New to me, '05 RT.

[Full Speed]

I officially joined your ranks today with the acquisition of my 2005 RT. Only 10K miles on it, and it looks like it has been stored in a glass case for 6 years. Granite Grey, doesn't have ESA or stereo. Has a Sargent seat, V Stream shield, 28L topcase, bag liners, 1" risers up/back, chrome exhaust, CC, cylinder guards.

 

Has some other stuff that eventually I'll get around to putting in the classified section: Motorrad tank bag (nice, but I'm not a tank bag sort of dude), stock shield, stock heated driver low seat, accessory shelf.

 

Rode it all of about 300 yards today in the only break I got in the miserable Oregon weather. Supposed to be equally soggy tomorrow, which may make me break my fair weather riding preferences.

[DaveTheAffable]

Welcome! You're going to like it!

[BerndM]

Congrats Full Speed on your new bike.

I also have an 05 but mine is red, so it's faster than yours. LOL

I'm sure you'll have questions so don't hesitate to ask.

We're open 24/7/365

Regards

Bernd

 

[RT66Rider]

Motorrad tank bag (nice, but I'm not a tank bag sort of dude)

If you have any intentions of touring with this bike, you may very well become a tank bag sort of dude, and that particular tank bag is indispensable.

[bmwsit]

Congrats on the new bike. Hope to see you on the road with it. Make sure to check the Ride and Events section. There is a BMW dinner every third Wed in NW Portland. Would be great to meet you and oogle your bike.

[hopz]

Welcome on board. I have one of those bikes too... even same color.

 

Let me hear if you have any questions.

 

Bob

[cris nitro]

I agree with Mike. I'm not a tank bag guy either except for when I take a trip for more than one day. Then it is invaluable. Everything is soo much more convienent. Stop to look at the map, need the damn reading glasses, IPod is strapped onto the top of the bag for easy, one finger adjustments, wow look at that, grab the camera. You get the idea.

 

Guessing by the ESA comment, you got a 1200. Congrats! Tell us what you like about it in a couple weeks riding time.

 

Cris

[longjohn]

Congrats. Yep, hold off on selling the tank bag. They grow on ya.

[Full Speed]

Thanks for the welcomes, the congrats, and the thoughts, all. I suppose I'll give the tank bag a chance. I'm coming off of a Harley and thus never had a tank bag. The issue I have with it is that it blocks the view of my GPS, which I don't want to relocate. If I have to pick one or the other, the GPS easily wins that contest. Sunglasses on my face, wallet/ipod/phone in pockets, I really don't know what to put in the massive tank bag. I haven't used a paper map in 10 years.

[RT66Rider]

When touring in the summer time, my 70 ounce CamelBak is always stowed in my tank bag.

Full of ice water and wrapped in a mylar insulating blanket.

It's easy to access via the hose, and it stays cold all day long.

 

On long hot days, it's a lifesaver.

 

I can't think of a more convenient place to have it, but I understand your concern about seeing your GPS.

Maybe if you don't expand the tankbag, you'll be able to see it well enough.

[DiggerJim]

I really don't know what to put in the massive tank bag. I haven't used a paper map in 10 years.

Ha! I hate my tank bag. I love my tank bag.

 

Seriously I went from an 1150RT with a Big Mak Diamond case (maybe 3" tall) to stash all the little bits & stuff (spare gloves, eyeglass cleaner, tiny spray can of Plexus, microfiber cloth, faceshield squeegee for the glove, earplugs, LED flashlight, etc etc etc - oh yeah, maybe a map too).

 

Then I got the 1200 with the very tall (to me) BMW tankbag. I hated it. It felt too tall. On the other hand ... more detritus now lives in there. Until it's there you don't know what you'd put in it...once it's there you'll put everything in it.

[hopz]

FWIW... I disliked tank bags too. Never had one. Always thought they were obtrusive but then my sample was small. Only been riding 50 years.

 

Then one day our local independent shop had them on sale. A serious sale too. It is one of the smaller ones,but expands to pretty big. Now I have water in there if I want it., Lip goo. Regular eye glasses. various paper items, an LED flashlight, my Leatherman tool. and my AM/FM/WB Radio that connects to the Autocom system, my Ipod with all my music. and room left over for anything else I might want handy.

 

GPS... my zumo is mounted on an old Nav II mount low between the handlebar mount. I can see the entire screen easily...

 

So... it is like any tool... use it when you need it.

[Full Speed]

I got a hundred miles in the saddle this weekend. A good mix of freeway, city streets, residential, and some of the craziest twisties in the land. Some two up and some solo. Observations:

 

Motor is underwhelming until you learn to rev it. That said, I was coming off of a Road King which I traded for my RT which had plenty of torque but very little HP to speak of. I currently have a V-Rod in the stable which is my prized possession that I will probably never part with (though it is a miserable tourer, thus the need for the RT and previously the dearly departed Road King). Though the V-Rod and the RT make comparable amounts of HP, the V-Rod builds revs quickly and has muscle car gut punching acceleration. The Rod is solid in the lower rpms, but has a sweet spot up high too. The RT possibly has V-Rod rivaling power, you just need to learn how to find it.

 

Vstream windshield is the cat's pajamas. I have ridden a new '11 RT and thought the shield on that was adequate, though I had to raise it up considerably higher to escape the breeze. About an inch or so of vertical rise is all I need on the Vstream. This is my first bike w a windshield, and no question I'll be far less fatigued on the 500 mile days.

 

Sargent seat, excellent. I didn't think about it while riding, which tells me it was serving it's purpose.

 

Ergos, excellent. Like the seat, I never thought about my fatigue. I feel like I can ride this bike considerably further than anything else I've owned. The previous owner was a 5'9" old dude, and he put on risers 1" up and 1" back. I am not an old dude, and I am 6"2 with monkey arms. I thought I'd be removing the risers but even for me they create great posture with less stress on my spine. The risers will stay. My wife said the back seat comfort was great. Her legs rest against my hips (didn't on the Road King), transmitting a little more body heat onto me. Though that seemed to balance out because the motor transmits zero heat to me.

 

Suspension: good for solo, adequate for two up. Again, this is coming from a Harley guy so I am not very picky in this dept. I didn't have complaints when it was just me. With my smallish wife on board, I ended up cranking my rebound to within 1/4 turn from maximum in order to rid of the bouncy springboard. Once that was done, it worked fine. The forks? Hard to believe that BMW didn't think these things needed adjusters. They are a compromise, which makes for an okay solo fork, and a pretty good freeway fork for solo or two up. They weren't adequate for situations where the tarmac gets considerably more aggressive while hauling a passenger. Very divey when braking into switchbacks, my wife complained about the amount of pressure she had to push against my back to stay in her seat. I started braking with more rear brake, but that lessened the effect only slightly. I suppose this is nitpicking to expect a sport touring bike to behave like a sport bike in the most extreme of pavement conditions whilst loaded with 360# worth of people on it - I just wish I had a little adjustment. If I decide to keep this bike for more than 3 years before my next BMW, then Ohlins will be in my future.

 

Brakes: I've got servos. They sound awful, but work terrific. A little grabby at lower speeds but I will adapt.

 

Bags: Best in the business. I have the 28L topcase, which seems adequately sized for most applications. It has some play which made my wife a little nervous to lean on it, though I assured her that I read the forums and that is normal. Fits my 2XL full face Shoei, fits my family's dinner from the local Hawaiian spoon, so easy to remove when not needed. I have the inserts in my saddlebags; I am glad I didn't have to pay the ridiculous amount of $ the dealer wants from them, but also glad my bike's previous owner decided to. High quality, and convenient with a side opening bag so your stuff doesn't spill out on your feet.

 

Sound: This will take some getting used to, but no doubt the lack of sound is a bonus when riding all day. I can actually now hear my wife talk to me at most any speed. My duals on my Hog were badass though, and I already miss them. I have been cut off by cagers on the freeway three times on my RT already, making me believe that loud pipes really might save lives. Yes most cagers are fools and maybe I just had a few bad days out there, but I typically only got cut off once per week on my H-D.

 

Misc: I never realized how pompous my fellow Hog riders were, because I rode one and they always waved. Used to be other brands riders that sometimes wouldn't. Now every non H-D rider waves at me, even scooters because they are no longer afraid of me flipping them off. Now more Hog riders are leaving me hanging, of course not knowing that I still do have a Hog back home in the garage. If H-Ds fell off of the edge of the planet, would these dudes not ride anymore? I have owned 8 brands, and as far as I concerned anyone on two wheels is my brother/sister.

 

Overall this bike is outstanding, and I consider myself lucky to have one. Every once in a while a manufacturer builds something truly special and memorable. The RT may not be the absolute best at any one thing, but I believe it is the best for all things. I have named him Ledo (short for Lederhosen), and he and I will get along just fine.

[SuperG]

Great write up. I like it!

 

The RT will grow on you.

My current RT is my first BMW; I had all the Japanese variety before, inlines, V twins and had two V-4s ( Magna and St1100).

For the first 3 months I had hard time adjusting to the Boxer. My inside voice kept telling " What did I get my self into?" but was not ready to admit it yet- > I did not like the bike. After little over a year ownership I have the itch to get something else but can not find an other bike that would be a good replacement for the RT and for my type of riding.

 

The RT has grown on me. I believe it is the type of bike that needs more than just a short test ride or a few months of ownership.

 

DOn't be afraid to rev it it is a different animal after 4500 RPM,