C4pt4inMatt Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself and my "new to me" RT. I began looking for a bike when I sold my old Yamaha Radian. I was initially looking at older touring bikes but decided it was too much bike. A family friend has always ridden BMWs and I remember as a kid always admiring his bike so I perused the BMW lineup through the years and my heart fell for the RTs. After many many forum, ebay, and craigslist searches I found one almost 600 miles away but after talking with the seller over the phone a number of times I took the plunge and drove out to check it out (with trailer in tow). What I found was a magnificent bike. Cosmetically the bike is in amazing shape. There are little to no wear marks or scratches anywhere. It runs beautifully and all systems work as they should. Add-ons include a Sargent seat, bar risers, parabellum windscreen, elf pegs, backup backrest, city lids (not installed) and a throttlemeister. Service has been done on schedule and as needed and meticulously logged. Overall the bike is in excellent shape and should provide many more years of great riding. Now for the kicker.... it has just over 115K miles all by the original owner. It's been all to all the lower 48 states, Alaska and up to the arctic circle. I am just as intrigued by the bike as I am it's history. I understand the risks of buying a bike with so many miles however I am very mechanically inclined and not adverse to tackling just about any job this bike can throw at me. I have a few things on my list that need some attention right now (currently being discussed in this thread). Lastly I want to thank everyone on this forum for all the great information that has been posted up. I would be a lot more wary about buying a bike that didn't have such a great resource available. I plan on spending many more hours scouring the site for info and hopefully down the road be able to return my appreciation by posting up some helpful info as well. Anyway, I look forward to getting out there and enjoying all this bike has to offer. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. Thanks in advance. Matt Link to comment
MT Wallet Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 perty lookin bike. Enjoy the ride! Link to comment
majrosebud Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Wow, looks better than my 07 RT and not nearly the miles. I think the 04 RT is the prettiest of all the BMWs. Link to comment
Caddis Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Wow, it looks great. And it's even the best color Link to comment
JWoodard Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Reminds me of the '04 RT I owned, same color. Sad to say, I no longer have it. An on the cell phone, distracted driver rear-ended me in Dec. '09 destroying the bike. I replaced it with a lightly used '07 RT (blue again) that I'm still riding. Agree that the '04 RT is the best looking of the series. [img:left][/img] Link to comment
taters Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Glad to hear 115k. I have 89k on mine. Gives me hope. I love the bike. Tried to sell it but no takers. Was gonna get something new. Had final drive, clutch problems etc. I just don't think I'll ever find a bike that fits me so well. I'm planning a trip to Alaska if I can put together the cash. In about a year from now. Your bike looks in great shape. I'm gonna spring for a sargeant seat. Hoping I have lots more miles left on it. Good luck with it Link to comment
C4pt4inMatt Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 Thanks for all the props. I was able to get out and clock about 200 miles on it yesterday without a single problem so I think she's a keeper. Well, ok the tach bulb was out but I already have a replacement on order and will put it in the first time I pull off the plastics. Link to comment
azccj Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Thanks for all the props. I was able to get out and clock about 200 miles on it yesterday without a single problem so I think she's a keeper. Well, ok the tach bulb was out but I already have a replacement on order and will put it in the first time I pull off the plastics. Replace the stock bulbs with a LED bulbs you can get on ebay. You can choose what color you want and it's the last time you should ever need to replace any of them, unless you want a different color. Getting to any of the instrument bulbs is a pain, so replace them all when you have it apart. Link to comment
C4pt4inMatt Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Very nice Mark, love the color! azccj, that is exactly what I plan on doing. I ordered 6 replacement LED bulbs (2 per gauge I think?) so when everything is apart I can get it all done. I didn't want to replace the bulbs for the indicator lights as I believe they are plenty bright and was afraid with LED they would be too bright. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow! That looks better than my nearly-identical bike with half the mileage! Somebody painted the valve covers black on yours, which I assume you know. And those aren't Elf pegs, but I can't recall what brand they are. Congrats on the gorgeous new bike! Link to comment
C4pt4inMatt Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Bill thanks. Yea the PO said he dropped it in his driveway once or twice scarring up the valve covers. His solution was to sand them down, apply a little metal filler and get them satin black powder coated. It turned out really good and left no evidence of the drop plus I think it adds a little style. Link to comment
RPG Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 115k and it looks like that? that's amazing. just had my 130k R90s at the track on Monday (Grattan Raceway in MI). It ran between 5 and 7 grand all day without a hiccup. Just something about a Boxer. btw, love the black valve covers. Never was a fan of painted covers, but black really looks good on those. Link to comment
tallman Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow! That looks better than my nearly-identical bike with half the mileage! Somebody painted the valve covers black on yours, which I assume you know. And those aren't Elf pegs, but I can't recall what brand they are. Congrats on the gorgeous new bike! I think they are Hawk's Talon . Link to comment
ElevenFifty Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 She's a beaut! I have 125K on my 04 and will take her for a 2-up 7000+ mile tour of the west this summer. Tempted by a new bike several times but just can't justify it with the performance my ride has provided. Mad Max, my everyday riding buddy will be on a brand new RT for the ride west and imagines that I'll just buy a new RT at the nearest dealer when this one finally quits. Love the valve covers! Painted mine black after a parking lot scuff and have been thinking about powder coating them and the wheels. I really do think I'll ride this 04 past the 200K mark. Link to comment
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