Thinking of changing. Help!

[geordielad]

I am in need of advice.
I am thinking of changing the RT for a WC model, but the differential is scary.
I have an 11 plate MU and to go to a WC model they are asking silly money.

I have been offered a better trade in against a 14 plate Triumph Trophy SE which is an ex-demonstrator with 570 miles on the clock.

I was going to test ride it on Saturday but wanted any feedback or opinions you may have for this change.
Piss-taking welcomed .

Thanks for your comments in advance.

 

[wreck diver]

Hi,never ridden the Trophy though I did consider one briefly.
But the RT WC I luv it.
There are a few stupid things they could/should have got better , like screen,ability to change digi speedo from miles to kilometers,utilize storage space in dash if no radio fitted.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[Sitbonzo]

My brother has a trophy and loves it. He tested an RT and the TT back to back.

 

[Vrodash]

Hi guys, My first post
2 weeks ago I went to test ride a GSA LC and a 1600GT.
I went conviced I would swop out my much loved 2010 1300GT for the 1600.
One just tall big for me unfortunately ,the other just HUGH !
Was persuaded to take out an RT LC for the same route.
Gosh , blown away. Loved it.

So.....
Pick up my new one Friday.
Moral of the story ?
Saved £700 more than local dealer buying from next nearest dealer.

Shop around a bit, worked for me.

Very excited 48 year old kid getting new toy

 

[roadrider]

I am in need of advice.
I am thinking of changing the RT for a WC model, but the differential is scary.
I have an 11 plate MU and to go to a WC model they are asking silly money.

I have been offered a better trade in against a 14 plate Triumph Trophy SE which is an ex-demonstrator with 570 miles on the clock.

I was going to test ride it on Saturday but wanted any feedback or opinions you may have for this change.
Piss-taking welcomed .

Thanks for your comments in advance.

Try another BM dealer, you never know.....................you might get a better deal, they may have a low milage one, or an ex demo etc etc.

 

[TonyBBMW]

I looked at the TT when we had the recall issue... it reminded me of a cheap far east car from the 80's, far to much plastic dash for me.

Unfortunately BMW's and RT's in particular are hard to beat for spec', closest I saw was a Guzzi, but that didn't have the electrickery gadgets I like.

Shop around all the dealers, and haggle over the options, some have thrown in a Navigator 5 to sweeten the deal?

 

[desertyellow]

Buy a rejected 14 model plenty in dealers big saving! I got a RT LE with every option apart from radio for the price of a basic one!

 

[Dennis the Menace]

I buy my bikes from Rainbow but I asked two other dealers for a trade in price, I was offered £2500 and £2000 less than Rainbow on a 15 reg bike, shop around

 

[JMgser]

Thought this article summed pro's and con's pretty well.

I sat on TT and having pulled it upright, didn't want to ride it cos it just felt far too heavy. Got off it and moved it to and fro, still didn't feel any urge to ride it.

Did same with RT expecting same heavyweight feel, surprise, when sat on it upright found it so well balanced and wanted to ride off there and then. Pretty easy to move in/out my garage etc. Slow riding not a problem.

Mate has a TT and loves it. But I don't have any interest in having a go.
He paid £11000 for a 2000 mile 13 plate TT. I paid £13000 for a 500 mile recall 14 plate RT LE with top box and Satnav.
Is it worth £2k more than the TT?
I think so, clunky gearbox and all, arguably it does have a better spec, the controls are more refined (wonder wheel is fab).
But I have not ridden a TT so what do I know.

"Pay your money, take your choice"
God luck

http://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocia...00rt-meets-triumphs-trophy-1200/#.VQqbxyxybIU

 

[Wierpig]

Had an explorer for a while.same engine and it was the best part of it,although I've heard they have had reliability problems ie cylinder head etc. build quality was well below bm standards unfortunately.and made in Thailand.

 

[Wierpig]

In fact,thinking back,it was a crock of shit

 

[geordielad]

Thanks for the comments guys - have now booked a test ride for Saturday afternoon "did I want to reserve it for £100 so that it will not sell?" came the response from the salesman . . . No thanks I said, I'll take my chance.

Oh forgot to say - I am not and have never looked to buy a new RT and am looking at 14 plate low milers up to demos and I was still looking at £7.5k to exchange - that is a bit rich for my blood I'm afraid. The TT would be £4.5k, but I haven't given up yet - still looking around the dealers and maybe I need to haggle. I've dealt with Williams in Manchester most of the time and found them to be OK so far.

 

[JMgser]

Looks like £12k would be price of a low miles 14 plate RT. MCN shows Vines down in Guildford have a few around that price..likely recall resales. As I understand it the dealers made bids for these and consequently there might be more fat on the bone than for a proper 2014 ex demo where the bike stands them in at "standard cost", so maybe worth checking if there is.
I would guess the basic cost of the TT might be near that?

If so it's down to the P/X offers.

I sort of valued my P/x and went in asking for what I thought was fair price, but I got the feeling that on a recall bike there was plenty of fat for the dealer so I got what I wanted straight off (should have asked for more obviously). Also it was an Aprillia Caponord so a limited market but luckily snapped up by local Aprillia dealers. With respect, plenty of good RT's like yours around so maybe price a bit deflated.

My mate was P/x ing a 10 plate Suzuki GSX 1250FA ST with 24,000 miles and got £3k so had to find £8 to get £11k TT. He bought at end of 2014 when dealers were gagging to do some business. Not sure he would have got that from BMW dealer though ..reckon you are in same sort of qaundry.

Good luck. You must be lucky, living on Wirral with a handle like "Geordielad"

 

[Bigdave]

I mostly find the better things in life cost a little more.....

This time next year when you have toured 10,000 miles and loved every inch of it on the RT LC the price difference will be long forgotten.

 

[Redmerle]

Had an explorer for a while.same engine and it was the best part of it,although I've heard they have had reliability problems ie cylinder head etc. build quality was well below bm standards unfortunately.and made in Thailand.

Cylinder heads on all early bikes have been swapped under warranty, long since cured on current bikes.
All Explorers are built in Hinckley.
Comparative quality debatable.

 

[Wierpig]

Built in Hinckley from parts made in Thailand.just look at the fasteners and judge the quality for yourself.then ride one and let me know if the suspension is on the same planet as rt equipment.also a long list of warranty issues,the cyl head was a memorable example,although Triumph did deal with it well.

 

[richardbd]

Like some of the other posters, I tried a Trophy (and a K1300 and a K1600) before trading my Multistrada for an RTLC.

In comparison to all the others, the Trophy was/is crude and badly built. It also felt like it was the size of a house when riding it. The closest to it (IMHO) is the K1600. That's also huge but has the benefit of that amazing engine.

The RTLC is in a different class to the Trophy. It had to be to get me away from the MTS. I haven't regretted my change for a single day. I never ride the RTLC and get home without a grin. Everything people write/say about it is true. It's possible the best bike available today...

Other opinions are available - but they're wrong...

 

[Redmerle]

Built in Hinckley from parts made in Thailand.just look at the fasteners and judge the quality for yourself.then ride one and let me know if the suspension is on the same planet as rt equipment.also a long list of warranty issues,the cyl head was a memorable example,although Triumph did deal with it well.

Triumph isn't the only manufacturer that owns factories outside their home country, BMW is another.
The quality of the fasteners on the Triumph is poor, with corrosion never far away, but it's nothing that I haven't seen on other manufacturer's bikes - including BMW's. It seems that most bikes need a trip to the stainless fasteners shop for an early fittings upgrade.
The Explorer's suspension is unremarkable conventional suspension and is not as good as that on the BMW, even if the front end on the BMW is an acquired taste. But, to be fair, the gear change on the Triumph is much better, as is the much broader power band that the triple will work over.
Both manufacturer's have had their fair share of recalls, although Triumph seem to be much faster at admitting when there is a fault.
As for reliability, I've run one for 15,000 miles and have had the recall for the new ECU and the side stand bolt, but no warranty claims to date. Certainly they don't seem to be suffering from the same shaft drive failures. Some side stands seem to be failing as a result of numpties climbing on and off the bikes and letting the side stand take all the weight! Personally, I feel that Triumph should insist on a rider upgrade...
As for quality, BMW make nicer switchgear and instruments, but the screen support and adjust mechanism on the R1200GS is something that a Chinese manufacturer would have dismissed as far too nasty!

 

[Wierpig]

I always rode Triumphsin the late seventies and eighties.Meridan and Hinckley from tiger cubs to a Daytona 900 that I put 40000 miles on.loved them.I wanted to ride British and bought an explorer,but I was disappointed in nearly every aspect of it.it was just anodyne compared to a Beemer.Triumph seem to have sold their mechanical character and heritage,where as bm have just evolved.ALL the fasteners at stainless and pleasing to look at on the rt,and you know it's like that where you can't see as well.I would have paid more for the triumph to be built like this

 

[geordielad]

Well, I went to see the TT yesterday and I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed in the finish - don't get me wrong, it wasn't falling apart (nor should it be at 570 miles!) but the finish just wasn't quite there.
The switchgear was not easy or intuitive to operate and the WEIGHT! - much less agile than my present RT! I know it doesn't help being a short arse, but I didn't feel comfortable hauling it up when stopped.
So, all I have to do now is to find and persuade a nice BMW salesman to part-ex a 14 or 64 plate WC RT with a decent spec for my RT at a reasonable exchange figure.
Not too much to ask is it?