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The R1200R - Unappreciated by both BMW Riders and BMW Motorrad?

Insurance for R1200R

Since you brought it up, I just got my invoice for the insurance on my 2009 R1200R.

It is $456 for the year. Very reasonable, I think.

Another reason to ride the R.
 
It's not just the R1200R that is unappreciated. The naked standard motorcycle doesn't sell well in the US. There are many great naked standard bikes offered in Europe, but not here.

Ralph Sims
 
Since you brought it up, I just got my invoice for the insurance on my 2009 R1200R.

It is $456 for the year. Very reasonable, I think.

Another reason to ride the R.
Wow! You pay a lot for insurance! I pay $250 for full coverage. I ride an RT but I did the R. I like it's clean simple looks and it's more old school. The RT just fits my needs better for all weather protection and two up riding. I also have no idea how you guys get such good gas mileage. I hear other RT rider talking about getting 50 or upper 40s. I am always mid to low 40s.
 
R Insurance vs. RT Insurance

I had an RT for five years and paid close to $600 per year for it.

Define what you mean by full coverage? Also what year is your RT?

I have a $250 deductible with high limits of liability for both bodily injury and property damage. If you have a high deductible combined with low liability limits, you will pay less, but it is not worth it if you have an accident and the other guy sues you.

We pay high motorcycle insurance here in North Carolina thanks to one county (Graham) that has the highest rates of motorcycle damage and personal injury in the state. Care to guess what highway is located there? A clue - it rhymes with Wagon.
 
I had an RT for five years and paid close to $600 per year for it.

Define what you mean by full coverage? Also what year is your RT?

I have a $250 deductible with high limits of liability for both bodily injury and property damage. If you have a high deductible combined with low liability limits, you will pay less, but it is not worth it if you have an accident and the other guy sues you.

We pay high motorcycle insurance here in North Carolina thanks to one county (Graham) that has the highest rates of motorcycle damage and personal injury in the state. Care to guess what highway is located there? A clue - it rhymes with Wagon.
I do have a $500 deductible and also have high limits for bodily injury and property damage. I thought NYS was high but perhaps not as high. I do have the bike listed for recreational purposes as well. Not for commuting. It's also rolled in on an umbrella policy with my home and autos.
 
Insurance Rates

OK. That explains it.

My policy has no restrictions on use. I do commute, as well as, tour on my bike.

You still have a good deal with what you are paying.
 
It's not just the R1200R that is unappreciated. The naked standard motorcycle doesn't sell well in the US. There are many great naked standard bikes offered in Europe, but not here.

Have always thought of the "Rs" as

... bikes for folks that want new and want the cheapest--they are obviously price leaders

... bikes for folks whose next bike will have a fairing

... bikes for city riding and not the long distance touring so favored by USA BMW owners. They are for sure better for city riding than the bikes with fairings.

... difficult to distinguish from a GS, but for sure shorter

... least intimidating ... as regards fear of falling over and damaging fairing
 
At a recent BMW gathering held at a dealer, I saw a new R1200R "touring" model in deep blue metalic. It had the low frame option.

It impressed me as one of the most beautiful motorcycles I have ever seen. It also "felt perfect" when I sat on it for the first time. Had my bank balance permitted, I would have owned it on the spot!

I have test ridden the R1200R and it is a fantastic performer!

It is definetely the most under appreciated BMW in the current line.
Tim
 
Kent sez (and I gotta disagree with some of his thoughts..):

Have always thought of the "Rs" as

... bikes for folks that want new and want the cheapest--they are obviously price leaders
Hmm... price isn't a driver for the R12R - you can certainly find cheaper new bikes in a BMW dealers showroom (650's and 800's) and it wasn't in my case.. paid cash for the roadster, could have paid cash for any other bike in the showroom. Cheapest was not a factor at all.
... bikes for folks whose next bike will have a fairing
Bit odd - most of the people I know who bought a roadster USED to have a bike with a fairing, (or in my case, MANY bikes with fairings) and realized how much more pleasure they get riding "naked"..
... bikes for city riding and not the long distance touring so favored by USA BMW owners. They are for sure better for city riding than the bikes with fairings.
I'll agree the R12R is better than a bike with a fairing in the city, but that makes it hard to explain why I doubled my annual mileage when moving to the Roadster from a series of faired bikes.. I do at least one 3,000+ mile trip a year, and usually a few other 1,000 mile trips. All started since I got the R12R. I think the trips qualify as "long distance" non-city riding.
... difficult to distinguish from a GS, but for sure shorter
If you can't visually distinguish between a GS and a Roadster, I'd suggest your eyeglass prescription might be out of date.. :) If you mean difficult to distinguish the useability of the two - I'd agree. A chap named Chitown (Joe Finn) is well known for taking his R12R places where GS riders just don't seem to be comfortable. :dance
... least intimidating ... as regards fear of falling over and damaging fairing
I wouldn't call it intimidating. I'd call it uncomfortable. When I test rode the RT I found I couldn't see from the cylinder heads to about 3 feet in front of the bike, and basically had concerns when I came to a stop if I was going to have to dodge a pothole with my feet. I like being able to look down and see all the pavement surrounding my bike. I find that comforting.

I like the R12R because it does what I want and it fits me. It's really THAT simple. it wasn't price that drove me to buy one. I knew the day I sat on one at the NYC moto show in '06 that I'd own one, and I did by spring in '07. I ride it year round in NJ - putting way more miles on it then on any other bike I've ever owned.

Cheap? Nope. City bike? Nope. Want a faired bike? Big NOPE. Less intimidating? Mebbe a little. Mebbe we can grade this on a curve. :)
 
I'd have to agree strongly with DonE. I've never owned a "big fairing" bike, but I am working towards my 600k award. Right now, only the R appeals to me in the boxer line, and for the same reasons that Don pointed out.

My current bike is an R1200ST. That, and my R1100RS, are the best bikes for me in recent BMW memory. So, that really highlights what the OP was saying: that these bikes are unappreciated by both BMW and the customers they attract.
 
The R1200R - Unappreciated by both BMW Riders and BMW Motorrad

Kent,

I was the one who started this thread. I have owned two BMW's, a 2000 R1200C that I rode for two years and a 2005 R1200RT that I rode for five years.

Quote

... bikes for folks that want new and want the cheapest--they are obviously price leaders

I paid $10,000 for my R1200C, $21,000 for my R1200RT and $15,120 for the R1200R. If I wanted to go cheap, I would have purchased a F650. Price was not my factor for choosing the R1200R.

Quote

... bikes for folks whose next bike will have a fairing

I had a fairing on the RT and while I appreciated it for cold weather riding, I absolutely hated it for riding in the 90 degree temperature and 90 percent humidity that we have here in NC.

Quote

... bikes for city riding and not the long distance touring so favored by USA BMW owners. They are for sure better for city riding than the bikes with fairings.

I toured on my R1200C, I toured on my R1200RT and I intend to tour on my R1200R. I have the side cases on the R and I will put a seat bag/duffel bag on the rear seat, since I don't ride two up.

Quote

... difficult to distinguish from a GS, but for sure shorter

I don't understand this. The GS has an entirely different shape from the R. True, the R has a much shorter seat height than the GS, but it doesn't look anything like a GS, in my opinion.

Quote

... least intimidating ... as regards fear of falling over and damaging fairing

I would agree with Don. The R1200R is not necessarily less intimidating, but is a lot easier to ride, maneuver than the RT, LT, GS, especially if you only have a 29 inch inseam. If I was 6 foot 3 inch dude with a 36 inch inseam, perhaps I would have a different opinion. Like Don, I like to be able to see the ground in front and to the side of the bike, in case of potential obstacles. On the RT, every parking maneuver was a guess, especially if you are on tip toes, trying to maneuver the bike.

In starting this thread, it was not my intention to condemn others' choices of bikes. I have been enlightened by the renewed joy of motorcycling revealed to me by the R1200R. The RT just wasn't doing that for me anymore, because of the factors I have mentioned and others have seconded.
 
While not an R owner, I have ridden them and would agree that they don't get the good press they deserve. My wife and I are going to do the High Alps Edelweiss tour in 2011 and our bikes of choice will be Rs...
 
Sign me up as another former owner of a fully faired bike who won't own another one. Too hot in the Summer, harder to work on, more top heavy, and just not as much fun. I did 14000 miles last year, and will beat that this year easily. I'm planning a trip from NH to the West Coast for late Spring on my R12R. I live in New Hampshire. The R12R was delivered to me on January 20, 2010 with 11 miles on the clock. It has 1280 on it right now. I've done 150 miles on a day that never saw 32 degrees, and was as low as 20. I do have a modest windshield. With the proper gear there's no need to be cold, even on a naked bike. When it hits 85 or 90, there's no way I ever found to wear all the gear and stay cool on a faired bike, and I tried a lot of things including wet clothes and mesh. Still too hot.

As for cost, I paid cash, could have done the same for an RT. I didn't even look at the RT, since I knew it wasn't what I want.

The R12R has more than enough range. I can't imagine anyone not buying it because they thought the tank was too small.

I have no idea whether they're going to drop the R or not, but I'm sure happy with mine!

I wonder if they'll ever bring the F800R here? I bet I'd like one of those, too.
 
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I have owned three oilheads. My LEAST favorite was the 2002, R1150RT. It was too top heavy and I absolutely hated the power assisted brakes. The R1200C was fun to ride after I changed the handlebars and put a Russell seat on it.............but the bike that I wish I had not sold was the R1150 (naked and no ABS). It was a great bike and I sold it due to serious health problems I was having at the time and thinking that my riding days were over. I'm able to ride again and I'm on a nice airhead but I would consider a R1150 or R1200 again. It would be a shame if BMW dropped the R1200 from the line.
 
R1200R vs R1200RT

DH,

That is so true about the heat and the fairing on the RT. I ride with an Olympia Airglide jacket and BMW Venting Machine pants in the summer, but I have found no relief from the heat on the RT, due to the fairing. I kept looking at my controls for the air conditioner switch, when I went riding to Gatlinburg, TN, two summers ago. It was 97 degrees with 95% humidity. I thought I was going to lapse into heat stroke waiting for five minutes for a left turn arrow at a traffic signal.

My R1200R was delivered on Feb 18, 2010 and it seems we have had snow and rain ever since then. I rode to the dealer two weeks ago for the 600 mile service and the thermometer never got above 32.9 degrees. I had layered with polypro under my Savannah jacket and the Olympia pants have liners, so I was well protected from the cold.

The only thing that got cold was my fingertips. Even with glove liners, heavy gloves and the heated grips, I could not get my fingers warm at speeds above 60 mph.

Even so, I can live with cold fingers to be able to ride in comfort, once the heat arrives here.

I agree with you about the F800R. If you have the Touratech Streetline catalog, check it out on pages 90 and 91. That one looks like a GS without the boxer engine. I don't know what the seat height is, probably 35 inches. I would be willing to try one, if they offered a low version.

Bill
 
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DH,

The only thing that got cold was my fingertips. Even with glove liners, heavy gloves and the heated grips, I could not get my fingers warm at speeds above 60 mph.

Bill

I bought a Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves last fall, mostly because I was wearing so many layers of clothing that I nearly strangled myself. Insulation is great but heated clothes are better, not to mention much thinner.
 
I bought a Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves last fall, mostly because I was wearing so many layers of clothing that I nearly strangled myself. Insulation is great but heated clothes are better, not to mention much thinner.
And handguards will do lots to help with cold fingers. Even better are the sort of hippo hands that Wunderlich now offers for hexheads. I have nice warm hands with thin gauntlet gloves and never turn the heated grips off low.. with temps in the high 20's low 30's.

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/mm...A&Product_Code=8110360&Category_Code=R1200R-C

8110360a.jpg


For more info on adding handguards to the R12R - see:

http://www.r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19696

Did I mention I love this bike? :wave
 
Come to think of it, I've toured my whole life on nothing but a "standard" or "dual purpose/sport".

Riders ought to worry less about what they're on and instead think of where they've been.
 
Sign me up as another former owner of a fully faired bike who won't own another one. Too hot in the Summer, harder to work on, more top heavy, and just not as much fun.

I've driven in very hot temperatures and its bad enough having hand protectors on my dual sport.

I had one very heavily clad tupperware sport bike...notice I said ''one". What a procedure to get to anything.

And in the end, I want to feel like I an riding a motorcycle, not a car.
 
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