New versus old

So, I am an affirmed airhead BMW guy. I am on record stating I have never desired or liked anything BMW produced after 1995.

At a local shop the other day, I was side by side comparing a R1200RT to my 84 R80T.

I won't say a thing about the obvious differences in power or handling. No, I just wonder why it is BMW choose to cover so much of the R1200RT with yards of plastic? I mean, I can SEE the engine on my bike, I can get to things to work on without having to remove plastic invoking the gods of broken tabs mentioned in another thread in the BMWMOA forum.

Is it just the fact the 1200 engine and components are so ugly they need to be covered up? Is there some demand for yards of plastic covering an ugly gas tank, rather than having an attractive gas tank? Do all the buttons and knobs and switches have to be surrounded by plastic?

OkAY, This is not meant to be a serious thread so don't go crazy and beat me up regarding my Luddite ways. I just cannot fathom some of things designed into a bike that only make more work, or more stuff to break if the bike falls over and does nothing but add swoop. LOL. Cheers, St.

STEVENRANKIN said:

So, I am an affirmed airhead BMW guy. I am on record stating I have never desired or liked anything BMW produced after 1995.

At a local shop the other day, I was side by side comparing a R1200RT to my 84 R80T.

I won't say a thing about the obvious differences in power or handling. No, I just wonder why it is BMW choose to cover so much of the R1200RT with yards of plastic? I mean, I can SEE the engine on my bike, I can get to things to work on without having to remove plastic invoking the gods of broken tabs mentioned in another thread in the BMWMOA forum.

Is it just the fact the 1200 engine and components are so ugly they need to be covered up? Is there some demand for yards of plastic covering an ugly gas tank, rather than having an attractive gas tank? Do all the buttons and knobs and switches have to be surrounded by plastic?

OkAY, This is not meant to be a serious thread so don't go crazy and beat me up regarding my Luddite ways. I just cannot fathom some of things designed into a bike that only make more work, or more stuff to break if the bike falls over and does nothing but add swoop. LOL. Cheers, St.

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First of all, I think the weight of the two bikes in question are within 20-lbs. Second, the plastic covers a lot of ugly that allows for compact packaging. Thirdly, I shudder to think of the production cost for a painted, welded gas tank. Last, but not least, maybe 60-Hp vs 125-Hp.

Fall over? That's why we have cylinder head covers.

Yeah I get you, not a whole lot on my R65 LS but I have to say I love the looks of the plastic on my R1100 S

I couldn't decide if my '16 RT was futuristically beautiful, or crazy ugly. I was, nonetheless, drawn to it. Some folks I know looked at it and said "Wow! Tupperware!" I, too, dread the notion of trying to get to the nuts and bolts without permanently destroying weird little fasteners. Fortunately, I realized that the technology has outpaced my meager mechanical skills, so I will leave that to those who know how. I used to take my Harleys apart regularly, but I grasped 1950's technology fairly well. Should the day come, I guess I'll be checking out a lot of "how to" videos before attempting any disassembly.

The first thing I learned when I bought the bike, on the 160 mile ride home from the dealership was that I had to watch the speedometer closely, because I couldn't judge my speed by the wind resistance. It was a negligible factor. Then, it started to rain, and I learned the second advantage. I didn't expect the rain protection to be far far superior to that of my now former bike, the Electra Glide. It just looks like the Electra Glide affords better protection, but it does not. Really does not. Hardly got wet at all in light to medium rain, wasn't even worth stopping to put on rain gear.

Thirdly, I used to spend hours cleaning and polishing my Harleys, also my old Honda 550 and Suzuki T500, just to make them sparkle, or at least not look neglected. Now I wash the RT twice, maybe three times a year. It's about a 15 minute job, usually prompted by and focused on getting bugs off the headlight and windshield, and cleaning the wheels. I suspect I wouldn't have to spend so much time on the wheels if the dogs weren't so intent on annointing them, but that's ever present everywhere. I have spent exactly zero minutes applying wax or chrome polish to this bike, or digging grime and guts out of innumerable nooks and crannies like I had to frequently on all my previous machines.

So, I still look at the it from various angles and my styling biases change as I walk around the bike, one perspective yields a "Man, that's strange looking" and the next is "Man, that's a beautiful machine, looks like some kind of anti-gravity interceptor from the year 2525".

All in all, I have learned to love it.

I do have a like for the new 1250 RT and would own one,

I'm not one for cleaning bikes either but I did wash my R65 last year for the first time and even took a stab at cleaning years of grime off the wheels. I just cleaned the bugs and crap off my 1100S, I do like that one clean to the point that I just pulled off the rear wheel nuts to clean the rust off them and paint them black. I'm turning into a geek but I still don't wash my KTM's worth a damn.

STEVENRANKIN said:

I can SEE the engine on my bike, I can get to things to work on without having to remove plastic invoking the gods of broken tabs mentioned in another thread in the BMWMOA forum.

.

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I like bikes that do not require removing a lot of body work to work on.
The best bikes for that was our K75T and K75S.
I do like that the modern bikes do not need as much maintenance as a Airhead.

STEVENRANKIN said:

So, I am an affirmed airhead BMW guy. I am on record stating I have never desired or liked anything BMW produced after 1995.

At a local shop the other day, I was side by side comparing a R1200RT to my 84 R80T.

I won't say a thing about the obvious differences in power or handling. No, I just wonder why it is BMW choose to cover so much of the R1200RT with yards of plastic? I mean, I can SEE the engine on my bike, I can get to things to work on without having to remove plastic invoking the gods of broken tabs mentioned in another thread in the BMWMOA forum.

Is it just the fact the 1200 engine and components are so ugly they need to be covered up? Is there some demand for yards of plastic covering an ugly gas tank, rather than having an attractive gas tank? Do all the buttons and knobs and switches have to be surrounded by plastic?

OkAY, This is not meant to be a serious thread so don't go crazy and beat me up regarding my Luddite ways. I just cannot fathom some of things designed into a bike that only make more work, or more stuff to break if the bike falls over and does nothing but add swoop. LOL. Cheers, St.

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Steve, i get exactly what you are saying. I feel the same. But ... I freely acknowledge that i am a dinosaur.

Lee said:

I like bikes that do not require removing a lot of body work to work on.
The best bikes for that was our K75T and K75S.
I do like that the modern bikes do not need as much maintenance as a Airhead.

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I read a description of how to do an air filter change on a new wethead.

I'll let the dealer do that..

36654 said:

I read a description of how to do an air filter change on a new wethead.

I'll let the dealer do that..

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You can do it
The K1200RS was the worst for for the air filter change. You had to remove the gas tank to get at it.
I liked the K75 setup where it just slid out the side.

STEVENRANKIN said:

Is it just the fact the 1200 engine and components are so ugly they need to be covered up? Is there some demand for yards of plastic covering an ugly gas tank, rather than having an attractive gas tank? Do all the buttons and knobs and switches have to be surrounded by plastic?

OkAY, This is not meant to be a serious thread so don't go crazy and beat me up regarding my Luddite ways.

Click to expand...

Your opinion on new bikes is obvious. So, what's the point of your posting? Boredom?

Why you need to be critical of the bikes that kept Motorrad in business is beyond me.

People love what they know. Many resist change. That kept Harley alive for decades. There's something out there for everyone. No point being critical of your fellow riders, either. Why bother posting that?

36654 said:

I read a description of how to do an air filter change on a new wethead.

I'll let the dealer do that..

Click to expand...

It doesn't look very difficult for a wethead GS:

<iframe width="994" height="559" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7jM0Te1eUf8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And that classic opposed-twin engine is very visible in the wethead GS.

Harry

Lee said:

I liked the K75 setup where it just slid out the side.

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There were a lot of good ideas in that design

AKsuited said:

It doesn't look very difficult for a wethead GS:

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I have to remove the sides on the RS. I don't remember what prevents me from just removing the center panel.

Agree about the PITA air filter change, but it’s not that difficult, just a... PITA.

I get where the OP is coming from, and I would have an additional simpler machine in my garage if I had the room.

However. If you have to get somewhere in a hurry, have an 850+ mile day, and arrive before sundown with time to get a motel room, have a shower, and the Applebee’s still open for a tall cold beer, a 1200RT is a good choice. Tuning between The New York Opera and Lynyrd Skynyrd on satellite radio across the Great Plains is fun, too.

YMMV.

ebell said:

However. If you have to get somewhere in a hurry... a 1200RT is a good choice. ..

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I just returned from a multi day trip on my '18 RS, and it's absolutely brilliant. I've never ridden a better bike.

Lee said:

I have to remove the sides on the RS. I don't remember what prevents me from just removing the center panel.

View attachment 79414

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NOOOOOOOOOOO!.......................Not the towels. Again

Simple

So today my friend comes over for an oil change on his 79 R100RT. No plastic to take off, 20 minute job, and on the road. A few miles later I am following him and notice he has no brake light. Back to the garage, pull in turn on the AC, and start checking.

Bulb in tail light and brake light were swapped out for LED years ago. Ten minutes to check connections, all good, front brake switch NG. Install new brake switch 20 minutes. Bleed brakes, 10 minutes, out the door.

No miles of plastic to take off, no computer to mess with, everything is in plain sight. No huge dealer cost for labor. In fact when I can't do the work myself, my local airhead shop charges 3/4 the hourly rate of a BMW shop, as he has little to no overhead.

Yep, BMW has been in business a long time. Good for them, I hope they stay in business many more years. I just cannot see the need for some of the stuff they do in the name of styling. I am all for change in regard to performance, ride and reliability. I have in fact done upgrades to my long term bike over the years to improve its reliability comfort and performance.

So far, with all said and done, I have spent a fraction of the cost of a new RT, on a bike which does all I need it to do. 160 hp? I admit, I would like a bit more grunt when passing but my little 50hp engine will go fast enough to get me all kinds of high speed driving awards. My bike is 420lbs, versus 615lbs. I am sorry I have not been able to find just how much weight I should be allowed to carry on my bike. I do know with the Hepco Becker bags, a tank bag and lots of bungie cords I can carry a whole lot of gear without the radio getting in the way.

I enjoy reading all the comments made about the new bikes. As I have said in other posts, perhaps one day I will ride a new bike and buy it. If I do, it won't be an RT. I am leaning toward a GS bike. At least with a GS I can carry the same amount of gear my R80RT will carry and not have to worry about scratching the stylish saddle bag covers.

Someone asked if I am bored, perhaps, and also they cannot understand my attitude. Fine, This forum seems to cover a lot of topics from Harley dying to news about new bikes. If you don't like what I write, stop reading. I have not insulted anyone and don't plan too. Cheers, St.

36654 said:

NOOOOOOOOOOO!.......................Not the towels. Again

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Next time I change the filters I use different towels so you have a new picture to look at.
What color do you request?

36654 said:

NOOOOOOOOOOO!.......................Not the towels. Again

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It's ok; they're Lee's towels.