Please help me buy the right bike

[stephenwc]

Hi all

I have been looking for a while now for a decent tourer.

I have tried out and vetoed: the Kawasaki GTR 1400 (too little room for the pillion passenger);
the Honda ST1300 Pan European (too much leaning forward); the Triumph Sprint ST
(chain-driven); the Yamaha FJR 1300A (uncomfortable for the pillion passenger) and;
the BMW R1200RT SE.



The BMW gets my vote.

I've booked a test-ride and if all goes well am looking to buy sometime in 2009 BUT I thought I'd
play it safe and ask those of you who own one to tell me why I should NOT buy it..

So people, any thoughts about what's wrong with it (if anything)?

Stephen

PS I toured on the BMW K1200 LT but found the stand too low, the headlight way too weak with dangerously pathetic illumination, the centre of gravity a little too high and pillion passenger room a bit limited. Sad for such a great looking bike <sigh>.

[Old Surf Dog]

Have you looked at Harleys or Victorys? We both love our Road Kings but if you don't like Harleys the Victory Vision is very nice. It has all the bells and whistlesand my wife sat on one and said it is very well balanced.

[Twisted Trader]

Have you considered one of these? It is a proper kind of bike, as it is made in England. A Triumph something. Triumph Locomotive?

[eye.surgeon]

Based on the riding I've seen you doing in reading your posts here Stephen I'd think the BMW RT would suit you best. Put a tail box on it and you're ready to ride two up in comfort. It won't be cheap though.

[WIRE]

Originally Posted by Twisted Trader

Have you considered one of these? It is a proper kind of bike, as it is made in England. A Triumph something. Triumph Locomotive?

That's an A-10 Warthog tank-killa. Second one I've seen in as many days. This one is a bit more blinged out, however.

[WIRE]

This here's what you need:

Attachment 86437

[stephenwc]

Originally Posted by Old Surf Dog

Have you looked at Harleys or Victorys? We both love our Road Kings but if you don't like Harleys the Victory Vision is very nice. It has all the bells and whistlesand my wife sat on one and said it is very well balanced.

John

Thanks for the thought but they're not really what we're after. Nice bikes though.

Stephen

[stephenwc]

Originally Posted by eye.surgeon

Based on the riding I've seen you doing in reading your posts here Stephen I'd think the BMW RT would suit you best. Put a tail box on it and you're ready to ride two up in comfort. It won't be cheap though.

Thanks Rod,

I'm doing my bit to keep vehicle sales professionals in business.

They're a bit under $20,000 but prices are dropping / discounts are rising...

Stephen

[stephenwc]

Originally Posted by WIRE

This here's what you need:

Attachment 86437

What an outrageously cool bike.

I reckon I'd have to be a bachelor to be able to buy one of those... <sigh>

Stephen

[wbunning]

I'm loving my '06 RT. The motor is great. I needed to put a couple of small riser blocks under the bars to get the ergo's right for me (short inseam and sleeve length). At first I didn't think I'd like the ESA feature, but now I love it. Electronic cruise, heated grips.. all that stuff is great. I'm not a fan of listening to anything other than the wind when I ride, so I can't vouch for the radio. Others have told me that at least the ones that came on my model year sucked.

I retrospect, I'd have gotten a heated seat too. Not needed in California most of the time, but then I didn't get the bike to stay in California on!
I'd also forgo the BMW top box. Not worth the money, IMHO. It looks big, but it has a wide double-wall that makes the interior space smaller than it looks. Go for a Givi rig.
Some guys don't like the BMW tank bag. I do. I added a powerlet kit to give power to the inside of the bag for charging phones, etc. I also added a non can-bus powered outlet at the rear of the bike.

Take the test ride.

Having said all that, NO bike is perfect as I'm sure your own experience can attest to. Beemers are no exception. ABS service is pricey when needed, there has been some history of final drive failures (not me, and I've had 3 totaling over 100k miles so far).

I actually liked both the FJR and ST1300, but was uncomfortable on both. Too far forward. The RT has me seated fairly upright.

Happy hunting!