I’m Really Liking This Motorcycle!

I took the R1200RT out for a short 126 mile ride this morning.  One of the things I wanted to do was familiarize myself with the BMW Navigator V GPS system using a route I already had saved in Garmin’s BaseCamp software.  There are some differences in the way the new Navigator V and the older Garmin Zumo 220 load routes and where they keep them.  I left the new Navigator V GPS set so that it would give me prompts and directions through the motorcycle’s on-board audio system through the fairing speakers.

We’re still waiting for our top case to be delivered so this was going to be a solo ride.  Donna prefers the security of the top case and its backrest behind her plus she had to work today.

I took a short and fun route that we’ve ridden a number of times and written about here.  I have the route saved in BaseCamp as “Hillbilly Drive“.  I take GA HWY 53 across to Dawsonville where I take a nice local road back out to GA HWY 183 going towards Amicalola Falls State Park.  Before getting to the park I take GA HWY 136 over Burnt Mountain and through its curves before getting to Talking Rock, GA and heading for home.

It was a cool but gorgeous day to ride!  It started out right at 50º (F) and dropped to 48 going over the mountain before rising again to the mid 50’s.  I was comfortable with the liner in my jacket, a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of riding pants.  I even wore unlined plain leather gloves but cheated and used the heated grips.  I had the SiriusXM radio tuned to the Grateful Dead station and my route in the GPS.  Whenever I had an upcoming turn, the audio system automatically muted and played the instructions from the GPS.  It was easier to hear the GPS than it was the music.  The R1200RT fell right into the curves!  I’ll admit that this was always a fun road on the K1200LT but the boxer twin R1200RT increases the fun factor exponentially.  I stopped for a short break at the scenic overlook.  There’s still just a little bit of color in the trees too.  But after last weekend’s winter weather there was already some sand and gravel spread on a few parts of Highway 136.  The boxer goes too!  There were some parts of the route that I’m used to downshifting from 5th to 4th on the K1200LT to get better power.  But with the R1200RT’s boxer twin you just open the throttle and it goes.

I even tried out BMW’s Hill Start Assist today just to see what it’s all about.  It’s like using a parking brake that automatically releases when you give the bike some throttle to start moving again.  When pulling out onto the main highway up there, GA HWY 515, I finally tried out another option, BMW’s Shift Assistant Pro.  Wow what an option!  Shift Assistant Pro allows upshifts and downshifts without the use of the clutch.  After pulling onto the highway and rolling I shifted into 3rd through 6th gears by revving and shifting and NOT using the clutch.  I remember reading somewhere that Shift Assistant Pro is better suited to a more performance oriented ride.

I did miss having Donna back there though.  I hope that top case gets here soon.

The GA HWY 136 portion of today’s ride.

Looking towards Jasper, GA. There’s still just a little color left in the trees.

Looking up the road on GA HWY 136 from the scenic overlook.

Looking up the road.

The R1200RT takes a short break in the sunshine.

A Motorcycle Goal To Aim For

The dust is settling after trading in the Magic Carpet, our 2002 BMW K1200LTE, and buying the 2014 BMW R1200RT.

I was looking at a few things and then got curious.  I know, that can be very dangerous.  You see, BMW Motorcycles USA offers a 100,000 mile award to those who can document through a dealer that you have ridden 100,000 miles on BMW Motorcycles.  The award is a nice medallion and a certificate.  Remember, this is not just motorcycles but BMW Motorcycles.  So I got curious about the mileages.  We bought our K1200LTE used and we rode 44,631 miles on it since we purchased it.  We’ve ridden our R1200RT 858 miles since purchasing it just under 3 weeks ago.  That’s a total of 45,489 miles (so far) on BMW Motorcycles.  I have only 54,511 miles to go (as of today).  I think I can do it.

Break In Maintenance Time

The new R1200RT headed down to BMW Motorcycles of Atlanta this morning for its 600 mile break-in service.  It’s mainly an oil changed and final drive oil change along with a list of other things they check and then reset the service reminder light (which came on promptly at 600 miles).  The fact that the motorcycle had about 840 miles at the time made no difference.  I scheduled and appointment so that I could get it done while I waited.  I had been told that the book said it was a 3 hour job but that I’d likely be out after 2½ hours.  It took them just under an hour and half.  No problems were found along with the service.  The price was exactly what I was quoted over the phone.  Now it’s time to really start riding it!

It Made Her Giggle

We took the new R1200RT out for a ride today.  We wanted to go look at a toy hauler RV that was at an RV dealer over near Gainesville, GA.  It was a gorgeous fall day so we decided we were going to ride our new motorcycle.  Our friends, Sean and Christine were going to go with us and ride their Victory Cross Country Tour.  Time-wise the interstate was the fastest but riding motorcycles on tow lane roads is more fun!  The dealer is right off of Georgia HWY 53 in Oakwood, GA.  So we left Woodstock and headed up I-575 until it changed to GA HWY 515 just north of Ballground, GA where we picked up GA HWY53 which we would take all the way to the RV dealer.

The stretch of GA HWY 53 from Jasper to Dawsonville is a road that we have taken many, many times before.  It is a fun, curvy road as many roads are in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  We also took this route so we could compare travelling it on our K1200LT and on our new R1200RT.  The best part of today’s route was after we crossed from Pickens County into Dawson County.  We’re in the nice curvy section of road when I hear Donna giggling over the intercom.  Yes she was giggling!  She said it more fun on the R1200RT than it was on the K1200LT.  Believe me, I already knew it was much more fun!  Now you have to understand that Donna has never ridden on the back of a motorcycle without a back rest or trunk behind her (or in BMW terms, a top case) until we bought this R1200RT.  We have the top case on order but it isn’t here yet.  So there was Donna perched on the back of the BMW R1200RT, with nothing behind her, giggling away on a twisty and curvy road because it was fun.  We think we made the right decision for a new motorcycle.  Oh and know what was even better?  We got to ride the same stretch of road on the way home!  To be honest, the image below from Garmin Basecamp doesn’t do the road justice.  We ended up riding 163 miles today.  The R1200RT is now overdue for its 600 mile service and that task has been scheduled.  I wanted it out of the way before our trip to the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge and Campground this weekend.

The stretch of road that made Donna giggle on the new R1200RT

Let Us Introduce You To…..

Okay, I can’t keep the lid on it any longer.  Let us introduce you to our new 2014 BMW R1200RT!

When we arrived in Daytona Beach last week, our K1200LT suffered a failed outer bearing on the final drive of the motorcycle.  BMW Motorcycles of Daytona was going to get us back on the road pretty quickly though.  You can read the entry about the final drive here instead of me going into it again.

We were at the dealer when we started to “What if…” ourselves.  Many of you know what I mean.  What if this happens or what if that happens?  The K1200LT had 85, 391 miles on her when we retired her.  Yes there were some maintenance items coming up due but that’s why it’s maintenance and hopefully not repair.  I had just changed the oil before our trip to Florida.

We were looking at an ebony black 2015 K1600GTL and what is now our quartz metallic blue 2014 R1200RT.  To be honest, the more we looked, I couldn’t justify the extra money of the K1600.  Besides the R1200RT is the boxer style engine.  I really didn’t like the R1200RT in the black or the matte gray they had.  But that’s just my choice.  The R1200RT was pretty much outfitted with everything the K1600GTL had too!  It has the Bluetooth audio and communications system, the heated seats and grips, cruise control, satellite radio, the ESA suspension system and so much more.  Did I say it’s got a boxer style motor?  As an incentive from BMW the purchase of the 2014 R1200RT came with the BMW Nav V GPS system.  BMW of Daytona was out of the GPS so they needed to get it from their sister dealer in Orlando.  It hadn’t arrived by the time we headed for home so they need to ship it this week.  We went ahead and ordered the 49 liter top case, which they also didn’t have and will be shipped.  It was a tougher decision to do this than we thought but we’re thinking it was a good one.

We spent about half a day riding it around Daytona Beach during Biketoberfest while visiting my Dad.  And then on Sunday we rode it home.  The top case wasn’t in yet and this was the  first time Donna would really be riding without a back rest or top case behind her for support.  Luckily, we had done like we had in the past and made the trip home in 2 days after a stop overnight in Tifton, GA.  It was really a good idea this time.  Donna really wasn’t fond of not having the top case yet.  And for me, after having the custom seat on the K1200LT the BMW seat on the R1200RT felt like sitting on a cinder block after a few hours.  I’m sure I’ll adjust to the seat.  The R1200RT gets tossed around by trucks more being that it’s more than 250 pounds lighter than the K1200LT was.  We will miss the Magic Carpet, she served us well.

In the coming weeks as we ride the R1200RT I’ll be posting more articles about it.  She hasn’t been named yet but that will come soon.