A BMW F800RT Why not

mistercindy said:

I think the R1200R with some mods can be the answer. Much easier to flat-foot than the 12GS, and 70 pounds lighter than the 12RT. Install something like the Parabellum Scout Fairing, put luggage on it, and you have touring machine weighing less than 450 pounds.

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A perfectly acceptable way to go -- but I'll note a bit of irony: My dealer and I were talking a while back about the R12R being very popular, often bought as an alternative to an R12RT -- but then he watches most of the R12R owners try to turn the R into an RT with aftermarket accessories, with few ever ending up satisfied.

That's why I'm in favor of an F800-based RT -- a bike designed from the start to have the weather protection and other features one wants from an RT.

mneblett said:

A perfectly acceptable way to go -- but I'll note a bit of irony: My dealer and I were talking a while back about the R12R being very popular, often bought as an alternative to an R12RT -- but then he watches most of the R12R owners try to turn the R into an RT with aftermarket accessories, with few ever ending up satisfied.

That's why I'm in favor of an F800-based RT -- a bike designed from the start to have the weather protection and other features one wants from an RT.

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True. If you go the R12R route and farkle it up with all the electronics, increase the gas capacity, install full fairing, etc..., then you'll be pushing the weight and complexity of the R12RT, and quite possible approaching the cost. If I went the R12R route, it'd be the fairing plus luggage and that'd be it.

Since the R1200RT is ~ 50 lbs heavier than the R1200ST, I'd guess that a proposed F800RT would be comparably heavier than the F800ST. That'd make it around 460 lbs, which is darn close to the weight of the old R80RT! I'd sure look at it!

Just my $0.02, but for near 500 lbs, I don't think you can get better than the R12RT. For a full touring machine that's pretty darn light! Its a funny looking bike, in that it doesn't look small with its stock luggage. But take that luggage off and you can tell that it isn't that big.