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6 speed RT

actually 2002

with the introduction of the R1150. However, the '02 and i think that '03 RT's didnt' say 6 on the RID.... it said A or O... (sorry i can't remember which). Which i think was the German letter for Overdrive.

sdc
 
Also, the model year '02 R1150RT was first delivered to customers around March of '01. I picked up mine in May of '01.
 
What year did the RT go to 6 speed transmission?

Actually, 2002. I just bought a 2002 R1150Rs and that was the first year of the 6 speed for both bikes. The 6th gear is truly a highway gear.
 
as i recall 55 was a 3rd gear speed on my 6 speed oilhead, maybe 4th if i was feeling mellow that day.

i've never understood trying to drive a bike like a car.

Me neither but - my better half runs hers that way - and of course the RT has such nice torque curve she can!

Some people ride their bikes to stay mellow - the rest of us like to thrash the beast every now and then and have all the power at the ready should it be needed.

:bolt
 
it's not especially good for the motor (combustion chamber, lower end bearings, etc) to be ridden at low rpms. 55 in 6th gear is engine abuse. she should be charged. keep the revs over 3500 minimum, over 4K is better still.
 
6 speed

Okay - here's the real answer:
The 6 speed appeared on the first 1150 (all models), which was designated as a 2002 model, even though they were built starting in Feb, 2001. All 1150 are 6 speed.
[The 1100S is a 6 speed also, I believe, but I don't really care, and that question wasn't asked, so I did not research it - nor did I check the 1200C.]
Fifth gear on the 5 speed is just about exactly 19 miles per hour per 1000 rpm on my 1998 RS (per my GPS).
On my 2002 RT, sixth gear is just about exactly 19 miles per hour per 1000 rpm per the same GPS). Fifth gear is 15 mph/1k rpm. Fourth gear is 13.something mph/1k rpm. (fifth and fourth gears are approximate and according to the speedo - which we all know is a bit optimistic - since I didn't use the GPS to verify them yet).
I have checked these figures multiple times on both bikes (Hey, I have to find something to do on long trips).
 
My 2002 has the six speed. 6th is hardly used except fo high speed highway cruising. E on the rid in place of 6 might mean "economy" or something else in German. Your guess is as good or better than mine!
 
When I picked up my 1150RT I thought the RID was broken the first time I hit sixth gear. Then I read the owners manual. If all else fails, read the instruction sheet.
 
I thought the 1150 with the 6 speed was designed for the Autobahn.

It is. I picked up my bike in Jacksonville, FL and drove it back the 360 miles to Fort Lauderdale, FL. I noticed that 6th gear was happiest around 4000 rpm, which translated to 80 mph. This appears to be the "natural" cruising speed of my R1150RS. With a red line of 7500 rpm, there was lot's of headroom on the bike and I was regularly bumping the bike up to 110 mph without any effort to get around some traffic.:thumb
 
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