How is the RT with a full size passenger?

[Arby60]

Last year I went to buy a new RT. While I was looking my wife sat on an LT and said that was the one. We got the LT. I have managed to get fairly comfortable with the LT and develop some riding proficiency. The problem is when my wife rides with me, which is only 3-4 times a year, I really struggle. Most issues are when stopping or fast stops and starts. I'm starting to lose my confidence for fear that I might hurt her. She has told me that the passenger seat on the LT is miserable after a while. She has a tendency to slide forward. I would still love to have an RT and was wondering if anyone alse had been through this. I'm sure that others have generously proportioned wives who like to go for rides. I don't want to hurt her feelings, and heaven knows you can't easily talk about weight. So, (1) is it conceivable that she might get comfortable on an RT?, and (2) will the extra weight on the back of an RT be as noticeable as on the LT in handling and controlling the bike? Thank you.

Ray

[tbarstow]

Background: I occasionally have the SO as a passenger on th RT. She's ~120 pounds and 5'4" tall.

Answers:
No, she will not be comfortable on the back of an RT. Its a smaller bike that requires the passenger to sit up and pay attention to the ride.

Yes, any issues you have with carrying a passenger will be magnified on an RT. The ride quality, handling, braking, and acceleration all suffer.

Your riding skills with a passenger will not improve unless you practice them with a passenger. If she doesn't want to practice, she doesn't get to ride.

Look into an aftermarket seat for your LT, they are worth the price.

[BillyOmaha]

Before I would go the RT route, I would get a custom pillion seat and the large passenger foot rests. Nancy, while not a large person, said she didn't want them, but now that she has them, she openly admits to loving them.

The confidence on the LT part will come in time. The LT DEMANDS that you stop it in a straight line and have good footing. Failure to do so will result in a drop a high percentage of the time.

I know that if I gave up the LT, Nancy would not ride with me anywhere near as much.

Good luck with a solution,

[rlv]

Guys, in lieu of all that has been said above.
I have been visiting a goldwing site for the past few months and just the other night I read this post about how much a bike would carry.
This one person stated that the R1200RT was rated to carry more weight than a goldwing.
Hey, I read it twice just to make sure that I did not mis read it.
Maybe someone else can chime in about this that might know.
I do not have a clue, but I did read it.
Also, I have a gal friend, she is a little heavy, I might say top heavy and we ride along just fine.

[jeffdean]

Define "full size."

My wife is 125 lbs. and no problem at all.

If she was 225 lbs., I might be concerned.

[Rock1098]

My wife is petite, 5' even. Definitely not a problem on th LT. But the other day my neice, 5'7 at 150 lbs, damn near made me drop the bike. I am 6'1 and pretty strong, but I couldn't believe how much she affected the handling of the bike. Then I remembered to adjust the shock preload after our first ride. Big difference. I cranked it all the way to full setting, and the ride improved dramatically. As asked before, obvioulsly the heavier the passenger, the more skill you need to balance the ride. Set the bike up for two, it will be a great ride. And practice, practice, practice. There are many threads about better seat replacements if you don't like the stock seats.

[Arby60]

Define "full size."

My wife is 125 lbs. and no problem at all.

If she was 225 lbs., I might be concerned.

Precisely........5'7", 210 lbs. To add further challenge, since she is uncomfortable on the passenger seat, she moves around a lot. Truthfully, it's a tremendous workout for me.

[tbarstow]

Precisely........5'7", 210 lbs. To add further challenge, since she is uncomfortable on the passenger seat, she moves around a lot. Truthfully, it's a tremendous workout for me.


Sounds like your passenger needs some instruction on how to be a passenger.

[ATDRS]

Sounds like your passenger needs some instruction on how to be a passenger.
+1
You may want to try the adjustable passenger footboards before giving up on the LT.
If she can push back with her feet on the boards it will eliminate her sliding forward.

[WildBil]

Just a couple of thoughts -

Did you lift your seat and adjust the rear shock for the heavier load?

Did you open the left luggage and make sure you had the tire pressure to the recommended levels for a fully looaded bike?

That seem to make a lot of difference for me.

With double the load, you really need to be conscious of usual culprits - stop with the wheel straight - try to use the rear brake under 5 mph - pay attention to the surface; both the curve of the road as well as the grit, oil and soon leaves. As always, good riding boots for you help a lot, as does an armored jacket for both of you - that might help your passenger settle in.

And while that extra passenger will take a smidge of that whopping LT 3.5" ground clearance away and makes it easier to scrape the center stand, you can still lean smoothly through ramps and turns. Read David Hough's books again or {sigh} watch Palladion's videos.

Accelleration is not that much different on the LT two-up. It still glides down the highway, and its not meant to be fun in a parking lot.

Above all, "How do you get to the Met.? Practice" :)

[ArthurKnowles]

I'm going to be the voice of contention and disagree totally. Well maybe not totally, but close enough.

I had (just sold it) a fully decked out LT with BMW floorboards, GG Technic armrests, and a Backup backrest (for the driver, but mostly for my wife to give her the secure feeling she was looking for). We took a trip recently. Just 90 minutes away. Both out there and back she had hip pain. Enough that she didn't really enjoy the ride.

On my older RT with a narrower seat she has no such problem. We've been out for 60 ~ 90 minute rides too. It has a stock seat. She does slip a bit on it. In fact she slipped a bit on the LT too, which is why I bought the backrest. She prefers my older RT for short trips in the local area, but I am expecting to buy a newer model 1200RT around the end of the year. Both my wife and daughter prefer the feel of the newer model.

I prefer the RT for everyday riding. No LT will ever change that. The RT weighs close to 300 pounds less. Has higher ground clearance. And is more manuverable that the LT. It also lane splits easily and much more safely than the LT. A key requirement for me.

The reason I had two motorcycles in the first place was that I knew the LT was really only for two-up riding and trips. I did not enjoy the ride as much on the LT as the RT. SUre the LT is a fine machine, and I expect I'll buy one again for longer trips, but this time I know I will need a narrower seat for my wife. If I can't get a custom seat for her, there there will be no LT as I'll have no reason to buy one.

So, if you really want to know which model is best, talk to your dealer and take a test ride. You can often schedule a day long or weekend test ride. Take the wife with you and know, not guess, which is the better ride for what you want to do.

PS: Don Muddleman had a post here a while back for possible armrests for the 1200RT. That and some floorboards could make the RT mcuh more comfortable for a passenger.

[hopz]

My wife and I ride 2-up most of the time... She is not a true wide-body, but lets just say she is not a spring chicken either.

We are both mature people- with the advantage of her being an experienced pillion. She knows how to ride passenger, and what not to do. How does she know this? We talk about it.

We ride an RT... she is quite comfortable... but then I have modified the seat to make her that way... mine too for that matter.

In short- the RT is a great 2-up bike and we both are comfy on the long haul. It is our touring bike of choice.

[Arby60]

My wife and I ride 2-up most of the time... She is not a true wide-body, but lets just say she is not a spring chicken either.

We are both mature people- with the advantage of her being an experienced pillion. She knows how to ride passenger, and what not to do. How does she know this? We talk about it.

We ride an RT... she is quite comfortable... but then I have modified the seat to make her that way... mine too for that matter.

In short- the RT is a great 2-up bike and we both are comfy on the long haul. It is our touring bike of choice.

What modifications did you make to the seats?

[Boxernut]

Hello. I am 5'8 and weight 215 pounds. My Girlfriend is 5'8" and weighs 150 pounds. We rode two-up with gear on a 1999 RT for 1100 miles, through winding roads and gravel in northern Minnesota. No problem. In Duluth, the traffic lights on the hills posed a little consternation, but otherwise it was great fun, safe, and she felt comfortable.

[jeffdean]

Precisely........5'7", 210 lbs. To add further challenge, since she is uncomfortable on the passenger seat, she moves around a lot. Truthfully, it's a tremendous workout for me.
Understandably.

Forgive this suggestion.

She could go on a serious diet and exercise program and lose about 80 pounds. That would make all the difference in handling. It could also improve her health substantially.

[Arby60]

Understandably.

Forgive this suggestion.

She could go on a serious diet and exercise program and lose about 80 pounds. That would make all the difference in handling. It could also improve her health substantially.

LOL. No offense taken, but you're preaching to the choir!!!

[PAPAT]

I'm confused which one are you trading in. :) :D

[Arby60]

I'm confused which one are you trading in. :) :D
Thinking about trading the LT in on an RT. I'll probably sell my other 2 bikes since it sounds like the RT will do everything I want to do. I'm getting ready to retire and I need to clean my garage out and enjoy a simpler life.

[hopz]

What did I do to the Seat? First step is to find a competent custom seat builder... which we are fortunate enough to have in our community.

Then we discussed with him what we were experiencing and he discussed back how he would address the issue. After the seat was delivered we had a few small corrections to make and both hers and mine are far better than stock.

In general for the pillion we removed the slide-forward bias, added a "pocket" very near the rearmost seam, and put in a layer of "cushy" foam over a firmer base.

For the rider's seat I had the "nad crusher" feature removed by reducing the slide forward bias, and also built a pocket with a prominent roll at the rear.

For the record- my seat is a OEM Low with heat. Hers is heated as well.

[jeffdean]

Thinking about trading the LT in on an RT. I'll probably sell my other 2 bikes since it sounds like the RT will do everything I want to do. I'm getting ready to retire and I need to clean my garage out and enjoy a simpler life.
I hear you. I have too much stuff, and it starting to bug me.

http://jeff.dean.home.att.net/photos.htm

[DaveRT]

I go 250, 5'9''. She goes 150, 5'6'' I have sargent seats on the bike. She has been on the back of all my bikes for over 100,000 miles of my 147,000 miles riding bikes. An experienced passenger makes a big difference. See my post for realiaty check. Do a test ride at a dealer.
http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39529

[stepheg]

I'm 180, my wife is much closer to my weight than she would ever admit. We regularly ride 2-up on my '06 RT without any problems. I have replaced the stock seats with Rick Mayer seats to stop her from sliding forward (it was so bad that on the first ride we took with the stock seats after she got off she looked at me and said, "New seat or new bike, your choice". She did not get on again until I rec'd the RM seats). I also had mounts made so that I could put on floorboards for her. Now she enjoys the bike and will do 7-8 hours in the saddle without difficulty.

[bigpapa]

My wife has short legs and has a tough time getting her feet to the pegs w/ the bags on. We tried the RT previously, but without the bags on. W/ the bags on, she has too scootch up and can't take advantage of the topcase. Now we cruise around w/ just the topcase. Luckily we aren't taking multiple day rides. She also has a tough time getting on.

Unfortunately we test rode the ugly Victory Vision, and she fell in love. Actually I would have to agree, we have ridden all the touring bikes, and the Victory kills them all for 2-up comfort.

[jeffdean]

On the Vision, watch out for engine heat baking the rider. Also, no ABS.

Why do so many manufacturers fail to deal with the impact of motorcycle engine heat on the rider? I don't know. I do know that the oilhead and hex head BMW RTs all do so brilliantly.

Personally, I would never buy a new motorcycle that is not equipped with ABS.

[Stixx]

I have to say or admit really, that I have a love hate relationship with riding two up. I love the company and a second opinion about destinations stop overs etc, but I hate the extra weight on the bike the effect of the performance and the nimbleness that is the RT is compromised for sure.


That said , the bike is up to it and going back to your original post , the thing that stands out is the timing. Two or three times a year is not going to make you better at riding two up. I do it at least once a week and still I'm not what you call "Good at it". Small in statue and short of inseam having another 150 pounds of woman and gear above the center of gravity is not going to make riding the RT any easier.

As for the RT the answer is for full size passengers it is not the ideal bike but it certainly will do the job and do it well. There are others of course more up to the task. The Gold Wing was made for that so much so they look ridiculous going down the road with only one small person on them. The RT on the other hand looks right with one or two on top. Looks ain't the issue of course but it says a lot about who rides what.

I have the RT because it is the best bike for compormises with the larger percentage of riding being me , one up , going quickly through the landscape enjoying the ride with some crotch rocket buddies who like to lean and not having to give up too much and make them wait on me too long. The bonus is I rarely have to fill my tank and they fill up two to one . That's when I get the last laugh.