A new (used) RT owner

[panaray]

Just bought my first touring bike after many decades of sport bikes. My new (used) beauty is a 2011 RT Polar Metallic with low suspension. Came with a color matched top case. With radio, but no GPS. The best part was that it has less than 6000 miles....with all service history by the dealer.
While my short legs will require me to seriously consider tip-over protection. (Not interested in starting another crash bars vs valve protectors thread...) I would like to ask the forum readers for their favorite accessories / modifications. Any "not to miss items?"
Will be going on the first ride with the MRS later today. Let's see how much she likes it.

[guest2360]

They don't really need much more protection than the OEM black composite cylinder protectors.  None of them come with a GPS as standard even though you will have the electrical connection built in. A GPS is all I ever added to my 3.

[Paggers]

Welcome to RT ownership - I'm sure you have lots of happy times ahead of you.

I can also heartily recommend cylinder head protectors. So far I have dropped my bike twice. The first time cost me a replacement cylinder head cover, the second time just marked the plastic part of the protective cover. No brainer really.

[panaray]

Wel...my beauty came with some scars...on the valve covers. I'll leave it as is for a bit while I get used to the bike. I haven't tipped over in two decades (other than two major crashes) but who knows, it might happen.
Yes....Once I replace the covers, I'll be getting a plastic or other types.
How about the rear crash bars? Worth while to get one? I wonder as if you tip over due to lose footing, then you'd be fighting to break the fall. I suspect I wouldn't need to get protection as if I'd let the bike fall or a slow low side.
I saw some cheap one on eBay. Perhaps as insurance?

[Paggers]

It's like any kind of insurance - you hope you won't need it.

Bear in mind though - the RT is a heavy beast. When it is upright the weight is deceptive, but as soon as it starts to go off vertical it very quickly becomes impossible to hold it. I hadn't dropped a bike in years, but I have dropped my RT twice in six months. And with even a slow fall, as the bike settles on the ground it drags across the cylinder head so it's pretty near impossible to have a tip-over and come away entirely damage free.

I can't speak to US prices but over here the cost of a set of BMW cylinder head protectors is about the same as a replacement cylinder head cover. The advantage being, you don't have to replace the protectors if you have an off.

[Sprintgull]

Yep, mine has had a lie down too. Was grateful for the cylinder head protectors as the damage was just a small piece of scuffed plastic and a mark on the pannier. I've since covered this up by buying some £10 bumper (fender?) protectors from the local car accessory shop. They look okay, in fact a couple of people reckon they look like they were always part of the bike. Engine bars would not have helped much. A personal view is that they are great if you want to mount various farkles and shiny bits on them. However if a crash is fast enough to need them, then there will be other damage that will probably make the bike a right off anyway.
One note of caution with the side stand on the LC: It passes very close to the ground at the bottom of it's arc, and I think this is a factor in the number of right-side drops we get told about here. When mine went down, I think it caught on the ground (sloping up to the left) at the bottom of its arc making me think it was properly down. When I got off it became obvious that it wasn't! Instead of the bike leaning to the left, it was already falling to the right. Just a theory.....
Brilliant bike though

[panaray]

This photo pretty much convinced me to get a rear (pannier) crash bars. The good news is that there are many to choose from!


Oh btw, here's my trade in for the RT. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to keep my other sport bikes.


When I was at the dealer trading in, a bit of deja vu--the trade reminded me of the time when I traded in my Honda Prelude for a Dodge Caravan (a "Sport" trim--what an oxymoron!) when my wife was 7 months pregnant with our first child. That was 20 years ago....boy, the time flies.


Sure, an RT is a "sport" tourer, but it's designed to carry a passenger, comfortably. A minivan of motorcycle--whereas a Gold Wing is a Winnebago of bikes. Yes the MRS approves of the purchase. If she's happy, i'm happy. 


Now, if I can get her to get on the bike without kicking the pannier....

[panaray]

Oops. Here's the photo of the rear pannier crash bar in action (with the front crash bar installed, I presume)

[Paggers]

This is the first bike in a while where I haven't had crash bars on but the others were adventure bikes with less plastic to lose. So my reasoning for the RT was as follows:

For the front bars, any off where they would make a significant different over the regular cylinder head guards is going to wreck the bike. It'll be an insurance job anyway so may as well not worry about causing additional damage to the engine mounting points from the impact on the bars. (It's a lot cheaper and easier to replace a cylinder than an entire engine.)

Regarding rear bars, I like to ride the bike without the panniers in the summer so the bars would just end up looking silly on their own. When the panniers are fitted, I have the rubber BMW protectors on and as with my above remarks - anything that they are not going to take care off is going to do significant damage to the bike anyway so I'm back with the insurance company.

[panaray]

This is the first bike in a while where I haven't had crash bars on but the others were adventure bikes with less plastic to lose. So my reasoning for the RT was as follows:

For the front bars, any off where they would make a significant different over the regular cylinder head guards is going to wreck the bike. It'll be an insurance job anyway so may as well not worry about causing additional damage to the engine mounting points from the impact on the bars. (It's a lot cheaper and easier to replace a cylinder than an entire engine.)

Regarding rear bars, I like to ride the bike without the panniers in the summer so the bars would just end up looking silly on their own. When the panniers are fitted, I have the rubber BMW protectors on and as with my above remarks - anything that they are not going to take care off is going to do significant damage to the bike anyway so I'm back with the insurance company.

(At a risk of starting another cylinder guards vs crash bar thread...)


+1 regarding the cylinder only protection vs crash bars. I don't plan on adding lights or highway pegs.


FWIW, the Rear bars are removable. http://www.iliumworks.com/BMW_Motorcycl ... BL&pID=137
Kinda pricey, considering the Chinese knock-offs of rear non-removable ones are now $140 on eBay. 

[panaray]

They don't really need much more protection than the OEM black composite cylinder protectors.  None of them come with a GPS as standard even though you will have the electrical connection built in. A GPS is all I ever added to my 3.

I'm planning to replace the pre-scruffed cylinder head cover with a new one. I'd like to protect the investment with a plastic covers.
The question is, are all hexhead covers compatible? I have a '11 DOHC. Would the ones for '05-'10 fit my bike?

[guest2360]

Sorry no.  It's a different design from 2010.


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