BMW R 1150 RT reviews

BMW motorcycles are generally quality reliable machines but the BMW dealerships I have tried to deal with all suck badly. Less than 1 year ago I purchased a 2022 BMW K1600gtl. I have enjoyed it and have put 18,000 hwy. miles on it. Still in near perfect condition. I have learned that it is a bit heavy for me at nearly 800 lbs. so I have requested a trade in for a r1250rt model. 300lbs. lighter. My k1600 is less than 1 year old and for tradein BMW has offered me $12,000 trade value at BMW of SAn Juan texas. And Alamo BMW of San Antonio offered me $15,000. Original cost was $33,000. Basically what they are saying is that their motorcycles are not even worth 50% of the original price less than 1 year old. Less than 50% in less than 1 year. DO NOT BUY A BMW ACCORDING TO BMW THEY ARE WORTH LESS THAN 50% ORIGINAL VALUE LESS THAN 1 YEAR OLD. BAD BAD DEAL. PIECE OF JUNK. NOT EVEN WORTH HALF THEIR COST AFTER JUST 9 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. Show less

Wonderful motorcycle! After riding my 01 K1200RS for 20 years my bones were becoming a little weary! Found an 02 with about same mileage, I bought it from the original owner with all maintenance records and he lived nearby. This bike is so much easier to ride and is deceivingly quick! Yeah, the gear box is a little clunky but that gives it some character! I did raise the front of the seat about 1/4”. This is a must, no more sliding into the tank! A piece is aluminum stock and some new bolts from hardware store, problem solved! Yes the interlocking brakes are a bit touchy, but it didn’t take long getting used to them. The wife says it’s more comfortable too! I can ride this motorcycle all day from twistes to the highway, as compared to the K bike. Lots of storage too. My only complaint is the gearing between 5th and 6th is pretty extreme. A taller 5th gear would of been nice. I’m just nit picking now! Look at it like this 5 years prior to purchasing the RT. I put maybe 1K on the RS it just wasn’t comfortable anymore. Had the RT less than a year and put 3K on it already ! Remember raising the seat is a must! Good wind protection too!👍 Show less

Bought the 2002 new in 2005 at a very steep discount. The first owner bought it and only put 38 miles on the machine. The 2002 RT has been very predictable after reading all the materiel available. It is more touring than sport. The problems were the rear seals & front shocks needing to be replaced at 18,000 miles. It had minor surging initially. My dealer suggested injector cleaner and it worked. They do a solid job with scheduled maintenance which eliminates any hint of surging that may have arisen. I am a confident rider and find the motorcycle inspires willingness to ride in less than ideal circumstances. Rain, cold, bugs on summer nights are not an issue. The bike is very smooth at speed. The ABS brakes work great, but power assist is very touchy until you become accustom to the sensitivity. I have kept the bike well maintained and stock. I am finally going to purchase an aftermarket windshield, as the stock does not protect wide shoulders. The seat is not that comfortable, but I do not do over 250 miles/day. I still would like a Russell Daylong Seat. Changing the oil is snap, even for the mechanically handicapped. The silver paint has held up very well and I do not constantly clean or wax. Still the best part is the riding: deep corners, decent acceleration and the ability for my wife to ride comfortably and to carry plenty of stuff when necessary. There is more emphasis on tour than sport. I have a 28 inch inseam and have little difficulty, but have learned to pick my parking spots wisely. I hope this helps you if you are considering purchasing a used one. I plan on keeping mine, the comparable new versions (K1300 GT, R1200 RT, Concours 14) are not worth the extra dollars to me at this time. Show less

Ditto to the previous reviewer's comments. But if I have just one negative; it's also the SEAT. Those Germans obviously have cast-iron BUTTS--the seating position pushed me too far forward. After an hour or so, I'd end up with two lumps in my neck---they were my testacles! SO here's the solution (found on U.S. web-sites)--one AIR HAWK seat-cover (you sit on a cushion of air) it WORKS! AND a kit to raise the handle-bars. I have recently returned from a (VERY) quick 2,000 mile ride to the Out-Back after fitting these accessories. It's a different bike. My fourth BMW. Why change when the product delivers ?! Show less

Strong Bike. Massive storage. Great weather protection and amenities. Heated grips and seat are a life saver on cold days. Smooth power and tall 6th gear allow this bike to ease on down the road. Comfort and protection are unsurpassed. Bike turns on a rail and tours like a caddy. Luggage pops right off and is super convenient. Like it so much I sold my truck and ride year round! Show less

This is an outstanding motorcycle. It is a very Zen-like experience to ride this bike. I sometimes feel like the bike and I can communicate with one another. No, really, it is a fabulous motorcycle. The seat leaves much to be desired. Show less

This is truly an amazing bike. I can't think of any faults except that the transmission is a bit clunky compared to a Japanese ride; you can't row through the gearbox like other bikes. The seat feels like your sitting in hot fudge - I rode 1300 kms this weekend and never had to stop once because of soreness. I don't think I'll ever go back to anything else. I thought that the adjustable windscreen would be gimmicky but it is a very useful option actually. Previous bikes include 2000 Honda ST1100, 2004 650 V-Strom, 2000 GSX-R, and a beaten 1984 Honda 750 Interceptor. Show less

I bought mine used with 16,000 miles on it. Have 30K on it now. In my 35 years of road riding I have NEVER owned a road bike that is as competent as this bike is. It does it all and I've been through a lot of bikes since I've been riding. If you're a REAL road rider, then this is the bike for you. Goes around corners like it's sitting on rails! The excellent ABS brakes may save your life someday. This is an outstanding motorcycle. It's hard to ride with the Cruiser bike guys because they go so slow on the highway and REALLY SLOW in the corners and spend most of their time polishing chrome. I'm not ready for that nonsense yet. I'll probably buy one of those when I get too old to ride a real motorcycle. Show less

BMW 1150 RT. 2002. What an all weather mile eater. After resisting my thoughts of spoiling my image I brought one. I don't know why I felt like that about BMW, always have from old. My son rides a GSX R 600, wear's fine leathers and cuts a dash on the road. His Dad (now pushing 43) has taught him everything he knows but now has this over whelming urge to bring the knee tight into the bike instead of trying to scrape the road and watches his son disappear around the bend like a professional on our favorite piece of road. I hear him talking to his mates about "Stoppies" and "Wheelees" and Nearly high sided it throttling out of a bend- sends a shiver down my spine. A true sign of getting old and bold and the need for "steadiness" grows within me. I punish myself with a 100 mile daily commute to work and decided that I would have to buy a bike that could cope with long term galactic mileage and use and leave the car at home. So the polished Sunday toy had to go - Ducati 900 M went as part-ex against a BMW R 1150 RT. It was Beemers metallic blue, an ex-Demo and had just over 6K on the clock. Nice model but was perturbed by the number of "old guys" loafing around the show room. God I felt old. I hopped on the bike for a test ride the week before. It was absolutely poring down, stair rods in fact. The mechanic warned me about the brakes as they are like meeting a brick wall if you over do it. So I gingerly made my way out of town, getting soaked at the lights. At one point I stopped outside a shop window and looked at myself - Sat upright like a Posing Matador. I tried to shift my position but slid either away from the tank or away from the pillion seat back to the middle. The rider's seat is curved and makes you sit in one spot. I assume the ergonomic guys at BMW have done there stuff (Yar vill sit in der middle of der seat - dis is bitter for yar!). Being only 5'10&quot I needed to take advantage of the adjustable seat and embarrassingly set it on the lowest for my little stubby legs. But I still need to semi tip tow at a stop because the thing is so damm wide. Although once used to the bike I did not find this a problem. It is also a very tall bike and parked around other machines it looks abnormal. Fortunately the design of the new fairing, nose and lights reinstate the credibility as it looks quite sporty. With the electric screen down once stopped - it looks even better. Trouble is as I plan to stop about half a mile away it's a question of keeping the wind out my face and timing the slow lowering to perfection without looking like I am crying once the helmet comes off. When the screen is lowered and your visor is up it feels like the fairing is concentrating everything between your chin and the top of your head with a strong and sudden blast in the face. With the screen up it looks like Daddy Tourer has arrived, down it looks like a smart impressive sports tourer. So the screen Up/Down thing is all about balancing image and watering eyes. There have been occasions when the dam thing does not come down quick enough and you have to stop and work the clutch - some time a little to late. So don't mess with the thing when in traffic - trust me. The screen itself works like magic - all weather is kept off you. In heavy rain you only get a dribble or two running down your visor - yes strangely running vertically down and not blowing away. At higher speeds you start to get the feeling of needing to push away from the bars as an invisible pillion has started to lean on you! I found after a while that if you dropped the screen just a tad from full up the wind noise around your helmet increased slightly but the pushing forward feeling subsided. You get buffeted about a bit more than normal especially when coming up to Lorries but you get used to that. This is the payback for hiding for the weather behind that huge screen and fairing. So it was an OK screen that did its job. Turbulence. Yes it gets it bad. So much in fact the better half hates it. I sit in the front in comparative quietness and the pay back is the pillion gets beaten up big style by the wind. Well BMW I think you have blown it. If she does not like it the bike very soon bites the dust for another. I took her out on what should have been a nice 100 mile jaunt one Sunday, her first time on the big Beemer. We were back after 15 miles. She could not hold her head still and ended up holding the helmet with her hands to keep her head still. I tried moving the screen in every conceivable position and every speed. I even blamed it on the wind direction but road and course alterations did not make a difference. She has refused to get on it again. Now this is coming from a woman who has toured as a pillion on the back of my Hayabusa (Sunday toy). I am amazed that BMW have blown this. Great for the rider and just bad for the pillion. I even lent the bike to a friend and his wife for an hour - she was just as annoyed. So how can they claim that 2 up for long distance is good on the R 1150 RT? Great on my own but I wouldn't with a passenger. The wing mirrors are in an odd position - under your handle bars? - But as soon as you sit on the bike you realize that this could not be better - you see everything behind - I felt safe with them and confident that I would spot "white&qot cars following with ease. You will also realize that at speed you hands are actually in the drag of these mirrors and the wind is not blasting at your gloves. But just remember if you decide to wave at a fellow motor cyclist while doing 90 on the motorway don't bring your hand up to far as it will suddenly be grabbed by the slip stream an your arm will then be violently thrown backwards. That didn't look cool and I am sure the guy must have thought I was trying to throw something at him! The legs and body are also well protected and you can quite seriously maintain high speeds for long periods in all winds and weathers. Other normally bike riders will join the motorway, spot you, throttle up to display their feathers and blast away with a roar but the number of times that I over take them some 5 miles further on I have lost count. I STAY at 95mph - THEY DO NOT. The bike wants to cruise at over a 100 and you have to force yourself to shut back and keep it to respectful 80 and stay around the law but the good feeling of being so well protected slides in now and aging and your up their again. In one full throttle burst to over take a line of traffic got me smoothly and quickly to almost 130 and it felt OK. Once ahead I closed back to 90 and stayed there for the length of Somerset's M5. The bike has a great range of 240 miles or so stops are not so frequent and you do not get tired. Now and again the feeling of a Matador comes back and I wish that the rider position was just a little bit more prone. But that is the only bad point I could think of about this bike and that's not really and bad one. I think I will still be smiling after a 500 mile run. The ride at first seems like you are on some sort of hover craft - it does not nose dive when breaking hard and the suspension does its stuff in all conditions. I got a bit bouncy at speed on an A road but simple adjustment of the rear end got rid of that. The clever suspension system is second to none and seems to adapt itself to any type of riding - twisty A road fun or on the rails of a motorway. Most sports bike riders would be impressed with this bike they way it handles around bends and thunders out of trouble. You are reminded that it's a huge bike though when you look down at the tank - is it a Boat? Is it a Barge? no it's a BMW ! That fairing looks absolutely huge - but it works. It does not feel heavy and to be quite honest somebody moving up from a smaller machine would not notice that it's so large if they just don't look down. It feels light, torquey and very, very controllable. Show less

The extremely smooth ride of the bike allows you to travel at speeds of 160 Km/h or above for an extended length of time. When in highways, distances simply does not exist. In narrow, winding roads, try to put down the windshield and the feeling of the bike will change for the better into some sort of a "naked" monster. When you are in for a good distance ride, no hi-sport bike will match your rythm for long. You 'll beat 'em all!! Show less