New Member/BMW Owner 05-RT

[IDSECURE]

Well this is a little exciting for me after riding Yamaha's most of my life first an FJR 1100 then 1200, then looking for some excitement I went to an R-1 after realizing death was soon approaching and the wife and kids would not appreciate that I went to the FJR1300AE and while that's a great bike and the FJR owners forum was a great place.

I had to say goodbye to my old FJR and my forum buddies cause I just bought this RT and wow does this puppy ride nice! It just eats miles like nothing and I feel very confident and comfortable cornering on it where that was "Never" the case on the FJR.

Granted when I start my RT I have to look down to be sure I didn't just start the farm tractor as the motor has a sound I'll have to get used to. It just rides like a dream and cruise control lol I love it! It's in really good shape 24k on it and I put 850 miles on it just this weekend running out to Death Valley and Nevada.

The only other thing that will take some getting used to is that first gear seems a bit on the tall side. I would not want to be loaded down with gear and the wife while being stuck on a slight incline in traffic. My first thought was "Rekluse" but I can't imagine they have an application for the BMW yet. What do you guys do just avoid those scenario I just described or just slip it and not worry about it?

Well I could go on and on as I have a ton of questions and look foreword to meeting you all. I should start with, I do my own services and am fairly handy so is their anything I should be checking on right away? Bolt's that are known to come loose, tolerances I should check? I did notice my Gear Indicator & neutral light was not working for a time on the ride over the weekend but then it came back again and is still working so?

I was a wealth of information in the Yamaha forum but I must admit I know nothing about the intimate details of this bike other than it is an amazing ride.

Thank You,

Damon King
05 Silver/Grey 1200-RT 24k

 

[lakemaker]

Congrats on the new RT, Damon... I love mine.

 

[maacova]

Tall 1st gear

If you look at my early posts on this site you would find me bitching about how tall 1st gear is. Took a couple of months but I don't even notice it now. I have forgotten to put the bike in 1st several times and have not had any problem starting in 2nd. Can't remember the last time I stalled the bike. Enjoy

 

[roborider]

It is a great bike (as was the others you owned). You'll get over the 1st gear with riding--even loaded with weight. Keep the RPMs up above 3k. So shift at 4k or higher.

Maintenance. First thing to do is change the final drive oil, filling with 180 ml. Keep it changed at least at 12k intervals. Look for leaks and correct immediately if found. Either read the maint. section here, or order "Jim Von Baden's" maintenance CD for $25. Maintenance is simple on the bike.

More questions? Bring 'em on! What city/state are you in?

 

[IDSECURE]

Thanks Maacova & Robo,

I appreciate you guys chiming in!

Your right Maac I'm getting used to the first gear already. I guess I was really spoiled or just lazy as the FJR had an auto clutch so I could just roll on the throttle in first gear at any incline/load with zero clutch work.

Good call on the final drive oil Robo I'll be getting on that tomorrow!

I'm in Santa Clarita California. Right by Magic Mountain. I'm already mapping out my next multi day ride in March.

Ok so I was looking at highway pegs and possibly some bar risers up 1" and back 1". You guys have any thoughts on the highway pegs? Brand retrogradations?

Thank You!

 

[roborider]

I put highway pegs on mine. You have to be careful. If they use the valve cover bolts, it can cause them to strip the head if they don't go in as deeply. I had to helicoil my head on two bolts. No big deal, heli coils actually work better. But, I ended up removing them as I hardly ever used them. I just stretch my legs and let them hang down on long rides, and I've done 850 miles in a day. I also use my rear pegs at times to give a different knee angle. So you might like them, but I got rid of mine.

I do have bar risers, 1 inch up and back. I was going to experiment with removing them. A lot of the back and shoulder pain I think I had was just adjusting to a new bike. And now I really like to be in a low sport riding aggressive position, so I will try it with them removed. But they do work well, no issue or problems.

Final advice is Pilot Road IIs (or IIIs now). Great tire on this bike.

I grew up in Sacramento.

 

[roborider]

I just thought of two more things. EWS error and Fuel Pump Pressure regulator. Both have many posts here you can search:

1) EWS--This is the antenna ring that senses the chip in your key. There was a recall and your bike MIGHT need an ECO from the dealer. Even if not, I carry a spare antenna ring with me. It is a simple field fix if needed and a catastrophic failure if it happens.

2) The FPPR board is on top of the gas tank, left side, under the tupperware where the fuel pump wires plug in. It controls the voltage to the fuel pump and thus the fuel pressure. They had a tendency to get water under the gasket and cause the board to fail. I'd remove yours and if it looks OK, replace it and use some good gasket sealer (silicone grease or RTV, whatever) to make a good water tight seal. I believe the GS had more of an issue since the RT has a lot of water protection in this area. I replaced mine with a later design (it at least looks different) and carry the old as a spare. But, you can also buy and carry a bypass cable for a lot less $$. This too is a catastrophic failure in the field--no pump, no gas, no go.

A little more info on the final drive. BMW in 2005 called the final drive a no service part with lifetime oil. Well, this was a bad idea and subsequent models have it as a service interval. Newer models have a drain plug that allows you to drain the oil w/o dropping the final drive. So if you see anything about no service needed, that is old info. I do the final drive oil and spline lube when I mount new tires, which is around 5000 miles now.

 

[IDSECURE]

05-rt

Thanks Robo,

Your a wealth of information. I'm working on the final drive right now and I'm hoping to have it wrapped up by game time. The EWS & The FPPR board are both great tips your going to be keeping me pretty busy over the next few weekends!

Robo where do you hail from?

Ok I have another question that I was holding off on as I thought it may be my getting used to the trans/rider error rather than something funky with the trans.

So if I'm running it though the gears a bit on the aggressive side nothing crazy just "trying to catch up to your buddies who can put their gloves on faster than any human should be able to" on the 4 to 5 shift once in a 100 shifts I let the clutch go and it revs to the moon "Like a false neutral" then slams into gear not a pleasant sound coming from my new beemer then I cringe and think? Was that me?

Did I not tick it up to 5th firmly enough? maybe I was in to much of a hurry or is this trans got a funky spot in it. So I just thought I'd throw that out there and see if this has ever happened to you or do I just need to spend a little more time getting familiar with my new girl and she me?

Thanks Robo!

 

[roborider]

I moved from the SF area to Raleigh, NC a bit over a decade ago and so far, I've stuck.

Trannies! OK, you have a German boxer transmission and again, this is an adjustment for former Japanese riders. If you rode a Harley, you'd be used to it. Transmissions on bikes like the FJR and my CBR shift with just the thought of shifting. Snick snick snick through the gears. Some BMW F models are similar.

But on the boxer, you have a dry clutch and big gears with big throws. I sometimes miss the 1st to 2d gear shift. Rarely (ever?) do I miss higher shifts. I find that pulling the clutch in just a bit, no more than 50%, makes a better shift. This is especially true getting to 1st from neutral. You might otherwise find you just can't get the damn thing into 1st gear at a light. But let the clutch out slowly with shift pressure and it will pop in. That point is about as far in as I ever pull my clutch.

With a dry clutch, and the lever pulled in all the way, the transmission doesn't turn. A wet clutch still transmits some motion to the input shaft of the Japanese transmission so it shifts into 1st without issues. With the higher gears, you just have to get used to the transmission and the clutch. Pretty soon you will shift it without any thought. But it will never be snicky and clicky like the FJR.

This isn't a problem, it is just a difference. And yeah, I would not like to have my gears slam as you mentioned. Can't be good on the long term!

 

[IDSECURE]

Robo,

You right, I thought that may had been "another" issue with the trans. Me sitting at a light in neutral, ticking it down to first and not getting any action. I'd then let the clutch out and pull it back in and it will go every time.

That's relief to know it's not me. I'll try using less of the clutch throw on the next ride. I'm sure I just need to learn how to manage this trans. I'm glad you shared your knowledge with me on this or I would have continued to think either I was crazy or I had a problem with the bike.

It's good to know that it's neither.

As a matter of fact I'm going to go give it a try right now and I'll report back. It's about 80 at my place today so it's a good time for a test ride across town and back.

Thanks Robo!

 

[IDSECURE]

Robo,

I like this, your giving BMW Rider lessons via the web and very well articulated I might add.

It's exactly as you say! Just keep light pressure on the foot shifter and release the lever and she slips right in a smooth as pie without the traditional Clunk you normally get from your average bike. I also ran through the gears about 2 dozen times and using less "lever throw" is the ticket. Very smooth shifting I love it.

The bike was fine all along it was me that needed fixing.

And I say again Thank You Robo!

Damon

 

[roborider]

I'm glad I could help. I love the RT. But I have owned and do own many brands, and they all have their own behavior. The Japanese to BMW transition is a big one.

For me, I started on BMW at 18. So when I got a CBR I was amazed at the effortless transmission. But most of all, I love my RT for the street. It is a beautiful ride and still light and nimble.

Robo