How Are The 2007 R/RT Bikes?

[Xdot]

I'm looking at picking up an RT, either an 1150 or a 1200. I keep hearing the 1200 is a huge leap forward in electronics, engine management, suspension, fuel economy, and that it weighs less.

There's an 07 not far from where I live. Are there any gotcha's with this model like there are with say, the early modle F800's?

Thanks,
John

[websterize]

Are there any gotcha's with this [2007] model …

Check out EWS-ring failures and the brake line recall.

[sweatmark]

R1200RT is a great bike, as per my test ride: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17658
(Seems I've deleted the corresponding photo album from my photobucket account.)

I cannot comment about year-specific concerns, but you're certain to find everything you want to know at "BMW Sport Touring":
http://www.bmwrt.com/

[hankth]

Have an '07 R1200R with 9K on it. No problems of any kind. Dealer maintained. Even has original battery which I keep on the BMW charger almost all the time. I expect to have to replace it for next season. Had an '02 RT that was a great bike, but it surged a lot on low speed at small throttle opening, very annoying. The '07 fuels perfectly. Good luck.

[PhilSB]

I have an 07 R1200R with 22,000miles which I love. I've not had many problems with it - ring antenna went kaput so immobiliser couldn't be turned off/stopped or whatever, a common failing that will have been corrected - battery let me down, I ought to have changed it before it went - a graunching noise from rear drive that the dealer couldn't find, so it seems to have corrected itself, perhaps gravel lodged somewhere.
I don't think you will have any problems with an older bike, the finish seems to be keeping well.
SWMBO said I could have a new bike but there's nothing that would improve on my current one, the new ones are not such a big improvement that I will change. Hopefully BMW will come up with something to tempt me. Perhaps an S1000RR as a roadster?

Phil

[Xdot]

Thanks, all. Guess I should'a said that I currently ride an R1150R. I do love the bike but I'm looking for less wind noise so I can do some longer distance riding. The RR is great for commuting but if I did more than an hour or so I'd probably have permanent hearing damage! I have a windscreen and wear earplugs but my ears seem pretty sensitive at these frequencies now-a-days.

If I can find a 1200RT for the right price, oh, and sell my R1150R, I will definitely pull the trigger.

John

[objectuser]

I sometimes use earbud headphones on my bike, attached to my Sena communication system. They work about as well as those foam earplugs that you can buy in bunches, which I've used in a pinch.

But for more effective noise reduction, I use the 3M earplugs available at Lowe's (they have the plastic string between them and look like circles of rubber, more rubber than foam). The difference, for me, is significant. It makes for a pretty quiet ride, and I can still hear loud things around me.

I know everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you, but take that for what it's worth.

[websterize]

Speaking of 3M foam plugs on an R1200R, this video, on proper fitting of foam earplugs, was an eye opener — and an ear opener.

[dbrick]

That's interesting. Thanks Bill.

There may be differences among our ears, but I don't find that insertion must be done only as the video demonstrates. I had tonsil cancer in 2007, and thereafter what the docs call a radical neck dissection to remove the locus of the illness; my neck's a bit thinner on the right now than on the left. After that, I found it harder and harder to effectively install foam plugs (I've used Howard Leight Max ones forever) on the right side: they were easy enough to get in, but half or two-thirds of the time the plugs wouldn't be effective on the right side where the surgery had occurred. Even when rolled carefully, as the video demonstrated, I'd often end up with the plug jammed right into my eardrum, with some resultant pain, and only maybe half the time get a good aural seal.

On my recent long bike trip, I found another much more successful way to insert them. I roll only the inner half of the plug, wet the plug in my mouth, and shove it in place. The small damp tip slides easily into the ear canal, and the larger back portion, also lubed, can be pushed right past the tragus. I don't need to reach over the top of my head to pull the pinna outwards or up. This method is much more effective for me, probably only misfiring once every twenty or thirty insertions.

YMMV for sure. I may be an outlier because of my neck damage.

[slowtorque]

Guys, I just saw this discussion about fitting foam ear plugs. Quite honestly, if I had to rely on fitting a pair of foam ear plugs to protect my hearing, I'd probably not ride at all. They simply do not work for me. We all have differently shaped ear canals. I cannot get a foam plug to insert, seal and stay there. I even had a custom molded silicone set made. Still not satisfied as it did not provide the acoustic seal I knew I had to have. Stumbled across these and figured they were worth a try: http://www.earplugsonline.com/

I could not believe how well these work. I order about a dozen every year just to keep them on hand. I am not affiliated with this manufacturer in any way, but if I can share my satisfaction with these to a fellow rider, I am pleased. Try 'em. Foam plugs to me now are utterly worthless.