Is it worth £5K to change to a 2015 R1200 RT LE?

[Shooter]

I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter. I have a 2009 R1200RT SE with 33,000 miles on the clock, everything works fine. I have a hankering for a 2015 R1200RT LE with lots of toys and whistles on it. Is it worth upgrading? Are there many reliability issues? Are running costs significantly increased as a result of the extra electronics and most of all, is the ride and performance significantly better?


Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Beagle]

I can only speak for myself but having owned a K100RS and K1100LT years ago this R1200RT LE is in a different league. I find the handling for a large bike excellent and performance sparkling. The assist gear change is great and all the other tech very useful. The Akrapovic silencer is a good alternative and the Denali LED’s added safety. The stock seats are horrendous so need changing. I have the Sergeant.
I think this bike is great and after two years of ownership have no in-cling to change.

[beemerboy9]

They are complex motorcycles, so I would be tempted to buy from a BMW dealer with a 2 year warranty. The warranty (+ European Breakdown cover) is worth a good £350 per year and it gets a full service and tyres if they're low.


The dealer is in business to make money and I reckon they make about £1K profit on the trade-in. I am comfortable with that.


BMW Park Lane have the low mileage bikes, but other dealers are close.


Of the 2015 colours, the San Marino Blue looks great in the flesh, bettered only by the later Mars Red. The radio was a £1000 extra.

[Beagle]

Mines Mars red ... Love it.

[David.]

When purchasing from a dealer, the cost of the 2 year warranty will be included in the purchase price, it's not free.
To offer this warranty, the bike needs to have an unbroken service history, https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/model ... bikes.html

If a private purchase is being considered, a BMW Motorrad Insured Warranty, https://www.motorrad-warranty.co.uk/Login/Index can be purchased at anytime. If the service history has lapsed or is not up to date, having the bike serviced prior to applying for a warranty is acceptable. The cost of the warranty is around £380 per year, inc. breakdown cover with £100 excess.

[gogs01]

I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter. I have a 2009 R1200RT SE with 33,000 miles on the clock, everything works fine.
I have had a 2007, 2010, 2013 and (currently) a 2016 R1200RT


I have a hankering for a 2015 R1200RT LE with lots of toys and whistles on it. Is it worth upgrading?
Only you can answer that question


Are there many reliability issues?
My 2016 R1200RT LE has completed 34,000 miles trouble-free.

Are running costs significantly increased as a result of the extra electronics
Not in my experience - only my central locking for the fuel filler closes but may not lock.


and most of all, is the ride and performance significantly better?
Not night and day, but the ride is marginally better, it's faster and just as economical.

As for the cost to change, I would recommend a test ride. That may tell you whether it is worth £5k    Good luck !

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[David.]

If you can upgrade from a 2009 to a 2015 bike for £5K, that's less than £1K per year, not bad in BMW terms.

In 2014, the only used RT I've purchased was a 2012 model with 3K on the clock. The part ex. was a 2010 model, 4 years old with 36K on the clock.
It cost me £3K to change, I suppose you could say £1,500 a year at a BMW dealer to upgrade from 2010 to 2012.
(The cost of a BMW Motorrad 1 year used bike warranty was included in the purchase price, around £200 at the time.)

I've had two new RT's, 2007 & 2010, to upgrade cost around £2K per year over 3 years.

Would a late 2013, low mileage Camhead be a consideration.

[tojjer]

I've only had my LE model for approx 2 weeks, but love it.
Sorry can't be more helpful, but love it, love it, love it!
You get the idea