My New RT

[StevenK]

I decided after a 3 year hiatus to get a new bike. I wasn't sure what I wanted, just that I was not going to get a cruiser. Been there, done that, not ever doing it again.

 

I read everything I could get my hands on about a lot of different bikes. In some ways this was a mistake. Every time I got close to making a decision, I would read some horror story that would make me think only an idiot would buy "that" bike.

 

I finally decided to get a 2008 RT. So I bought one. I no sooner got it home than I was having second thoughts. Why had I spent so much $$$ on a bike? If I was going to spend $$$, why didn't I get the R1200GS ADV? Or the K1200LT?

 

Three days after I bought the bike, BMW raised the rebate on the RT from $750 to $1250. That really pissed me off. I wrote BMW to complain. The guy I ended up talking to in Customer Service was a real tool. He was a moron. Speaking to him, and by extension, BMW corporate, was a waste of time,

 

My dealer, Brown Motor Works, in Pomona, California, was a bright spot. They treated me like an adult. Surprisingly, this is not terribly common among motorcycle dealers. They made me a good deal on the bike. I was "this" close to buying a bike at another dealer when he told me, "Go ahead and make me an offer. I'm going to turn it down, but you can offer". I think he was joking - maybe. It cost him a sale - definitely.

 

Accessories for the RT are outrageously expensive. My 600 mile service was $320. I won't call it a rip-off, but I understand completely why people complain about service costs.

 

Bottom line? I freakin' love this bike. I love riding it. I love looking at it. I love talking about it. When I go out by myself, I don't even think about taking the car. I want to ride the bike. The more I ride it, the more I like it. It just keeps growing on me.

 

When I insured the bike, I told the insurance company my estimated annual mileage was 3K. That's going to be way, way low.

 

Sorry for being so long-winded. I've been lurking for a while, and felt it was time I contributed something to the forum.

[Kitsap]

Enjoy and welcome.

[Bullett]

Congratulations! I'm sure you will enjoy your new bike.

 

Welcome to the board.

[keithb]

Hello Steven and welcome to the board. Congrats on your new RT!! Attend a tech day and your $300-$400 service cost will go away. I recommend you get your bike on Rt. 2, 18,38, 330, 243, Glendora Mtn./Glendora Ridge Rd. and any of the other local roads in the area. Enjoy and ride safe.

[Dick_at_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

So you decided on a BMW. And as you "love looking at it" and others come up, you can just tell them, "I didn't even know BMW made cars until I started passing them!". Seriously, to get familiar with lots of great rides in CA take a look at this site. Membership is only 20-bucks a year, and you'll be amazed at the great riding roads this guy as discovered and documented in pictures.

 

http://www.pashnit.com/motoroads.htm

[lvnvbiker]

Congrats on the RT, be carefull though once your ass breaks in to the seat mileage realy starts to add up fast. Get the service cd and don't be intimidated the motors on these bikes are realy simple and easy to work on.

[Dave in Doodah]

So why did you get this new bike - really? ...and what did you ride before? If you picked your bike based solely on what you read, I am wondering about your motivation... or I am thinking that you already knew what you wanted to ride.

 

Either way, welcome!

[Dan B.]

Welcome to the site. Just like you I bought my first BMW this year and was able to get the higher rebate as well as a LEO rebate and the dealer even kicked in an additional grand. I was a little bug eyed at the cost of my 600 mile check ($350.00) but I have owned many other bikes and have done my own work on about all of them. Likely after the 6000 mile check I will start my own maintenance schedule.

I have learned that I piss away enough money every year on things I have to pay on just to live, so I don't get to wound up on spending money on things I totally enjoy like riding my new BMW.

Good luck, ride safe, spend some money on something you love to do and don't sweat it.

Dan B.

[cali_beemer]

Congrats and nice bike. I just got my new to me 05 R1200RT. i love it.

[StevenK]

I knew what kind of bike I wanted. As I alluded, my previous bike was a cruiser. A 2002 Indian Chief to be precise. A really beautiful bike. It always drew a crowd. It also left me on the side of the road more times than a bike has the right to. I also quickly found myself without a factory or a dealer body. Plus I never felt safe riding it. Not a good combination at all.

 

Early on, I narrowed my choices to the big 4 of sport touring. ST1300, FJR1300, Concours 14, and the BMW(s). Ever tried to buy one of the Japanese brand bikes in September? Good Luck. Not one '08 ST1300 to be found anywhere. It's bad enough you can't ride them, but I'm not buying a bike I can't even sit on. A couple of FJRs here and there. Wife didn't like it, so it was ruled out fairly quickly. The Connie was seriously in the running, but the Kawasaki dealership experience was lacking. Not picking on Kawasaki, because Honda and Yamaha are generally just as bad, but when I look at a bike that has $1200 freight and $1200 dealer prep on the sticker, I just don't want to talk to the guy. One Kawasaki dealer even pitched a deal with $800 "additional dealer profit" in it. As if.

 

So the BMW dealer experience played a big part. I shopped at Brown's, Irv Seaver and Long Beach BMW. Any of the three could have had the sale, it just worked out that Brown's had the right bike for the right price.

 

I'm really looking forward to getting out of the one great big city that is Los Angeles/Orange County and doing some serious touring. I'm heading up to Ojai next weekend for a Bill Mayer seat, and after that, I should be good to go. Hopefully, I'll meet some of you along the way.

[bootzilla]

Congratz on the bike! R12RT's are really awesome - it was sooo hard not to buy one once I test-rode it.

 

If you're thinking of heading out to the desert looking for roads, PM me - I just moved here, and am strarting to look for some cool places to ride (CA 74 is an awesome ride and I'm mile away from the good part, but it freaks me out because I'm not good with heights!)

[tallman]

Enjoy the new bike.

Just curious, if you ate at a restaurant on Wednesday, and passed by on Saturday seeing a sign for the same meal at a reduced price, would you stop in and ask the restaurant for a refund of the difference?

I ask, because it has been my experience over the years that some people feel motorcycle dealerships (a business) should act differently than any other business they deal with.

I hope you have many trouble free miles on the new RT, it is a wonderful bike, at any price.

[Bologna]

Welcome to the family and find a place for a camera.

[Lets_Play_Two]

"Sorry for being so long-winded. I've been lurking for a while, and felt it was time I contributed something to the forum."

 

I can see you have the patter down.

 

 

Welcome.