New to be owner of 04 r1150rt

[stpete]

Hi,
I'm in the process of getting used 2004 r1150rt. In the past I had one 1974 bmw bike that I liked a lot. What can you tell me about the 04 model, how is it, how does it handle, is it expensive to maintain etc.
Thanks for the info.
Pete.

[Kenn45]

I have put about 16K on my '04, which puts it at 22K total. It has been no more expensive to maintain than my '96 Roadster. It is not as gutsy as the '96 and not quite as responsive in handling. The handling is probably partially due to the tires. I run Z6s on the '96 and ME880s on the RT. On the other hand, the extra protection is great. All in all it is an awsome bike, you will love it. Enjoy.

[OrchardRT]

We have two '04 26k and 38k and there has never been an unusual problem, but we stay on top of the maintenance curve. We are generally ore on two long trips each year and luky to never get stranded. We couldn't even run it out of gas at 248 mi on a tank. We run ME880 and there has been slight cupping on the tires running at 40psi front and back. I plan to go to 41-42 psi.

We like the bikes and they are not for sale.

Enjoy the ride. . '. .

[flashman51]

This is my first Beemer. I have only owned sport bikes. This bike is great!! I average 50-52mph on the highway @70-75mph Which is around 300 miles a tank. True it could use a little more power and less weight. But with Ohlins front and rear, it handles almost as well as some of my other bikes with about half the weight.
Buy the bike today!

[SNC1923]

I put 40k on an '04RT. It's a great bike; you'll love it.

The front end is heavy--that takes a bit of getting used to. Maintenance is easy. You'll need practice stripping all the tupperware. I don't know what else to tell you. Ride, ride, ride. You will enjoy this bike.

[Motor31]

You should enjoy the bike. Maintenance IS more expensive due to the brake system. The manuals refer you to the dealer with special equipment for the recomended bleeding of the system. Fortunately the time / distance interval has been lengthened between bleedings, of the brake, not your wallet.
:nyah

[kioolt]

I've got nearly 70 k on my 04 RT. I find that it doesn't cost me any more to maintain it than my 82RT or my 91 LT. I do all of the maintainence myself. If you are going to take it to a dealer to get the work done get prepared to spend $300 to $400 to get a routine service done. I have only had one major part fail on me and that only cost me about $60. I will have to say that I consider the maintainence harder on the 04 than on the 82. I could change any of the control cables on the side of the road on the 82 with only the tools in the tool kit in probably 15 minutes. It took me several hours to change the throttle cables on the 04 in the garage with real mechanic tools.

[r11rs94]

Welcome to the club. Its all pretty much been said. Good gas mileage and range, good wind protection. Once the tupper ware is removed, not to bad to work on.
Good luck with the bike. :thumb

[2BikeMike]

You should enjoy the bike. Maintenance IS more expensive due to the brake system. The manuals refer you to the dealer with special equipment for the recomended bleeding of the system. Fortunately the time / distance interval has been lengthened between bleedings, of the brake, not your wallet.
:nyah

Lengthened? When? Where? Why wasn't I informed? Seriously Motor, what's the lowdown? :dunno

[ChrisF]

Pete,

I went from a 1973 LWB R75/5 to a 2004 R1150RT.

The handling of the new bike is better at any speed except a crawl. It's heavier and has a higher center of gravity, and it's prone to tipovers if you attempt to make a tight turn. You will get used to it, but you may need to replace a mirror during the learning curve.;)

The seat is taller, which can be an issue if your inseam is less than 30". That's why you see questions on lowering kits. Thick-soled boots helped me.

The biggest improvement by far is the brakes. Soon after I bought the RT, a car pulled out in front of me at an intersection. There's no way I could have stopped the /5 in time. With the RT I stopped with a lot of space between me and the driver's door.

For me, the cost of dealer tune-ups for the RT has been reasonable, but I think a lot of that has to do with the individual dealer. The /5 was less expensive because I did the work myself.

Overall, the RT is much better than the /5 for its intended purpose, sport touring. Due to its higher weight, it's not as good as the /5 for riding around town.

[nrhodes1971]

Hey Guy:

The 04 is supposed to have the 2 plugs/cyclinder and a smoother ride, but I've got an 02 and I'm loving it! I just it get back from the shop for the 36k maintenance and this was is considered a major milestone because they replace the timing belt. I had that done, new plugs, fluids, filters, re-sync the carbs and adjust the valves, plus one or two little things that I wanted checked out and the bill was $556. Watch you oil level and stay on top of the maintenance and you should get years out of your '04 RT and congrats on the "find"--not to many people will let go of them.. Good luck and welcome aboard!

-- rock

[AnMar]

We have two '04 26k and 38k and there has never been an unusual problem, but we stay on top of the maintenance curve. We are generally ore on two long trips each year and luky to never get stranded. We couldn't even run it out of gas at 248 mi on a tank. We run ME880 and there has been slight cupping on the tires running at 40psi front and back. I plan to go to 41-42 psi.

We like the bikes and they are not for sale.

Enjoy the ride. . '. .

just saw your post, noticed that your running me880. where are you purchasing the me880 and do you know of any difference between the 160/70VB17 and the 170/60VR17 beside size.

[jyambrovich]

just saw your post, noticed that your running me880. where are you purchasing the me880 and do you know of any difference between the 160/70VB17 and the 170/60VR17 beside size.

It appears to me that the difference is in the tire construction. The ...B17 is a Bias-ply tire and the ...R17 is a Radial ply tire. I believe that on the BMW you want a radial ply tire, not a bias ply tire. I'm guessing here, I don't know for a fact. Check the Metzeler website / tire fitment guide to be sure.
http://www.us.metzelermoto.com/media/metzeler_full_07_lo.pdf

[wozerd]

Hi,
I'm in the process of getting used 2004 r1150rt. In the past I had one 1974 bmw bike that I liked a lot. What can you tell me about the 04 model, how is it, how does it handle, is it expensive to maintain etc.
Thanks for the info.
Pete.

I just got mine mid December and love it. Climbed off an RC51 and a 84 R100RT. It was the 1984 that convinced me BMW Rt's are what I want. (I rode that thing 2200 miles in 5 days-- 642 miles in one 10 hour stretch making only two stops for lunch and gas and dinner and gas. Got home, unloaded the bike, grabbed a coke and watched TV). That was my second RC51, preceded by a 02 SuperHawk and my "touring bike" a Suzuki RF900R. I have owned nothing but sport bikes since 1973 with low bars. If it didn't come with em-- I put them on. 78 Guzzi LeMans, FZ600R, Yamaha 550 Vision, RD350.
This new (to me) RT is a blast. No, can't stay with my buddy on his Hayabusa. No, can't touch a knee down. Really weird getting used to a more upright position, getting used to steering with the bars more than my body, getting used to brakes that aren't quite up to the RC51 level but way better than that 1984 R100RT model.
One complaint I have is BMW should use plated fasteners, and what ever the Japanese use on their engine/trans cases. The rusted bolts, corrosion stained and coarse castings are unacceptable on a bike that cost this much. Modernize your casting process dang it!
I doubt I'll be complaining about the seat, the "heavy steering" the "high CG", or "tall" seat. After riding an RC51 this thing is, like my GF say's "a Cadillac (I corrected her and told her BMW 745i). I think the seat is like heaven, steers effortlessly, I can make a full lock U turn without any problem and- - No sport bike is leaving me behind til we get to the straights.
I am getting the chicken strips worn down to less than 1/2" on the rear and a little more than that on the front. I worry -- should I get knee pucks for the side cases??
I have already put more than 700 miles on it in the short time I have owned it.
This may be my last bike. I won't be sorry I bought it.
Heated grips rock!!

[bikerfish1100]

Hey Guy:

The 04 is supposed to have the 2 plugs/cyclinder and a smoother ride, but I've got an 02 and I'm loving it! I just it get back from the shop for the 36k maintenance and this was is considered a major milestone because they replace the timing belt. I had that done, new plugs, fluids, filters, re-sync the carbs and adjust the valves, plus one or two little things that I wanted checked out and the bill was $556. Watch you oil level and stay on top of the maintenance and you should get years out of your '04 RT and congrats on the "find"--not to many people will let go of them.. Good luck and welcome aboard!

-- rock

for about $100 in tools, a $40 manual, and maybe $100 in parts, you could have easily done all that yourself. there is virtually NOTHING (in terms of maintenance) that a decent home mechanic can not acomplish. the sense of self-satisfaction is a big plus, as is the feeling of "i can deal with this bike myself, i am not helpless or overwhelmed by it!". the saving of several hundred dollars each year is not bad either- hell, that's another set of tires! :dance
I've come to the conclusion recently that the only currency that really matters is "how many tires can i buy with that?".

back to the OP- you will find that the brakes, motor, electrics and overall handling of the new RT are leaps and bounds beyond your /6. as another said- in slow speed handling (or dirt roads) the /6 would be better, and maintenance was a bit easier on the /6 as well.
enjoy!

[OfficerImpersonator]

This is my first Beemer. I have only owned sport bikes. This bike is great!! I average 50-52mph on the highway @70-75mph Which is around 300 miles a tank. True it could use a little more power and less weight. But with Ohlins front and rear, it handles almost as well as some of my other bikes with about half the weight.
Buy the bike today!

I love my '02 RT-P, but I sure as heck ain't gettin' 50 mpg on mine. I'm averaging 33 mpg (averaged over a year of keeping track at the gas pump).

I'm riding almost exclusively in commute-time traffic, and with my crash bars and lights I'm certainly not as svelte in the wind tunnel as a stock RT, but don't be surprised/disappointed when you don't get 50 mpg on your bike.

In this particular instance, YMMV - literally!

[bikerfish1100]

I love my '02 RT-P, but I sure as heck ain't gettin' 50 mpg on mine. I'm averaging 33 mpg (averaged over a year of keeping track at the gas pump).

I'm riding almost exclusively in commute-time traffic, and with my crash bars and lights I'm certainly not as svelte in the wind tunnel as a stock RT, but don't be surprised/disappointed when you don't get 50 mpg on your bike.

In this particular instance, YMMV - literally!

something doesn't sound right in that. even doing all in-town riding, i can barely force my R11S, piped and chipped, to drop below 40 mpg. sheet, even flogging on a track day i'll still get close to 40, and the S is not nearly as fuel conservative as an RT. something is wrong beyond just commuting. you need to take it out and get some real world mileage estimates. if all you ever manage is in the 30's, it's time to do some 'vestigating.
my buddies 1150RT is also in the consistent 50+ range, and has even babied it into the 60s, giving a single tank high mile range of over 400.

[OfficerImpersonator]

something doesn't sound right in that. even doing all in-town riding, i can barely force my R11S, piped and chipped, to drop below 40 mpg. sheet, even flogging on a track day i'll still get close to 40, and the S is not nearly as fuel conservative as an RT. something is wrong beyond just commuting. you need to take it out and get some real world mileage estimates. if all you ever manage is in the 30's, it's time to do some 'vestigating.
my buddies 1150RT is also in the consistent 50+ range, and has even babied it into the 60s, giving a single tank high mile range of over 400.

She's about ready for a Level 1 - I'll mention my mileage to her wrench when she goes in later this month. I'd love to get more than 205 miles out of a tank of gas!

Having said that, we're talking about a 20 miles each way commute, the first three miles on surface streets - stop and go at stop signs and traffic lights, and then the next 15 miles on an always clogged I-5, with speeds rarely exceeding 40 mph except in a few choice places.

You know your commute sucks when you write your legislators asking them to up the HOV lane requirements from 2 persons per vehicle to 3 persons per vehicle, as the HOV lane is just as slow as the general purpose lanes - and is in fact slower than the general purpose lanes in several stretches!