R1200RS + R1250RS Forum
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Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:56 pm
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Hi all, |
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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #2 Mine's a 900, which is an improvement over the 850 - rode a few, but never bought one. The 900 was more refined though. Needed suspension work to make it a keeper, but once done all good! The Super Ten never really appealed to me, but it's kinda cool. Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #2 Aye, I had an FS, the last of them. A black one. Got nicked in 2005. An epic machine.. I loved it, which kinda explains the love for the very different 800X. Given the years between riding the two of them, I'd never really considered their differences but I think you might be on to something there. I'm no fan of the VTEC, but with the current generation it's reasonably well engineered for what it is. It's a crude concept though, particularly compared to BMW's shiftcam. Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #2 For sure.. both the TDM and the VFR have a shorter wheelbase and pretty wide bars, and I'm entirely accustomed to that. The only bike I've ever owned with clip ons was the VFR750. I see that switching the RS' bars for those from the R is something a few folk do. It's something I'd consider, more so if that helps my perception of turn-in, although I expect it's an expensive operation. I also wonder about handlebar mounted mirrors if I went down that road. Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #2 Ok, ta.. that's useful info and confirms what I thought might be the case. I will try this out when I test next. Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #2 This is a good point.. I had noticed at some point in the past that a few of them ride an RS. Generally I don't find police bikes all that appealing, as they've tended to use heavier tourers than I'd consider buying, but I've always respected their choice of ride as they do know WTF they're doing! Thanks for the reply and the info! On an unrelated note - for some reason I'm reminded of a BMW riding 'wessie' that used to frequent UKRM back in the days when I had time for it (early-mid 2000s)... I miss the usenet group, from which (as a then new rider) I learned almost everything I ever needed to know (and lots I really didn't!). |
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Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #3 I am he. UKRM still exists on Usenet, just. 376 post in October. Back in 2000 there were 1000 a day. I owned a R1150GS back then. I don't recall a V8Guy - googles - ah, guyh, I assume - I see B.Bear was slagging you off about a TDM... UKRM has a Facebook group that is more active and you would recognise a lot of the names. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2473715307/ |
Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #4 Gee, that's a sobering stat. I loved Usenet, as a forum... it's a shame it got swallowed by web-based discussion. The unstoppable rise of the emoticon is most likely to blame, and we're poorer for it. Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #4 Yeah, that was me. As I recall, he slagged off pretty much anything and anyone. *shrug*. One of the joys of Usenet was the ease of filtering out people with a killfile, or just marking a thread as ignored. And, indeed, the very notion of threading! Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #4 I don't FB, but a quick browse does indeed reveal names from back in the day.. glad to see most of us are still at it! On an RS-related note, I'm waiting for an improvement in the weather and me not being full of cold... aiming for a second test ride on Friday. I can't wait. |
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Hiya. What an excellent opening post. |
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Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #1 You make great points. If the bulk of your riding is urban, then I see little reason to move up in mass to the twin tourer. But, I also see you get to own 2 bikes.... You might look at a sceaming scrambler for around town and the RS for touring 2-up.... It all depends on how you feel about money. As regards electronic suspension, those of us who are old fashioned still do sag tests, and there are other posts that better address fine-tuning the settings for the amount of (m)ass. Have fun looking. No one will fault you when you keep your current bikes a couple years more.
“A good man always knows his limitations.”
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Zitat von Sanemancured im Beitrag #6 Thanks for the reply. I'm sure the gearing isn't long per se, more likely just different to what I'm used to. I've become accustomed to 3rd at 30mph, 4th at 40 when conditions permit. 2nd and 3rd respectively when I need a more immediate throttle response in those limits. Again, something that a longer test ride will likely resolve. |
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Zitat von Ray B im Beitrag #7 Thanks for the reply. I do get to own two bikes, it's true.. but this is cos I live in two countries, thanks to my wonderful wife. My trusty TDM is fortunate enough to live in the motorcycling paradise that is Piedmont, Italy. Having two in one place is something I've done in the past, but don't wish to repeat - maintaining one machine is enough to be honest! For my use in the UK, where we spend the majority of our time, I ride equal quantities of urban and highway. I commute out of town, not into town.. so it's a mixture. Always fancied a 1100S, but missed the boat years ago.. the RS looks like the perfect modernisation of that machine. If I do change, all signs seem to point to the RS - I honestly don't see another bike that ticks as many boxes, on paper. |
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Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #1 Agree with you on the readability of the dashboard, especially the speedometer. Not so much on the other issues you raised. It is a sport tourer and as such directional stability is given more weight than flickability and slow speed manoeuverability. This becomes quite evident on long distance riding at speed with big 18-wheelers sharing the road also at speed. The new R1250RS has the excellent TFT dash which is very readable. It even has a bit more torque and horsepower to make you love the big twin even more.
Regards,
Grumpy Goat RSWasserboxer.com |
Zitat von Grumpy Goat im Beitrag #10 Thanks for the reply! I guess you're right, in the sense that it's perhaps a more traditional sport tourer geometry, IYSWIM. That kind of thing's probably the sort of nuance that isn't necessarily apparent until you've ridden it a lot more than I have thus far. However, I'd firmly plant my VFR, along with various other similar upright seated ADV-like-but-with-17"-front-rim bikes, as a sport tourer too. Zitat von Grumpy Goat im Beitrag #10 The 1200 was plenty, but a bit more can't hurt! :) I had noticed the dash on the newer model, indeed. Two problems with the 1250 - it costs more than I'm willing to spend (same reason I didn't test ride a 1200 4 years ago), the new look just doesn't do it for me. Oh, and two point five.. the 1250's colour schemes.. wtf were they thinking? Three - shift cam.. more complexity the world doesn't need? I'm trying to give up on a VTEC that doesn't do much for me, so I'm good with a conventional intake system, thx! In related news, I have booked more test rides for this coming Friday. A different 1200RS, a 1200R and S1000XR. The R is primarily cos I'd like to assess the riding position, but also the shorter wheelbase. The XR is mostly just so I can cross it off the list. I'm no fan of the inline four, but it's remarkably similar in its ergonomics to the VFR so I might as well give it a go! |
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Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #11 This is a dangerous strategy. You might end up like me, with an XR in the garage as well as an RS. Like you, I'm no fan of i4 motors and I was underwhelmed on my first XR ride but I had just bought the RS and had one for a morning as a service loaner. Roll on 2 years and I tried a lowered XR and the riding position now made sense. An upright riding position and 160bhp (2016 model) is addictive, and it tours almost as well as the RS. |
Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #12Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #11 +1 on what he said
R1200RS SE Sport
S1000XR SE Sport R1200GS TE |
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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #12Zitat von v8guy im Beitrag #11 Heh, potentially.. but nah, I ain't buying two - no funds for that kind of madness. Even if there were, if I wanted a spare bike for 160bhp shits and giggles I'd likely be headed to the KTM dealer... I have sat on an XR before and found it's riding position just plain weird after being so used to the VFR. They look about the same, but something didn't feel right about the BMW... I don't recall exactly what it was. Strange, but eh.. *shrug*. We'll see how it is to ride. |
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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #12 Danger averted. I rode it, and gladly handed the keys back without any feeling that there might be an impending purchase. I can see why they're popular, mind.. lots of things to like about them. Vibes were not amongst my list of likes though. Figured out why the riding position felt weird compared to the VFR - the bars are just too far forward. Meh. Moving on... didn't ride the 1200R - ran out of time. Hey ho. Took my second ride on a RS. Different bike this time, same dealer. A 2015 specimen, to which they'd kindly fitted the sports seat before I rode it. A much nicer height on which to perch, ho yes. The not particularly unexpected side effect of this increased elevation was that the bars now feel a little bit too low. That aside, I set the bike up with dynamic ESA and set pre-load for two riders before I set off, straight down the A3 from Guildford, heading into London. Having already satisfied myself that it's an ideal weapon for bendy A and B roads, I wanted to throw it into traffic, tight turns, and general chaos a bit more. They'd thoughtfully left the panniers attached, which pleased me no end.. it's good to have bumpers when squeezing through tight gaps... ;) Again, the thing does not disappoint. I'm struggling a little bit with getting used to having to work narrow bars harder to get the leverage I'm used to in tighter corners, but I suspect this is something that will come. I spent some time doing a few u-turns in a car park too.. again, this feels a little strange - I certainly cannot turn it anywhere near as tight as I do the VFR, but that my be down to both unfamiliarity and perhaps a shallower steering lock. Seeing as I'd have to raise the bars a little, I'm very interested in the 1200R handlebar conversion - can anyone who has done this give me an idea how much it might cost? I figure it'll be more than a simple bar riser for the existing bars, but who knows.. could even be cheaper! Looking at the 1200R, it looks pretty straightforward.. just a case of finding the top clamp to hold the bar to the yoke. I was also pleased to note that a bar-mounted mirror arrangement shouldn't be too hard. I had feared that it might mean getting brake and clutch fluid reservoirs from an R, but thankfully it's just a question of finding the clamps used on the R. Whether these are available as a separate item is, of course, a whole different question... Today I test rode a 2015 bike, last time was a late 2018 machine. Clearly there is a significant price difference (~2500 UKP, but 15 bike has panniers, top box, akrapovic can. Lacks keyless shit, and quick shifter). The 15 bike is less than I'm prepared to spend, but given that it includes extras and has only 8k miles on the clock I'd be happy enough to go there. I've yet to give it a thorough inspection, but it seems clean enough. The 18 bike is more than I want to spend, and requires more expense in the near future (panniers, etc), but is at least under BMW warranty for another 2 years. I looked at the 2 year approved-used dealer warranty and was struck by how much is not covered! Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with the approved-used warranty? Finally.. is it worth shelling out a fair bit more and getting one with the remainder of the factory warranty? Fairly or not, BMWs have over recent years acquired something of a reputation for poor quality. How have you lot fared with yours? Cheers! |
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