After spending four years on my 2008 F800ST (my first BMW and re-entry in to riding after being out of it for several years), I've spent the last six-or-so months looking at, thinking about and taking a couple test rides on the R1200RT.
My first test rides were very nice; the RT felt good under me, I was comfortable with the additional 100 pounds over the 800ST and the overall handling was easy to get used to.
I will admit that I wasn't immediately in love after the first ride back in August of last year. I came away from the ride thinking that sure, the RT was a nice bike, but it wasn't as nimble and didn't feel the same as my 800ST.
For the second test ride in late February, I took the RT on a longer test ride, about three hours. After that ride, I was pretty well convinced that anything that felt "strange" was more than compensated for with the increased comfort and features on the RT. A few days later I decided it was time to trade in my beloved 38,000 mile companion on a new, upgraded model.
After waiting what seemed like an eternity and a half, I picked up my factory-fresh 2012 RT on Wednesday. It was bittersweet to see it parked next to the 800ST on the way out the door, but somebody else will love it just as much as I did.
By the time Thursday afternoon rolled around (and ~100 miles on the clock), I realized the "there's something strange about the RT" feeling that I had was "the RT is so fraking awesome my mind can't comprehend it all right now".
What's so fraking awesome about it? Nothing new to anyone here, but...
- Wind protection. I took a 140 mile ride today that I have done several times on teh 800ST and always froze to death on. Today, with simlar weather to past rides and along the same patch, hardly felt it at all. I did fire up the heated grips when it got down to 38F, but that was it.
- More wind protection. The RT doesn't flinch when an oncoming vehicle passes it. Just sails right on through the wake turbulence of most all other vehicles. The 800ST would twitch at anything larger than a VW bug - not bad, but your could feel the turbulence.
- Power. The 800ST was no slouch in the peel-your-eyelids-back arena, but the RT has power, not just thrust. Giving the RT throttle a quick blip to pass a slowpoke is like kicking a bear in the butt; it takes a brief moment to get up, but once it is up you are going for a ride.
- Cruise control. Yes, I went whole hog and got cruise control. I spend 8-10 hours a day on a keyboard and have raging episodes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Even with a crampbuster, my wrists can get to the point where I have to pull over and rest them. Pretty sad, really. The cruise control will let me rest while inflight on long rides.
- Thought-controlled motorcycle. For the most part, I am not conscious of actually making control inputs on the RT to make normal course corrections or gentle maneuvers. They just happen as soon as I think about them. "Pot hole ahead, I should move right..." and voila, we pass the pothole.
- Comfort. On the 800ST, I had a gradiated butt range. Two hours until pain, 10 minute break and then 1.5 hours until pain, 15 minute break. One hour until pain, 30 minute break and then 30 minutes until pain and 10 minute breaks after that. Based on today's three hour almost-nonstop ride today, I think that the butt range will be greatly increased.
My first test rides were very nice; the RT felt good under me, I was comfortable with the additional 100 pounds over the 800ST and the overall handling was easy to get used to.
I will admit that I wasn't immediately in love after the first ride back in August of last year. I came away from the ride thinking that sure, the RT was a nice bike, but it wasn't as nimble and didn't feel the same as my 800ST.
For the second test ride in late February, I took the RT on a longer test ride, about three hours. After that ride, I was pretty well convinced that anything that felt "strange" was more than compensated for with the increased comfort and features on the RT. A few days later I decided it was time to trade in my beloved 38,000 mile companion on a new, upgraded model.
After waiting what seemed like an eternity and a half, I picked up my factory-fresh 2012 RT on Wednesday. It was bittersweet to see it parked next to the 800ST on the way out the door, but somebody else will love it just as much as I did.
By the time Thursday afternoon rolled around (and ~100 miles on the clock), I realized the "there's something strange about the RT" feeling that I had was "the RT is so fraking awesome my mind can't comprehend it all right now".
What's so fraking awesome about it? Nothing new to anyone here, but...
- Wind protection. I took a 140 mile ride today that I have done several times on teh 800ST and always froze to death on. Today, with simlar weather to past rides and along the same patch, hardly felt it at all. I did fire up the heated grips when it got down to 38F, but that was it.
- More wind protection. The RT doesn't flinch when an oncoming vehicle passes it. Just sails right on through the wake turbulence of most all other vehicles. The 800ST would twitch at anything larger than a VW bug - not bad, but your could feel the turbulence.
- Power. The 800ST was no slouch in the peel-your-eyelids-back arena, but the RT has power, not just thrust. Giving the RT throttle a quick blip to pass a slowpoke is like kicking a bear in the butt; it takes a brief moment to get up, but once it is up you are going for a ride.
- Cruise control. Yes, I went whole hog and got cruise control. I spend 8-10 hours a day on a keyboard and have raging episodes of carpal tunnel syndrome. Even with a crampbuster, my wrists can get to the point where I have to pull over and rest them. Pretty sad, really. The cruise control will let me rest while inflight on long rides.
- Thought-controlled motorcycle. For the most part, I am not conscious of actually making control inputs on the RT to make normal course corrections or gentle maneuvers. They just happen as soon as I think about them. "Pot hole ahead, I should move right..." and voila, we pass the pothole.
- Comfort. On the 800ST, I had a gradiated butt range. Two hours until pain, 10 minute break and then 1.5 hours until pain, 15 minute break. One hour until pain, 30 minute break and then 30 minutes until pain and 10 minute breaks after that. Based on today's three hour almost-nonstop ride today, I think that the butt range will be greatly increased.
