Which should I buy, r1150rt or r1200rt?

[BeemerLover]

I'm new to this site, have been a Chromehead for over 5 years. Been riding 35 years, first accident was in January - slow speed, guy turned left in front of me. I'm fine but my R1200C was totaled. This gives me the opportunity to buy a different bike.

 

My BMW cruiser was great but I could never get comfortable on it, despite a Mayer seat. Too much pressure on my tail and hip bones. I rode a rental 1150rt for a half day and liked it. The "foot slightly back" seating allowed me to ride 100+ miles before my butt told me to stop. I didn't care for the slightly forward lean to reach the handlebars but barbacks should help that. I'm 6' and will surely need get a higher windshield.

 

Several of my BMW MOA buddies say the 1150RT is great but the R1200rt is a much better bike.

 

The question: Should I spend $12k or so for a late model 1150 or spring for a new (+-$18k) or used (+-$14k) R1200rt? I will keep this bike for 5-10 years.

 

Besides the 600 mile checkup I have always worked on my own bikes including valves, brake pad replacement, etc. I am wondering if the CAN wiring system will be a problem. I have read that the 1200rt has a BMW computer versus the Mototronic for the 1150. Is this better?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice, especially those of you who have owned both bikes!

 

Gael

[Lineareagle]

[BUSTED]

If a new 2007 R1200RT isn't what you want right now, buy a nice R1100RT instead.

[ednowicki]

[timmr]

If you are interested in an 1150, go for an '04. The bike got dual spark that year, and is worth the difference in $. The 1150's are some of the prettiest bikes on the road, the blue being my favorite. My longest day on the RT was 1200 miles +/- and I can't imagine doing that on anything else except a Gold Wing or LT.

The 1200 engine is a generation newer, and a much smoother mill. It has a bit more power, and being much smoother, invites you to use it.

I would advise a test ride on each. Certainly you can find a used one to ride, and should be no problem to get a ride on a new one at the dealer.

I went from an 1150RT to an '06 GS. Couldn't be happier.

[Burt]

I had an '02 1150RT, an '04 2 spark 1150RT, and I now have an '05 1200RT. I traded the '04 for a new '05 1200 in March of '06. I don't think any single improvement of the 1200 is a really big improvement over the 1150, but all of the changes combined made enough difference for me to trade. I still like the looks of the 1150 a little better than the 1200, but the 1200 has several other improvements over the 1150 I couldn't resist. The 1200 is lighter, has more hp and torque, runs smoother, shifts smoother, and has an independent rear brake. If its important to you, the 1200 has cruise control available too. I am very happy with the 1200, and wouldn't hesitate to make the trade again.

[motorman587]

R1200RT, hands down. Rode the R1150RT for work for 5 years and the new, 1200, well just hands down.

[10ovr]

R1200RT,,More Power,Shifts Very Smooth,Best Bike I Have Ever Had,,+ waranty!!!!

[blkvelvt]

I would buy the best deal you could find. If it was an R1150RT at a great price with low miles and farkles, that would be a strong candidate. The R1200RT is a great bike, but the R1150RT was and still is a great bike as well. It could be a money decision. Either way, you get a great ride.

[BeemerLover]

Well, I let this thread languish -- Thanks for your responses.

 

I would say that most everyone recommended that I just bite the bullet and go with the R1200RT. As it turns out, that is great advice!

 

My local BMW dealer (Charlotte, NC) got a R1150rt in trade and wanted me to test drive that and an R1200RT to compare them. The 1150 had 36k on it but was in good condition.

 

Result? R1200RT hands down. I rode the 1150 first and really liked it. Plenty of power and the ergonomics were good. The upgraded comfort seat was really nice. I loved the adjustable screen which I did not have on my R1200C. I hated the grabby brakes. Also, it was buzzy and when I got off may hands were tingling. Probably needs to have the valves and throttle bodys set.

 

Got on the R1200rt and found it was way more sophisticated than the 1150. Some of it was probably that it was new. It was good ergonomically (similar to the 1150) but I missed the comfort seat. The brakes (unlinked) were super. More responsive motor although it, too, was buzzy. The handling was better than the 1150. It seemed to want to go where I wanted it to go better, especially through the turns at high speed.

 

I also had a chance to test drive the K1200GT and thought it was a good bike. Ergonomics -- too much weight on my hands -- made my hands go to sleep (neck/nerve problem). But the power was outstanding (152 hp) and handling was as good as the R1200RT. Don't know if working on the GT will be as easy as working on an RT with the jugs showing.

 

Everything considered, you guys were right, the R1200RT was best for me. Now I need to figure out how to pay for one!

[T__]

I'm new to this site, have been a Chromehead for over 5 years. Been riding 35 years, first accident was in January - slow speed, guy turned left in front of me. I'm fine but my R1200C was totaled. This gives me the opportunity to buy a different bike.

 

My BMW cruiser was great but I could never get comfortable on it, despite a Mayer seat. Too much pressure on my tail and hip bones. I rode a rental 1150rt for a half day and liked it. The "foot slightly back" seating allowed me to ride 100+ miles before my butt told me to stop. I didn't care for the slightly forward lean to reach the handlebars but barbacks should help that. I'm 6' and will surely need get a higher windshield.

 

Several of my BMW MOA buddies say the 1150RT is great but the R1200rt is a much better bike.

 

The question: Should I spend $12k or so for a late model 1150 or spring for a new (+-$18k) or used (+-$14k) R1200rt? I will keep this bike for 5-10 years.

 

Besides the 600 mile checkup I have always worked on my own bikes including valves, brake pad replacement, etc. I am wondering if the CAN wiring system will be a problem. I have read that the 1200rt has a BMW computer versus the Mototronic for the 1150. Is this better?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice, especially those of you who have owned both bikes!

 

Gael

 

GK, if I had a choice of anything I wanted I would buy an 1150RT with the 1200 engine & trans & the 07 brakes.. But that is not possible.. I ride the 1150RT mostly every day (commute on it most days).. It is a darn good bike that does about everything I ask of it.. The engine runs pretty smooth & no surging (easy fix using an after market fuel controller).. It has it’s buzzy modes at certain RPM’s but for the most part acceptable if ridden to keep the RPM’s out of the buzzy ranges..

 

I have ridden a few 1200RT’s & the engine is much smoother at some of the offending RPM ranges the 1150 buzzed at but it is still not completely clean & buzz free.. The trans does seem to shift a little better on the 1200 & is slightly less noise prone.. The 1200 is a very nice bike (in my opinion slightly less attractive than the 1150 though).. Everything being equal the 1200 is a better bike- BUT,, the price is MUCH higher than the 1150RT.. Having ridden the early 1200 then ridden the 07 1200 RT you really don’t gain that much on the early 1200 RT (old servo brakes) but a smoother operating engine.. The 07 1200RT is a better bike yet but quite pricey..

 

I guess IF you like the looks of the1200 over the 1150RT & are willing to pay a substantial amount more money to get it then the 1200 would be a better bike.. On the other hand if you are looking for a darn good bike with good lines & want to pay almost ½ the price then the 1150RT can be a real good buy.. The 1150RT servo brakes are definitely different but you soon get used to them & in some ways they are nice (like when you get lazy in rush hour traffic as you only need one finger to stop the bike).. Most people fine the stock 1150RT windshield a little lacking but a good quality aftermarket windshield will work wonders..

 

Personally I would like a 2007 1200RT but to me it just isn’t THAT much better to justify the added purchase price (at least at this time).. If I bought a 1200 it would definitely be the 07 model so I will probably wait a few years until good used 07 1200RT’s are selling for much less..

 

Twisty

[swilson]

I get lots of hours on my 1150GS-P and 1150RT... the last two weeks I've gotten to put a few hours on a 1200RT-P and a 1200GS as we decide which bike will replace our GS-P's at work. I was really impressed with the improvements on both bikes. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we stick with the GS at work... but the experience got me excited for the day I can afford to sell the 1150RT and get a 1200RT.

[Jack Selzer]

I have owned all three -- the 1100, 1150 and 1200 -- and feel very fortunate to have experienced all three.

 

They all are wonderful bikes BUT the 1200 is by far the best. Every aspect of the bike has been slightly improved and when added together make the bike just GREAT.

 

It handles better because it is lighter.

 

It is quicker because of the increased hp and torque -- past 5000 rpm's it takes off.

 

The handlebar suspension adjustments are fantastic. You will like the Self cancelling turn signals.

 

The headlights are much much better--no need for adding other lights.

 

The seat is better almost confortable--unlike the other two, I am into 7,000 miles without an urge to get another seat.

 

The on board computer is wonderful and provides a lot of information such as low oil, outside temp and miles per gallon (which I get a kick out of using--tying to get at least 50 mph per gallon),

 

I have heated seats which are great in the winter.

 

I also got the radio and it really works well and has a lot of great features such as easy access to the weather channel and works well with autocom; you can also set it to increase the volume as you increase speed.

 

The huge backcase is marvelous and allows you to carry a lot more stuff and the side cases are bigger too.

 

AND THERE IS ZERO SURGE AND NO PULL TO THE LEFT ALLOWING YOU TO DRIVE WITH BOTH HANDS IN THE AIR -- KIDDING.

 

I guess you can tell, I really, really like my 1200 RT and I very much appreciate the refinements that BMW made to the RT. It makes the ride just that much more enjoyable.

[HexHead]

Go for the 1200. If your're going to keep the bike 5-10 years, why would you want to start a generation behind to begin with, especially when the current bike is better in every way? Two years from now you won't even remember the price difference.