I improved the handling by loads today!

Got any tips and tricks for BMW R1200RT/R1250RT owners? feel free to share them here.
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stayingupright
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I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by stayingupright »

By making sure the tyre pressures were correct. They were both low. Now like a different beast.


Just goes to show you don't always have to spend a fortune to improve things.
I was born with nothing and unfortunately I still have most of it left.
Casbar
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by Casbar »

Really, been riding bikes for 40 plus years and this is new news you check your tyre pressures  :whistle:
Tones
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by Tones »

Me, I check tread depth, oil level, fuel and if the pillion is still there, but from now on, i'll check for tyre pressure too.
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scunny1
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by scunny1 »

I thought we all relied on TPMS and computer read outs now- do I have to get my hands mucky. ;)
scunny1  R1200RT LE 2015
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stayingupright
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by stayingupright »

I have to admit to relying on the tpms which I'm now not so confident in.
My front was down to 2.1 bar.
I was born with nothing and unfortunately I still have most of it left.
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Paggers
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by Paggers »

I have found it all too easy to rely on the TPMS to alert if there is an issue with my tyres, not realising that they can actually go down quite far before it gets reported as an issue. When I checked mine recently they were at 2.1 / 2.4 - so down by 0.4 / 0.5 bar which in old money I think is 6 / 7 psi.
2016 (2017 MY) R1200 RT LE in white and black. Find me on twitter: @2WheelSolo. Also posting motorcycle vlogs on youtube: https://goo.gl/iM7y6X
slparry
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Bike Model and Year: R1200RT LE Dynamic 2015
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by slparry »

Last edited by slparry on Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Steve Parry BMW Motorrad (now KTM) sales executive current toys '15 R1200RT LE Dynamic. '14 F800GS ,'03 R1100S Boxercup, '85 R80RS Mono, 1990 K1
B787MECH
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by B787MECH »

Paggers wrote: I have found it all too easy to rely on the TPMS to alert if there is an issue with my tyres, not realising that they can actually go down quite far before it gets reported as an issue. When I checked mine recently they were at 2.1 / 2.4 - so down by 0.4 / 0.5 bar which in old money I think is 6 / 7 psi.
The way I see it is that there is a tolerance before the alert comes on, so 6/7 psi down might be within tolerance. The system certainly "saved" me from impending doom when I got a slow puncture while on a tour in Spain. Since then Ive checked the TPMS figures against a tyre pressure gauge and found that they are accurate (when cold) . They obviously increase slightly when hot. So a good system I think, but still worth checking occasionally with a proper gauge.


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scunny1
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by scunny1 »

A service station air line managed to let air out of my rear tyre instead of putting it in. A car driver nearby hoovering his boot said to me, " That airline has just let half the pressure out of my tyre 5 minutes ago too".  I muttered thanks a bunch and limped home to use my trusty foot pump. I can confirm my TPMS alarmed half a mile down the road at 2.1bar.
scunny1  R1200RT LE 2015
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by guest2360 »

stayingupright wrote: I have to admit to relying on the tpms which I'm now not so confident in.
My front was down to 2.1 bar.
[/quot


But are you sure it's not just your guage thsts wrong and the. Ike was correct all the time. 
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Paggers
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by Paggers »

RTman10 wrote: But are you sure it's not just your gauge that's wrong and the bike was correct all the time?
Yes, because I decided to check it while pumping the tyres up. I also had the problem with the garage machine letting my tyres down and refusing to pump them up so I had to go elsewhere.
2016 (2017 MY) R1200 RT LE in white and black. Find me on twitter: @2WheelSolo. Also posting motorcycle vlogs on youtube: https://goo.gl/iM7y6X
guest2360

Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by guest2360 »

Don't quite get your drift but.
If having set the pressure on both tyres with your guage and the bike showed both of them at a different pressure I reckon your guage is out.  If one of the tyres agrees with your guage you have a warranty claim.
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Paggers
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by Paggers »

RTman10 wrote: Don't quite get your drift but.
If having set the pressure on both tyres with your guage and the bike showed both of them at a different pressure I reckon your guage is out.  If one of the tyres agrees with your guage you have a warranty claim.
I probably wasn't clear. The readout on the bike was showing the tyres as low. So I went to top them up and, while I was doing so, checked that what I was seeing on the pump was the same as what was showing on the bike. So the pressures were low and the bike was correctly reporting that.
2016 (2017 MY) R1200 RT LE in white and black. Find me on twitter: @2WheelSolo. Also posting motorcycle vlogs on youtube: https://goo.gl/iM7y6X
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scunny1
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by scunny1 »

Just a thought, are some valve stems a bit too short for petrol station forecourt airlines? It seems to be a repeating problem of not getting a good seal talking to other riders tonight.
scunny1  R1200RT LE 2015
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MacJ
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Re: I improved the handling by loads today!

Post by MacJ »

The short stems on the valves are a problem with service station air lines. I found this first with an F800 GT when I managed to completely deflate my front wheel. I now carry a valve extender in case I have to use an air line.


I check my pressures and pump up my tyres at home to avoid using garage forecourt lines.
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