D
darcym
Guest
Open House at the dealership, they had a used R1200RT that I've been eyeing on their website. Finally got to take it for a test ride.
Didn't buy it. First because they wouldn't meet my OTD price. Second because I'm not 100% sure that I want it. There were three or four people who rode the same bike that day, so maybe they've got a buyer lined up. Oh well, I got a free bratwurst and chips and hung around for awhile (didn't win any door prizes as per usual), and talked with some club folks. Then took some twisty roads home.
I'm glad I got the chance to test ride it, though. It was an '06, with low miles & about all the bells and whistles - radio, cruise control, electric windshield, etc ... you could want. They put the low seat on it for me, and I still couldn't get both feet on the ground. That was a little unnerving. There was one at the other shop that I sat on, I could get both feet down quite comfortably because they'd lowered the suppension (for another $1500), but that was a brand new bike.
Here's what I thought about it. As a caveat, this is the very first time I've ridden a bike with a full fairing. I'm used to a naked bike, with at most a very small windshield. I currently ride a 2004 R 1150R, code name "Bruce".
First off, I notice that the R1200RT is quite tall. You ride sitting way up there and you feel like you can see over all the cars. The seat was quite comfy as was the reach to the bars and pegs. There was something hitting me about mid-calf, part of the fairing I think. It was a little annoying but I'd probably get used to it. You also realize it's a big bike. It feels like there's a lot to it. Not like it's heavy, it is top heavy but not as bad as the LT. There's all this stuff out there in front of you. You can't see the front wheel at all. It is well balanced, however, and doesn't feel at all out of sorts once under way. Touching down at stops requires a conscious body shift in order to reach (I can reach fine on the Bruce with the low seat).
The windshield was pretty cool. I adjusted it so my line of sight was over the top edge of the windshield, and I rode the whole time with the face shield on my helmet all the way up. I NEVER do that on my other bikes. The wind just doesn't hit you through that windshield. Looking through the windshield was a little weird, there's all sorts of distortions. The other thing is, with the wind off of you, you don't really have a perspective of how fast you're going. I decided to wind it up and I was touching 90 on a country 2-lane before I even realized it. It definitely has plenty of oomph.
Once I was underway the bike handled very well. I had to make a u-turn when I went into a parking lot by mistake, and it was slow speed and I gave myself plenty of room, but it went ok considering I'd been on the bike all of about 1 minute.
The transmission is very smooth, much smoother than the Bruce, which tends to clunk into gear. My first thought was it shifts like a car. There's a gear indicator on the dash. that was nice. I've never had one of those before.
I turned the radio on for a little bit. They've got the controls right by your left hand on the fairing and on the handlebar. Very slick, the volume automatically adjusts for how fast you're going, so when you come to a stop sign it's not blaring out.
My main concern and the most obvious negative to the bike, was that it is too tall for me. I'd either have to shill out for the lowering kit, ride with thick soled boots, or get used to it. Backing out of my garage might be really difficult. Backing anywhere not level would be near impossible. It's not as top heavy as the LT which I also sat on, but it's definitely heavier than the R. I also had a difficult time located the side stand and getting it down -- it needs a little wedge or something for my foot to push on.
The second negative is a little harder for me to pin down. I think I have to go back to that impression that it shifts like a car. In a lot of ways, it kinda feels like a car. And maybe folks who ride full faired bikes can help me with this perspective, and whether or not it's something you adapt to. When I got back on the Bruce for the ride home, it feels light in comparison, but also ... um, I guess it's dangerous. Like you could get crazy if you wanted to, flick it around corners or thread thru traffic ... Not that I'd be popping wheelies or stoppies or acting like a hooligan but the bike would do it if I wanted to (or had the ability to), because it rides and feels like a motorcycle. I have a sense that I'm riding the bike, not being taken for a ride. I'm not sure that I'd have the same sense of fun riding the big RT. Not that it isn't dangerous, it just doesn't feel that way. Like it's almost too smooth. Like it's not a motorcycle at all. Or at least, it's not what my brain has been conditioned to recognize as a motorcyle. Does that make any sense?
Probably if I got used to the heft and dimensions of the bike, it would start to feel more flickable. There are things I really like about it, I like the fact that it has a huge gas tank, and some of the comfort amenities I admit are really nice. I'm 100% positive that if I wanted to ride 1000 miles anywhere, this is the bike I'd like to do it on. But I'm also certain that the Bruce does things for me that this bike doesn't. So, I'm thinking I'm going to keep the Bruce for now.
Didn't buy it. First because they wouldn't meet my OTD price. Second because I'm not 100% sure that I want it. There were three or four people who rode the same bike that day, so maybe they've got a buyer lined up. Oh well, I got a free bratwurst and chips and hung around for awhile (didn't win any door prizes as per usual), and talked with some club folks. Then took some twisty roads home.
I'm glad I got the chance to test ride it, though. It was an '06, with low miles & about all the bells and whistles - radio, cruise control, electric windshield, etc ... you could want. They put the low seat on it for me, and I still couldn't get both feet on the ground. That was a little unnerving. There was one at the other shop that I sat on, I could get both feet down quite comfortably because they'd lowered the suppension (for another $1500), but that was a brand new bike.
Here's what I thought about it. As a caveat, this is the very first time I've ridden a bike with a full fairing. I'm used to a naked bike, with at most a very small windshield. I currently ride a 2004 R 1150R, code name "Bruce".
First off, I notice that the R1200RT is quite tall. You ride sitting way up there and you feel like you can see over all the cars. The seat was quite comfy as was the reach to the bars and pegs. There was something hitting me about mid-calf, part of the fairing I think. It was a little annoying but I'd probably get used to it. You also realize it's a big bike. It feels like there's a lot to it. Not like it's heavy, it is top heavy but not as bad as the LT. There's all this stuff out there in front of you. You can't see the front wheel at all. It is well balanced, however, and doesn't feel at all out of sorts once under way. Touching down at stops requires a conscious body shift in order to reach (I can reach fine on the Bruce with the low seat).
The windshield was pretty cool. I adjusted it so my line of sight was over the top edge of the windshield, and I rode the whole time with the face shield on my helmet all the way up. I NEVER do that on my other bikes. The wind just doesn't hit you through that windshield. Looking through the windshield was a little weird, there's all sorts of distortions. The other thing is, with the wind off of you, you don't really have a perspective of how fast you're going. I decided to wind it up and I was touching 90 on a country 2-lane before I even realized it. It definitely has plenty of oomph.
Once I was underway the bike handled very well. I had to make a u-turn when I went into a parking lot by mistake, and it was slow speed and I gave myself plenty of room, but it went ok considering I'd been on the bike all of about 1 minute.
The transmission is very smooth, much smoother than the Bruce, which tends to clunk into gear. My first thought was it shifts like a car. There's a gear indicator on the dash. that was nice. I've never had one of those before.
I turned the radio on for a little bit. They've got the controls right by your left hand on the fairing and on the handlebar. Very slick, the volume automatically adjusts for how fast you're going, so when you come to a stop sign it's not blaring out.
My main concern and the most obvious negative to the bike, was that it is too tall for me. I'd either have to shill out for the lowering kit, ride with thick soled boots, or get used to it. Backing out of my garage might be really difficult. Backing anywhere not level would be near impossible. It's not as top heavy as the LT which I also sat on, but it's definitely heavier than the R. I also had a difficult time located the side stand and getting it down -- it needs a little wedge or something for my foot to push on.
The second negative is a little harder for me to pin down. I think I have to go back to that impression that it shifts like a car. In a lot of ways, it kinda feels like a car. And maybe folks who ride full faired bikes can help me with this perspective, and whether or not it's something you adapt to. When I got back on the Bruce for the ride home, it feels light in comparison, but also ... um, I guess it's dangerous. Like you could get crazy if you wanted to, flick it around corners or thread thru traffic ... Not that I'd be popping wheelies or stoppies or acting like a hooligan but the bike would do it if I wanted to (or had the ability to), because it rides and feels like a motorcycle. I have a sense that I'm riding the bike, not being taken for a ride. I'm not sure that I'd have the same sense of fun riding the big RT. Not that it isn't dangerous, it just doesn't feel that way. Like it's almost too smooth. Like it's not a motorcycle at all. Or at least, it's not what my brain has been conditioned to recognize as a motorcyle. Does that make any sense?
Probably if I got used to the heft and dimensions of the bike, it would start to feel more flickable. There are things I really like about it, I like the fact that it has a huge gas tank, and some of the comfort amenities I admit are really nice. I'm 100% positive that if I wanted to ride 1000 miles anywhere, this is the bike I'd like to do it on. But I'm also certain that the Bruce does things for me that this bike doesn't. So, I'm thinking I'm going to keep the Bruce for now.
