Not a BMW owner YET. Trying to figure out which one....

[timebak]

Have ridden various bikes since the 60's, the first being a '68 Kawasaki 90. Had a Kawasaki 175 Enduro after that. Next was the bike that nearly killed me (but I had LOTS of fun on), a Kawasaki H1 Mach III 500; then a Suzuki GT 380 (bummer, really slow and didn't handle a bit better than the Mach III), in '78 bought a Honda Hawk 400 and it was my commuter bike. Then came a 1981 HD XLS Sportster Roadster: an absolute POS. AMF garbage. I needed a Honda or Kawasaki to follow that Sportster around to pick up the parts that fell off of it. It spent MONTHS in the local Harley shop and nothing was ever really fixed. That bike had only about 5000 miles on it when I traded it for a Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours: a wonderful bike. We outfitted the Concours well, and it was so comfortable that my wife could snooze away the miles, sitting behind me. I took it through Deals Gap, "The Tail of the Dragon", several times and was well pleased with its performance and it surprised quite a few folks that didn't know that a big touring bike could carve corners like it could. Alas, I sold it when the kids got involved in all sorts of stuff after they started school and I just didn't have time to ride. I've been bike-less since then.

A friend's grandfather collected bikes of various kinds. HD, Moto Guzzi, Vincent (including a genuine Black Lightning for a few years, which I got to ride once), Triumph, BSA, Norton, and had one BMW: an R75/5. He would have his grandson come over and bring some of his friends and we'd get out some of his bikes and all go for a cruise for the day or afternoon. The Black Lightning was probably the fastest bike he had, but its brakes weren't very good and it was pretty scary at speed (if I'd known then how rare that bike was, there was no way I'd have ridden it). The BMW was somewhat slower, but it was a lot better bike, but it was also 20 years newer. That old Airhead handled so much better than most of the bikes he had.

Now, here I am a couple of decades later and I've got a BAD hankerin' to get another bike. Been looking at and reading about a lot of different ones, and I keep coming back to the Beemers. The present wife says she's not going to ride with me, so I'll be solo most, if not all, of the time. I don't want to spend the money on a new bike to start with, so I'm looking at used R 1150 and 1200 RT's, R 1150 and 1200 GS's, and even at the F800GT's. I live up in northern Missouri, so wind is fairly constant. Right now I'm leaning towards an '07 R 1200 RT.

I'd love to hear your pros and cons of the bikes I'm looking at. Including things to watch out for while I'm shopping around. I'm very mechanically and electrically capable and own at least one of almost any tool you can name. The nearest BMW shop is 3 1/2 hours from me, so I'll do most of my own mechanic work. But I WON'T do it unless I know I can do it right.

So far, I've been very impressed with the amount of good, solid technical info that I've found here. And I'm looking forward to learning more from y'all.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[20774]

Tim, welcome to the forum...and hopefully a BMW! Thanks for the nice intro and your foray through the motorcycles. I'm sure others will be along to help with your decision, but from what little I know and have heard, the R1200RT is pretty nice. Good luck.

 

[jeffkruger]

The R series bikes are really easy to work on. I ride a GS and tend to favor them, but if I was going to buy a sport touring style bike it would be an RT. With GS's, and I believe possibly RT's as well, starting in late 2007 (and newer) they started putting the final drive drain at the 6:00 position instead of 9:00, which makes final drive draining easier.

These are great bikes, and if properly taken care of will go for many, many miles. A lot of us owners are a bit particular and keep very good maintenance records. Looking at used, I would be sure to buy from someone like that. Someone that has taken care of the bike and documented everything. It doesn't guarantee a lack of future problems, but tilts the odds a bit more in your favor. I have traveled in your state, and the surrounding states. I think I would seriously consider a GS because of the condition of some of the roads you may end up riding on. An RT offers better weather protection, but the GS doesn't have much to remove to do maintenance work and is a sort of jack of all trades or Swiss Army knife of a motorcycle. The GS is better suited for off tarmac and rough tarmac. I prefer the non wet head bikes, especially the hexheads, because of the ease of maintenance, but the newer bikes are still great and I know I will eventually be riding one of them. I would suggest going as new as your budget comfortably allows.

As you have probably noticed, these bikes are supported by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable base of owners. Support and after market farkles are abundant. Happy Holidays, and best wishes in your search for a bike that's right for you. Be sure to let us know what you end up getting.

 

[lee]

With GS's, and I believe possibly RT's as well, starting in late 2007 (and newer) they started putting the final drive drain at the 6:00 position instead of 9:00, which makes final drive draining easier.

I'm not up on the years of the boxer bikes, but 2007 should be new enough to no longer have servo brakes.
Welcome to the forum Tim.

 

[royce]

Tim, welcome to the forum! Good to have you aboard.

I don't have any advice on the specific bikes you mentioned, because I am one of the forum members who has not drunk the BMW Kool-Aid. I currently ride one (F800ST) but it is my first BMW and, in my opinion, not at all any better (or worse) than any of the Japanese bikes I have owned over the years. You can ride almost any bike sold in the USA and be comfortable and happy, enjoying this great country.

The sole reason I bought the F800ST was because it met all my requirements: (1) smallish physical size (about 450 lbs), (2) adequate engine size (650-1000 cc), (3) no chain drive (the ST has belt) and (4) ABS brakes. At the time I researched and bought the ST, it was the only bike available in the USA with all those criteria (in fact, I think it still is the only bike like that available). Had there been a Honda like that I would likely be riding the Honda today, because they are fine bikes also, plus they have the advantage of more reasonable maintenance costs than a BMW bike.

All that said, since you are your own mechanic, you will almost certainly be happy with ANY of the BMW models offered for sale today. Good luck with your searching.

 

[daboo]

If you're considering a F800GT, you might want to look at the F800 Riders.org forum. You'll get a lot more input on the F800GT. The BMW MOA forum seems primarily for boxer models.

A factor in considering the F800GT, is your size. For me, it fits perfectly, but then I'm only 5'6" tall. If you're over six feet, you'd probably be too cramped on the bike.

The bike is a delight, whether it is just running errands in town, commuting or taking long day trips across the state. Last summer, I finally had the time to take some multi-day trips. On the first one, we left Seattle and headed south. Road down through Idaho and Nevada and down into Utah. Hit some torrential rain and wind strong enough that I thought it would rip my helmet off my head. Started the fun part of the trip in Zion and worked our way east through the five national parks in Utah. After that, we headed north through the Million Dollar Highway and then up through Lolo Pass and finally home. A week and a half later, I left on another trip, heading the other direction on Lolo Pass, then over to Yellowstone NP, over the Beartooth Pass, through the Bighorn mountains and into Spearfish, ND. After that rally, I headed north into Canada and crossed over Banff and then dropped down to Seattle.

I can tell you for a fact that in that entire time, I never yearned for another bike. I was amazed at how well the bike performed, whether it was droning across long flat sections of road in high winds, or if it was "canyon carving". The bike was a joy. It was comfortable enough that even after a long day of riding, there were a lot of times I dumped my things at the motel room and took off to explore the local countryside. If the bike had been not up to the task, I probably would've sacked out in the room till it was too late to do anything.

All the bikes you're looking at are good. I think for myself that the F800GT is the best for me.

Royce brings up some good points about the ST. It's worth considering as well. In fact, there's a whole range of models in the F800 category worth considering. The ST was the predecessor to the GT; both have belt drive. There's also the GS versions as well. And if you can afford brand new, the F750/850 GS models will be hitting the showrooms this summer. It might bring about some nice deals on the older F700 and F800 GS models.

Chris

 

[riderr1150gsadv]

Welcome to the club!
Choosing a bike is such a personal thing that the only advice that makes sense, to me anyway, is to ride what fits you physically the best and what you'd like to ride the best.
Pick a few bikes and go test ride them. Bike shopping is a lot of fun!!

 

[mikegalbicka]

Right now I'm leaning towards an '07 R 1200 RT.

Got mine about 3 1/2 years ago. It was my first BMW as well. The wife and I tour on it and have put 40K miles on it since then and consider it a great touring bike. Of course we had to upgrade the stock seat which is common and went with a Russell Day Long which we love. In that time besides the normal maintenance it has had many fuel strips (common failure) and a leaking fuel pump replaced. If you have any more questions about that specific model feel free to PM me and I will help any way I can.

 

[61996]

Welcome from Minnesota!
R bikes are nice but don't rule out a K1600...

 

[timebak]

Thank You!

To All:

Thank you for the kind welcome and the great info. All is much appreciated.

Tim