Wow oh Wow! Rode a K1200GT today! Did I say Wow?

Chris Parker

Chris Parker

Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
200
Age
56
Location
Greenville, SC
Dropped the RT off for service today and, as per my usual customary routine, got a loaner to ride while I wait for it to be picked up later today. They gave me the key to a used 2006 K1200GT (I know this bike as it is a guy that I have ridden with once before, it is his old bike... he traded it in for a new F800GS).

Once I got acclimated to the different ergos than my RT, all I can say is..

Oh My Gosh! Unbelievable power and buttery smooth. Will leave the RT in it's dust, that is for sure. Will leave ANY sport touring bike in the dust (well, maybe except the Concours 14... will leave the Yamaha and ST, that is for sure. 152 HP at the crank... wow.)

I got it up to speed on the way home and in first gear I was doing way over the legal limit. It is intoxicating!

Could tell that the wheel base makes it much more planted on straight roads, but inhibits it's flickability in the turns compared to the RT, but not by much... I attribute that to my unfamiliarity with the Duolever suspension compared to the Telelever suspension on my RT. Loved the turbine whine of the inline four as it roared into the upper band... it just loved to live there. Really a great power plant.

I've got it for the rest of the afternoon. Hmmm... how far can I go from home before the dealer calls me back to pick up the RT?

Gotta go and ride!

Pray I don't get a ticket while I am out.
 
Calm down Chris, your gonna be okay, just back away from the bike :D The GT does have more HP's than the ST, but look at the curve as to where those HP's kick in, much higher on the dyno than the ST (in other words, you need to be almost red line).

One of the complaints I have heard on the GT is that it wasn't so smooth, especially at slower speeds, and the throttle acceleration was a bit jerky , maybe the guy I know is more picky than you, hhmmm. At any rate, I like the looks of the boxers.
 
hojo in sc said:
Calm down Chris, your gonna be okay, just back away from the bike :D The GT does have more HP's than the ST, but look at the curve as to where those HP's kick in, much higher on the dyno than the ST (in other words, you need to be almost red line).

One of the complaints I have heard on the GT is that it wasn't so smooth, especially at slower speeds, and the throttle acceleration was a bit jerky , maybe the guy I know is more picky than you, hhmmm. At any rate, I like the looks of the boxers.
Click to expand...

more jerky than the throttle of an ST? is that even possible?

I love the GT. If it werent for price, i would have bought one instead of my new RT. Although one of the things I like about my RT is its flickability in tight turns. Other than my old 1150GS the RT has been the best bike I have ridden at that. My friend has a K1200GT and that bike screams. I guess I must be different becasue I like riding in higher RPM's and one of the things I didnt like about the ST. The ST doesnt really like being continuously ridden at high RPM's as it got buzzy and the snap in the throttle made for some jolts as you needed to make any change. I guess I am going to have to talk my dealer into getting the keys of a GT. I have even tried to get my buddy to sell me his GT but no dice. He likes it too much. I am holding out to one day get the new K1300GT but the problem with that bike is BMW switched to japanese turn signals. This is one thing I hated with the ST and find the system to be by far the most stupid logic in controls. The current turn signals of my RT are just the way they should be.
 
cali_rider said:
more jerky than the throttle of an ST? is that even possible?

I love the GT. If it werent for price, i would have bought one instead of my new RT. Although one of the things I like about my RT is its flickability in tight turns. Other than my old 1150GS the RT has been the best bike I have ridden at that. My friend has a K1200GT and that bike screams. I guess I must be different becasue I like riding in higher RPM's and one of the things I didnt like about the ST. The ST doesnt really like being continuously ridden at high RPM's as it got buzzy and the snap in the throttle made for some jolts as you needed to make any change. I guess I am going to have to talk my dealer into getting the keys of a GT. I have even tried to get my buddy to sell me his GT but no dice. He likes it too much. I am holding out to one day get the new K1300GT but the problem with that bike is BMW switched to japanese turn signals. This is one thing I hated with the ST and find the system to be by far the most stupid logic in controls. The current turn signals of my RT are just the way they should be.
Click to expand...

Could it be that BMW heard enough complaints from buyers about "their" setup to change the controls to match others :rolleyes:

Higher RPM's on the ST... Redline is what? You've maxed out HP and torque at what? Buzzy?
 
Just remember the ST1300 has beaten the K1200GT in several magazine shootouts. The same magazines have almost always given the win to the FJR1300. So if you're enamored with the power you might consider an FJR over the GT. Also I suspect you're wrong in the GT out accelerating the FJR. I believe the FJR has more rear wheel HP then the GT. BMW has a bad habit of over stating the HP. I believe I remember the measured rear wheel HP of the GT is around 125. This would mean an 18% loss of power through the drive train. Honda claims 125 engine HP and the measured rear wheel HP is around 115. This is an 8% loss. Somebody is jiving us. Either that or BMW has the most inefficient power transfer of any motorcycle made. Which is I suppose possible. :D

I'm a die hard ST lover as I suspect you are with the BMW. You'll never convince me the GT is superior to the ST as a touring machine.
 
Well, after a bit of time on the GT, the RT is back in the garage after the service. The GT is extremely nice and boy is it smooth. The setup of this bike had some issues as it had a reshaped aftermarket seat that did not fit my posterior and the handlebars, which are adjustable, were too high for my taste, but other than that, it was great.

Howard, the bike is really strong on the lower end of the rev range in my opinion, it pulls like a tractor... a couple of times at a stop or California stop it would be in 2nd gear and I would not even notice it, just giving it the throttle, not stumbling or hesitation at all.

Phil, I have read the horsepower at the rear wheel of the GT, and I get figures of everywhere between 131 to 123, both of which are higher than the FJR. As to the comparisons between the big four touring bikes, I chalk that up to a slight bias towards the Japanese bikes (especially in Motorcyclist and Cycle World, not so much Rider)... for example, the universally panned BMW switch gear they so often gripe about. They wish the Germans would do it like the Big Four UJMs... Well, if you rode Japenese (and Italian for that matter) sport bikes set up the same, the Beemers would be offputting. But to tell you the truth, I LOVE the BMW approach, much MORE ergonomic than my old ST. In fact, the new K1300 series is giving the Roundel faithful fits as they are adopting the Japanese flavor of switch gear for whatever the reason. Not a lot of people are liking this "switch". There are other nitpicks they have, price being one (not really taking into account the standard equipment and tech there plus the other available accessories that the other bikes don't offer, bringing the price up even more, so it is not a fair comparison in that regard). But to your point of the GT not being a better touring bike than the ST, I never stated that (I am not trying to convince anyone here... remember, I had a ST and that was a great bike)... I would give the nod to the ST on cost, but all else, the GT is just a great touring machine with a lot of sport bike in it.
 
I think the looks of the K12GT are the best in the sport touring category. I sat on one at the dealer and was disappointed in the fit and finish of the bike compared to earlier beemers. It seemed to me it was more along the lines of a kaw or suzuki.

I happen to like the BMW switch gear. It's quite intuitive once you get used to it. I'd love to spend a few miles on the GT.:twisted:
 
I took an RT out for a test ride and really didn't care for the bike. Then came the GT. WOW is the only word for it. The bike pulls right off the line and doesn't stop. The ergo's and price didn't do it for me and either me or my license would be history. I'm really happy with the ST as an all around ride. But the GT is rated a big WOW in my book. WOW really is all I could think every time I hit the throttle or brakes.

Tom
 
Rider magazine has joined Cycle World and Motorcyclist in rating the 1200GT low or last in comparos. The December 2007 Rider had Honda ST on top, followed by FJR, Kawi Concourse, and the BMW GT last. I have never ridden a GT, so I have no opinion of my own. However, BMW has changed the 1200 engine twice, and now it's replaced it with the GT 1300. I wonder how much better the 1300 might be.

Also, count me as one who never liked the old RT switchgear. First thing I bought for my old RT was the Kisan Signalminder so I could reduce my turn signal switches from 3 to 2, which made it a better system for me, plus it gave me running lights, which all motorcycles should have.
 
cali_rider said:
This is one thing I hated with the ST and find the system to be by far the most stupid logic in controls. The current turn signals of my RT are just the way they should be.
Click to expand...

Now, if you had grown up in the UK, would you wonder why most of the rest of the world drives on the wrong side of the road, because driving on the left is the way it should be? Frankly, most of us wonder why BMW doesn't make signal controls the way they should be.
 
Chris Parker said:
As to the comparisons between the big four touring bikes, I chalk that up to a slight bias towards the Japanese bikes (especially in Motorcyclist and Cycle World, not so much Rider)... for example, the universally panned BMW switch gear they so often gripe about. They wish the Germans would do it like the Big Four UJMs... Well, if you rode Japenese (and Italian for that matter) sport bikes set up the same, the Beemers would be offputting. But to tell you the truth, I LOVE the BMW approach, much MORE ergonomic than my old ST. In fact, the new K1300 series is giving the Roundel faithful fits as they are adopting the Japanese flavor of switch gear for whatever the reason. Not a lot of people are liking this "switch".
Click to expand...

My 1981 /7 airhead has "Japanese" style switch gear as did all /7's dating from 1979. If I recall correctly the K100 of '83 was BMW's departure point from this standard until the 2009 models returned to it.
 
I thought I read recently where BMW is finally doing it right on their new bikes, using the single turn signal switch.

Ray
 
Horst said:
My cousin owns a nice blue K1200GT ... all I can say is wow :)

All these magazines take price into consideration, that is not entirely fair in my opinion, if price did not matter then the GT would rate nigher, even win.

I was most impressed with quality ... highest imo.

Soooo, after riding with him in the spring I got the ZZR 1200 ... WOW !

:D
Click to expand...

I don't recall any of these tests taking price into the choice. So the GT did in fact come in last on its own merits.
 
I have not got to ride a new GT yet, but I hope to this spring. The only thing that keeps me from running out and buying one right now.... $$$ :)
 
Well, I rode the same GT as Chris is talking about and was glad to get off of it, wasn't comfortable to me at all, but then again, the seat was lowered with padding removed. It seems as though the canbus shunts power away from everything when you come to a stop, as the volt meter drops to 12.4 (with extra running lights on), whereas on my ST they the volt meter stays at 13.8 with my extra running lights on.

I didn't care for the jerky throttle, whereas it seems very smooth on my ST.
 
curmudgeon said:
I don't recall any of these tests taking price into the choice. So the GT did in fact come in last on its own merits.
Click to expand...


Sorry, but that would be wrong... every review that I have read about the GT vs. Connie vs. FJR vs. ST invariably mentions the price differential and that influences the outcome (Motorcyclist, Rider, MCN, etc.). Sure, they complained about front numbness due to the Duolever, the switchgear (go figure), the on/off throttle (can we say ST here?), and disappointing braking compared to the others, but in the end it was also the difference in dollars that testers came back to (although some said if price was no option, they would take the GT because of it's pure comfort over the other two.)

Still like it though. Not enough to tear me away from the RT.

Oh, and Howard, that seat was uncomfortable, I will give you that... what did Mark do to it? Definitely wasn't stock. Also, I did not get a feeling of abruptness in the throttle. It wasn't any different from my RT, which I consider much smoother than the ST (a common complaint of ST owners until that is adjusted after delivery). Funny how two different riders ride the same bike and have different opinions of it.

Chris
 
Always wanted to take one of those for a spin.... Had a demo ride on its sport bike cousin... You know the one that has the non-detuned engine of the same ilk. I want to say about 175 at the crank.

The power will take your breath away. Really fun..

Don't think I'd like the maintenance costs of beemer though.
I'll ride Red until I'm Dead. (hopefully no time soon)
 
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