R12RT shakedown... observations

[bmwscoot]

Hey guys!

 

Well after getting out the RT finally this spring, she's just about ready for the break-in service. I bought it last November, had a cold 25 mile ride ride home, and parked it (pulled battery..put inside the house) until now.

 

Some observations...

 

1. That boxer is gonna be FUN! I have to admit that I have had her a bit over the recommended RPM's, but it feels wonderful. That familiar, comfortable boxer theme is back!

It's the purr that relaxes.

 

2. The suspension is the number one reason that I came back to the RT, and it is simply wonderful. The convience factor of the ESA, with all the back and forth I do from one up, then two up the next day, is perty nice. ESA replacement costs? I don't much care, as I prolly will be on something else by then.

 

3. Comfort (seat/peg) has taken some getting used to, and my feet are still trying to find their happy spot on the pegs. (I'm 6'3", 36" inseam). I think I was better on my last R-RT...an '04. Suburban Machinery to the rescue?..not sure here.

The seat is a Russell, perfect... no problem there. Handlebar placement seems fine, as I never noticed the placement...know what I mean?

 

4. Turbulance is a problem. Noisy for me, even w/ either my custom ear plugs, or custom earplug speakers. VERY noisy for Barb on pillion. Riding w/ windshield waaaay up is better, but I am not doing that all day. I am going either w/ an Aeroflow, or Z-Technik to hopefully push away the noisy, turbulant air to the side.

I thought my ST13 was very noisy, and this is about the same w/ stock windshield.

 

5. My air temperature readings seem not too bad...so far. I may not have them do the recall for that.

 

6. That sixth gear ratio is NOW where it is usable...one of my dis-likes on my '02 and '04 R-RT's was how tall the final ratio was.

 

7. Brakes, are you kidding? They are Gawd-awful strong, and controllable. Great job here.

 

8. The side bags (painted) are very wide, and without protection will be nasty looking on the tops from boots hitting them while mounting/dismounting. Narrower, longer bags might have been better, making the bike narrower at the rear end to boot.

 

9. That $700 top box is huge. Color match would seem appropriate for that kinda bux. I'm OK with it, I bought it, didn't I? I most likely will not paint it, as I seldom keep a scoot more than 2 years, and it will be easier to sell if it is stock.

 

10. A personal failure was an experimental iPod mount I made over the winter to keep it up (iPod) on the bars. I used some vibation mounts tied to the iPod holder to hopefully keep the hard drive from bouncing around, and locking up. I failed ...it locked up today. It'll go into the glove box, or tank bag now, me thinks.

 

That's about it for observations..in general I really like the scoot. There are a couple "issues" I will take care of before Gunni, but in general I am very happy with what BMW has done here....works for me.

[BamaRider]

Dang Jeff I dunno how you arrived at #4. I find the RT to be very quiet, with a amooth air flow with screen at any height. Perhaps my 5ft 8 frame as opposed to yours?

 

I love the RT, and find myself riding it more and more. The bikes road manners and excellent feedback, with good comforts and conveniences make it a lot of fun to ride.

[Gordon K Phillips]

I have the Suburban pegs and they are great. I adjusted the gear lever and the brake lever is stock. I also have the Cee Bailey windshield and the noise is gone and I think it looks good as well. Ride safe.

[velomoto]

 

4. Turbulance is a problem. Noisy for me, even w/ either my custom ear plugs, or custom earplug speakers. VERY noisy for Barb on pillion. Riding w/ windshield waaaay up is better, but I am not doing that all day. I am going either w/ an Aeroflow, or Z-Technik to hopefully push away the noisy, turbulant air to the side.

I thought my ST13 was very noisy, and this is about the same w/ stock windshield.

 

8. The side bags (painted) are very wide, and without protection will be nasty looking on the tops from boots hitting them while mounting/dismounting. Narrower, longer bags might have been better, making the bike narrower at the rear end to boot.

 

10. A personal failure was an experimental iPod mount I made over the winter to keep it up (iPod) on the bars. I used some vibation mounts tied to the iPod holder to hopefully keep the hard drive from bouncing around, and locking up. I failed ...it locked up today. It'll go into the glove box, or tank bag now, me thinks.

 

Jeff - whereinthehell is "Frostbite Falls"??? Glad to see you've got your bike on the road. I loved reading your thread during your search for a new bike. At the time I was lurking on the forum and beginning my search for a bike (12RT or ST1300?).

 

Regarding a couple of your observations - I too am 6'3", but alas I only have a 33" inseam so there's even more head sticking up above the stock fairing so I've ordered a +3 +3 Cee Bailey to try and fix this problem. If I get down low enough there's certainly quiet air... I'm also considering the Suburban peg lowering kit which would allow me to lower the seat.

 

Speaking of seats, a Russel will be in order if my butt and the stock seat don't come to terms. Currently I can manage about two hours between butt-breaks. My biggest concern (dilema?) is how to get the seat WITHOUT storing my bike!

 

I would LOVE to be able to find some city lids. IMO BMW's missing out on yet another profit center. Slightly taller bags would've allowed me to fit my laptop, but alas it'll have to go into the top box. Maybe I'll just remove the side bags and keep just the top box for around town riding. Yeah, I know it'll have a higher CG, but it'll allow me to keep the side cases away from boot scuffs (a problem for those of us blessed with 13's) and also make it easier to park in the overflowing garage!

 

As for your iPod problem - perhaps now's the time to pickup one of those Nano's??? Both of my kids have had their hard drives die in about a year. I just wish Apple would come out with a flash based unit which had the larger screen and better battery life!

 

Cheers,

Greg

[BereIsland]

I agreed with everything you've said except (4)also, I'm 5'8'' and have found the screen to be just fine, can see over the top with very little wind noise or distortion, maybe give it another try? good luck with the bike,

 

 

Steve Carter

[bmwscoot]

Jeff - whereinthehell is "Frostbite Falls"??? Glad to see you've got your bike on the road. I loved reading your thread during your search for a new bike. At the time I was lurking on the forum and beginning my search for a bike (12RT or ST1300?).

 

My biggest concern (dilema?) is how to get the seat WITHOUT storing my bike!

 

Cheers,

Greg

 

Greg,

 

Frosbite Falls?... Minnesooooota of course (Cottage Grove to be precise).

 

Re: my search thread for the new bike...that is an on-going thread w/ me.

 

And one reason I bought in November was to be able to farkle-ize the scoot over the winter, along w/ sending out the seat to Russell. I have enough winter here to get a lot of that stuff out of the way before the short riding season. Down time during riding season = NO GOOD.

[jakfrost]

3,000kms in 5 weeks on the new RT and I am anxiously awaiting (still...) the ZTechnic windshield. I too, at 5'10", 32"inseam, find the stocker noisy at all but the tallest setting. Even with my 3 different styles of earplugs, unless the tunes volume is set 'way up'.

 

I am getting used to it but it is not what I expected.

 

The ESA was a suprise, still waiting for conformation of my therory that the 'pre-load' was backed off to 'nil' on delivery so that at the 'solo' setting there was no pre-load at all causing the bike to handle like there was a fluid coupling between the front and rear wheels. She was a 'wanderer'.

 

Otherwise this bike is perfect. For me...Not sure about 'her' yet

 

Jim

[bmwscoot]

Guy, Steve...

 

Item #4 is indeed a problem..dunno precisely why. I am riding w/ the seat in the up position, to try and give my legs somewhere to go.

 

If I run the windshield in the upper-most position I can find some of the quietness that you speak of. If I drop it even one inch, the noise returns.

 

So if I am say 6"-8" taller than you guys, try your hand positioned 6" above your helmet...is it turbulant up there?

That's where my head is positione all day long.

 

Do you guys ride w/ a pillion? Barb reports turbulance is about as bad as the ST13 was.

 

It was a moderately windy day yesterday....but I have to be able to ride in wind semi-quietly anyway in those conditions. Of course with wind at our backs, things improved.

 

I know my ear protection works, because on arriving home, when I remove them, the old neighborhood noises (dogs barking, small gasoline engines, HARLEY noise ) return.

 

I do not think our intercom microphones are "on" (transmitting wind noise to our ears) due to wind noise because the music does not "mute" until we talk back and forth.

 

Our helmets (Shoei Z-II) are not the quietest I have ever worn.

 

But in the end, I have to believe that because I sit pretty high due to my height, I am subject to more of this than you "normal" guys.

 

I am flirting w/ the Z-Technik concept of pushing the air further to the side, rather than trying to put on a HUGE w/s to push it over the top. Trouble is, I won't know if that concept works well for someone 6'3" until I lay out the "bling"...hi Ken.

[Pictou]

The only issue I am having with my bike is the seat. I have to stop after about 2.5 to 3 hours for a break. Intially I thought it would be fine but the more I ride it the less certain I am. Maybe I was just spoiled by the Rick Meyer I had on my 1150RT.

 

My bike came with the low seat which may be the problem. I am going to ride it for another few thousand kilometers but I am thinking an after market option is likely in my future.

[BereIsland]

Jeff, I'm going to stand up on the pegs up to your height on my ride this afternoon, to understand what you mean, guess your right though because just a small amount of adjustment makes a big difference to the noise.

 

Steve Carter

[Buckster]

I agree with BMWScoot especially number 4. I have yet to find a position that the wind noise is acceptable except at the full up position. At 5'8", 30" inseam, I use the low seat in the low position. I don't like having to look through the windshield. I feel BMW could have done a better job with the windshield airflow design. I will be watching the forums for the continuing saga of windshield replacement. Buckster

[jsmith]

Andrew, there is definitely a difference between the low seat and standard seat. Both of my test rides were on the low and I found it starting to get uncomfortable before the (short) test ride was over. Put 500 kms on my 06 RT with standard seat yesterday and didn't even notice it. That said, I'm sure an aftermarket would be much better again.

 

Jim

[bmwscoot]

Jeff, I'm going to stand up on the pegs up to your height on my ride this afternoon, to understand what you mean, guess your right though because just a small amount of adjustment makes a big difference to the noise.

 

Steve Carter

 

Hi Steve, welcome to MY world.

 

Seriously, I do recognize that I bought a sport/tour bike here. I do not want to be behind the "barn door" of a windshield typical on some cruisers out there. If I wanted total silence, I would have gotten a tour bike (GL or K-LT), or a Harley Road King w/ a barn door up front....or stayed wrapped up in a cage.

 

It could very well be, however, that someone as tall as I really does need to add a few inches to the stock shield. I just want to keep the new shield as low as possible.

 

Some airflow is nice during the hot summer days, huh?

 

I am not here trying to b*tch my new ride up...just noting what my initial impressions are.

I will deal w/ the wind noise issue...stay tuned. It might require a couple different approaches before the long days to Gunni.

 

I'll get the scoot all farkle-ized to my liking, then sell it to start all over again in two years.

[BereIsland]

Well I did stand up on the pegs, and perhaps I see what you mean, till vertigo got the better of me anyway I came home got a Guinness out of the fridge and had an idea, could the stock screen be raised by drilling new holes further down on the screen, the black cover strips would cover the old holes, sorry I know it sounds daft, might give you some idea of the screen you want to buy though

 

Steve Carter

[bmwscoot]

...anyway I came home got a Guinness out of the fridge and had an idea....Steve Carter

 

Steve, I always get more intelligent in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed.

 

I know the stocker w/s works at it's highest setting. But pretty funky looking there, huh? A better answer like you seem to be saying is a different height or shape to my w/s.

I think being above the upper edge of this w/s as far as I ride is way noisy. I probably will tear the whole w/s off for a test ride in clean air...just for comparison.

 

I might do some perusing here, to also get notes on what helmets riders say are quieter.

It never ends.

[russg]

Your helmet is the big noise maker but of course with the air off of it the noise will subside. The Cee Bailey screens have a turn back at the top so they create a larger air pocket than the stock screen at the same size. If you want just get one with the turn back and no enlargement, it should be enough to get you the pocket size you need with the screen full up. If you want to drop the noise level with the screen down, you are on the right track to look at different helmets.

--russ

Ride to be born

[jakfrost]

Just a comment on attempting to solve the noisy wind problem on the R12RT...I spent the better part of a quiet Monday at my dealer last summer trying out every helmet in the store. It was a great chance to do a great 'A/B' test since the conditions were the same for all helmets.

 

Came away with a winner by a large margin over all the others...the Schuberth S1. And amazing quality to boot.

 

Fast forward to the first ride 6 weeks ago on the new scoot. R12RT. Whooooa, whats all that wind noise . Don't think much changed with the helmet...must be the new bike. But how can that be, it cost 16,500 MORE than its predecessor, Kawa Concours. Be it may .

 

In the full up position the stock shield is good, funny looking but works, except for one BIG problem. I have to look thru it unless I stand on the pegs, which is rather tiring for long trips .

 

The new ZTechnic should be in later this week ..

Here is hoping...

 

Jim

[Pictou]

Today I moved the seat from the low position to the higher one. I liked it better (except of course that the reach to the ground was more difficult) but I still don't know if it is good for the really long distance stuff or not. I think being in the higher position does improve the comfort some though. Time will tell I guess.

 

Andrew, there is definitely a difference between the low seat and standard seat. Both of my test rides were on the low and I found it starting to get uncomfortable before the (short) test ride was over. Put 500 kms on my 06 RT with standard seat yesterday and didn't even notice it. That said, I'm sure an aftermarket would be much better again.

 

Jim

[Tommy_Boy]

The new ZTechnic should be in later this week .. Here is hoping...

 

Jim,

 

Keep us posted on the ZTechnic 'shield. I'd like to hear what you think about it.

[velomoto]

I might do some perusing here, to also get notes on what helmets riders say are quieter.

It never ends.

 

Jeff, FWIW my search for a quiet helmet led me to the Schuberth S1 and BMW (which are not available in the States and allegedly are manufactured by Schuberth).

 

Here's an on-line French motorcycle mag servey of helmets. The top two helmets were the S1 and the Shoei "X-Sprit" which I beleive is marketed as the X-11 in the States.

 

Linky to helmet survey

Linky to basic French translations

 

I went with the S1 'cuz it was quieter -however- having ridden the S1 for a while I find that the seal which makes the helmet sooo quiet also creates a fogging and lack-of-ventilation problem when stopped. I expect there may also be insufficient ventillation once I install my new +3 +3 Cee Bailey w/s later this week... I'll be very interested to hear how your ZTechnic w/s works out for both you and your pillion. The local dealer had one of these in stock but I couldn't negotiate a "testride".

 

One other note is something from the Schuberth manual - they point out that the speed of air coming over the top of a windshield is MUCH higher than that experienced riding a naked bike (Read: much more buffetting and noise). I've found that with the w/s fully lowered there is significantly less noise than when it's about 1/2 to 3/4 raised where the airflow is directed at my helmet.

 

Cheers,

Greg

[bmwscoot]

Oto-eze...wonderful stuff.

 

Well, late yesterday I headed out again to try a few things. I set aside my custom earplugs, and custom ear plug speakers.

I grabbed a set of generic foams, and headed out.

 

There was a noticable drop in wind noise at that point. There of course was still noise, unless the w/s was full up. Then it's pretty quiet.

Hmmm, I know I read about lubing up these custom ear plugs..and I am guilty of NOT doing that as much as I should.

So tonight, I pulled out the Oto-eze lube that was sent with the ear plugs..lubed 'em up, and headed out.

Now the noise level is about the same as I experienced w/ the foam plugs last night.

 

I have to have Barb try the lube on her ear plugs, and see where we are at then.

 

I had Barb measure last evening from my pupil center line to the top of the w/s with it down. I have a 8" void from my pupil line to the w/s.

 

That said, I sure as heck do not want a w/s to make up that huge difference. I may wait to hear how that CeeBailey +3, +3 works. I also would like to hear from some 6'+ riders w/ the ZTechnik w/s. I don't think the latest ZTechnik thread had many replies from tall riders...I'll go search for a while.

 

Since I do not want a huge w/s, I am going to try to tackle this at first by looking into efficient use of our earplugs, and maybe look at our helmets second.

 

However, if Barb's still not comfortable back there...it probably is w/s time.

 

Or K-LT?...GL18?...Road King ...cage

[ChrisA]

If it helps any, I have a Cee Bailey +3 +2 to install tomorrow evening. I'm 6'1, but seem to have short legs as I normally wear 30" inseam pants (or maybe I just wear them too low). I keep the standard seat in the low position and still felt as though the buffeting was unacceptable, hence the new shield. I'll let you know how it works.

[jsmith]

Andrew, I didn't mean the position of the seat, but rather which seat you have. The low seat has less padding than the standard seat which is the reason its lower.

 

Jim

 

 

Today I moved the seat from the low position to the higher one. I liked it better (except of course that the reach to the ground was more difficult) but I still don't know if it is good for the really long distance stuff or not. I think being in the higher position does improve the comfort some though. Time will tell I guess.

[bmwscoot]

If it helps any, I have a Cee Bailey +3 +2 to install tomorrow evening. I'm 6'1, but seem to have short legs as I normally wear 30" inseam pants (or maybe I just wear them too low). I keep the standard seat in the low position and still felt as though the buffeting was unacceptable, hence the new shield. I'll let you know how it works.

 

 

tap...tap...tap...

 

I'm waiting!

[ChrisA]

tap...tap...tap...

 

I'm waiting!

 

Well, the install was about as easy as it gets, just 6 torx screws.

 

The new shield is amazing. I got the Cee Bailey +3 inches taller and +2 inches wider version. With the shield in full down position I get nearly no buffeting, with just two taps in the up position, all is quiet. I was only able to ride about 10 miles tonight and none at highway speed, that will get testing tomorrow on my 25 mile commute.

 

If I had to do it again I would probably go shorter because this summer I'm sure I'll miss having the ability to get more wind in my body and face than the new shield will allow.

 

If anyone wants more info, PM or email me and I can give more specifics.

[bmwscoot]

Chris

 

Thank you for the quick info.

 

I was going to go for the ZTechnik...now, hmmmm?

 

I had CeeBaileys on my last 2 scoots, and was pleased with the quality and workmanship.

 

This is gonna be tough.

[Buckster]

Chris, with 2 taps up, are you still looking over the windshield edge? I'm 5'8" and use the low seat in the low position most of the time. Trying to decide on the height to purchase (+2" or +3"). Thanks Buckster

[ChrisA]

Chris, with 2 taps up, are you still looking over the windshield edge? I'm 5'8" and use the low seat in the low position most of the time. Trying to decide on the height to purchase (+2" or +3"). Thanks Buckster

 

Absolutely still looking over. Two taps only moved the shield an inch or two maybe, but it was just enough to do the trick.

 

Honestly at 5'8" I'm surprised you're having issue with the stock shield. I used to duck down a few inches to get out of the buffeting, if I was shorter I doubt I would have noticed it at all, but YMMV, so good luck.

[Buckster]

I can find a narrow range where the wind noise has reduced to the point that it is bearable but the windshield edge is about 1" below the sight line. Very irrating in traffic as I approach stopped vehs and trying to judge closing distance. I can lean forward into the quiet area but should not have to. The electric windshield (stock plastic) on my K75RT was much better directing the wind flow and noise level. I am hoping the small flip at the edge of the replacement windshield will do the trick. I will be watching your and others impression of the various replacements. Thanks Buckster