1200rt V K1200gt

Hi,

Seeking some advice regarding the k1200gt, at the moment i have a 1200rt, and thinking about changing to the gt,

Anyone had one, and can compare against the rt,

whats the fuel economy like, issues with reliability.

Thanks

Are you looking at the GT-2 or the older bike ?

paul13 said:

Hi,

Seeking some advice regarding the k1200gt, at the moment i have a 1200rt, and thinking about changing to the gt,

Anyone had one, and can compare against the rt,

whats the fuel economy like, issues with reliability.

Thanks

Click to expand...

I don't care for either bike, but I dislike the K1200GT more. Its a very top-heavy bike, and unlike my former K1200S, it doesn't make up in horsepower what it lacks in agility. If you like a good handling bike, keep your RT.

It depends what you want it for. In the unlikely event it's just to spend all day blasting down the Autobahn then the K1200GT would be fine. Otherwise, stick with your RT which is a much better balanced and more rounded bike.

My experience with the GT is that it's an evil handling lump of lard, albeit bloody quick in a straight line.

Just get yourself a good test ride.

A tosser I know wanted a 12RT after selling his much loved 40 k mile 1150GSA. Went for a decent test ride on the RT and wasn't quite sure about the way it felt ( can't remember quite why) and told the salesman as much who replied " take the GT out " . He didn't want to because it was not what he was after and he didnt place any value on the extra performance. Anyhow he did take it out and both he and his pillion much preferred it to the RT and he surprised himself by buying the used one in the showroom there and then .

After 1 yr and several European jaunts, solo and 2 up, he loves it

You'll just have to try it for yourself

Paul

I tried a K1200GT when I bought my RT last year. My thoughts are as follows:

K1200

1. The engine is fabulous and has all the grunt you're ever likely to need. Worse fuel consumption than the RT though and slightly smaller tank.
2. The riding position just didn't seem to fit me as well as the RT. The bars/seat/screen relationship seemed to be subtly yet noticeably different.
3. The styling, whilst a matter of personal preference, doesn't look as attractive to me as the RT. Plus there's nothing to protect the side panels if/when the bike falls over.

R1200

1. Not quite as attractive as the 1150RT in my opinion but still good to look at.
2. Smooth and has enough grunt for touring duties.
3. Good fuel economy and mine, being the SE model, has all the nice bits fitted (Cruise, ESA etc.)

You really need to try the K for a couple of hours as the differences take a while to fully sink in. Having said that many people are happy with their K models and I may be tempted by the K1300GT in a couple of years time...

I traded my 1200GSA for a K1200GT-2 and I find it great, also had an R1200RT, tend to change bikes every couple of years. For the sort of riding I am now doing, I find the GT-2 to be awesome. The power is addictive and despite others not agreeing, I find the handling to be fantastic and far better than most riders can use (myself included). It is very very comfortable, 600 miles in a day with no probs. Find the heated seat to be an accessory too far and it just seems to give me a sweaty arse . It has similar problems to all current BMW's with final drive and EWS being the main culprits. Screen is great as is cruise on those long motorway stretches. Xenon light is the best I have ever had bar none and ESA is well worth it. Never found the R1200RT to be as comfortable but others do, I guess you will have to do some test riding

I never had the RT but I do have boxers, I have an 07 GT as my long trip bike, just coming up to 1 year of ownership and 16000 miles. and 6000 miles in December including one 800 mile winter day.
My opinion:
It’s not a bike you will bond with in the space of a 2 hour test ride, it took me a while to get used to it.
It is definitely not top heavy, the engine and transmission is laid flat.
If you like performance this is a fast bike and you can hold your own on the road. The engine is the best I have tried very smooth and tuned for torque and lots of it, pull away short shift into 6th and leave it there. You can go from 30 to 150 effortlessly in 6th.

Don’t believe anyone who criticizes handling it’s a revelation great on the twisties effortless doing rapid laps on the Nurburgring. The bike maintains it's good handling even when loaded up, I would love to do a track day on it but too much plastic to consider. The suspension is the most advanced of any bike, hugely stable breaking even when loaded up, superb ride even on a bumpy road, as good as my GSA and maybe slightly better.
Fuel consumption 35 mpg with your race face on, 50 cruising, 98 octane is requested but it is happy on 95.
Good points:
Speed, handling and ride, looks, comfort, equipment, smoothness, stable breaking. Great for town traffic.
Bad points:
Gearbox, it's a horror the worst I have used, it's OK at high revs but very clunky at slow speed.
Screen: Turbulence, the bike used to weave fully loaded over 120 mph an aftermarket screen cured this completely.
Conclusion:
It's not fair to call the K1200GT a motorway bike, it is probably the best motorway bike made but it is a superb bike in the twisties very quick progress on the likes of the Route Napoleon.
You would go for the GT if you wanted to make fast progress across Europe, I don't think the RT is really up to cruising at a constant high speed.
Go for the SE model and mileage is not important mine is just starting to run nice at 20,000 but full service history is a must.

They have been plagued with a high idle problem, most have been sorted with a silent recall but some owners get a recurrence from time to time, it's an easy fix to completly eradicate this problem. If you get one PM me.

Swapping my '06 K1200GT SE with 24K on saturday for a GSA.

If you want to get somewhere fast and in comfort - K1200GT
If you want to thrash around the alpine passes - K1200GT

Top heavy? Bollox!
Doesn't handle? Bollox!
Whoever said that has never owned one!

90% of that 24K was done 2-up loaded to the gunnels.
Last big trip was Spain last October.
Came back from south of Benidorm - Calais - Dover - N Lincs in one hit!

Why am I swapping? Time for a change.

red1 said:

Top heavy? Bollox!
Doesn't handle? Bollox!
Whoever said that has never owned one!

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You're right I haven't owned one but I did have a loan of one for 3 days. It was an evil handling heap of shit, no matter what I did with the ESA. Perhaps you just don't ride it hard enough to get it outside its comfort zone.

Schtum said:

You're right I haven't owned one but I did have a loan of one for 3 days. It was an evil handling heap of shit, no matter what I did with the ESA. Perhaps you just don't ride it hard enough to get it outside its comfort zone.

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Talk about trying to ram your opinion down someones throat, so you rode the bike for 3 days and you are the resident expert and the fast rider.

patzx12 said:

Talk about trying to ram your opinion down someones throat, so you rode the bike for 3 days and you are the resident expert and the fast rider.

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Now, now there's no need to be so touchy. I appreciate you've spent a lot of money on your bike and you don't want to believe that there's anything wrong with it.

If you're happy with it, that's great and I'm really pleased for you.

However..... having ridden the K1200S and the K1200R and really wanting to like the GT, I was hugely disappointed. For whatever reason, this one didn't handle worth a damn. Trying to push hard on a normal Scottish A road just didn't work. The final straw was exiting a rounabout and ending up three feet to the right of my intended line. This was on a very low mileage dealer's demo bike which obviously hadn't been dropped or bent.

If you look on the Bikers Oracle K series BMW site, you'll see that I'm not alone in my findings and several people who considered changing from the K1200S found pretty much the same thing.

I did a track day on one, only bike that passed me was an R1200S ridden by the instructor. It handles, it brakes, it goes like a missile. Did a braking test at Cadwell with Hopp rider training and it stopped from 100mph in the same distance as other bikes were stopping from 60, you have to try it to believe it. I have every confidence in the bike and it just eats Scottish A roads, Yorkshire A roads, Cumbrian A roads etc etc. You really have to ride one and make your own mind up.

Schtum said:

Trying to push hard on a normal Scottish A road just didn't work. The final straw was exiting a rounabout and ending up three feet to the right of my intended line.

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Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong perspective?

Is it possible the bike was just too much for you to handle?

red1 said:

Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong perspective?

Is it possible the bike was just too much for you to handle?

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Of course, why didn't I think of that......

A healthy debate, the handling is different from a conventional bike and it took me a while to get used to it but once I did it is a delight. I did track days on the S and R and loved them, I went for the GT to opt out of the "arms race". I was very tempted by the new Hayabusa but been there done that syndrom kicked in.
BMW to there credit do not make a poor handling bike.

llotse said:

I traded my 1200GSA for a K1200GT-2 and I find it great, also had an R1200RT, tend to change bikes every couple of years. For the sort of riding I am now doing, I find the GT-2 to be awesome. The power is addictive and despite others not agreeing, I find the handling to be fantastic and far better than most riders can use (myself included). It is very very comfortable, 600 miles in a day with no probs. Find the heated seat to be an accessory too far and it just seems to give me a sweaty arse . It has similar problems to all current BMW's with final drive and EWS being the main culprits. Screen is great as is cruise on those long motorway stretches. Xenon light is the best I have ever had bar none and ESA is well worth it. Never found the R1200RT to be as comfortable but others do, I guess you will have to do some test riding

Click to expand...

I totally agree with all of the above, except for the heated seat comments.....I love mine at this time of year!. My 12GSA was traded in for the GT SE, and I do not regret it one bit! I sold my 12GSA because it was too similar to my 1150GS that I kept hold off, and to be quite honest still prefer.

I do not find it top heavy, it's very powerful, comfortable, handles well and is reasonably economic. The luggage capacity with the large top box will be the same as the RT and it's awesome. The ESA is not a gimmick and is very useful depending on the type of road and riding you fancy. This year's foreign jaunt was through the Pyrenees and it coped without any problems. What surprised me is that the engine heat was diverted away from me and I found it cooler to ride through Spain and France than I did my 1150GS and 1200GSA.

Test ride them both, back to back and make your decision. I think the K1200GT SE is the perfect stablemate for my 1150GS.

Mike

Thanks everyone so far for all the feedback, etc,

Just to confirm, I have at the moment a r1200rt se, and have really enjoyed the bike, but just feel its a bit bland after having a loan k1200s whilst some warranty work was done on my rt,

I really loved the k1200s, but need the luggage options as often ride two up.


I will be booking a test ride, but wanted some feedback first. As is this a wise move.


Regarding BO, i did look at the k site, but there really is not much on there, as with the other beemer sites on BO.


Thanks again.

Schtum said:

You're right I haven't owned one but I did have a loan of one for 3 days. It was an evil handling heap of shit, no matter what I did with the ESA. Perhaps you just don't ride it hard enough to get it outside its comfort zone.

Click to expand...

Had roughly the same experiance re handling on my GT (I,m the tosser Rushy mentioned earlier ) but I thought it was just me and new more powerfull bike. Went to France and was not to happy with it at all. BUT, changed the tyres from standard BTs to Metzler Z6 and now a much better more confidence inspiring, nicer feeling bike all together. Went over to Switzerland did several of the passes and like a different bike, toe dragging not a problem where as before even a slow roundabout could have my bottom clutching the seat

Suspect the bike you tried had rather worn/square BT021s on and from other forums these seem to be about the worst you can get, all riders seem to complain of poor/dodgy handling on these. May be try again but check out the tyres first

One small problem I had when switching from years of GS ownership to the GT was slowing down for speed humps. Never used to on the GS and nearly lost my passanger as I launched the GT over a particularly steep one last summer
Not had the heated seat on but my passanger loves it, nice hot bot