'21 BMW R1250RT

Fred Primmer said:
Congratulations on your new bike Joe. Are you keeping your Tracer or did you trade it?

I thought the Tracer seemed like a good ST replacement. Same hp, much lighter. That's the direction I was thinking of if/when I decide the ST is too heavy or too old for me anymore. What about the Tracer didn't quite do it for you?
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I liked the Tracer but weather protection was a bit of an issue and never could manage wind noise to my satisfaction. If it was anywhere near 50 degrees or colder I didn't want to get on it. That was never the case with my Wings or STs.

The Tracer engine I will miss a lot but the boxer is actually pretty lively in a sophisticated manner. The gave me a stupid trade-in number which pushed me over the edge and the 21 didn't have the freight charges the 22 had- well, that's what the dealer and other dealers said so not sure if that is the case or just a way to push 21s out the door.

The Tracer was definitely light and it was a joy to move around the garage, the RT is a bit heavier and takes more effort for sure but the ST and Wings were tough for me.

I did hate the range of the Tracer, I was looking for gas every 100 miles as the reserve would blink at 150 ish.

Who knows.. in 3-5 years I'll probably change my mind again... :rofl1:
 
I just realized something... I'm a @TPadden wannabe.... I always knew he was my hero, I guess I just didn't know how much... serves him right, he's been impersonating me at events, now I can impersonate him... BRB.. gotta get my hate on.
 
Mellow said:
I just realized something... I'm a @TPadden wannabe.... I always knew he was my hero, I guess I just didn't know how much... serves him right, he's been impersonating me at events, now I can impersonate him... BRB.. gotta get my hate on.
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Joe- are you referring to Tom 1 or Tom 2?
 
Mellow said:
Correct. My first BMW but it's pretty amazing so far.
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Well I sure put my foot in my mouth when I said you are probably not a BMW type. That's what I get for stereotyping. You know this model of BMW is in the running if I'm faced with replacement of my ST1100. I'm jealous. Enjoy your new bike.
 
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I've never ridden an RT, but I rode a low suspension low seat GS at a BMW factory truck event in August. I really liked the balance that was particularly apparent in low speed situations. I could slip the clutch and apply the rear brake and stay up while almost stopped. I was really impressed. It needed serious bar backs and some wind protection though. I keep reading about how these bikes are top heavy, but I didn't see it.
 
Mellow said:
It's still new to me so as far as the twisties I always take my time learning a new bike before pushing it's (my) limits and we don't have many fun places to ride around here. But, in the few light twisties I could find it felt very nice and stable and the power was immediate and felt like linear.
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Our Norwegian friend is also on Beemers, thus I wondered how tactile they actually are...
There's also no twitchiness you get with most modern ride by wire bikes, it felt like the throttle was connected to carburetors.
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That's a relieve, I had the impression that their first gen EFI had quite a jerky response...
 
ST1100Y said:
Our Norwegian friend is also on Beemers, thus I wondered how tactile they actually are...

That's a relieve, I had the impression that their first gen EFI had quite a jerky response...
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IIRC most or all motorcycle manufacturers had a time with first gen EFI. Cars/trucks have much more mass and inertia and can get away with quite coarse throttle response but not so on a bike. The power to weight ratio of a MC is typically going to magnify poor throttle response. In the case of BMW they were approximately 20 years ahead of the Japanese with fuel injection, that is when the first-year 2002 ST1300 came out it was exactly twenty model years behind the first-year K100RS.
 
Congrats. I'm really liking the R1250 engine in my GSA. I'm still leery of turning off the traction control. It's quite the powerhouse in Dynamic mode and eats tires too fast!

It sure is a comfortable and fun ride.
 
Al Gully said:
Tell us more about Shift Assit Pro
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It's a quick shifter both up and down.

The Tracer had a quick shifter but only upwards.

As with most quick shifter reviews, the 1st-to-2nd gear change can be rough unless you are accelerating aggressively. The other changes are typically smooth, only requires some upward pressure on the gear shift and it changes, no manual clutch change needed.

Downward changes, on the RT, are very smooth but I still need more time on the bike for a better review.
 
@Al...
Upshifts cut the ignition momentarily, which unloads the drive train and the upwards pressure on the gear shift results in the gear changing at the same moment.

Downshifts have the ECU momentarily blip the throttle by wire, which unloads the drive train and the downwards pressure on the gear shift results in the engine revs increasing (by fuel) at the same moment as the next lower gear matches and goes in.

Neither upshifts or downshifts require you to manually rotate the throttle as you would when pulling the clutch lever, nor do yo need to use the clutch lever--you can keep the throttle wide open if you like on acceleration. All you do as the pilot is upshift or downshift at the gear lever (no changes to throttle or clutch lever required). The resulting gear-change action is very quick.

Even on the prior generation (mine was 2016 R1200RT), it was surprisingly smooth and effective. It was virtually seamless upshifting 3-6 if accelerating briskly or decelerating 6-3 in upper half of rpm range and decelerating. If decelerating while in the bottom end of rpm range, it was a bit thumpy. Overall, 2-3 or 3-2 could be a bit noticeable, and 1-2 or 2-1 could be clunky, so I rarely used it 1-2 or 2-1.

I learned to also NOT be timid with the pressure/action on the gear lever, and I also generally avoided downshifting while simultaneously using the brakes as the ECU (in mine) didn't seem programmed for that much quicker rpm dropping (it seemed optimized for smooth downshifts while using solely engine braking, not simultaneous use of disc braking.

I also learned to not use it in twisties unless I was accelerating hard or relying on full engine braking for deceleration. In twisties it is common to use only part throttle, and gear changes with partial throttle could make the shift assist pro disruptive to your line into or out of curves.
 
Mellow said:
I really liked the 850GSA I test rode last year... but I did want a bigger bike but not as big as the wing, that being said this isn't small by any means. The RT feels like a merge between my previous Wings and STs... I like the 6.6 gallon tank, should be good for 200-220 before the 1.1 gallon reserve warning comes on. The current Wing was a possibility but life is short and I want to try as many different bikes given the time I have left lol... The final drive issues were on my mind but I learned quickly that those are mostly from the old 1150 days and many changes have been done to make them as reliable as Honda FDs.
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I hear you about trying different motorcycles - limited life unlimited bikes :) I realize that I am lucky to be able to ride a wide range of motorcycles via the rentals available to my tour business. My sense in this day and age is that there really are no bad bikes, just some that are more preferable than others. If someone told me 3 years ago that I would own a Goldwing I would have laughed. I test rode a 2017 Goldwing and didn't bond with it. I actually thought I'd end up with a RT (if my wife was going to ride with me) or a F850GSA if solo. I test rode a 2018 Goldwing on whim. For me it was a little bit like you mentioned, but in reserse - a merge between my ST1300 and a BMW RT. I ride it just as hard as my ST1300 and it responds well to that kind of riding, which is a pleasant surprise. To me it's a more refined ST1300. I can only afford one bike here in NH as I head toward retirement, so the Goldwing is it. My best local riding buddy rides an RT so I'm never far from riding one, be it here or in the Alps - best of both worlds.
 
It will be interesting to hear if BMW has addressed the quick shifting down while on the brakes. My KTM has a quick shifter and it seems to know just how much "blip" to use downshifting when braking aggressively. Even on loose surfaces it is rare to get rear wheel lockup. Maybe the slipper clutch plays a role as well? Overall, it is a handy feature that just takes some getting used to. Like Bakerboy, I find you can't be tentative with the shifter movement or it will get stuck between gears.
 
R1250RT. Makes sense.
I rode one last year. I figured if I outlive my supply of ST1300s, the RT could be the replacement.
Primarily I noted that the aerodynamic comfort of the bike seemed great in stock form.
What I lacked number of miles sampled, I made up for in speed.
Enjoy
 
drrod said:
It will be interesting to hear if BMW has addressed the quick shifting down while on the brakes. My KTM has a quick shifter and it seems to know just how much "blip" to use downshifting when braking aggressively. Even on loose surfaces it is rare to get rear wheel lockup. Maybe the slipper clutch plays a role as well? Overall, it is a handy feature that just takes some getting used to. Like Bakerboy, I find you can't be tentative with the shifter movement or it will get stuck between gears.
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I'll try to remember to give that some testing.

I'll say one thing, I've not been this excited about a bike and getting out on rides since the ST1300... The Super Ten was close but this feels like the old days... well, for me anyway.

I also looked at the FJR during this process but for me it just felt very heavy and I think the range is limited as well since it's mpg rating isn't as good as I would want.
 
I'd have an RT in a heartbeat if I could ever wear out the ST! Not getting a lot of cooperation there though:)
I have ridden my friends RT quite a bit and there is no denying it is a very nice bike. And.....to top it off, his has been trouble free for over 50k miles. Consistently 10% better fuel economy than my ST as well. If there is a downside, I would say it is the cost of tupperware replacement (but I suppose that can be said about all the full faired bikes). His got pushed over by vandals in the hotel parking lot (easy to do when on the center stand BTW) and the cost was close to $4k.
What is really going to be interesting is to see what you will move on to in a few years time.
 
Mellow said:
I'll try to remember to give that some testing.

I'll say one thing, I've not been this excited about a bike and getting out on rides since the ST1300... The Super Ten was close but this feels like the old days... well, for me anyway.

I also looked at the FJR during this process but for me it just felt very heavy and I think the range is limited as well since it's mpg rating isn't as good as I would want.
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BMW's RT series were introduced during the late 70's. Many many years of refinement. FJR 1300's since 2003. Lets face it imho BMW was in the war with all new comers at the time with ST1100, ST1300, Kawasaki Concours, and Yamaha's FJR 1300. Now some are long gone and the two remaining contenders are treading water about to be axed anytime. To me the earlier Honda ST's were the better bikes but that's history. BMW may have lost some sport touring battles but when the dust settles they will be the last ones standing.
 
I have its older sibling,a 96 R1100rt with Ohlins front and rear.I absolutely love it,the handling is like nothing i had ever ridden due to the telelever/mono lever.The fairing is quite possibly perfection for the rider,the luggage is perfectIy integrated.I did read a great article about the BMW oilheads.Two guys attending design school back in the early 90's learning all about CAD.They graduated and both got jobs with motorcycle companies,one to BMW,one to Ducati.One designed the oil head R1100rt which was a precursor to your latest iteration,the other at ducati designed the iconic trellis framed 916.Isnt it funny BMW now has a sexy model with a trellis frame,go figure.The BMW is so enjoyable to ride,it just purrs all day long,without beating up the rider at all.When youre on the highway at high speed encountering dirty air from a semi the BMW handling really shines,it just cuts through it like a knife.Not that the ST1300 isnt a great bike either,im fortunate to have both
 
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