RE: Convince me to buy another RS... - 2

I'm about a month late on this interesting discussion, having been in the 'convince me in the RS' boat for about 8 months I can share some of my thoughts and tryouts in the process at least about the competition.

After the last 2000 miles tour on a CBR my pillion kindly requested (demanded) something more butt/knee friendly and I set off looking at autumn deals - I definitely wanted a sports-tourer because I enjoy the ergo and the control in the slightly 'sporty' position, only ride pavement, and the looks. I also detest for my weird personal reasons the SUV/ADV craze and closest I got to that was the XR range. I just can't see myself on a GS, Vstrom, MS, Tiger... I do about 9000 miles yearly all pavement 50% with pillion and will probably increase with the extended touring options.

Besides the sport touring aspect what my goal was - shaft drive to not bother with the chain (I religiously maintain it on my CBR) especially with comfort and luggage for longer tours, side panniers and top box options, heated grips since I commute in the winter as long as there is no rain or snow, comfort for my pillion, cruise-control for highway stints, reasonable power/range i.e. I don't need or can use 200hp and 150km range

Yamaha FJR - more a goldwing than a ST, too heavy, too big, too... just didn't click
BMW XR Range - more money than an RS, felt a bit buzzy/vibey, pillion didn't like the seat comfort that much, has that height thing I dislike about ADV's. Between the two preferred the 900 to a 1000 as it's just too much power for what I need, too much in tax/ins, and higher consumption.
Kawa SX1000 - this one came close, but it was more to the sport then tourer, pillion comfort was somewhat compromised unless the pillion is quite small and light, chain drive, and it felt... heavy - heavier than the RS i came to later. Didn't consider the H2 as that is just nonsense.
Ducati supersport - acquaintances/mechanics that work for Ducati quickly dismissed it - pointed me towards the multistrada which was a no-go, pillion position is more of a.. suggestion (solo tourer). And it felt a bit outdated for the price and associated costs.
Honda NT1100 - coming from a few Honda bikes I enjoy them but the NT (didn't sit on one until after RS decision) felt neutered. Reasonable but perhaps less than what I wanted in power, and the looks were just off it felt like that scooter/adv thing they make. Bland overall - so skipped because I want to turn after my bike when I park it.
GSXS 1000GT - I was looking forward to this when announced, in person tryout was ok but.. looks are subjective the front beak put me off. Chain drive is a compromise but with the whole package it was a bit of a negative. No rear topbox (at that time as official/factory), rear pillion seat was made for a Japanese model probably, overall below the 1000SX, pillion knee pressure if they are, again, over 150cm etc. Otherwise it would probably be my first choice of the bunch above for a solo tourer.

Then a german review of the 1250RS popped in my youtube recommended (completely missed this bike before, seen maybe 3 or 4 on the road since) and I went down the 2am internet rabbit hole. Shaft drive, not too big, has all the bells and whistles, all pannier options, pillion said the comfort was excellent, ergonomics for me were also great, I only tried it for a little but the frequently mentioned wind issue didn't pop up (both of us are 5'10) but an easy fix with a larger windscreen later. Nice TFT with all the info, LED lights, just the perfect amount of power and consumption, good aftermarket support, the white/red combo got announced...

Overall if you share some of the same thoughts I think the RS is the best sport-tourer offering on the market, and the only one that perfectly straddles the line between sport/tour i.e. halfway between a CBR1000RR and a Goldwing in Honda terms. Not to say the others are bad bikes or not perfect for others but IMHO as far as 'sport-touring' (2up) goes it's just perfect. 1200 or the 1250 I don't think you'll go wrong with either but that you can't do much better outside of it.

This long winded post being over I might just call up the dealer again and ask if I can have another 'test' ride on the RS while waiting for mine :)

Valks, something similar happened to me, though I was looking for a torquey twin to replace the inline 4 I had on my XR. I completely overlooked the RS until a video (by a South African vlogger) appeared in my YouTube feed. I had tried the F900XR, wasn't enough power, didn't want a GS, wanted something a bit lower to the ground. Discounted the Kawasaki and Suzuki 4s as the point was to get a twin. Couldn't get a Ducati out of principle due to bad experiences in the past. The RS was the solution I was looking for.

As far as I can see, nothing out there has the combination of attributes the RS has.

- big twin, but still smooth, with lots of torque, plenty of hp
- shaft drive
- big enough for reasonable touring, smal/lowl enough to be manageable
- steady handling at speed, friendly at low speed
- comfortable and can be improved with bar change

The new Moto Guzzi V100 seems to have some of these, but not all and who knows what the ownership experience will be like.

If I had an R1200RS, I'd be waiting to see what the R1300RS will be like.

I first saw an R1250RS in New Hampshire, at the Guzzi National last summer (2021). Never had heard of them before that, but i sure liked the look and it sounded great and the rider liked it. So- internet rabbit hole and I ended up selling one of my Guzzi's and got the RS. I'm very happy with that decision. It ticks off all the right characteristics.
I also look forward to the Moto Guzzi V11- it will be hard for me to not buy one; i have been a Guzzi fan for many years. BMW also- I had an R90S in the 80's-90's that was a joy to ride.

But WILL THERE BE a new R1300RS ???????????

So another thing to consider when looking at these bikes .... is how durable is the design on the engine? The R series twins do have a good reputation for running up a lot of hours on the clock. But I know some of the inline four superbikes have very short projected life spans on the track. For example, when the new H2 came out it had a projected life of 25 track hours. And were not talking about just changing spark plugs but a complete rebuild. To get these bikes to run so fast they have lightened up the internal parts, cut the skirts off the pistons and on and on ...
So when these manufacturers offer a detuned version as a sport bike .... is that still going to last? Did they design a much more durable version? Probably at least some what. Bmw did that with the xr1000 so how are those holding up?
So the Rs is significant in that it is only about a second slower in the quarter than an M1000RR and on the plain R1250R the 0 to 62 was the same 3.1 as the liter superbike. The RS did 3.4 in the 0 to 62 (100km) with the rider claiming the hydraulic clutch didn't have good feedback.These figures were sourced from the tube channel mototop out of Germany, and bike tested on the autobahn ... I don't have to lol .... And that is just performance, many other great features on the RS. I'm surprised their talking about going to a 1300 ... wow it doesn't need it, and this will probably only increase the weight ....
I choose the RS mainly on weight against the RT and the GS ..... without even a test ride, couldn't get a test ride at all ....

Hmm. Engine updates from BMW are not usually just an increase in capacity, but instead you can expect some other advances rolled in. Usually appearing on the GS first and later on the other R models.
Wonder what those updates could be?

Zitat von Ali-bear im Beitrag #22

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Hmm. Engine updates from BMW are not usually just an increase in capacity, but instead you can expect some other advances rolled in. Usually appearing on the GS first and later on the other R models.
Wonder what those updates could be?

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What I would really like is an M1400RS. Higher power to weight ratio and more torque across entire power band. Higher cylinder placement and shaved heads for more ground clearance and as much weight savings they can muster… all with the same creature comforts and rider aides. I can live with out blind spot and adaptive cruise on the RS.

I agree with the OP’s assessment that the RS is a capable machine as is and is more competitive against a broad line of bikes of different shapes and sizes that one would likely guess. While I came to a similar conclusion differently, this realization tipped the scale for me in buying an RS.

So why the M? Because BMW could. They could gloss it up with carbon fiber and an M badge and make it a 1400 instead of a 1300 and it’s be sexy and unique and unlike much else in the market place. They could reach as much power and torque (more?!) as their K1600 in a machine over 200 lbs less and OMG that would be amazing. My only concern would be being able to afford one, but I’d damn well try! :)

Zitat von backRoadS im Beitrag #24

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Higher cylinder placement and shaved heads for more ground clearance and as much weight savings they can muster… all with the same creature comforts and rider aides.

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What I've heard from good sources is the reason the clutchless shifting doesn't work as well on the R series engines is the enormous torque and the very robust transmissions designed to go high miles. German motorcycles have had big robust transmissions for as far as most care to remember. This opinion checks out because the problem gets worse in lower gears and goes away in higher gears. You do want to make sure shifting up to have a far amount of torque on the drive train. If your just maintaining speed and you hit the shifter up your going to get a clunk .... Personally I just use the clutch for all shifts but I have had trouble with the lack of feedback in a wireless system with hydro clutch .... I'm still clumsy with it but I only have about a thousand miles on the new RS ...
When I first rode the new RS I couldn't believe my luck with the slow steering ... it is just like the old airheads slow steering but super stable. Had a friend who ran over a pickup tailgate laying on the highway on an old 600 airhead . It just went blump blump and didn't do anything at all but keep going ... that is what that stability is for ... to protect you .... just some thoughts anyway ...

Must be me I guess!

Fully happy with the current 1200RS I have, as I was with all the R1200 variants I've owned over the last 18 years.

Not sure what I would do with another 20/30/40 horse power as I use the bike on the road, touring holidays and local rides out.

Last time I checked 8,000 rpm in 3rd. gear would probably cop a speeding fine (2nd gear across dartmoor) so 6,000 in 6th on local roads would be dangerous anyway.

Nearly updated to the R1250RS last june, luckily the offer wasn't worth the swop so will wait for the 'updated and improved' item which again will be a bike beyond my road riding abilities.

Those much needed 'cornering aids' and 'brake assist lights' will no doubt beckon me later in the year with the improved satnav9 or bluetooth gimmick!

I spend most of my time below 4000 rpm on holiday and for this reason the twin suits me perfectly, lazy rpm, plenty of reserve torque and long day rides are relaxed.

I know these bikes excede my abilities or a willingness to explore more on the road but it is nice to have all this in reserve 'just in case.'

My bike sits mainly in road/road options, rain mode sometimes and the dynamic only to see if they still operate.

Same with the gasp which, like keyless I find it just something I would not choose but it comes with the SE option.

Cannot recall ever bothering with gasp at low revs as it upsets my mechanical sympathy compared to a light clutch any way I use it.

Apart from tpm I could do without most of these extras, even the esa but trying to order a standard bike seems very difficult last time I tried.

If you want 160 hp why not get the XR1000 or M1000R without the need for extras and updates, lighter exhausts etc.

Agree 100% with all the above.

Zitat von paleolithictech im Beitrag #26

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What I've heard from good sources is the reason the clutchless shifting doesn't work as well on the R series engines is the enormous torque and the very robust transmissions designed to go high miles.

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Zitat von paleolithictech im Beitrag #26

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What I've heard from good sources is the reason the clutchless shifting doesn't work as well on the R series engines is the enormous torque and the very robust transmissions designed to go high miles. ...

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