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First bike ever 07 K12GT

Find some local riders and make friends. Learn from their experiance. Read all you can-MOA ON magazine, Friction Zone (a free publication at most dealerships), and while the safety articles are great, nothing compares to personal experiance. Have fun and watch out for the idiots who will claim they never saw you coming..........
 
StevieWonder said:
My advice:

1) Get some training. Do it yourself learning can be expensive and hazardous to your health.
2) Buy AND wear a good helmet and other protective gear. You won't get a chance to call time out and suit up when trouble strikes.
3) Lighting and reflectivity can make you a LOT safer to those who wouldn't otherwise see you. Anything you can do to improve your visibility is a HUGE advantage (even your helmet color makes a BIG difference ... dark colors are more prone to be missed by other drivers).
4) Expand your riding horizons slowly. Temper your bravery with your experience.
5) Have FUN !!!
Click to expand...

Let me elaborate further on (3) ... so many accidents are caused by what you can't see or those who claim they didn't see you.

Then let me add one item ... don't EVER drink and drive on a bike. Not even a little. One beer may not matter that much in a car, but in a bike I think the multiplier is at least 3 and likely more. The statistics on alcohol involvement with single-vehicle bike accidents are ... well ... staggering and frightening.
 
Oh, man.....

My ride is an an R1150R.

I rode my first K ('07 K1200S) three weeks ago. I have never experienced such acceleration in my life with just a minutely small twist of the throttle. I was on arterial highways, and I never went beyond 3rd gear!

Be careful my friend. We do not want to hear about you becoming a statistic.
Take the classes and buy all the gear as previously suggested. That K12GT is a whole lotta machine.

"Going from 0 to big trouble in 3 seconds" is an understatement.
 
Congrats on the new ride! Another suggestion is purchase a used dirtbike (200-250cc, four stroke) and do some riding. Useful skills (throttle, brake, balance) can be learned at low speed and on a softer surface than asphalt.
 
Enjoy yourself and be careful. It is easy to be seduced by the power and get into trouble very quickly.

'Stupid hurts" - Honda advertisement campaign.
 
The last thing I want to do is put a damper on your understandable enthusiasm. I just started riding two years and a dozen or so drops ago. In that time, I have learned a tremendous amount about riding, as will you. I have sine ridden more than 40,000 miles, an amount you will soon learn to be a lot for a newbie. My first bikes were either cruisers or an old Gold Wing, all of which had crash bars, thankfully. I now have an almost new '04 GT and love the bike, however, if this bike went over, there is the potential for some very expensive damage, as it is with your bike. You might find the best insurance you can buy is a $500 running cruiser - or any old thing - that you can beat hell out of as you get ready for your beautiful new GT. The liklihood you won't drop the new bike is very small indeed. How much damage is the only unkown.

Best of luck!

Curt
 
Its here!!!!

She was delivered at about 6:30 this eveni:brad ng all nice and purty. I drove it about 10 miles with a huge smile on my face. That throttle is very sensitive and I never got past 3rd gear.

I want to take it easy with it and take my time before I take it off the private roads here and go through the gears. I assume it will be a few weeks before that happens. I'm lovin it!:thumb
 
propel said:
She was delivered at about 6:30 this eveni:brad ng all nice and purty. I drove it about 10 miles with a huge smile on my face. That throttle is very sensitive and I never got past 3rd gear.
Click to expand...

Be VERY careful with that throttle! If you lose your balance and use the grip to regain it you WILL be 'Propelled' into the nearest ditch, car or tree. :nono
 
My fourth bike

I've had my '07 K1200GT for about three months now, and I must say she is a sweet ride. Respect the awesome power yours contains. I echo most of what I've read and would like to add a suggestion that you pick up David Hough's "Proficent Motorcycling," the sequel "More Proficient Motorcycling," and a companion book of sorts, "Street Strategies: A Survival Guide for Motorcyclists." All are informative, easy reads that provide a wealth of knowledge and will better prepare you for the MSF Basic Rider Course you should take, soon. Again, congrats and enjoy the ride!
 
Abs

Does thae ABS keep flashing until you go a few yards? Mine seems to do that. I rode it again this morning and again this evening. Seems to scare the deer away.
 
Yes, that is normal ABS operation, or at least it is on my K100RS.

The deer are waiting for you to build up your speed before they jump out in front of you. ;) Bruce
 
Last edited:
Yes ... it's true for all BMW ABS systems. It's a system check each time you power up the bike. The light will go out when the ABS computer gets an acceptable signal from the wheel speed sensors. The wheel speed sensors are how the ABS computer determines if the wheel(s) is(are) rotating/not rotating. If it's not rotating, it modulates the brake(s) down until the wheel once again rotates. That's how it determines the "incipient skid" which is the point of max effective braking.
 
Their's a BMW rally this weekend, 6/7-10, just west of Iowa City in Marengo.You could bring her by for a look!
 
I am not sure I am ready to go that far yet. I live on Lake Panorama about 50 miles west of downtown Des Moines. Iowa City is about 2 1/2 hours from me.

I will be more comfortable with it as time goes on. I rode about 45 minutes yesterday evening and put gas in for the first time. $6.75
 
my gawd! first bike?

propel said:
I am new here. I take delivery of a new K12GT with xenon, esa, etc. on Monday. I had my dealer break it in for me as I do not live close by. I even got the 49L topcase painted the same Blue Metallic. They are delivering it to my home.

I live out in the boonies on private lake so I can learn the bike slowly and safely. I did take the safety course to be prepared for the world at large. I assume it will be long while before I drive it far from the house.

The reason it took so long to get the bike was the wife factor. She finally relented and so I bought it earlier this month. It will be all mine too. :)

So..... any advice for someone like me?
Click to expand...


wow.
I just got one of these, too, but I have hundreds of thousands of miles on bikes. I love that bike, but with a power to weight ratio exceeding ferraris, it is a lethal weapon.

I like the idea of experienced riders course or track time, but be very careful.:wave
 
Also bought the k1200gt as first bike

Took the MSF class-- dropped it in my garage:violin , but am learning slowly...
Very heavy bike, but a pleassure to ride-- I live in Vegas and never ride in populated areas... keep me posted!


lvmar123@gmail.com
 
Rode Gertrude on Friday to work....

This is the view of newbie in my short time as a new rider with a bike that I can grow into for many years. I live in Iowa and everyone knows it is not as populated as areas where I used to live (Seattle) or where I grew up and lived Newport Beach. I would have never considered any bike in those areas to learn.

I rode my bike Friday to work at the hospital 52 miles one way. It is a two lane highway that is very well maintained, some hills and some easy mild S turns. Hardly any cars.

On my way back with 18 wheelers traveling on the opposite direction the wind turbulance they make kind of startles you. The only thing I look at is the direction I am going and the wildlife that might run across the road.

After getting home I know I am not ready to face real traffic yet. Having taken the safety course it is different when you are going highway speeds. Every time I ride it is a learning experience on a very comfortable bike.

I am reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. I have his other book too. It is a great read and I will keep you informed on my riding progress.
 
Read

You can learn a lot from reading motorcycling literature. The MSF tries to boil it down to a few hours of lecture and practice, which is good - but there is a lot more available. Keith Code has written a couple of books - A Twist of the Wrist, Vol 1 and Vol II are just very interesting, plus you might learn something that will come in handy on the road. Motorcycle Design and Engineering will also teach you a great deal about the bike itself; it will explain a lot of the stuff you will experience but may never think about, and it might help you win an argument around a brew or two at a rally.

Your next best bet is to round up a riding partner - preferably adult, and hang out on the road together. Realize that most of us learned to be good riders - or good anything - from making mistakes.

I would have to think twice about owning that bike since I have never been able to hold back from running flat out some or many times on the bikes I've ridden. On that bike flat out is - what? - 170mph?
 
I have an '06 GT.
Respect that bike and pretend you're invisible to other drivers.
Cause you are.
Be safe.
 
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