2dflier
New member
I have a 95K mile '04 R1150RT I'm considering replacing but am seriously conflicted about what to replace it with.
I love the RT for the boxer cadence at cruising speed and all the things it does so well but am less than thrilled by the prospect of trading the devil I know for the devil I don't. Including final drive and trans rebuilds, a clutch replacement, and misc other stuff I have almost as much repair money in this bike during my 33K mile custodianship as I paid for it 4 years ago. I didn't do my homework before and rather not repeat that mistake.
Some who make their living repairing these things advise staying away from '05 and newer but I'd really like to leave servo brakes and clutch splines behind - including 40K mile lube intervals. Pulling the trans was great fun the first two times but it's not something I want to get good at.
It's reassuring to read that hex heads seem to have left clutch spline issues behind but less reassuring that they traded them for FD issues - however overblown that might be. I've read cam head FD are improved but have also read that '09s are the last of the good boxers. So I don't know what to believe.
Some are probably reading this and thinking I bought a relatively high mileage bike for a decent price and should quit complaining about having to dump some money into it. Fair enough. I didn't do my homework. Besides, given all that's been fixed this bike should go another 90K with good maintenance and a bit of luck. Certainly keeping this bike is an option, but where's the fun in that?
What I'd like to do is understand the relative strengths and weaknesses and durability concerns of the hex and cam heads compared to each other and the 1150s. The reality is my stretch budget will probably only support a 30ish K mile cam head so whatever I look at I need to know what to look for and what I might be getting myself into.
Thanks
I love the RT for the boxer cadence at cruising speed and all the things it does so well but am less than thrilled by the prospect of trading the devil I know for the devil I don't. Including final drive and trans rebuilds, a clutch replacement, and misc other stuff I have almost as much repair money in this bike during my 33K mile custodianship as I paid for it 4 years ago. I didn't do my homework before and rather not repeat that mistake.
Some who make their living repairing these things advise staying away from '05 and newer but I'd really like to leave servo brakes and clutch splines behind - including 40K mile lube intervals. Pulling the trans was great fun the first two times but it's not something I want to get good at.
It's reassuring to read that hex heads seem to have left clutch spline issues behind but less reassuring that they traded them for FD issues - however overblown that might be. I've read cam head FD are improved but have also read that '09s are the last of the good boxers. So I don't know what to believe.
Some are probably reading this and thinking I bought a relatively high mileage bike for a decent price and should quit complaining about having to dump some money into it. Fair enough. I didn't do my homework. Besides, given all that's been fixed this bike should go another 90K with good maintenance and a bit of luck. Certainly keeping this bike is an option, but where's the fun in that?
What I'd like to do is understand the relative strengths and weaknesses and durability concerns of the hex and cam heads compared to each other and the 1150s. The reality is my stretch budget will probably only support a 30ish K mile cam head so whatever I look at I need to know what to look for and what I might be getting myself into.
Thanks