So if I decide to go new, what kind of options should I be ordering. I really like the paint of the Classic, but I Hate the spoked rims. Is the ESA worth it? Onboard computer? Chrome exhaust? Sport windscreen?
I've read that the standard exhaust likes to rust and turn brown. Is there anything that you can put on it so that it doesn't turn brown?
I also migrated from a sport bike (CBR1000RR) to a 2012 R1200R and have found the transition very enjoyable. I do miss the high revs of the CBR and the list goes on about the cool things you can do with sport bikes, BUT as you may have read in this or other forums, if you choose to have only one bike, the R1200R is the bike that performs (well) across the most categories of riding.
I bought the R1200R largely because the test ride with my wife two-up went so well (...that and countless hours of research...). Then I took a trip (without her) and found that all the claims were true regarding the bike's touring capability (awesome naked tour bike), then shed the hard cases and unleashed it a bit in the North Texas prairie and again, wow...
The price point on BWMs is up there, but I found that once you get comfortable with the price, don't try to shave cost by removing options. I ordered mine without the sport screen, then bought one 3 months later. I purchased all system cases (RT, LT & TOP CASE) and these are perfect for touring (counting down... 4 weeks until a ~1200 mile Fall trip to Big Bend NP).
I love my R12R now, but to be honest, it did take some getting use to. Took delivery one year ago this month and me and the Boxer are still getting to know each other. It took me weeks to stop thinking that the bike was stalling on take off and almost 6 months to get used to the fact that you can't "coast"... close the throttle and the bike bleeds off speed like you're riding the brake.
The brown exhaust comment is about the headers, not the exhaust can and yes it will turn colors, but the 2012s are chrome, so they don't go brown, just blueish with brown spots
Last thing... if you read enough, you can start to get scared about the "things that go wrong" with BMWs and the horrors of dealership maintenance. Don't discount these real world possibilities, but temper the data with the confidence that BMWs have a solid reputation for quality... it's not Euro-snobery, it's fact that these bikes are fine pieces of machinery.
