BMW R-Series

As a 25+ year rider of many bikes, mostly Hondas, I stumbled across an R1150RT on eBay while looking at Asian sport-tourers. After I got it home, to be honest I was quite disappointed for the first few rides. It's not the velvety-smooth Honda 4 cyl., and at idle it does shake a bit. After a few hundred miles and extended trips though, I did a complete 180 in terms of my impression. It is exceptionally comfortable on long trips. Fuel mileage has been in the upper 40s. Cruising range exceeds that of the human bladder. The wind protection is great and the heated grips are welcome for cooler riding. I've done some trips at right around 30F, and with proper clothing, it's livable. But it's long trips in mountainous & curvy roads where the machine absolutely comes alive! The boxer v-twin affords a wonderful low center of gravity, and I have absolutely humbled other full-on sport bikes on canyon roads, all this while hauling three hard cases and everyone's gear to boot. Torque is great and mid-range passing power is outstanding, just blip the throttle and you're gone. Top speed is supposedly 125 mph, but I've seen 150 with full bags on (can't explain it either, but my buddy clocked us then blasted past to 180 on his modified ZX-10R.) The best way to measure the true quality of a sport-tourer though, is in nasty inclement weather. Last year we spent several days straight, 2500 miles, in driving rain, crosswinds, and some hail. With a deadline to meet, on the last leg we averaged 80 mph in the rain, and at many points were exceeding triple digit speeds, with the bike performing as if it was on rails. The ABS is fantastic and helped in a panic stop off-road on gravel. Mine has a Bill Mayer custom seat (a must), which (seat comfort of the stock saddle)is one of the few complaints you'll ever hear about an RT. I wouldn't even look at another brand anymore after having gone from Asian bikes to a BMW. They are every bit as good as the legend, unquestionably.

Its smooth an handles good But you can get your speed up faster than what you think your going A LOT
Why did i decide to buy a BMW ? For the Comfort an to get me where im going

This is an enthusiasts bike, built for cruising. It is a rare and striking sight with beautiful lines and loads of chrome. Known as "the bike" on which Pierce Brosnan held on to his girl with handcuffs racing over rooftops in "You only Live Twice". It does not give you comfort if you are looking to do touring unless you keep belwo 250 miles but witha "comfy seat" is liable to be a babe magnet! Huge amount of low down torque and the ability to handle fast riding on technically difficult roads without problems. I have owned one for 6 years and thoroughly enjoyed it having put 33K and taken it to the French Alps and the length of Britain without a mishap. Built very well as you would expect with great character. As it ages there may be some rust issues but there are parts plentiful to replace thiose items.

still getting used to the low speed heavy handling, bike runs excellent.highway travel excellent.i can see why these bikes are dropped frequently. the on demand breaking is great. you better be ready to stop completly when you hit the brakes.BMW still cant make a seat that doesnt feel feel like drying concrete. we still love this wuerlitzer on wheels.

It is that it is.Its a BMW Cop Bike. The fact that a new BMW 1200RT cost $22,000+ Grand and mine only $4,000.But its a old BMW with lots of miles on it. I've only had it for a month. So far so good. I like the way it handles on the road, and that it was heated grips and up/down front fairing. And everybody on the road give me room then they see that black and white in their rear view mirror.

Agile, nimble, powerful and very well balanced bike. Great at straight-aways or at twisties... You can't believe how nice every car driver turns out to be when they see the black and white BMW R 1150 RT-P. Over 50 miles per gallon helps too.

The best of the airhead series. Not the fastest by any means but if you had 10 bikes in your garage the one you would grab to run to the store is the R65. nible light weight and a pleasure to ride. I have toured for more that 20,000 miles. It will cuise all day at 75-80 and will eat up the twities with its low end torque. The 1979 and 1980 models came with single disc brakes in the front, you really need to upgrade to dual disc for true two finger brakes. That is an upgrade I feel is a must... but everything else is spot on. a nice factor with the R65 is also its mileage which is over 50MPG

First motorcycle I've owned, however, it is exactly what I wanted in one. I've heard about German engineering and I think it shows in this 13 year old bike.

This is the R1100-RTL and is classed as a sport-tourer.

The fit and finish seem to be as tight as when it was purchased new. The engine, the 1100cc Boxer, starts and runs like a top. Plenty of horse power (90, I think) to move this 600lb machine along easily. Reported gas mileage is approximately 50 mpg although I haven't yet attempted to calculate this myself.

Nice features built into this model: ABS brakes, heated grips, radio, driver heating ducts (warm air from the oil cooler), electrically adjustable windscreen in a full fairing, hard bags, adjustable pre-load for rear suspension, shaft drive.

As in all things of a certain age, reliability may become an issue. However, at this time, that is not the case. All systems on the bike are in good operating order (a tribute to the previous owners?) and there have been no problems to date (I've owned the bike 2 months.) There are many internet resources to turn to in the event trouble crops up. Several websites devoted to BMW cycle ownership are out there with good info on maintenance and repair.

Comfort of the bike is, in general, good. The fairing takes a lot of the strain from wind buffeting out of the picture. The adjustable windscreen can be raised another 6 inches or so from it's bottom position to virtually eliminate helmet buffet and wind noise. A very nice feature, it is adjustable on the fly. (Seat height is adjustable as well.) BMWs are not noisy machines so there is no hearing strain from excessively loud exhaust pipes.

My riding impressions are quite favorable. It is a quiet ride and a very stable one. I think the weight of the bike contributes to keeping it planted firmly in place and makes it less susceptible to drift and weaving in wind and passing truck blast. This has a 5 speed transmission and gear position is indicated in two places on the dash. There is a status bar in the center of the dash which displays turn signal operation, 'idiot lights' for oil pressure, alternator charge, and neutral position. This last indicated by a large lighted green 'N' when in neutral. On the right of the dash is a LCD display for oil temp, fuel and gear position (1 - 5). Plenty of info to keep the rider up to date on the operation of the bike. Factory stereo speakers are, of course, located on the left/right of the fairing/dash.

All hand controls are in the standard motorcycle positions with the exception of turn signals: there is a left hand AND a right hand signal switch. There is also a separate cancel button to terminate either left or right signal operation.

Back to the transmission for a moment: it shifts easily with a nice mechanical 'chunk'/'clunk' sound to indicate a successful shift. Can be a little persnickety putting it into first gear at a stop, but easily accomplished by releasing the clutch while in neutral and then clutching and shifting into first.

Overall, I have nothing but high appreciation and praise for this machine. It presents itself very well, performs well, has plenty of nice features, and rides well. All this from a 13 year old bike. And, if you look at the reviews of this age model and the more recent R1100/1150/1200 models, you'll read a lot of positive reviews for these fine examples of German engineering.

My 1967 R60/6 turned out to be even better when i first got it, then when i first saw it on e-bay! this bike lookes like it came off the BMW line in Germany, and then shiped to me by JC shipping the same day!When i saw it had a buy now, and may say not cheap,i jumped on it. After seeing so many BMW on e-bay,i know it was worth the wait,and the money! This bike will be past down to my tomboy girl ADELINE! the you E-BAY, and most of all PHIL for this great bike! AL

I love the look of the 1984 R100CS Last Edition with the motosport paint scheme. This had to be a cutting edge machine in 1984. This bike has qualities that even modern bikes do not have. A full tool kit, a lock that fits neatly under the tank, tons of under seat storage, saddle bags that both function are stable and can be easily removed and a center stand that has perfect balance.

This is the most balanced bike I have ever owned (I have owned 13 bikes over the years). You can take your hands off the bars (not recommended) and it will travel straight forever!

There are two negative things that I have come accross so far. The seat is terrible! It is not bad when in the twisties, but long jaunts on the highway are just brutal. I plan to get a sargent of corbin in the near future. It is very buzzy if you are not in its sweet spot. My right hand goes numb often. Each gear has a sweet spot where it doesn't buzz and almost seems like it isn't running. However, it is almost impossible to ride in that sweet spot for extended periods of time.

I have put around 1k miles in three weeks and it has never let me down. It has been a blast!