When can I go fast on my R1200RT?

[Rob F.]

I am breaking in my new '08 R1200RT so I can take it in for my 600 mile break-in service. I am going no faster than 60 MPH keeping the RPMs between 3-4K, upshifting/downshifting, accelerating/decelerating, riding the twisties. After my 600 miles service, can I ride it without any limitations?

[Firefight911]

Yes!

 

Ride it like you stole it!! It is good to exercise the full rpm range of the bike, up an down in the rpms, load, no load. You will find the oil consumption stabilize and the grin on your face will enlarge!!!

[maxscycle]

I have 7469 miles on my 06 r12. It never see's 4000 rpm unless I am on the highway. My normal shifts are in the 3600-3800 rpm range. Why, because it has more than enough power for me at those speeds. Why spin the engine faster?

max

[stubblejumper]

Why, because it has more than enough power for me at those speeds.

 

The key words being"for me".I personally prefer the extra power produced at higher rpm to make passing quicker and safer.

[Boffin]

I have 7469 miles on my 06 r12. It never see's 4000 rpm unless I am on the highway. My normal shifts are in the 3600-3800 rpm range. Why, because it has more than enough power for me at those speeds. Why spin the engine faster?

max

 

To stop carbon build up. This can lead to pinging or if a piece flakes off and gets stuck under an exhaust valve, it can lead to valve failure.

 

Andy

[bobanddianne]

I totally agree with Boffin

This engine will spin so effortlessly, and in doing so, the carbon build up will be minimized also.

Low rpm is not high on my list of how to extend engine life.

As far as keeping the rpm down, I am not happy with any sixth gear speed that has the rpm below 3,300. At that rpm (and above) the engine is smooth as silk. Less than 3,300 and I'm hearing/feeling the individual firings. From 3,300 rpm and above, things smooth out and are less stressful on the engine.

 

How smooth?

After entering the freeway and drifting over to the fast lane, I can't count the number of times I've been cruising efortlessly for miles before looking down at the display to discover I've been in fifth gear for miles... that's how smooth

It was sometime around 2k that I was up on Glendora Ridge Road and twisted the thottle to quickly pass a cage, I looked down at the speedometer as I started to pull back over into the lane... and it was at 100mph...and I was only in forth gear. The 12RT does that easily at 7,000rpm.

I've touched 7,000 often since then.

The engine is sweet and smooth, and the total bike is, as noted below... our Dream Machine

[Damean]

I have 7469 miles on my 06 r12. It never see's 4000 rpm unless I am on the highway. My normal shifts are in the 3600-3800 rpm range. Why, because it has more than enough power for me at those speeds. Why spin the engine faster?

max

 

To stop carbon build up. This can lead to pinging or if a piece flakes off and gets stuck under an exhaust valve, it can lead to valve failure.

 

Andy

 

So would you say then, it would be better to cruise(when applicable)at a higher rpm/lower gear instead of a lower rpm higher gear? Like when I'm tooling around town, leave it in 3rd as opposed to poking around in 4th?

[TomfromMD]

I am breaking in my new '08 R1200RT so I can take it in for my 600 mile break-in service. I am going no faster than 60 MPH keeping the RPMs between 3-4K, upshifting/downshifting, accelerating/decelerating, riding the twisties. After my 600 miles service, can I ride it without any limitations?

 

Assuming you wish to follow the factory recommended break-in procedure, you can ride up to 75 mph in 6th as that is 4,000 rpm - still trying to vary your speed, of course.

 

After 600 miles, break-in restrictions are no longer recommended although personally, I held to 5,000 rpm to 1,000 miles, 6,000 to 1400, etc. Although I realize that others adhere to the "break it in like you stole it" idea, my method has resulted in an extremely smooth boxer which uses little oil and averages better than 50 mpg.

 

Also, I've always believed in the anticipation of the future enjoyment of full out peformance riding while learning your machine.

Tom

[John in VA]

I bought my used RT at 1500 miles. I rode it "normally" from the first day, not babying it but also not thrashing it constantly, except for the daily near-redlining on entrance ramps for fun after it's well warmed-up. Now at 5000 miles the oil level has dropped from near-full when I got it to a little over half on the sight glass, and the motor is sweetly smooth in 3rd gear at 70mph if I wanted to cruise at that rpm. I'm almost afraid that the 6K service will somehow mess up this great motor!

[Martyn]

I bought my used RT at 1500 miles. I rode it "normally" from the first day, not babying it but also not thrashing it constantly, except for the daily near-redlining on entrance ramps for fun after it's well warmed-up. Now at 5000 miles the oil level has dropped from near-full when I got it to a little over half on the sight glass, and the motor is sweetly smooth in 3rd gear at 70mph if I wanted to cruise at that rpm. I'm almost afraid that the 6K service will somehow mess up this great motor!

 

I'm of the same school of thought - not babying it, not thrashing it too much either. I was lucky enough back in March to be loaned a 1200RT by BMW UK for use in connection with "BikeSafe", which only had 612 miles on the clock, & those miles had been put on it by a former colleague, & long term BM owner.

I used it through the summer, & although I've always believed in thoroughly warming an engine up before extending it, I certainly didn't baby it thereafter.

In October I had the chance to buy the bike at a very fair price, now just coming up to 6,000 miles, & I posted off the cheque.

In all that time she's used no oil whatsoever, & I got the stage that I thought that the Bike Computer oil check must be inaccurate, but no, shine a torchlight through the fairing, & there the oil level was, just above the halfway mark.

Last week I took it in for the 6,000 Service, & when I picked her up the mechanic said "What a lovely bike. I wish they all went as well as that"

If I'd known from the outset that this bike would one day be mine, would I have been so liberal with the throttle? If I'm honest, possibly not.

 

As an aside, I also used the Part Numbers on another thread on this Forum to buy a set of twin horns, which were fitted during the 6,000 Service, & they are a vast improvement on the single factory fitment.

[CoarsegoldKid]

NOW and often.

[PhillyFlash]

I have 7469 miles on my 06 r12. It never see's 4000 rpm unless I am on the highway. My normal shifts are in the 3600-3800 rpm range. Why, because it has more than enough power for me at those speeds. Why spin the engine faster?

max

 

If you're happy riding your RT like that, it's fine. However, the boxer engines perform much better at higher RPMs. I rarely let mine lug below 3500 rpms, and prefer to cruise at about 4000-4500, depending on the type of road and my mood at the time. When I get into the twisties, I'll run anywhere from 4500 to 6500, occasionally going higher. As to my experience with RT's, I've had an 1100 since mid-2001, and a 1200 since June of this year. Pretty much everyone who I've ridden with who has a 1200 or 1100 RT has ridden it the same way. Of course, there's always personal preference, but if you're never going over 4k, you're only using half of your bike. You paid for all of it, why not use all of it. Try it, you may find that you like it. jmho

[MikeB]

Funk

Did you used to ride a Triumph Sprint ST?

[Rob F.]

No. I used to ride a '96 R1100RT.

[Bob_Mc]

After 600 miles on my '05 RT, I gradually increased RPMs to 5k. At 6,000 miles my dealer tech advised to ALWAYS shift ABOVE 5k RPM (when legal and safe). Now at 14,000 miles I can rev smoothly to 6-7k when necessary. I always stay above 3k, which means a lot of time in 3rd or 4th in town. Believe it or not, the fuel mileage doesn't suffer.

[panman]

it`s a motorcycle, not a two wheeled vehicle, I regularly hit the rev limiter on mine. When I asked my dealer, Chris at sjbmwracing.com ,who has the first bmw to win daytona in 30 years, about break-in, he said " ride the piss out of it, there is nothing you can do to hurt it, these things are bullet proof"

[panman]

well, maybe he didn`t say it in those exact words, but you get the drift

[AdventurePoser]

It was sometime around 2k that I was up on Glendora Ridge Road and twisted the thottle to quickly pass a cage, I looked down at the speedometer as I started to pull back over into the lane... and it was at 100mph...and I was only in forth gear.

 

Bob,

 

Are you a fisherman too?

 

Steve