My 2014 R1200RT Review

Ldhardy12 said:

The topcase that BMW has for the RT is silver and is not color matched. I've seen postings that have been on the forum which have shown that some members had theirs color matched. I left mine stock as I think the silver keeps the ebony from being overwhelming on the bike. Just my opinion and is worth exactly what you paid for it.

The topcase uses the rack that is part of the bike and you do not use any secondary racks to make the attachment. I also use the brake light in the topcase along with BMW's auxiliary brake/running light to help the cagers see me while they are texting. Life in SoCal requires any break I can get when among the unwashed.

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Ldhardy12 said:

The topcase that BMW has for the RT is silver and is not color matched. I've seen postings that have been on the forum which have shown that some members had theirs color matched. I left mine stock as I think the silver keeps the ebony from being overwhelming on the bike. Just my opinion and is worth exactly what you paid for it.

The topcase uses the rack that is part of the bike and you do not use any secondary racks to make the attachment. I also use the brake light in the topcase along with BMW's auxiliary brake/running light to help the cagers see me while they are texting. Life in SoCal requires any break I can get when among the unwashed.

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KyleTurner said:

Thanks! Does your top case also have the interior light? If so, is it still an easy detachment?

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109418 said:

Yes there is an interior light, the case is carpeted, has a flat bottom and can hold 2 full helmets. The only thing that would make the case better would be an internal power supply for recharging gadgets.

The plug for the top case is located under the passenger seat and it looks like an easy unplug and pop the case off removal, but I like the case so much that I have never removed it. Well the passenger seat does require the tool under the main seat for removal, so I guess that is the hardest part.

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vegasbeemerguy said:

I purchased the new 2014 R1200RTW in Feb. I debated about buying a new model ( first year run ) as well and bit the bullet. I went so far as to downsize to one bike. Traded off my 2010 R1200GSA and 2012 R1200RT in favor of having just one bike. I choose the new Water cooled RT, as I was planning on putting on some serious miles this summer and RT has always been my favorite ( this is #5 since 1995 oil head). I liked the Quartz Blue Metallic best as I'm not a fan of the flat finishes BMW seems to be into these days. I've added an attachment of me and the bike on US-129 Deal's Gap-Tail of the Dragon- North Carolina. Taken by Xtreme US-129 photos. They take great pics and you can see the blue comes out nicely in this pic.

I put on 8,652 miles from the end of April to May 26th, the last 7k in 22 days of riding.
I did a ride from my home in Las Vegas to Key West, Fl. Up the coast to Savannah, Ga. up into Tn., Deal's Gap, back across Alabama, Lousianna, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and home again (11 states) for service. The bike did not use one drop of oil.
Started first time every time and pulled away without hesitation cold. Got great gas mileage in the mid 40's and while loafing into and out of the south rim, got 54 mpg.
Great protection as I did have to do some wet weather riding in Tn heading south to Alabama.
Clean up is easy, bags stay pretty clean, brakes, instruments much improved over old R1200 RT.
GPS Nav V works with bike to even change the clock on the bike as you leave and enter various time zones. I gained an hour one day going to Barber Motorsports Museum ( a must see) and lost it again heading to Chattanooga, Tn. Crazy.

My overall experience w/ this bike has been great w/few issues up to now.
The water pump was dribbling coolant out the small weep hole ( left side of engine case forward of the left cyclinder head) from the start. My dealer replaced it just before I took off on and extended ride for the month of May. That solved the problem for the first 2,200 miles, then it started to dribble again, only worse. After about 2,500 miles it suddenly stopped. It dribbled once after that while idling in a 1/8 mile long line into South Rim of Grand Canyon on Memorial Holiday weekend. Hasn't leaked a drop since. Hope this issue is solved. Time will tell. I find the tabs that secure the color matched upper side panels are too wimpy. One of mine was broken in transit(shipping)and the dealer had to take one off another bike to make mine whole as I had to use painters tape to hold it on and even that started to fail at speed.

I just had the 12k service done on tuesday of this week, as I have plans for a number of rides, yet this summer. I only came home to service the bike and replace tires before the next big leg.
What would BMW expect me to do if I was still out on the road 2,000 miles from home?

FYI- the OEM Z8 metzlers were changed out at 5,110 miles as they would not go another 7k and I had the tires sitting in my garage. I put on a pair of Bridgestone 023 GTs.( not my first choice) but advised to try a pair. I found the ride a little rougher than the Z8s but I found they still looked good at 7k. I will put another 2 k easy before I change them out for a longer leg I have planned at end of June, July. I have a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4 GTs in the garage that will go on next.
This STOP PARK-DON'T RIDE THING SHOULD BE AN EASY FIX and better be immediate.
I have a short trip next week and my great dealer, BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas, gave me a demo- Exclusive Edition GTL to ride for now. I have made extensive plans-reservations, many of which are not refundable for my trips coming up soon. I would expect a fix stat, so we can all be back on the road on our RTs.

A call to BMW of NA-customer service shed little light on the problem. They have no further information as to the actual nature of the problem (is it the shock or the DYNAMIC SENSOR of the ESA) or when it might be resolved-repaired, and if you were riding the bike when it failed what kind of suspension issue could you experience?



Have fun and ride safe,


I have had my RT for a couple of weeks and have logged 1200 miles. After returning from a 1000 mile trip, I found the same coolant leak you had. I will be taking it in to the dealer tomorrow, but was curious 1) what is the purpose of the machined hole in the block and 2) did the dealer explain the cause of the leak? It doesn't make sense to me that you would have to replace a virtually new water pump on 2 identical machines. I was curious whether the leak is caused by a faulty gasket rather than the pump. Thanks!

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109418 said:

Yes there is an interior light, the case is carpeted, has a flat bottom and can hold 2 full helmets. The only thing that would make the case better would be an internal power supply for recharging gadgets.

The plug for the top case is located under the passenger seat and it looks like an easy unplug and pop the case off removal, but I like the case so much that I have never removed it. Well the passenger seat does require the tool under the main seat for removal, so I guess that is the hardest part.

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nelliott said:

Also, I see that BMW has a case that snaps in the top (inside) lid of the top box, that is good for maps, paper, pens and other storage.

Anybody have this?

Does it get in the way of putting helmets in the top case?

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