'21 BMW R1250RT

So it's not like Google Maps on your phone? You use the actual BMW app with the maps loaded?
I wonder why they didn't just load the maps on the TFT unit?
As I understand it the mapping is from Tom Tom and some say better than the Garmin maps of the previous Nav units.

Since the maps are loaded on your phone, that's a pretty easy update. Garmin updates typically require you to connect to a pc to download. I think you put the emphasis on the phone as far as storage vs the bike and having a hard drive or SSD and as maps grow that size might be an issue.
 
Is there any way to plan routes with an app similar to Garmin BaseCamp?
Yes, you can do that or use several other options, but I did and created a gpx file. Then you email that to your phone, or onedrive/dropbox, etc.. some place where your phone can see it. In the app, you import it and that works quite well.

 
So it's not like Google Maps on your phone? You use the actual BMW app with the maps loaded?
I wonder why they didn't just load the maps on the TFT unit?
That's great. I think I would prefer it to be loaded on the headunit so it is always there like a Goldwing but glad there is the option to use your phone and a place to charge your phone!
 
Ok..

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Edit 12/17/2021:

A few impressions so far after just over 1k miles.

Service

- The 1st service reminder showed up at 600 miles for the break-in oil change.

- That was very easy, I purchased a OBDLink LX OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner for Android and Windows and the Motoscan app, that allowed me to reset the service reminder and will allow me to read any codes the computer throws.

- There's a guy Boxflyer that has tons of videos out on youtube for doing regular maintenance and does a great job with those so valve checks/adjustments don't appear to be any more difficult that on most bikes, easier is some cases as the heads are exposed so no need to remove plastic.

- Plastic - The plastic is well thought out. I was able to do some stuff without the need for a service manual because it just looks obvious where panels are connected and what you need to do to remove them, it's no puzzle. The aforementioned Boxflyer videos helped as well.

- Fear - Yes, I've avoided BMW for a while mostly due to all the talk about electrical issues, final drive failures etc... however, BMW has redesigned the final drives so the bearing that was an issue in the 1150 series of bikes is now bathed in FD oil and they also added a breather to allow for air expansion - I know, Honda has been doing this for awhile... Well, I also had one of the ST1300s that had a u-joint failure around 50k miles and I was lucky as I found out while the bike was in the garage and not on the road where some failures have caused fires. So, I figured the current BMW offerings were at least as good as what Honda has in that regard.

Comfort and Ergos

- I did some 200 and 300 mile rides to help me gauge how an 800-1000 mile ride would go.

- I got some risers to help with my arm angle and did end up getting a Sargent seat. The OEM seat was actually not bad but I could tell that after 200 miles I was starting to feel some discomfort. With the Sargent, it feels broken in already and the seat is no longer something I'm even thinking about. The Sargent was always a good seat on the ST so I decided to go that route this time.

- Height - wow... that's all I can say, this bike looks like it should be tall but with the seat on low I can just about flat foot both feet. I haven't been able to do that since the Wing. Even with the seat in the high position, it feels lower than the Super Ten or Tracer ergos.

- Weight - wow again, It does not show it's weight at all to me. Again, reminds me of the Wing in how it just doesn't feel heavy. I don't think I've found a bike until now that I feel so comfortable doing u-turns so soon, it's balanced quite well.

- Wind/Buffeting - It's been a while since I've been on an ST or Wing so hard to remember enough to compare but on those I always was looking for different windshield options and coming off a Super Ten and Tracer the RT feels like I'm in a car. There's just a slight hint of some wind noise and maybe a small percentage of buffeting but it's so slight it feels like nothing. Again, coming off a Tracer that would bounce my head around no matter what I did it feels like a dream. On the Tracer and even Super Ten I would have to adjust my glasses several time, maybe every 10 miles. On the RT, I forget to adjust my glasses and do it more out of habit than necessity. So, high marks there.

Performance

- I thought the boxer would be tractor-like and more like my previous SuperTen but it's amazingly smooth. The power is very linear. This thing is surprisingly quick and the motor never feels like it's working hard, I've yet to get it into some nice twisties but can't wait to see how easy it's going to feel given that power band.

- There is no snatchy throttle even though it's throttle by wire. Nothing like my previous SuperTen/Tracer 900. On both of those I would tame the ride modes so the throttle was smoother but you would swear this bike has carburetors, I stalled it a few times when I first rode it because I was expecting that on/off behavior of Throttle By Wire systems.

- Oddly enough, the speedometer is off by 1-2mph on slow speeds and 3.5-ish in higher speeds... My Super Ten and Tracer were almost dead on-maybe 1mph off... not sure why this is but I have to do what I used to do on my Wings/STs - at 10 mph to the speed limit so I know I'm only 5mph off..

- Suspension - I think all the RTs are delivered with the ESA suspension unless you order one without (guessing). The Dynamic ride mode puts the suspension in a very tight setup and the Road mode allows for a more cushy ride, you can tell the difference although it's not huge but I've been in Dynamic most of the time.

- Ride Modes - I believe Dynamic and Road are the same engine mapping and only suspension differences. ECO and Rain change the mapping including different ABS/Traction settings. I don't have a lot of details on this and I think the same system that's been available for a while. I know that in ECO mode, the throttle is very lazy and not sure I'd ever use it unless I was on reserve and no idea where the next gas station is.

- Range - Still not in the ST category but I'm getting right around 222 miles before hitting the reserve which is 1 gallon, the computer shows 42-44 mpg so you could stretch it to 240 before panicking - a big diff from the Tracer which would hit reserve at 150 most of the time.

Shift Assist - Both up and down quick shifting - 1st to 2nd and sometimes 3rd can be abrupt unless you are accelerating aggressively - so for 1-to-2 and 2-to-3 I use the clutch but not the rest of the way up or all the way down except I typically pull in the clutch when coming to a stop and going from 2-to-1.

Hiss Start Control - I turned that off, it's kind a neat as it holds the brake on an incline like going into my driveway but takes more throttle to get it going and move forward - I can just see me screwing that up - maybe I need more practice later but for now I just disable that and hold the brake - old school style lol

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) - I hardly ever used the Cruise Control on previous bikes so I would have preferred to not have ACC and get a discount on the bike but that wasn't an option. However, I did try it a few times and it works well, just like on newer cars.

Technology

- Dash - Pretty sweet - I test rode an F 850 GS Adventure and the dash on that was incredible, my old eyes could actually see all the info whereas on the Tracer I had to look under my glasses and move forward, some of the info was just too small - I'm nearsighted. The RT has the larger 10.25" dash and it only takes a few mins to configure it the way you want.

IMG_20211114_111249.jpg IMG_20211130_112903.jpg

- System Software Updates - The bike has wifi, so to me it should be able to download/install updates without having to go to a dealer but that's not currently an option. Since I got a '21 and not a '22 it is one version behind but the updates were not enough for me to justify waiting for the 3-hour process of performing the update. If future updates provide a lot more functionality I may give it a shot but for now the bike does everything I need it to do.

- BMW Motorrad Connected App - The app is free and once you sign up/in and connect to the bike you can download maps to your phone. The bike will then, connect the phone via wifi and allow for viewing a map on the dash screen, it will also allow streaming audio or mp3 music to be used. You pair your headset and phone to the bike as well of course. Well, it's just ok, it has a few buggy issues but the nice part is the app is being updated and you get those updates just like any other phone app, free and quick and issues are being worked/fixed.
- You can import a gpx file to the app and select on the phone to get a zumo-like experience, sorta... I still prefer my zumo as many times I'll change routes or search for things and while that's somewhat possible w/bike switches it's a bit more cumbersome and the zumo is just less effort - maybe with more app updates it will be better. We'll see.

Misc -
- Wheels - integrated Valve stems and they appear to have a very tough powder coating.
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I saw the K1600GT has been updated but no ACC. That is something I really want to have on a bike. So you are saying I should get the RT? :)
 
I saw the K1600GT has been updated but no ACC. That is something I really want to have on a bike. So you are saying I should get the RT? :)
Ah....... yes? lol

Someone had stated some bikes are not showing up with ACC due to the chip shortage but all the '21 and '22 bikes I inquired about stated they had it.
 
THis is how I mounted my Zumo XT on my BMW K1600

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GPS Mount is from EPM. Solid stainless steel with shock mount.

This is how it looks in action. Shows how much brighter the Zumo XT screen is than the Nav V GPS.

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In dash gps running:
img_20211130_112903-jpg.285873
Joe

or, bypass that and just have a bigger dash view:
img_20211114_111249-jpg.285872

Joe,
May be a dumb question but
I haven’t seen the new rt screen in person. What is with the redline?
In your pic it appears to be 5500rpm. In other pics 8k and others 9k
 
In dash gps running:
img_20211130_112903-jpg.285873
Joe

or, bypass that and just have a bigger dash view:
img_20211114_111249-jpg.285872

Joe,
May be a dumb question but
I haven’t seen the new rt screen in person. What is with the redline?
In your pic it appears to be 5500rpm. In other pics 8k and others 9k
Redline is 8500 ish, I don't know why they did that when the bike isn't running, they split it in half... BRB, will get another screen shot.
 
Redline is 8500 ish, I don't know why they did that when the bike isn't running, they split it in half... BRB, will get another screen shot.
Ok, at idle it's the same.. but when you get moving the redline adjusts to the true rev limiter point.. no idea why they did it that way it is kinda strange.
 
Ok, at idle it's the same.. but when you get moving the redline adjusts to the true rev limiter point.. no idea why they did it that way it is kinda strange.

Likely for the same reason my Burgman and AK have a rev limiter that prevents excessive rpm when on the center stand (since those don't have a "neutral gear" and are always "in gear" with only rpm to engage the clutch to the rear wheel). To prevent damage to the engine and transmission when not riding down the road. Does the limit change when you shift out of N or anytime you are not moving down the road?
 
Likely for the same reason my Burgman and AK have a rev limiter that prevents excessive rpm when on the center stand (since those don't have a "neutral gear" and are always "in gear" with only rpm to engage the clutch to the rear wheel). To prevent damage to the engine and transmission when not riding down the road. Does the limit change when you shift out of N or anytime you are not moving down the road?
Yes, it shows around 8500 once in gear.
 
Ok, at idle it's the same.. but when you get moving the redline adjusts to the true rev limiter point.. no idea why they did it that way it is kinda strange.
My RS's redline adjusts by engine temperature, not gear - low when cold, it goes up as the engine warms up until max around 170/180 degrees (normal operating temp). Makes sense to me.

One complaint I've read on the RT's dash is no engine temp depicted... that IS kinda strange. ;)

Tom
 
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My RS's redline adjusts by engine temperature, not gear - low when cold, it goes up as the engine warms up until max around 170/180 degrees (normal operating temp). Makes sense to me.

One complaint I've read on the RT's dash is no engine temp depicted... that IS kinda strange. ;)

Tom
Thanks, I'll pay attention next time. There is engine temp but you have to go to the vehicle display. It's not one of the info you can toggle quickly or show on one of the right side screens constantly, yeah that is odd.
 
Joe,
That's a very nice display upgrade compared to what I had in my 2016! Still visible in direct sunlight?
I can see both the benefit and complication of using phone-based integration of GPS. I liked having standalone GPS, but also see how this is the inevitable outcome for GPS'.

There's a device upper-center, above the display, positioned forward between the windshield brackets--is that the ACC radar? In that RT video of the GPS you posted above (post 182), that device isn't present. If that is the radar, did BMW also incorporate automatic emergency braking? (I'd think that would be problematic.)
img_20211114_111249-jpg.285872
 
Joe,
That's a very nice display upgrade compared to what I had in my 2016! Still visible in direct sunlight?
I can see both the benefit and complication of using phone-based integration of GPS. I liked having standalone GPS, but also see how this is the inevitable outcome for GPS'.

There's a device upper-center, above the display, positioned forward between the windshield brackets--is that the ACC radar? In that RT video of the GPS you posted above (post 182), that device isn't present. If that is the radar, did BMW also incorporate automatic emergency braking? (I'd think that would be problematic.)
img_20211114_111249-jpg.285872
That's where the Xm antenna goes.

The ACC radar is in the nose, square here:

img_20211113_160515-jpg.284781
 
Ok, at idle it's the same.. but when you get moving the redline adjusts to the true rev limiter point.. no idea why they did it that way it is kinda strange.

Well I have a few stronger words than strange, but then I much prefer regular tach and speedo. Much more fun to watch. OH well, times they are a changin
 
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