Welcome!

[KBasa]

Welcome to the Hexheads forum!

Don Eilenberger will be your mod in this new forum. Be sure to post early and post often!

[henzilla]

SWEEEEEEET!

came home from a week on the road to HEXLAND!

[SNC1923]

Hey--COOL!

[dlowry]

I knew I was an Oilhead, but am I a hexhead too?? Geez, talk about confusing us poor soles...

Dave

R1200RT

[wezul]

Yes, thanks Dave, this is great.
Except I have a real bad Rod Stewart song running around in my head!
Iiif ya think I'm hexy . . . . .

[deilenberger]

I'd also like to welcome Darryl Richmond who has agreed to serve as a co-moderator... thanks much to Darryl!

Looks like we're off to a good start... lets post early, often and intelligently ;)

[billyb]

Hello;
I just got an R1200RT and what an upgrade from
a 1968 Triumph Daytona.
Question- What is the difference between an
oil head and a hex-head??
I thought my R12RT was an oil head but when
I see pictures posted here it seems hex head covers
everything.

Thanks
Bill

[SNC1923]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for asking one of the few question I'm somewhat capable of answering.

Strictly speaking, a hex-head is an oil-head. Both the 1100s and 1150s as well as the 1200s are all oil/air cooled motors.

The 1200s (aka hex-heads) derive their name from the hex shape of the cylinder heads. They are a quantum leap forward in technology. Not only are they larger engines (1170CCs), they boast more horsepower, lower torque, and require far less maintenance. The final drive was reputed to be a lifetime no-oil-change, but BMW is backpeddling on that now. The transmissions have helical gears and are much smoother. They no longer require throttle-body synching, and have automatic chokes.

This is the depth of my understanding, and I'm sure others, more knowledgeable, will chime in.

[billyb]

Tom;
Thanks for the education.
I didn't know that you don't have to sync the throttle bodies also.

What a great forum for a little education.
Looking forward to more.
Bill

[deilenberger]

Bill,

Actually - you still sync the throttle bodies - but the idle sync is done by the same stepper motors that control the idle speed. These eliminate the manual fast-idle lever that has been a BMW feature for many years - doing the same thing under computer control.

Wonderful engines the hexheads..

[cjack]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the forum! The final drive was reputed to be a lifetime no-oil-change, but BMW is backpeddling on that now.


Well so far as I know, the final drive needs to be changed only at the running in check at 600 miles. The reason being, I'm told, that they are letting the owner/dealer flush the drive instead of having it done at the time of manufacture.

[downhillhunter]

Hi Tom!

I have a question about your 6-22 post.

You state the 1200 has "lower torque".

I have an 1100 and a 1200 and it sure feels like the 1200 has more torque to me?

Could you explain that, please?

Thanks,

Downhill Hunter

[ricklt23]

New to this BMW thing, used to ride rice rockets after I came back from overseas.
This and other forums have already got me spending on all kindsa bling. Thanks.:bikes
Some buds and I are gonna try a week trip in Nov. Brrr...I got thermals on order.
Should be fun though, gonna make like birds and head south for the winter.
Since I'm sorta retired, maybe I'll just nest down there. :sick
Rick

[SNC1923]

Hi Tom!

I have a question about your 6-22 post.

You state the 1200 has "lower torque".

I have an 1100 and a 1200 and it sure feels like the 1200 has more torque to me?

Could you explain that, please?

Thanks,

Downhill Hunter

My explanation would be differing understanding of words like "lower." Do I want my wife to turn the air conditioning up or down?

I agree with you: it has more torque, not less. I used the word "lower" to try to describe that and didn't make myself clear. Thanks for clarifying.

[Zigzag]

:wave Just wanted to say hello, haven't owned a BMW for a few years and just purchased a 07 RT. Haven't got to ride much yet but looking forward to enjoying this bike for a long time!!

[leadfoot]

Great forum. Wealth of information. I too thought I was an Oilhead then realized there was a spot for Hexheads. Either way, I am proud to be a BMW owner...finally! It has opened new doors for me, and stepped up the enjoyment level with regards to riding. I look forward to learning from others, and as soon as I can get involved in my maintenance will be more than happy to share my experiences.:dance

[greggsnider]

Just bought an '07 R12RT. Loving it - and it's only been 3 days of commuting to work. Big change in comfort and enjoyment over my '96 Triumph Trophy. Looking forward to many miles/years/trips. G

[oldtom]

Friends!
I have a 2008 R1200R and would like to purchase a trailer hitch for my bike. I am unable to find one. Please advise if you know a dealer or a shop that makes one. I would like to pull a small camping trailer
Thanks

[porterjet]

I've been lurking here for a few months, signed up yesterday and ordered a new RT today. I am from California, at least I have a family and a mortgage there. My wife says I have a nice home, I don't know. I have been working in Saudi Arabia for almost 12 years and have been riding an American bike here for a few years. The only problem is it is European spec so I couldn't take it home whenever I go. The local BMW dealer is the only one that can (will) order a US spec vehicle so this morning I bit the bullet and ordered a new RT. It will take a few months to be delivered so here I sit during the prime riding season without a bike.:banghead

Anyway, looking forward to some good reading in the meantime.

[PAULBACH]

I've been lurking here for a few months, signed up yesterday and ordered a new RT today. I am from California, at least I have a family and a mortgage there. My wife says I have a nice home, I don't know. I have been working in Saudi Arabia for almost 12 years and have been riding an American bike here for a few years. The only problem is it is European spec so I couldn't take it home whenever I go. The local BMW dealer is the only one that can (will) order a US spec vehicle so this morning I bit the bullet and ordered a new RT. It will take a few months to be delivered so here I sit during the prime riding season without a bike.:banghead

Anyway, looking forward to some good reading in the meantime.

Congrats on the new RT - a great choice. There must be all manner of bikes to ride in Saudi before the hot season starts.

[porterjet]

Congrats on the new RT - a great choice. There must be all manner of bikes to ride in Saudi before the hot season starts.

I plan on visiting the Harley dealer and taking demo rides before they find out I've already bought something else! They are the only ones here that have demo bikes.

[HaroldRT09]

I concur with everyone else about the RT's. I recently purchased a 2009 R1200RT and have loved every 1,150 miles of it so far. Have only had it for a couple of weeks and haven't had time to ride very much, but I'm planning a trip across country in late July (about 2,980 miles). Work keeps me busy as cop, but I'm on awesome bike every chance I get. Riding to the grocery store, or riding from the beach to the mountains doesn't make any difference...it's never enough miles...I have been looking for the longest routes anywhere. Awesome machine.

[wezul]

You're not coming to the National Rally In Johnson City (Gray) TN?!
That could be a great start to your cross country trip.
Join us. :dance

[WolfRun]

As a lifetime rider of Harley-Davidson products, I've made the switch to a new BMW R1200RT. I've always loved the BMW boxers, and have always wanted one. While I still love Harleys, I wanted something a little different this time around. I just picked up my new Saphire Black RT last Saturday, and only have 200 miles on it now. When I test rode it last week, I wasn't sold on the bike and almost walked away, but the great dealer here (Moon Motorsports) asked me to grab my gear from my car one more time while he made some easy ESA adjustments (I'm not used to all this newfangled stuff, I'm a V-Twin person!). I got back on the bike, and all I can say is WOW! This bike is fantastic! I went for a 50 mile ride this evening after work, and familiarized myself with the ESA and other features. Now, this thing fits me like a glove and is so smooth, yet it still has the character that I love so much about twins.

I'd post a photo, but you all know what they look like, so I won't take up any more server space!

I love this bike, and I feel like I've now come full-circle with my dream of owning another classic brand of motorcycle!

Looking forward to the forum, it's a change from my old HD Forums, but a welcome one, at that!

Take care all!

Kurt

[WolfRun]

I just read the post on another section of the forum about Harley's financial woes, and now I'm feeling bad about purchasing another brand! Damn, Harley's are terrific bikes and run forever, they just need to do something to attract the younger crowd, and also make their new bikes more complete so you don't have to keep buying so many accessories (HD = Hundred Dollars) just to make it look complete. This is one of the reasons I made the switch to the Beemer, I was tired of spending an additional $6-10K just to make the bike my own. They need to put better pegs, handgrips, shift linkage, etc. on the bikes from the get-go. I feel like my new Beemer is ready to roll without any mods, save for adding panier liners and perhaps a GPS unit. I'm not sure about an aftermarket exhaust, do you have to dyno these bikes every time you change the pipes ala HD?

Let's all hope for the best for Harley. They're an iconic brand and build a terrific product, they don't leak oil like they used to, and they just keep on running!

Perhaps I need to run back to my local HD dealer and buy a second bike... Hmmmmmm.:usa

[papasong]

Greetings, All!

I'm the proud owner of a new 2009 R1200R, Midnight Black.
I'm coming from an F800ST, which I thought was a great bike, and will miss dearly.
But I wanted more - more power, boxer twin, shaft drive, telelever/paralever suspension, etc.

Looking forward to learning about the R1200R from you all.

Best,
Jeff

[paulroglich]

Welcome from Stoney Creek Ontario, Canada

[rajackson]

What a trip... I sold my beloved ZRX so that my wife and I could do some traveling in more comfort. A friend owned an LT and raved about it, so off to the dealer we went. Looked at the new 09 RT and decided it was a little too expensive for us at the time. The dealer showed us a 04 LT for a very reasonable price (should have known better). We scooped it up in anticipation of a great riding season and off we went.

After about two months of riding and complaining about a number of driveability issues the dealer reluctantly agreed to take it in for service. A month and a half later we start demanding our money returned... they didn't like this idea and swore up and down that they would fix the LT or find us a replacement. Due to the "aggressive pricing" of the LT originally they were completely unable to find us another one in the same price range. Calls and letters to BMW group Canada, threats of legal action, and daily phone calls finally convinced them to offer us a used RT at what they called "cost". We came to an agreement on the RT and they gave up trying to fix the LT and sold it to a wholesaler at auction.

So here we are and in some ways happier, not for the experience but for the final outcome.