Jump to content
IGNORED

New Member From RI


RRPhotog

Recommended Posts

Hello all

I am new here. I have never owned a BMW. I am a returning rider. My last bike was a 1976 Honda CB750 [loved that bike]. So it has been a while. I am waiting for spring to take the BRC class to get my license again. I am retiring soon and plan to do some touring. Mostly days and weekends to begin with, but once I retire then extend it out to week trips. My focus is not how many miles I can do in a day. I do a lot of photography so I stop pretty often to take pictures and smell the roses. My criteria are dependability and cruising ease. I do not plan to do a lot of super slab riding, but want the capability if needed.

 

I plan on picking up the bike this spring. At first I was looking at only cruiser type bikes. Indian Chieftain/Scout, HD Road King, Vstar 1300T/Deluxe, Honda GW etc. The HD was eliminated for dealer issues. The Honda because it is jut so damn big and to be honest just not my thing. Fabulous bike, but it just didn’t move me. The Vstars look like excellent values and are still on the list. The Indians are beautiful bikes and have huge character. The engines seem good and they are very comfortable for me. But the dealer network is small and some folks have complained about Polaris customer service.

 

I was doing some reading and ran across something called Iron Butt rallies. I was checking out the bikes which were running the very long distance road rallies. What I found interesting was the large number of sport tours that were there and finishing! I figured two things, one they were dependable and second if you can be on one all day, a couple hours at a time should be fine. Two bikes came up BMW 1200RTs and FJR1300s. So I expanded my search.

 

My impression is the RT is more of a sport TOURER and the FJR is a SPORT tourer. Is this valid? Both are lighter than the Chieftain. I have always had a fondness for the boxer engines. The other thing is BMW has a good network of riding groups.

 

So bottom line I see what everyone here is saying about the RT. I think the 800GS may be a little small for my needs and the K1600 to large and $$. So we will see how it goes.

 

Sorry for the long post.

 

Link to comment

Lonnie,

 

First of all welcome to bmwst!

 

Sounds like you've got a good plan, what with taking the BRC even though you're a returning rider. Some folks would skip that step (looking at self in the mirror :dopeslap:), but then rectify later.

 

This statement - "My impression is the RT is more of a sport TOURER and the FJR is a SPORT tourer." is one I've seen before and believe it is fairly accurate.

 

In my case, I find my older RT very capable of doing lots of miles to get to the places where the really twisty roads are. It's plenty comfortable out on the interstate, when I have to use those roads, but very capable on the twisties as well.

 

Keep asking questions here and plenty of folks will be happy to help you spend your money!

 

Glenn

Link to comment

I bought my first BMW (R1100RSL) at Razee motorcycle center in North Kingstown. That was way back in 94. They were nice folks to deal with then and I'd assume the same today. Go poke around and see what you like.

 

Welcome to the site and keep us informed! :thumbsup:

 

Pat

Link to comment

Thanks for the welcome! One of my biggest concerns is the cost of routine maintenance. From my investigation that looks pretty expensive. I am not a mechanic, but have some basic skills. I can change oil on cars and bikes. I was wondering how hard is the basic 5/6K and could you skip the dealer and DYI the oil change every other time? With all the resets they do on cars these days it can be a real pain. I also do not want to void my warranty.

Link to comment

You won't void your warranty by doing you own work - keep a log with dates and what you did, and receipts to back up any purchases for fluids/filters.

 

The newer, and certainly the newest, BMWs do have lots of computer controls, but there are tools to work with those for the home mechanic as well (google GS 911). You've found yourself an amazing community to support you if you do want to do your own service, and that includes learning how to do everything you could want to do and more - if it can be done to a BMW, someone here has done it and is willing to help you figure out how to do it too.

 

josh

Link to comment

"This statement - "My impression is the RT is more of a sport TOURER and the FJR is a SPORT tourer." is one I've seen before and believe it is fairly accurate."

True.

But there are riders who can outsport most anyone and do that on RT's.

Tewks mention of that dealer is correct.

Good folks.

Welcome and enjoy whatever you get.

We'll look forward to plenty of pics.

:wave:

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...