Peter K Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 So I bought a used 2014 R1200rt with hardly any miles on it and in perfect shape. I owned the same bike but a 2007 just before it, and a Honda St1300 before that. I upgraded to the newer BMW after only a year of owning the 2007 1200rt because I loved how much cooler it was riding it here in Florida (those that have ridden an ST1300 in hot weather will understand!). So I thought, the '07 is great, the '14 must be superb! Well...it's not bad by any means, but I am just not wowed honestly.It's crisper, seems to have more power, has lots of gizmos, etc. The aerodynamics I thought were better on the'07...that bike had a much quieter space once at highway speeds and the windscreen up about 2". But that is really not a big issue and the difference is small (though much more plastic it seems). My main issue is that I just don't feel at home on this bike yet (3 mos, 2,000 miles so far). Seems my balance is something I have to think about at low speeds (and after the st1300 I should be a top heavy pro!), and the general feel is awkward...my knees seem cruntched up closer to me and overall it seems odd. I am 5'9" 170 lbs with a 31" inseam. As average as you can get. I realize 3 mos is not a long time, but I was born on a bike...it's second nature to me, so I expected it to just fit immediately like the '07 did. So I am curious; has anyone else experienced what I am talking about? Is it such an advanced machine that it takes more time and requires that we adapt to it (good engineering should be the other way around frankly), or have I been hyped away from my '07 for no good reason? Link to comment
moshe_levy Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 You need to make the bike fit you, and nothing you complained about can't be solved. 1) Go to the vendor forum on this site. You will find a WERKS Quiet Ride shield available. I just penned a review for BMW Owner's News - it's a night and day difference, and exponentially better than the '07 with this shield in place. Solved. 2) Knees scrunched? Mine were too and I'm 5'8" with a 30" inseam. Get some Suburban Machinery footpeg relocators. See http://www.mklsportster.com/Articles/bmwmoa-flatfooting.pdf Solved. 3) The slow speed stuff is a matter of practice. I'm not finding it any worse than the old models. I'm finding the new one is superior is virtually every way to the older models. My two current problems are the stock seat (which, as usual, sucks) and I'm having trouble figuring out how to adjust the foot brake / shift lever after I installed the relocators. The old models had provisions for adjustment, but I don't see much here on the brake side. -MKL Link to comment
kltk165 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 FWIW, I came away with the same feeling after riding the WC. I have an '11 RT and love it. I like the look of the WC-RT better and I was hoping the additional 15 hp would be a big wow. While it's a great bike, and I wouldn't mind owning, there just wasn't enough WOW there for me to feel I HAD TO HAVE IT compared to what I currently have and will wait a few more years before I make the move to the WC version. Link to comment
Skywagon Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Moshe...when you added the suburban extenders, did you need to adjust your shifter, buy their extended shifter, or did it just work fine. Whats the issue on the rear pedal. Are you having to reach up, out, etc. is it useable Link to comment
ExGMan Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 David - I put the Illium Works SportsBoards on my 2015 RT. I rode it for a thousand miles and then adjust the shift lever downward. This adjustment only requires a 10mm open-end wrench to loosen and tighten the locking nuts. I dropped the lever's front end by about an inch and it's much easier to use. I think it would be the same on the SM footpeg extenders. I didn't touch the brake lever. Link to comment
Skywagon Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 thanks appreciate the advice Link to comment
moshe_levy Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 David- I put the relocators on, but the shift and brake pegs are still in stock position. It's quite a reach up to get to them now, and clearly needs adjustment. I just haven't done it yet. I know I can adjust the shifter peg as ExG just described. But on these new bikes, I'm not sure there is much in the way of brake position adjustment. I haven't checked for sure yet though.... -MKL Link to comment
PODMAN Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 All I can tell you is I have had my 14 RT about a year and I am closing in on 18,000 miles. Balance is outstanding as is handling, quietness ergo's etc. I'm 5'8" and 158lbs. Hope it works out for you. Link to comment
Peter K Posted October 7, 2015 Author Share Posted October 7, 2015 Thanks! I will check out the links. The other thing I forgot to mention (that is significantly different than the '07 I had), is the cruise disengagement. On the '07, my passenger could never tell I was on/off cruise. The '14 feels like I am downshifting. I am slowly learning to blip the throttle right before disengaging, but again...it's not something I had to do with the ultra smooth unit before. Link to comment
Skywagon Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 to disengage you don't have to roll on throttle or pull clutch. Both work but what I've been doing is just rolling the throttle all the way forward. There is some notice of change, but very small. I use my cruise probably 80% of time I'm not changing gears. Link to comment
Peter K Posted October 8, 2015 Author Share Posted October 8, 2015 David, I had no idea the throttle movement disengaged the cruise. I will give it a try. Thnx Link to comment
Bernie Posted October 8, 2015 Share Posted October 8, 2015 That also works like that on the 2007 R1200RT HexHeads. Link to comment
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