I took a day out test ride from BMW Park Lane today, London to Suffolk and back to London, mostly on B roads but with some A road and a bit of motorway M11 lobbed in.
First, a confession….. I have never ridden an RT before, so I had no idea what to expect. I quite liked it, with one exception, which I’ll come on to.
What was good?
It’s a very easy bike to ride, so it’s definitely not going to bite anyone. Due to its bulbous fairing it looks big and heavy but it definitely isn’t. At 320 kg my 1600 is much heavier than the 275 kg of the RT. Viewed from the side, once you get past the bulbous front, you really can see that it’s not a big bike at all. When you first sit on it, the big black dashboard fairing seems to dominate the view but you really don’t notice it. The new 10.25 inch TFT is very good but I don’t like the styling of the rev counter. The whirly wheel thing integrates really well, as does the BMW Connected app, which linked to my iPhone (held in a dedicated cubbyhole) with is own wireless charger and cooling fan, no less. I didn’t ride the bike in anything but ‘Dynamic’, other than a short flirtation with ‘Eco mode’ for about five miles along the A406 dual carriage way North Circular coming up to Tesco at Galleons Reach, to top up the fuel before returning the bike. The bike spins up its motor, no question about that, the up / down quick shifter working well. The ergonomics and controls all work well. The bike is easy to put onto and take off its main stand. It is all day long comfortable, the variable screen, heated grips and heated seat working really well. I didn’t try the sound / music /phone or any of that malarkey.
What I do not like and haven’t on each bike I have tried, is the 1250 WC engine. Yes it spins up easily and will pull from 100 mph but I still think it’s a flat twin engineered to perform like an conventional four cylinder bike. I like twins and I like four (and six) cylinder bikes but I want a twin (whether flat or a V) to be different. The WC engine just isn’t.
PS What was slightly disconcerting was the lights staying on when the ignition was turned off. But all was well when I realised that they just do it. Whether it’s some choice setting I have no idea. My car does it, too. I have no idea why.
First, a confession….. I have never ridden an RT before, so I had no idea what to expect. I quite liked it, with one exception, which I’ll come on to.
What was good?
It’s a very easy bike to ride, so it’s definitely not going to bite anyone. Due to its bulbous fairing it looks big and heavy but it definitely isn’t. At 320 kg my 1600 is much heavier than the 275 kg of the RT. Viewed from the side, once you get past the bulbous front, you really can see that it’s not a big bike at all. When you first sit on it, the big black dashboard fairing seems to dominate the view but you really don’t notice it. The new 10.25 inch TFT is very good but I don’t like the styling of the rev counter. The whirly wheel thing integrates really well, as does the BMW Connected app, which linked to my iPhone (held in a dedicated cubbyhole) with is own wireless charger and cooling fan, no less. I didn’t ride the bike in anything but ‘Dynamic’, other than a short flirtation with ‘Eco mode’ for about five miles along the A406 dual carriage way North Circular coming up to Tesco at Galleons Reach, to top up the fuel before returning the bike. The bike spins up its motor, no question about that, the up / down quick shifter working well. The ergonomics and controls all work well. The bike is easy to put onto and take off its main stand. It is all day long comfortable, the variable screen, heated grips and heated seat working really well. I didn’t try the sound / music /phone or any of that malarkey.
What I do not like and haven’t on each bike I have tried, is the 1250 WC engine. Yes it spins up easily and will pull from 100 mph but I still think it’s a flat twin engineered to perform like an conventional four cylinder bike. I like twins and I like four (and six) cylinder bikes but I want a twin (whether flat or a V) to be different. The WC engine just isn’t.
PS What was slightly disconcerting was the lights staying on when the ignition was turned off. But all was well when I realised that they just do it. Whether it’s some choice setting I have no idea. My car does it, too. I have no idea why.
: lol
To do with the lights staying on... Much in the tradition of older UKGSER...
