In the beginning I mentioned that I may do an appraisal on my "new" bike.

(Anyone who has no interest in motorcycles should now disconnect ha-ha)

This bike is not “new” but a 2010 model which does not differ from a 2015 model all that much except from the water cooled engine

I have been riding from age 16 and had perhaps 20-25 mainly BMW motorcycles during that time. Some of them I have had for a long time on which I covered over 180.000km or more. Several had been very comfortable and I had them for a long time.

The BMW R1200RT.

Well, after 6100 km in 2 ½ weeks I have to conclude that this is the most comfortable bike I ever had the pleasure of owning plus I also have to conclude it is also the safest bike as well as let's face it, motorcycling is a dangerous pastime and any assistance to make riding safer is always welcome.

Things like ABS, ASC, ESA (I will explain these feautures in a minute) tire pressures monitor, “ on the go” adjustable windscreen, automatic cancelling indicators make it all a lot safer than motorcycles used to be.

The ergonomics I had to get used to as it differs from the taller semi off-road bikes, as in this case your knees are bent in a bit more tighter position; however after a day I was used to it. The seating position is superb and adjustable in height. Everything is exactly where it is supposed to be and all at the right angles. If you live in a cold climate, don’t worry, both seats are heated and adjusted by separate controls front and rear; and while we are on the subject, the handgrips are heated as well.

At first you glance at the gadgets and other special items and think “big deal” I don’t need that! However...Let’s look at them.

On board computer.

This has nothing to do with MS Windows but all to do with motor management and warning systems. Between the tacho- and speedometer there is a small screen on which you can dial op different readouts. It can read the fuel consumption, average speed, front and rear tire pressures, outside temperature; fuel level, remaining kilomters before the next fuel stop. It warns you if any lights don’t work and even tells you which one that is. Then there is an oil temperature, and ice condition warning plus and onboard clock.

You can flick through the readout by means of the info button next to the left hand grip. I won’t go into all the details here but fill you in with a commentary next to the pictures.

ABS-(Anti-Lock Brake System)
Most people know what it stands for as all modern cars have this as a standard fitments. In the early 80’s it was first developed by BMW for use on motorcycles.

As with cars you can never lock up the wheel even if you are on a gravel road and squeeze the front brake as hard as you can while going around a corner. A sudden panic stop in driving rain will not land you on your side (which happened to me once) When you use the front brake, the rear brake is activated to a certain extend as well,making stopping a very quick and easy task.

ESA- Electronic Suspension Adjustment-
Rear motorcycle suspension has always been adjustable by hand. Before setting out on a trip you would adjust the setting depending if you rode single/two up/with luggage etc., but it was always a compromise. You don’t want the suspension to bottom out on a bad road as it could destroy the damper, so you always choose for a harder setting. With the ESA button you simple change the setting while going along changing from good to bad roads or anything in between, it also make sure that the rear wheel always stay on the road surface.

ASC- Automatic Stability Control
To be honest, I didn’t even know what it meant until I studied the handbook. It comes down to a very good safety feature. In short: the rear wheel is prevented from going faster than the front wheel. How does this help or make a difference? Say you accelerate away and hit loose gravel/oil or just a slippery surface. Normally the rear wheel spin faster and loose grip- which could result in a fall. Moreover if you go through a tight bend and are committed to a certain line and hit oil/gravel or sudden wet roads condition it will save you from a rear will slip and landing on the side of the road/canal/mountain side whatever.

Car type cruise control is fitted and will give your right hand a break when it needs it and keeps the bike dead on the speed limit if required. A small button on the control will enable you to in- or decrease the speed by 2 km/hour

Dual headlights turn night into day and are adjustable up/down from the dashboard.

The on-board radio can be adjusted from the handlebars. The music, which may come from the Radio, USB stick or IPod can be easily adjusted and heard without wind noise, even when you travel at 120 km per hour as the windscreen height can be electronically adjusted.

At any speed you can direct the wind over your helmet eliminating any wind noise. (No need for ear plugs to protect your ears) When you slow down and stop at the traffic lights the volume will automatically reduce to an acceptable level. The computer screen shows the radio station or which track you are listening to.

A few days ago I discovered a nail in my back tire; I have tubeless tires so the thing to do is to leave the nail where it is, as it acts like a plug in its own hole. Depending on the position of the nail it could let a tiny bit of air escape during every revolution of the wheel or nothing at all. Great to have a monitor that tells me the pressure at all times. I have since ridden the bike for four days with the nail in the tire and can see that the pressure has not gone down (and if it had, it would give me a warning)

Power and fuel consumption. (A comparison)

New developments are ongoing; the result of this is evident if you compare it to one of my previous bikes a BMW R80RT which bought new in 1985 (which was, at the time, the best BMW touring bike you could buy)

1985 R80RT: 800 cc. 50 horsepower 235 kg dry weight, Fuel consumption 1 litre 15 km.

2010 R1200RT: 1200CC, 110 horsepower, 229 kg dry weight, Fuel consumption 1 litre 22.5 km

46% larger engine, 120% more power, 6 kg less weight a 33 % lower fuel consumption.

Finally- After 6100 km I am convinced that I am riding the best motorcycle I have ever owned.

This is the first bike I personally bought off a dealer; in this case it was “Team Moto Gold Coast” in Nerang about 50 km from home.

Dealer/client satisfaction mainly comes down to how you communicate with the sales person you deal with and how the dealer want their staff to treat clients and potential clients. After a test ride I was happy with the bike and happy with the deal. As the bike included a month warranty I asked the bike to remain in the showroom until I was ready to go on the journey I had planned. The warranty time would then start at the day when I took possesion of the bike. This was no problem.

When it came to the day when I wanted to collect the bike it was not a case of “Here are the keys and off you go” First of all the bike was positioned on the red carpet, roped off to give it a status of importance which is a very nice touch. After running through the controls and workings I took the bike home. The following day while fiddling with the settings, radio etc the battery ran flat. That’s not a good thing. One phone call later and new BMW Gel battery was ordered and ready for me to collect or if needed it would be delivered.

The following day I found out that the GPS, although it showed some roads, did not have its internal SD card with detailed Australian maps fitted. The previous owner had removed the card, something the dealer was possibly not aware of. A new card was ordered and hand delivered by the salesman Mat Elliot the night before my departure. (Both items without further costs) A very positive experience with dealership and excellent service by Mat.

More details with the pictures