BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

"Gearing up for last great bike" then go for the latest model RT you can afford. All are good bikes but if this is your last it makes sense to go for as new as possible. I think everyone on this forum regardless of which RT they own will say they are great bikes and they are. Forget about ...

When I got my bike back in 2014 I was able to get shift assist pro retro-fitted. I would check your dealer to see if this is still available.


Any reason you cannot phone the dealer who has the bike and ask.

I have owned both. Did 30K on the Pan ST1300 while at the same time owning my current bike a 2014RT LC. Sold the Pan because the RT was a better bike for my needs. Both bikes are good bikes but here are some of my pros and cons. 1. Pan is some 50 Kgs heavier. You notice this when pushing on when rid...

This was inappropriate and unhelpful. Quote They don't have any of the 'GT' nonesense printed on the side because they were invented long before that little money spinning idea came along... Hey Ho, A fool and his money are easily parted. Unquote. As far as I know I have never been a fool and I don'...

No David unless they have been on the bike for more than 10 years. Thats Michelin's advice. As I read it manufacturers make different versions of the same tyre recommended for different bikes. This is something that is quite recent. I'm guessing that manufacturing techniques have changed and they ca...

Each to their own but no need for your unhelpful and inappropriate comments.

Quite. I wasn't going to bite but well said. Maybe there was only one version of the Road 2 tyre but it's so old I cannot remember. What I do know is the two things you don't skimp on are tyres and brakes. However as a retired airline pilot maybe my assessment of risk is biased towards safety.

If this thread goes on for long enough you will get recommendations for every main brand of tyre. Tyres are complex. They come in many different types from single, dual and triple compound rubber, tyres with stiffer sidewalls for heavier bikes, sticky tyres with flex in the side walls for track orie...

Yup agree with Steve398. What ever you go for just make sure you buy the version for heavier bikes. These have stiffer side walls and are designed for our bikes. So for Michelin go for the GT version as an example.

For many years it was what I did as part of my job, so I had little choice. Now in retirement I don’t mind riding in the winter, be it chilly, raining, or windy, but draw the line at riding in ice and snow which I've done occasionally in the past but no longer have to. What I do hate is washing the...

This is just my opinion but I think if it is not necessary then the safest course of action is to keep phone calls to when you are off the bike having a coffee. We are so vulnerable that to ride safely you need ALL your attention on the road. Making phone calls hands free or not is distracting becau...

Thats a very elegant solution. Nice one.

I ride all year round and yes do get caught out in the rain. My experience of both bikes in dirty conditions is that the RT is better. When I had my GS coming back home from a wet dirty ride I had to hose down my legs they were so dirty before going into the house.  Don't get that on the RT...

Thanks Levisp, your posts are on-point with the issues to consider. My thinking is that I have twisties riding well covered with my other bikes, the US roads I would likely ride with an RT are paved and generally in a good state of condition, and having owned a 450cc Husqvarna Enduro and gotten off...

I have owned both bikes and they are both good. They may share the same engine but they are very different rides. I would test ride both and see what works for you. The RT is a great distance cruncher on fast roads. Wind and weather protection is better than GS. However in the twisties and narrower ...