2009 BMW reviews

It is little as it is compact and light weight ideal for the smaller rider and great for commuter / day trips. I've had this bike for over four years and looked after it and it never let me down. I did some day trips (300 miles) on it and no issue all along. It is very fuel efficient (93 super premium). It is very confortable as the sitting position is not killing your back and the padded seat is nice as well. Now if you are looking to do long trips I know a few persons who did so with the same bike as the 650 engine is very strong and used across a few models in the BMW line. The look of the bike is nice. It has that "scrambler" design. This is BMW quality after all. Show less

I have owned nearly a dozen bikes during the last 50 years plus. I have wanted a K1200LT since they came out but could never justify such luxury. I am so sorry I waited. I bought a 1999 with 7,403 miles on it last year from a guy just like me. There is nothing about it that I don't like. It has performed flawlessly and I find myself making excuses to ride it every day. The K1200LT is one of those machines that you can park but you have to look back at it when you are walking away. I really like the way that bike makes me feel. That is surprising at my age. Just don't wait. Show less

I just bought a used 2009 LT with 2,600 miles on the meter. I'm getting ready to retire and was looking for a touring machine - I plan on making some long trips. I traded in a Triumph T-Bird with 15K on the meter. I was originally looking at the 1600GTL but it did not fit my frame. I found this one in the showroom in a like new condition. There is nothing wrong with it - I mean nothing. I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer size at first but was really surprised at how well this bike handles even on the twisties. The quality is superb. It has loads of power, and is wonderfully smooth with all the options. It truely is the ultimate riding machine. I love the hard bags - lots of storage space for the long hauls. It's the first Beemer I have owned but probably wont be the last. I love this bike!! Show less

I bought mine last summer. I rode it to Las Vegas on September 3, 500 miles in nine days and it was a real joy. I did 2,400 miles to Bike Week in Daytona in March. I had the bike less than a year and put 17,000 miles on it. I don't ride it to work either! At first the bike seems top heavy, and it probably is on gravel roads. On paved roads it cruises as fast as you want, with plenty of reserve to pass other cars. Did I mention this bike has plenty of power to get you out of the way of other cars? With a corded helmet, the stereo sounds great too. I recently completed my first IBA run (1,000 in 24 hours) and was comfortable the whole time. I have had three Harley Ultra Classics, and I won't be going back to them. The Harleys are hot, vibrate, and don't have good wind protection like the LT. I won't buy another bike without reverse either. The reverse, power windshield, and power center stand are just the topping on the cake to a really well engineered bike. Show less

I have had a lot of bikes in my 35 years of riding, from Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Harley. They were all good bikes with a lot of good features. Then I decided to look at the BMW K1200 LT. It has a lot of standard features that were options on other brands of bikes (ABS brakes, heated grips, heated seats and alarm system). It has some options that I don't think other brands even offer, like power center stand, power windshield and central locking. The BMW is also sleek looking, has great gas mileage, excellent quality and has silky, smooth power. If their is any negative comment to make about the bike, it's the cost of some of the accessories that you could spend on it. I think that the $150.00 cup holder is a little extreme. If anybody knows were I can buy a cup holder cheaper, I would be very happy. Show less

I've been riding since I was 15 and have had several bikes in the last 50 years. I bought my LT in Nov. '09 after being without a bike for 20 years. My wife and I wanted to do some serious long distance touring and after comparing and testing everything out there for a couple of years, was sure the LT was the only choice. We have not been disappointed. People rave about their purchases (especially expensive ones) as if they are still convincing themselves they made the right choice. With that in mind, I can only say the LT delivers with 5 stars. It's a big, easy to handle, comfortable, fast, dependable, smooth, luxurious, (any compliment will fit) motorcycle investment. It's BMW's best effort. Yes, once you start to move it feels and handles like a dream sport bike. I wouldn't advise taking it out on rough backwood 4X4 roads, but that isn't what it's designed for. German engineering and craftsmanship is superb and every small detail gives pleasure in ownership. I've been passed by crotch rockets in the twisties and just wonder where they would be at the end of the day after several hours of riding while we swooshed by them in comfort. With getting over 51 mpg on the highway, this big black beauty will go 300 miles on a tank of gas.. non-stop. Show less

I picked up a GS in February 2009 after trading in an RT. I was hit head on in March by a driver who was interested in texting more than driving. I suffered a minor concussion and the bike was totaled (you should have seen the car!). Thought I would try out a different brand. I lasted about two weeks on that bike before I realized what I had done. I sold that bike and went back to the R1200GS. It truly is the best in its class and better than bikes in most other classes. It is a jack of all trades, and depending on how you look at it, a master of quite a few. I got the new bike on April 30 and already have 5500 miles logged. I will log another 3K this week, heading up the coast and taking a few forest roads along the way. It is one of the most well-balanced bikes I have ever ridden. I can keep up with most sportbike riders on Palomar Mt. and the bike rips up the track (I didn't even have stickies on)! The bike seems to glide over gravel and sand alike. The suspension when off road has to be experienced to be believed. I teach a sportbike riders course on this bike and you should see the faces of all those squids when I demo the course with all cases on. I would shill for this company for no money. Wait, I AM shilling for no money! Great company and a truly amazing riding experience. Next stop: Baja and then Latin America. Show less

I traded in my 2006 VTX1800R with only 2,000 miles on it and only having been out of the crate for 11 months. Having rode a Harley and other V-Twins there is no comparison between them and the BMW K1200LT. If you're looking for the best of all worlds, do yourself the favor of a life time and take a ride the best handling luxury sport touring bike in the world. There's no returning to the potato-potatopotato-potato for me. I only wish I would have discovered this dream machine decades ago. Show less

I traded in my 09 Harley for the my new 09 K1200LT. I was looking for the bike that gave me comfort, power and enough gadgets to keep me interested and on the road. Well I am super satisfied and must say if you want to rumble get a Harley, if you want to ride get a K1200LT and let freedom reign. Show less

My first concerns with the use of the new F 650's for our expeditions was that they just didn't look robust enough for some of the terrain we cover out on the road, not that the rides are technical, it's just that there is rough gravel in places and countless miles between BMW servicing centres. My first encounter with the new look F 650 GS was at a motorcycle exhibition, I had a sit on the bike but was not able to ride it at the time. Once Compass Expeditions decided to go with the new twins for a number of reasons, I was there to pick up the first bike, so I thought I would take it through it's paces before shipping it off to South America. That is where the first of my surprises and quick change of mind begin. Riding it through the busy streets of Melbourne heading out of the city, the bike handled very well in the slow congested traffic and maneuvered lightly and accelerated rapidly when the chance arrived to scoot past a few cars, great! When I finally hit the highway and some more winding open country roads the bike really came into its own, responsive in the corners with easy handling, good smooth braking and excellent performance even with the added weight of my girlfriend on the back, I barely knew she was there. The bike passed the first test, however before sending them off to Chile we bought a number of accessories to beef the bikes up for the rigors of the expeditions to come. We purchased bark busters, radiator and headlight protectors and a sturdy bash plate to protect that exposed oil filter and cooler. The bikes now looked quite a bit more the robust touring type and I felt a little more at ease. The second test; Patagonia. On the first tour of the season, non of our passengers had ridden the new model before, but the first morning as they strolled out to the carpark their faces lit up as they saw the sparkling new machines lined up in the stunning summer sunshine. The passengers were certainly not disappointed as all of them rated the bikes highly, with 2 Ex-passengers actually purchasing new F 650 GS twins since returning to their home countries. One particular day on a Patagonian tour is one which I thought would be a good test for the 650's, that is the journey from Esquel in Argentina to Perito Moreno, a total distance of 590 kms. The first 460 kms are on reasonable bitumen with a few potholes and only one small section of about 10 kms of roadworks, this ride day heads into quite a remote region of the country. At the end of the bitumen we gathered our energy by having a coffee, snacks and a bit of a rest in the dry, windy town of Rio Mayo on the Patagonian Steppe. Once we left here it was about another 130 kms of quite challenging riding on gravel roads, and in my experience, it is always accompanied by strong winds. To make the ride a little more challenging they are currently doing a lot of roadworks on this section thus making the many rough detour tracks very draining. But the bikes handled this ride very well, given their responsiveness and relative lightness the riders are much less tired and more at ease on the challenging roads, seats are easier on the backside and the riding position is much more comfortable than riding the older, cramped single cylinder GS 650's. I recognize that the older models are good robust bikes, but in comparison to the new 650 twins they are slow and heavy and it seems to me as the changes are so huge that there has been 10 years between the 2 models instead of 1. I would liken the change from the old bike to the new, like going from driving a tractor to a car. So yes, once beefed up a little in the robust department two thumbs up from me for the new BMW F 650 GS twin, survived Patagonia should be adaptable to anywhere. Show less