First 2-up sorta long-distance ride

[shadowofshoe]

Things learned or experianced:

1) The LT can eat up miles

2) With current set-up I cannot keep up w/ LT's mile eating ability

3) Must get H-way ottomans or something--Knees won't play fair @ age 47 !!

4)1 hour & 15 mins of being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on I-70 leaving columbus wore me OUT.

5) K-buzz numbed my fingers thank god for crise control. I am old? --last bike was an XL600R long days on and off road never took a toll on my hands like this..my hands are tired.. I did have a work week w/an unusual amount of hard hand work B-4 leaving

6) Giant downhills and uphills are a lot of fun!!!!

7)My wife can and did fall asleep 2x on I-70 as did my throttle hand.

8) super twistes in N.E. Ohio are in need of rain--SLOW had to be the rule-darn it.

9) absolutely cannot wait to do it again in 2 weeks!!!!


Mike 05 K1200LT gold
Hilliard Ohio

[ranks]

Can't believe you're complaining of "Buzz".

Might want to try a different RPM. Most K's have a slight buzz near 4.5K.
Ifin your going down the highway in 5th, might speed up or slow down by about 5mph.

For ME, the K1200LT is the smoothest bike I have ever ridden!

Enjoy it, and let the miles bring you smiles !!

[mpillis]

Hey congrats, I am usually 2-up when I ride the LT. I have not felt any kinda buzz that puts my hands to sleep. I wear fingerless gloves. My butt can only stand about 3 hours on the LT so I bought the Beadrider beads and they work great. Traveled to Florida last fall and my butt was fine on the beads. I have just added the j-pegs and will be trying them out on a trip to Montana next month. I had a K1200RS and loved the bike and Maria was comfortable on it also long distance but even with barbacks my hands still went numb. Not with the LT.
Ride safe and long

[shadowofshoe]

Can't believe you're complaining of "Buzz".

Might want to try a different RPM. Most K's have a slight buzz near 4.5K.
Ifin your going down the highway in 5th, might speed up or slow down by about 5mph.

For ME, the K1200LT is the smoothest bike I have ever ridden!

Enjoy it, and let the miles bring you smiles !!


No complaining, I am In Love w/the LT...note that my hands have been abused this week as I mentioned. I cannot believe how smooth this bike is and I think that was noted (Mona falling asleep comes to mind) and see #9.Jjust complaining about my bodies reaction at age!!!

Mike

[rixchard]

For comfort try the mick o' pegs. They are much better than the other groin stretching options

[NOGILLS2]

I would recomend highway ottomans over j-pegs. When you get a chance find someone with both and try them out. I find the j-pegs just dont quite get it. they are another psoition though. Curently I have both J-pegs and Ottomans I find the ottomans allow me to have my legs straight, so no stress on joints.

INHO

[strsout]

3- pegs. Before putting some good money on pegs, try the Suburban Machine extension.
I had the BOB's pegs (I know,...they are not that good), until I switch to Suburban Machine extension. Since then I removed and sold my Bob's. I wasn't using it any more. It's amazing what difference 1.5" plus incline will do. I'm 6.2 and ride 2 up all the time.

5 - Buzz - Around 4.500 rpm the K have some buzz. Try not to ride at that speed. You will fell the difference.

[Signman]

Congrats on your successful 2-up ride. The LT will most definitely eat up the miles and a wonderful mount for the wife.

With long distance riding, all parts of the body must be confortable, your butt, knees, back, shoulders and hands.

For your back, knees, shoulders and hands, something you might try is to raise your seat to the higher position. With the weight of a passenger on the back of the bike, the distance from (your) seat to the ground won't be noticed at stops, but when cruising down the road, the difference between your seat and the foot pegs is significant and your knees will thank you for it. Raising the seat also help your riding position. When you raise the LT seat, the back goes up more than the front and this "seat tilt" will help your riding position greatly.

For long distance riding I have found that tilting the seat forward helps me bend forward at the hips (not the waist) and that puts my spine in good alignment so there is no lower back pain. This sitting up position, helps my reach for the handle bar grips, and not having to "reach" for the grips and letting my hands fall on them, I don't have to "hang on" and therefore my hands and shoulders are more relaxed. This should help with your hands becoming numb. Many of us call it "Sit up & beg". It is easier to do on an RT as their bars are closer to you, but with some effort, you can reach to LT bars easily too. Something else you can try for your butt is for a short time, place your feet on the passenger pegs. This changes your hip position, the bend of the knees and gives your butt bones a break. You may also try a sheepskin pad on your seat. I cut up an old sheep skin from my car, and found it allows air and blood to flow better under me, no more hot spots.

I hope some of these tips that have helped me will help you as well. Enjoy your new ride and be safe.

[hschisler]

Hilliard is just down the road a couple of miles from where I work in Dublin. I live NE of Lancaster (1 hour away).

I just had Mick-o-Pegs and Jpegs installed at STC, and I have the Suburban Machinery peg lowering kit installed, too.

I like all 3 of the above products. With a few days' use of the new pegs under my belt, I can say I like the knee position the Mick-o-Pegs provide and I like the wind-up-the-pants provided by the Jpegs. Sometimes it's nice to cool things down, if you know what I mean. :eek:

Give me a call some time; you're welcome to try out my '05 LT with these things installed. Or, come out to the house if you "need" an excuse to ride the LT some weekend. My office # is 757.6716.

[Leo_Bell]

I encountered problems with the grips on my 03 from the start. I used someones idea from this form and wrapped my grips with Wilson tennis racket tape and installed a throttle rocker. This made the OD bigger and softer while the rocker allowed me to release my grip from the throttle and relax my fingers.( hard to use the cruise control when riding in a group unless you are in the lead) I,ve install the back-up backrest and a set of Highway Ottomans and love them both. I also use the sheepskin covers from Alaska leathers, south Texas gets hot and I wouldn't do without this item.
Now when I ride with my friend on their V twin, from our church , and they are exhausted after 450 to 500 miles and call it a day I am able to run another couple of hundred miles soaking up the local sites.
After 40,000 miles the grips are looking a little ragged so I guess I'll make a trip to wally world and spend another 5 bucks and replace them.
By the way I'm 60 years old and know all about bad knees. LOL

Leo Bell
"Grayghost"

[rattso]

I love my Mick-O-Pegs, very relaxing position. I added some very soft grips over the top of my stock grips, I believe I ordered them from a BMW dealer in Ohio (I think A & S). I also use a throttle rocker. The combination small grips-big hands is not good to my hands. My '05 is very smooth--You might have a problem.........

[messenger13]

Yes, the LT eats up the miles. Then again, last Monday I rode my Ninja 780 miles...so I eat up miles on anything with two wheels. :)

As for your LT being buzzy...this is VERY odd to me. The pre-'05 LT have the "K-Buzz". But most '05 and '06 owners say that BMW corrected this issue. You may have a tire that needs balanced...I dunno?

BTW...I'm up near Cleveland. Give a holler sometime and we'll meet, ride, and eat.

As for highway pegs, it's like talking about underwear. It's THAT subjective. I LOVE my J-Peg XLs, and wouldn't have any other alternative out there. And yes, I've tried them all. Do yourself a favor and do NOT buy anything until you've tried the J-Pegs, J-Peg XLs, Mick-o-Pegs, and Highway Ottomans for yourself.

Lastly, I tell everyone in Ohio that there is a road that MUST be ridden. It's Route 164, in SouthEastern Ohio. Get off the Rt212 exit of Rt77 and head south/east. Go through the historical town of Zoar. (A nice stop for the ladies.) Continue on Rt212...turn left onto 800, then a quick right back onto 212, until you run into 164. Pure Magic! ...And in the fall, the leaves are awesome! Run it all the way up into Lisbon, grab a bite to eat, then take Rt30 West to 77 and superslab it home.

Enjoy!

[Ghost55]

I second or third the opinion on the Suburban foot lowering kit. It does a lot more than you think it would. I used to get terrible hip cramps, installed the Suburbans, and no more cramps. Also use J-Pegs, but not often. As far as the seat goes, I have tried more expensive options like the Airhawk, and have settled on a sheepskin as the most comfortable for me, short of a custom seat. Make sure you are not putting the old "death grip" on the hand grips. Have ridden for many years, and once in a while catch myself doing it.

[messenger13]

I second or third the opinion on the Suburban foot lowering kit.I removed mine INSTANTLY up in the mountains of northern GA...after lifting the rear wheel off the ground with the Suburban FootPeg Relocater in a tight left-hander. :eek: Food for thought. On the Super-Slab, they're great! In the twisties, very dangerous.

[retiredjj]

I am currently on the seventh day of ten day 4200 mile ride. The lt is doing wonderfully well for an old girl, 1999. Fairly low miles, 30,000 and going up. I rode a one day'er to Reno from home, 750 miles to meet up with my riding partner who rides an Fjr1300. He is a well educated and practiced rider and a perfectionist when maintaining the m/c. He likes to canyon carve and much to my delight I was able to make a pretty good showing with the lt. My friend had no fear of me passing him on the twisties or straights but if the revs are kept up with the lower gears the lt really starts to shine. Shifts smoother too. I recently did the speedo mod and found that my speedometer is very accurate. At 82 indicated it really is doing 82 as confirmed by a CHP with radar. And just for the general info for those interested, at 4500 rpm in fifth gear the speed is 90. So if you have a buzz from the engine as I do in that rpm range, stay under 90 or over about 100, which I had a chance to test in the last few days. In fact if you haven't made the speedo mod when in fifth gear just double the number the tach needle is on (just the number not the infered extra zeros) then add a zero and that's your speed. As far as comfort my bike is stock. After this ride the only thing I can think to maybe add is seat beads. Highway pegs would be nice but being a cheap kind of guy I'll just stretch my legs off the pegs once in a while. Don't want to be too comfortable. In case your interested and have actually read this far, our route was Reno, Ely, Moab, Bryce Canyon, Flagstaff, Surprise Az, Las Vegas and tomorrow we head for Bridgeport ca., then on to Napa where my partner lives. The next day is a one day'er to home for me. About the same as the ride to Reno, 750. Except for my first and upcoming last day most of the days were around 300 miles average so we could do sightseeing when the mood struck and still make our destination at a comfortable time. This has been a really good route with great weather. Lots of straights and curves enough to satisfy just about any kind of rider. And for you "older" riders (59), ride comfortable even if it means using meds. I am sure you do now anyway but for those that don't, why ride in pain if you don't have to? Nothing that alters your sense of reality of course.
Ride safe, ride often.

[makinne]

being new to the LT (ridden about 1000 miles) not sure what folks are referring to when they talk about the "buzz" from the engine. I do not believe I have had this....Could someone please explain.

Thanks!

[hschisler]

Leo Bell
"Grayghost"Mini-hijack (sorry):

Leo, I see your bike is named "Gray Ghost". I just came up with that name for my bike last week. Is it OK for me to use the same name... is that a violation of a bike protocol or something? Anybody have advice on that?

[Leo_Bell]

You and anyone else is welcome to use "Grayghost" I have no more right to it than anyone else. I came by the name back in 99 while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. I was following a bunch of Harley riders on a silver "Gold Wing" and when we stopped on an overlook they complained about me gliding up like ghost. The rest of that day they called my bike a Grayghost. I kept the name. When I got the K1200 in 03 I made sure it retained the gray color. There is a lot of Joe's , Bob,s and other names why not Grayghost.
I have more in common with the name now because I am about as gray as my Ghost. LOL

[messenger13]

Leo, I see your bike is named "Gray Ghost". I just came up with that name for my bike last week. Is it OK for me to use the same name... is that a violation of a bike protocol or something? Anybody have advice on that?Any two dog owners both name their dogs "Spot". I think that settles that one. :)

[messenger13]

being new to the LT (ridden about 1000 miles) not sure what folks are referring to when they talk about the "buzz" from the engine. I do not believe I have had this....Could someone please explain.The pre-'05 LTs have a buzz around 4500 to 4900 RPMs. I was under the impression that this went away with the '05s. My 2002 buzzes at 4850RPMs...in every gear. I've grown accustomed to use it as an indicator of when I'm about to enter WARP SPEED! :D

[BillyOmaha]

Things learned or experianced:

1) The LT can eat up miles Sure in heck can.

2) With current set-up I cannot keep up w/ LT's mile eating ability

3) Must get H-way ottomans or something--Knees won't play fair @ age 47 !!I'm 46, 6'4", 260#. When I first got the LT, I started feeling uncomfortable (acheing knees, sore butt) within 3 hours. Got the J-pegs and they helped some, but the BIGGEST improvement was when I put a custom fit saddle on the bike. Nancy and I have comfortably done 970 miles in a day and only put our feet up (mine on the J-Pegs and hers on my vacated drivers pegs) for few minutes a couple of times. Truth be told, I more often than not used the tip-over wings and just rested my legs there for a minute while she stretched hers using my pegs.

4)1 hour & 15 mins of being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on I-70 leaving columbus wore me OUT. Lobby anyone that will listen to get "lane sharing" aproved. It makes a huge difference...in in a positive way.

5) K-buzz numbed my fingers thank god for crise control. I am old? --last bike was an XL600R long days on and off road never took a toll on my hands like this..my hands are tired.. I did have a work week w/an unusual amount of hard hand work B-4 leaving Every once and awhile I'll be running along at 80mph and think to myself, "damn, this bike is smooth", then I look and see that I'm in 4th gear.
Upshift and the buzz is back. Loosening the grip has eliminated the fatigue I used to get. The K-R is extremely "buzzy" and taught me to be real gentle holding the bars.

6) Giant downhills and uphills are a lot of fun!!!!YEE...HAW!!

7)My wife can and did fall asleep 2x on I-70 as did my throttle hand.When I get the "bonk" on my helmet from Nancy nodding off and leaning forward, it's time to either stop, or in our case, liven the ride up by doing...a slalum with the road lines, cranking up the pace and exagerating the LT movements, or....actually stopping and taking a break :(

8) super twistes in N.E. Ohio are in need of rain--SLOW had to be the rule-darn it. Safety first!

9) absolutely cannot wait to do it again in 2 weeks!!!!Have fun and be safe.


Mike 05 K1200LT gold
Hilliard Ohio

[dshealey]

Things learned or experianced:

--------------------------
5) K-buzz numbed my fingers thank god for crise control. I am old? --last bike was an XL600R long days on and off road never took a toll on my hands like this..my hands are tired.. I did have a work week w/an unusual amount of hard hand work B-4 leaving
------------------------------
Mike 05 K1200LT gold
Hilliard Ohio

The K-buzz is EASY to eliminate while cruising along. DOWNSHIFT! As you probably know already, the LT is MUCH more fun in the RPM range ABOVE the buzz! If you are in 5th gear and get into that buzz range, downshift to 4th gear!

[hschisler]

You and anyone else is welcome to use "Grayghost" I have no more right to it than anyone else. I came by the name back in 99 while riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. I was following a bunch of Harley riders on a silver "Gold Wing" and when we stopped on an overlook they complained about me gliding up like ghost. The rest of that day they called my bike a Grayghost. I kept the name. When I got the K1200 in 03 I made sure it retained the gray color. There is a lot of Joe's , Bob,s and other names why not Grayghost.
I have more in common with the name now because I am about as gray as my Ghost. LOLThank you sir. "Gray Ghost" will continue to be my bike's name. Even have my wife referring to it that way. :yeah: If you had asked me 6 months ago if that would happen I'd have laughed you off the porch. And let's not talk about gray hair...

Any two dog owners both name their dogs "Spot". I think that settles that one.Thanks, Joe, for confirming it's OK to do that. I'd hate to unwittingly break Rule #17 of Motorcycling Etiquette or some such thing. :)

[messenger13]

"Gray Ghost" will continue to be my bike's name.If it bothers you...you could always go with the alternate spelling of Grey Ghost, with an 'E'.

[harrowbmw]

Greetings guys and girls.

I can't believe you've mentioned buzz through the bars on the LT's. I've just jumped off my 1983 K100 onto an LT. Too me it feels like I'm riding a 278 kilogram mound of room temperature butter it's so smooth. Buzzy bars?...please!

Just get into it.

Kindest regards to all

Paul Harrington
Australia
corcaigh@internode.on.net

[shadowofshoe]

Thanks for All the help & the ribbing !!!

I suspected I might have gripping to hard, golfing errors kept coming to mind, did not notice hands till way home which involved an hour and a half of twisty hillies wrought with gravel at most curves. Since then I put a couple hundred more on her with and without the wife...concentrated on a lighter hold and no hand probs.

Still have the knee issue though, howard and all thanks for the ideas--I'll give
you a call to take you up on the ergo accessory try outs. I've put 1900 m. on her in a month, most below 50 degrees, I am in lust. By far the finest bike I've owned.
Cutting lawn yesterday..bump mirror w/lawnmower handle--mirror fell off..remembered a project and cable tied those suckers(mirror landed on my boot no damage)

Mike 05 K1200LT
Hilliard Oh
(BB Bucks play NC tarheels(top 2 recruiting classes) in NC november how 'bout a ride buck LTers?)

[tarheel_rider]

(BB Bucks play NC tarheels(top 2 recruiting classes) in NC november how 'bout a ride buck LTers?)

Come on down. As both an OSU and UNC alum, this is going to be a great game. Rode up to Columbus last fall for an OSU football game and made it an all day affair in the WV mountains. Great roads just about any route you select. Or you can super slab it in about 8 hours.