk yourself out of the purchase, not in. If we all thought about all the negatives before we bought anything the economy would collapse!

You can guarantee that *something* will go wrong with any bike. I've been lucky with my r1100r as the only thing that has broken so far was the speedo cable, and I put that down to the dealer putting a kink in it at 18k miles during the service. I now do my own servicing - the twins are easy. How is the Honda for self servicing? Much harder, I'll bet. A 40 mile ride to a dealer is nothing - enjoy the ride! How much time do you think your bike is going to spend there anyway? My 1100 has spent 6 days in the dealer in 7 years, and a few days in my garage having oil changes and a 24k service; my 1200RT goes for its 600 service next week - for 1 day.

What exactly do you want? And what do you want it for? If you just want a bike for commuting I wouldn't necessarily choose a boxer twin - they are wide. There are hundreds of bikes on the market and it sounds like you haven't figured out which one you really want - or need. The 1200RT is a big bike - it looks big, it feels big when you sit on it. If you don't think you'll be able to handle it, get something else.

[dand2]

I want a tourer but no chrome, not a cadillac. A sport tourer fits the bill...almost. My bike I just sold weighed almost 800 pounds. Both the rt and st13 feel like mopeds..lol as far as weight goes. So the size is no problem, I prefer larger bikes. I like the way they feel and handle, especially on the highway. I do a lot of short rides, but a couple times a year do some 500 mile trips. So I want something comfy, yet good on gas. I do like the RT, but I think one of the main things that has me is the price.....I liked the 05, but didn't like the servo noise and not as many options as the 07.... But 18k is way more than I want to spend on a bike.

Honestly for what I am looking for, there aren't many options. There are only a select few. And for plastic bikes which is what I want, NO CHROME. The LT and GW fit the bill, except it's more bike than I need. There is always the victory vision coming out, it doesn't have a ton of chrome, still is has some though.

Not easy decisions when their all bikes that basically meet what I am looking for. At some point hopefully soon I will just take the dive into the one I like the best...which is what I am trying to figure out right now.

Dan

[decompressing]

Speaking as a former ST1300 owner for a year, I finally got p*ssed off with the vague handling issues (on my bike), so I decided to try something else and thats how I came back to owning another BMW (K1200LT)...they are as different as chalk and cheese..

The Honda is a good bike and would be great if it weren't for the risk of buying one with handling issues...now, I know a lot of 1300 owners have been either lucky (or tolerate/accept the handling for what it is) but there are a number of ST1300s around that do exhibit high speed handling issues...I'm talking about 80 to 90mph+ speeds.

In comparison, the K1200LT is steady as rock. It is more comfortable, although for shear speed and handling the ST1300 has it. Having said that, the KLT will surprise plenty of riders if pushed....it depends on what you want...me, I wanted something reasonably fast, decent acceleration and reasonable handling/comfort...with the bemer, I get all that and the comfort is fantastic...the the ST1300 I had speed, great acceleration, reasonable comfort and handling that was questionable...

You pay your money and take your choice...

Marc