New Rider/new R1200rt....

[JRESURF]

Hello... Thought I would give my story to those who care... I am "that guy" that blew up the K1200GT forum with the "CAN A NEW RIDER HANDLE A GT" thread on the Next Generation GT forum here....
After months of consideration and getting my license through the MSF course in Virginia I took the plunge and decided to buy the 2008 R1200RT from my local BMW dealer and until today I could not have been happier.... My story begins by deciding to get into motorcycling around April 2008 and taking the MSF course and getting my motorcycle license at the end of May 2008. I have always been fascinated by BMW motorcycles as being one of the most popular and comfortable rides around. So I decided to start researching the sport touring models. I immediately became SURE that the K1200GT Blue 2008 which I saw at my local dealer was the bike for me. After a few months of researching and trying to figure out exactly what it was I wanted in a bike was hard only being able to borrow friends bikes and not be able to test ride a bike at the BMW dealer; probably because I let them know my experience level honestly and that just about seals the NO RIDE law for the test ride option.... So anyway I had to base my decision mostly on what other people experienced on the bikes and how I felt as I sat on the motorcycle itself. Initial impression the riding position of the GT felt quite uncomfortable as you are slightly leaning forward. However, when I sat on the RT the position just felt RIGHT! Perfectly comfortable and exactly what I was most concerned with. Well, eventually I decided to take advantage of the end of year sale and pull the trigger on the R1200RT 2008 model which was the last R12RT left at my local dealer before the 09's came out....
The bike was delivered on Wednesday and I had about 15 minutes with it before I had to leave for vacation with the family and leave my brand spanking new RT in the garage.... Well, I basically was only messing with 1st and 2nd gear during that first 15 minutes in my neighborhood (as bike was delivered trailer from the dealer since it was 40 miles away and I am a beginner I wanted more experience b4 hitting highway).
Well, today and back from vacation I took the RT out around the neighborhood about 6 times getting a complete feel for 1-2-3 gears and getting comfortable with up/downshifting on the new bike (safety is NUMBER 1 for me and I want to safe and confident at the same time) before venturing out on the larger roadways. Well, after getting out on the road ways I have to say I TRULY love this bike and am VERY glad I decided to go with the BMW R1200RT as my first bike. Many recommended I start out on a smaller less powerful bike to get used to all the experience levels of motorcycling before move to the R1200RT series bike but I feel VERY confident with the bike and very excited about learning more each day as I ride this bike. Now, mind you at my 600 mile service I will DEFINITELY be getting the engine guards/protectors installed in case the bike were to fall over. I am extremely CAREFUL how the bike is handled for this very reason and from what I have read experience level does not seem to make a whole lot of difference as to whether someone drops a bike as ANYONE can accidentally let a bike get away from them and drop....
Anyway, as my riding career on the R12RT is finally getting seriously started I look forward to following this forum more closely and becoming as familiar as I can with my bike and everything people are experiencing out there on theirs RTs....
V/R
Jed
:bmw:

PS - WHAT A BIKE!!!! :dance:

[PMitchell]

Jed,
Glad you came to a decision that you can build on. After starting to ride after a 20 year hiatus on my K75, I stepped up the adventure with a trip to Spain & France and a tour of the Pyrenees. IMT Bike (http://www.imtbike.com/index.asp) gave me a new R1200RT for a week and I was in LOVE! :D

When I returned home with 1200 miles of great mountain riding under my belt I started to look for an RT. Unfortunately a hardly ridden LT fell out of the sky and almost into my lap. Couldn't turn down the deal! :yeah:

If I had room for another bike it would be an RT.

Enjoy and Ride Like You Stole It! :dance:

[jpalamaro]

Nice choice by the way. I started late in life (2003) at 63 years old (almost 68 now), and have ridden LT's, HD's, Sport bikes, GS's, and RT's. You will not be disappointed. My one suggestion, other than seat time is get this DVD.

www.ridelikeapro.com No reason to be fearful of low-speed maneuvers.

Good luck.

[JRESURF]

Thanks for the inputs and advice.... Over the summer I read Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough... (reccomended by someone on this forum) Very good tips and advice for someone green starting off looking for the dos and don'ts.... I will check out the video as well... Seems you can NEVER have enough knowledge on things to avoid and practice...
Thanks again!
Jed

[jpalamaro]

The reason I put the tip, 'Ride Like A Pro' is IMO most 'drops' are at very slow speeds. And, nothing more intimidating than a narrow street and have to do the dreaded U-turn. Most motormen (police) practice this stuff ad nauseum. Also, IMO, the MSF class has so much to cover that little time is spent maneuvering a bike at slow speeds. Good luck, the 30 bucks or so is very well spent, and while you may not be an expert immediately, practice will make perfect (or at least improvement).

Also, just a tip re: the dry clutch on the RT as opposed to a wet clutch. Do not slip the clutch too, too much and give it time to cool. But, here's a technique that works for some: the RT will idle at about 7 mph, a tad fast for really slow speed maneuvers. Some of the motormen riding RT-P cycles, rather than feathering/slipping the clutch practice a technique of modulating the clutch on/off to achieve the slow speed. Apparently less hard than slipping. Good luck!

[Stixx]

I came off a 30 year hiatus last year and got back in the hunt. I chose to buy used and having dropped it once , glad I did buy used. I now know what not to do for dropping and pulled the trigger on the new Rt as well. The old R model was the perfect learning tool and now that I can appreciate the refinement of the newer r12rt I appreciate it all the more. Good riding and be safe. Remember , you are invisable and your only weapon is accelleration and braking and visual alertness. Don't let your guard down for a second .

Sorry that sounds preachy. Good luck and safe riding.

All the best

Stixx

[ranks]

Welcome to the world of BMW cycling.

Just re-read every post in the other thread.
Most were not concerned about you dropping the bike, as much as getting into an accident.

You feel in control on the BMW because it is such a good bike. You can actually develop bad habits on a BMW, get on another bike with traditional forks, and about loose it in a corner.

Throttle control, breaking, awareness, picking good lines, and accident avoidance come with experience.

Reading books is a great start, but reading a clymers doesn't make you a mechanic.

As long as you keep your quest for knowledge, to learn more, and a healthy dose of respect and fear of what might happen, you can do fine.

Some people have no problems with a big bike as their first, but they are definately the minority, not the majority.

Sorry for the preaching, just trying to show some concern for a new rider.

Once again welcome, and you will LOVE the RT.

[JRESURF]

Thanks again for the suggestions and advice. I never consider good advice or tips as preaching by any means. In fact I have learned a lot by asking what may appear as stupid questions, but what I have learned getting into this NO question is stupid if it makes a difference on the road on a motorcycle. I know I am new and will take every post and every suggestion seriously.
Luckily I live in the perfect community for learning to ride a motorcycle. It is basically a 3.5 mile circle with a speed limit of 35 with one straight stretch that goes about 3/4 mile at 45. I have 1 4 way intersection in the middle of the community and many inner neighborhoods I can practice coming up to a stop sign and making U-turns in culdasacs. It is actually very nice and there are times I can ride the circle in traffic and there are times I can almost be solely alone making the circle. This has given me a chance to practice downshifting coming up to the stop light in both scenarios. The more I ride it and the more I practice the slow cornering and slow uturns the more comfotable I am becoming with my bike. Now granted I have only been doing this about 1.5 hours a day for the past few days and soon I will venture to bigger roads, but my point being is that it is nice to have the area to practice getting a GOOD feeling for how the bike will handle in certain scenarios. Also, i can leave my neighborhood make a right and less than 1/2 a mile there is a 3 mile stretch of interstate I can try when I am ready for greater speeds. At the end of the 3 mile stretch I exit into the other side of my neighborhood. Pretty cool! Main point is safety is utterly important and I am beginning more to understand why a lot of people say confidence and saftey need to go hand in hand. Always more to learn and I am excited about every minute of it.
Thanks!
Jed

PS - I am not one of those guys you will see doing 110 on the interstate on a crotch rocket in a tank top, shorts and flip flops.... :rolleyes: