Stories from a newby for your entertainment!

[JRESURF]

OK, I have been riding my RT now for the past few weeks and have had some obvious mishaps, part of learning, but NOTHING beats what happened to me yesterday. I can ONLY assume this is from pure inexperience and should give most everyone a good laugh.
Where I am:
Townhouse where my father lives parked in a parking space. This was at a golf country club and about 20-25 yards away there were about 200 people gathered under an awning having a wedding ceremony. NOW, I had to leave in order to get home to take my son somewhere otherwise I would not have cranked the bike up and disturbed the service, but what can ya do... Now the fun starts..... So I get all my gear on and carefully back the RT out of the parking space and start her up.... COOL things are going well, now time to get out of there and not disturb the service... Dropped her into first bike STOPS! Back to neutral and she starts up fine again, time to go so I drop her into first once more... Bike stops again! WHAT is going on??? Everyone at the service is watching me and NOT paying attention to the wedding and I am BEYOND embarrassed but just trying to successfully pull away. After repeating this sequence about HONESTLY 5 times, I see a guy heading over to me from the service, I assumed he was going to ask if I could hold off until the vows were complete. He walks right up to me and says keep your feet on the ground and I will help ya out... I am like SURE I MUST be missing something... He put my kick stand up and said have a safe ride.....
WOW! Can things get anymore embarrassing than that!!! Well, lesson learned and I figured you all would get a kick outta that one!
This will NEVER happen again as my check list for riding grows by the day!
Thanks
J

[Stixx]

if that hadn't happened to all of us , I might laugh at cha.

Another one is not knowing why it wont start then noticing the kill switch is on.

BTW I"ve found out I can start my new RT without being in neutral now as long as I squeeze the clutch way in. Really makes those green light stalls a lot less tramatic. Not sure if it is a fault or if all of them do that.

On initial start up it wont start unless in neutral but after you get underway if you stall it just keep the clutch way in and hit the button again and starts right up. This is so going to be better for me if it doesn't mean there is a fault in the system. I've often thought that if you have to find neutral when your stalled at a green light that is way more dangerous than starting your bike in gear and have it fall over.

[hopz]

Thanks for sharing... maybe your Dad can deny he ever knew you....

"It" happens... usually when we are most aware of the peanut gallery watching.

Hang in there- things get better... but I did get a kick out of it and cannot stand to miss hearing of other issues.

[brick_haus]

:rotf: I've never done anything like that. No really, I havent... Well, just once :bmw:
Welcome to the club!

[AliMar]

Thanks for sharing... maybe your Dad can deny he ever knew you....
Now THAT'S funny !!! :rotf:

[JRESURF]

Learning this bike has been a real treat... Other than A LOT of stalling when sitting on a hill at a stop light, the 1 drop, and the kickstand incident everything else has been very smooth and enjoyable.... Still taking things pretty slow with the bike and am really starting to get used to all the gears moving up and down... What a machine this thing is and very happy with the purchase! I will post any other embarrassing antics that come out of my experience with the RT; however the kickstand will hopefully NOT be a part of any future story!
Thanks!
J

[EricSuz]

I'll add a story to this thread. Saturday after picking up the RT from the dealer (12000 mile service and new rear tire) the cruise control would not engage. So I turned around and went back to the dealer. Just for kicks, I tried the cruise again on the way back to the dealer--it worked!

Walked into the dealer, told them that the cruise only worked if I was traveling south--would not work if going north. So they looked at it--lubed the switch. Told me that if it happened again, they will replace the switch.

Remember the light at the switch was on. Any guesses what the problem was???











My right foot was riding the brake.

[ATDRS]

I can hear your Dad now, " he takes after his mother's side of the family". ;)
Lessons learned like this are hardly ever forgotten.
Enjoy the Ride..

[skyking96w]

"On initial start up it wont start unless in neutral . . . "

That's not quite true, at least for my '05 1200RT. I start in first gear all the time because that's the gear I normally leave it in. To keep the computer happy, I turn on the key first, then pull the clutch. That way the 'puter knows it's OK to crank. Otherwise it wants the bike in neutral. I don't know if they changed that on later models, but try it.

[cajcrna]

"On initial start up it wont start unless in neutral . . . "

That's not quite true, at least for my '05 1200RT. I start in first gear all the time because that's the gear I normally leave it in. To keep the computer happy, I turn on the key first, then pull the clutch. That way the 'puter knows it's OK to crank. Otherwise it wants the bike in neutral. I don't know if they changed that on later models, but try it.

Same for my '08 R1200RT. It's sometimes stubborn on a cold start to go from neutral to first, so I often start 'er up in first.

Cheryl

[JRESURF]

OK.... More newby stories/questions...

I know there MUST be a trick to this that I am missing, probably because I am a newby.... STOP LIGHTS!
How the HE77 do you get stop lights to know that you are there???? When you are solo on a motorcycle at a stop light is there a trick to getting it to recognize ya or do you just have to wait until a car appears????

Something else I have learned.... NEVER put your R1200RT into neutral at a stop light or any other convient stopping place where you will be required to leave at short notice.... It seems going from neutral to first can sometimes require TIME! Is this a trait/feature of the R1200RT or just something that is difficult at times and not fixable....

Thanks in advance....
Jed

[Ddallison]

Just go buy one of those little magnetic devices that most mc shops or mc clothing and accessories shops sells. There's several different brands but they all are designed to mess with the "magnetic field" that exists around those little boxes that are in the turn lanes. Seems as if our bikes don't have enough iron in them to do that all by themselves, so you can help it out a bit by placing a magnet on the bottom of your bike. It works for me.

[JRESURF]

Perfect! I NEVER would have known or thought about that; thanks for the advice!
Jed

[jers99lt]

OK.... More newby stories/questions...

I know there MUST be a trick to this that I am missing, probably because I am a newby.... STOP LIGHTS!
How the HE77 do you get stop lights to know that you are there???? When you are solo on a motorcycle at a stop light is there a trick to getting it to recognize ya or do you just have to wait until a car appears????

Something else I have learned.... NEVER put your R1200RT into neutral at a stop light or any other convient stopping place where you will be required to leave at short notice.... It seems going from neutral to first can sometimes require TIME! Is this a trait/feature of the R1200RT or just something that is difficult at times and not fixable....

Thanks in advance....
Jed
Just happened to be lurking from the LT side ...
Stopping on either the extreme right or left edge of the sensor box works 99% of the time for me.
With the LT, being in neutral at a light can also be problematic to go into 1st quickly. I've found that pressing down on the shifter and slightly releasing the clutch engages the gear immediately. YMMV.

HTH
Jer

[skyking96w]

Some of those "little magnetic devices" aren't strong enough to pick up a safety pin, let alone trip a traffic light. If you are going to use a magnet, make sure it's a big one. Just remember to check it occasionally to remove screws, nails, and other debris that could fall and puncture your rear tire. I believe most of the sensing loops embedded in the pavement have a middle component (wire?) as well as the edges of the box. I try to always stop directly over one of the wires. Seems to work 99% of the time.

A slight difficulty getting into first gear at a stop is typical of BMW transmissions. Probably comes from them being robust enough for an Abrams Tank. As jers99lt said, as you put pressure on the shift lever, let out the clutch a bit and it will click nicely into gear.

[hschisler]

... Another one is not knowing why it won't start, then noticing the kill switch is on...There is one thing worse than that: Repeatedly trying to start the bike and having your wife tell you via the intercom "uh, the kill switch is off...". Doh!!!! :o

[blongb]

Same for my '08 R1200RT. It's sometimes stubborn on a cold start to go from neutral to first, so I often start 'er up in first.

Cheryl

I found that the way to do it is:

Transmission in neutral, clutch engaged.

Then, as quick as you can: pull in the clutch, then forcefully shift into first. Gotta be fast - like under 1/2 second between clutch and shift. Or you can probably can be done simultaneously.

Has not failed to work for me on a cold tranny.

Bill

[blongb]

"On initial start up it wont start unless in neutral . . . "

That's not quite true, at least for my '05 1200RT. I start in first gear all the time because that's the gear I normally leave it in. To keep the computer happy, I turn on the key first, then pull the clutch. That way the 'puter knows it's OK to crank. Otherwise it wants the bike in neutral. I don't know if they changed that on later models, but try it.

I do the same and it starts in gear with the clutch pulled.

Bill

[alzyck]

OK.... More newby stories/questions...

I know there MUST be a trick to this that I am missing, probably because I am a newby.... STOP LIGHTS!
How the HE77 do you get stop lights to know that you are there???? When you are solo on a motorcycle at a stop light is there a trick to getting it to recognize ya or do you just have to wait until a car appears????

Something else I have learned.... NEVER put your R1200RT into neutral at a stop light or any other convient stopping place where you will be required to leave at short notice.... It seems going from neutral to first can sometimes require TIME! Is this a trait/feature of the R1200RT or just something that is difficult at times and not fixable....

Thanks in advance....
Jed

My experience has been a little different. I've got about 7,000 miles on my R12RT and I've never had a problem with it not tripping stop lights.

Before I got my RT, I had a Honda VTX followed by a Gold Wing. I could never get either of those bikes to trip stop lights. I put a stop light magnet on the VTX, but it didn't work well. The Gold Wing had an aluminum frame and I never found a good place to mount a magnet.

I was surprised the first time I pulled up to stop lights I could never trip on the other the other bikes and it worked like clockwork on the RT.

[JRESURF]

Well... Today we got that dreadful call... My wife's father was in a horrific motorcycle accident today in West Virginia. He was traveling with his wife in a group and something happened which through her from the bike and he went over an embankment. He is in the hosptial with his back broken in 3 places, broken neck, collapsed lung, and on life support. I guess even with years of experience (he has been riding for 35+ years) things are just sometimes out of your control. I do not have the exact details of the accident except they were coming down a mountain road and she said he all of a sudden said "oh crap" and that is all she remembers. I assume they slid on some gravel or something to that effect. My wife is a wreck and my 3 months of experience is going to be a hard sale on her for me keeping my R1200RT... I am going to give it sometime and see what happens, but being in the ER today and seeing my father in law in that condition was a real eye opener. Do not see a lot of stories on here about such incidents but I hope I did not break any rules by posting ours... I hope to continue riding and continue the safety I have been practicing for years to come, just might have to take a few months off for the family to come to grips.
Thanks
Jed

[beef706]

Rough one, my thoughts are with you and your family. I hope he will recover fully and soon.

[PerfectSwitch]

No doubt...it's a dangerous hobby.

[Bobnoxous]

My wishes to your family Jed. That is tough.

My wife seems to be getting more interested in riding with me. We've just got some new protective suits which she really likes, and enjoyed riding to Flagstaff from SoCal. She's even up for a bike ride to WI. She doesn't want to miss all the things to see on the way. Maybe it helps she knows she won't need to drive.

I wonder how quickly things will change if we're closely affected by a bike accident. Anything can happen. One advantage I have is that before we got married, I told her the motorcycle stays, but I don't think that'll be much help if she gets scared for my well being.

A few months off might help people cope, but don't let it become a couple years. You'll get rusty.

[JRESURF]

Thanks for the comments!

Yeah things look very bad as we keep hearing more bad news from the doctors. He will be paralyzed from the chest down and might/probably will not make it through the rest of the week. They were traveling down a mountain in WV and from what I have gathered were traveling in a group and must have hit some gravel, the majority of his injuries were from going over a guard rail and falling down a steep embankment. His wife who suffered only minor cuts and bruises will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow which is the only good news we have heard all week.
Rough times and yes it is a dangerous hobby; luckily they were the only ones involved in the accident as there were 20 bikes on the ride.
Thanks again for the comments,
Jed

[switz]

All the best for you and your family. Sudden shocks are more than rough.

My "incident" took ten years and then a divorce before I was on a bike again. I suggest stressing an annual "experienced rider course" to up the comfort zone for your wife.

[Koop]

I'm so sorry to hear of your father in-laws misfortune. I'm also a newby to this forum, been lurking and reading about your BMW intro.

I've been riding over 35 years, and yes accidents can and will happen. I hope all the best for him. I also hope this doesn't spell the end of your riding. I had a near death experience, although it wasn't on the street - I was a licensed roadracer and got hurt during a race. It took me a while to get healthy enough to ride but I couldn't live without it.

My wife also rides and sometimes I fear for her safety, not because she lacks the skill or judgement, but because of the variables the road presents. Then I think, she's more capable, more engaged when riding than when she drives a car. What if someone close to us was seriously injured or killed in a car, would we quit driving cars?

Forgive me for sermonizing, I wish all the best for you and your family.