Am I mad considering a change???

[RJT_Berlin]

HI

currently a VERY happy owner of a 2009 1200GSA, but for some reason am getting the itch to change and the RT keeps coming up?

I dont know why and I dont know if this is a good idea? Another option would be the 1300GT just dont know what to think or do

I dont use the bike enough, always get a week away touring, otherwise just the usuals and stick to tarmac. Am thinking of using the bike to get to my girlfriends in Poland - guess the RT would eat up the 250KM on the motorway?

Any thoughts out there??

 

[Roberto]

Assuming you can get a reasonably long test ride in Germany I'd get out and try that.

Not owned a newer K so can't comment- but the RT is an excellent an excellent road bike; comfortable, capable and relaxing to ride. Some folk here may tell you that the RT is dull compared to the GS however I never found that and owned a GSA and RT back to back. Different character to the GS but it is fun in its own way.

Its a great bike for touring and easily covers big distances. I used to be able to get a long way on it very comfortably, one example that stands out was a few years ago I made it comfortably from Rostock back to London in a single hit and still felt very fresh at the end of it.

And of course the weather protection is first class and the electric screen is terrific.

Personally I didn't like the 'conventional' switchgear on the newer RT.. but they're back on all bikes shortly so best get used to it

Best of luck

 

[Bendy toy]

I bought my GSA from a guy who had got himself a 1300GT. I he said while its a fab long distances tool, the GA was much more useful and only slightly compromised for touring. He was sad for it to go but couldn't afford to keep both. He expected to be getting another GS when the GT is due to go.

 

[flying circus]

thoughts, well if you have a itch to change your not happy, i think to say you have "owned a bike" a minimum of 3years and 20K is needed then you can start to look at other bikes. if for example you have owned a fz1 fazer for 3 years and rode 2-3K miles and i know many like this, then the bike is shite or you brought the wrong bike. if you buy a bike and look at others within the first year!!!! you are sir, a cad a bounder and a tart.

 

[RJT_Berlin]

TBH I havent really "looked" at any other bikes. I do love riding the GS - it all clicked during the holiday in Italy and I have never felt more confident on a bike. I just wanted to know if anybody has made this change and what advice they are offering. The only whim I have about my GSA is the seat - it lets in water and isnt too comfy - apart from that the bike is awesome - I just dont know if I would want to use it as a commuter travelling 285 km to Poland on it........ Motorways are bad enough, but I really didnt like them on the GS

 

[Pablo1]

- I just dont know if I would want to use it as a commuter travelling 285 km to Poland on it........ Motorways are bad enough, but I really didnt like them on the GS

tell us some more , what didnt you like ?

285km is feck all really on motorways, other than the riding position without any further info its hard to advise.

Change the seat, try a sargeant before you think of changing the bike

 

[llotse]

I have had 2 GS's, 1 GSA and 3 RT's. I can't get a fag paper between them in all honesty, they have all been fantastic bikes and a complete package for what I want. I Had a 2006 K1200GT and really liked it, if BMW had made a new K at a reasonable price and no heavier than the K1200GT I would have bought it in a heartbeat. When it came to change I wanted new, coming from a GS, didn't fancy the weight or expense of a K16, so an RT it was.

I think what I am trying to say is you probably won't regret buying any of them, they are all a little different to each other so perhaps a good test ride day is called for.

Nearly forgot that if you want to do the journey very very quickly look at the GT, intercontinental ballistic missile as someone on here described it

 

[RJT_Berlin]

I dont like motorways full stop, guess the gsa feels high and subject to wind. The buffetting was an issue for me and as i mentioned the seat (already after market) isnt comfortable for long stints...... I love the bike otherwise but am thinking a bike for this journey maybe a good alternative to the car! Otherwise i dont get enough opportunities to ride really

 

[Neil W]

I had a r1200rt (2009) model on hire for a week in Austria a couple of years ago. Horses for courses, it was a great motorway bike BUT in my opinion bloody awful once in the mountains.
Never felt secure or planted and it felt due to the huge fairing that you didn't know where the front wheel was on hairpins.

 

[Pip_UK]

I had a brief affair with an 1150RT after becoming jealous of all the RTs I saw wafting serenely along the motorway while my 1100's barn door aeros and short top gear gave me a gargoyle grimace at speed.

The RT was great for comfort and cruising, and surprisingly fit-feeling on B-roads, but I just didn't gel with it - too much bulk and not enough charisma. It's wonderfully efficient big-distance two-wheeled transport, but a bit anodyne compared to the up-for-it exuberance and go-anywhere versatility of the GS.

The best motorway bike I ever had was my R1100S, and I'm still convinced that sports-tourers like the VFR and Sprint ST are better m-way mile-eaters than bloated full-fairing behemoths. Quiet and stable thanks to the teardrop aeros which leave your lid in clean-flowing air, and very comfy above 50 mph when enough air flows over the screen to support your upper body over the bars and take the weight off your wrists and arse. Off the motorway, they're fast, light, frisky, and murder on your wrists. I'm not really helping am I.