Wanted - Opinions on K12RS/GT

[MarkF]

I was re-reading a review of touring bikes in Rider. They gave the K12GT low marks. It made me think. Everyone I've met on the road or at rallies with a K12RS or GT said good things about touring on one. While all the mags and on-line reviews had few good things to say about the K12GT.

So I would like to hear from you folks who've been touring on the K12RS for years and those who've bought a K12GT in past couple of years. What do you think of the mileage and range, seating position and luggage capacity. I'm riding a R1100R with S-style fairing so the scalloped saddlebag and lack of a huge fairing is not a big deal to me.

This is your chance to brag about your bike and post some pics - go for it!

MarkF

[timrfo]

Originally posted by MarkF
I was re-reading a review of touring bikes in Rider. They gave the K12GT low marks. It made me think. Everyone I've met on the road or at rallies with a K12RS or GT said good things about touring on one. While all the mags and on-line reviews had few good things to say about the K12GT.

So I would like to hear from you folks who've been touring on the K12RS for years and those who've bought a K12GT in past couple of years. What do you think of the mileage and range, seating position and luggage capacity. I'm riding a R1100R with S-style fairing so the scalloped saddlebag and lack of a huge fairing is not a big deal to me.

This is your chance to brag about your bike and post some pics - go for it!

MarkF I bought a new1200gt o4 in July . Hauled it out to Yelowstone with my pickup and rode ! then rode down to Jackson hole.very nice! Fast smooth 45 to52 mpg what else do you need ?:bliss My wife rode with me some but for 2 up riding I'm thinking its not the best choice but other than that and the high price I think its great. :D

[SweetT]

I've read a lot of those magazine reviews that give the BMW low marks and its primarly for two reasons:
1. Relatively high price
2. It's not a sport bike

Usually when the K1200RS is put into a group comparison its with the Ducati ST4, Aprilia Futura, and Yamaha YZF1300. Which are more like sportbikes with saddlebags. Most of the guys who evaluate and write about the "sport-touring" bikes are "sport" riders and that's what thier frame of reference is.

However, the K1200 is more of a "Touring-sport" bike that can haul some serious ass!

Tarren Shaw

[chasman]

Mark, I traded a '96 R1100R and a '95 K1100LT for a 2002 K12RS on May 10, 2002. I ride/tour with the wife about 75% of the time. We just turned 48000 miles on the Mighty Black K two weeks ago. The bike continues to make me smile everytime I walk past it, let alone ride it!


Riding Like the Wind...

CHASMAN
Black '02 K12RS (the fastest color)

[jgr451]

Hi Mark I bought an 04 GT in August.I was a twin guy for 7 years before that and my next ride was going to be a 2000 or better R1150 RT.My pal has a red K RS,I rode it,and it stunned me.

The GT as delivered is more sport than I could manage so I just bought and installed Suburban Machinery barbacks.The position now is much more comfortable.Its carrying capacity seems limited , given the cutout in the left bag for the high pipe;but my only tour so far was a 500 mile weekend,so I can't really say how well it will tour with a passenger and/or lots of gear.My pal came from Michigan to BC by way of the Ra rally,2 up,with his and her camping gear.on his RS.Good packing and hard asses I guess.

Anyway-I love my GT and plan to ride it to Ohio next year.The power and smoothness are addictive.

[zemplar]

Last year I did some "high speed touring" (as I like to call it) on my 2000 K 1200 RS from Central Florida to Nova Scotia via Deal's Gap a few times; was gone about two weeks and logged ~5,900 miles. Couldn't imagine a better bike for the entire trip. Sure, a smaller and lighter bike would be more fun at The 'Gap, but hey, the rest of the trip would have been hell...especially in the adverse weather riding.

The bike overall? EXCELLENT!! And last week I even spent a day on the track at JenningGP (http://www.jenningsgp.com) putting the 'K through the paces.

Would a true sport bike have even endure the 3 1/2 hour ride, each way, to and from the race track?

Okay, so 650+ lbs. is a heavy bike to toss around a track all day. And it doesn't sound sexy at idle. But that really is about all the grips I have. What it does well, besides looking super cool, more than makes up for the few draw backs. Simply put, there is no perfect motorcycle for all occasions, but the K 1200 RS 'fits' me very well. It's extremely reliable, smooth, powerfull, and a force to reckoned with.

Attached photo isn't me. I just don't have any photos of my spark show last week. ;)

[StevieWonder]

I have an '04 1150RT and a '98 K1200RS. The RS is a lot more fun to drive simply because of the power level and smoothness of power, but as a 55 yr old-fart it would be tough to drive the K bike 500 miles per day on a long tour without making some ergonomic adjustments (bar backs, larger windscreen, etc).

In short the RT is more practical and lots of fun ... the K is less practical and TOO MUCH fun.

[eric2]

I've had a 98 k12rs for about 41/2
years. during that time I've put about
57k miles on it for a total of 93k.
Got no real complaints, problems
have been few, although the clutch
was soiled a couple times between
40 and 50k.
My range on the highway is usually
between 150-200 miles. 170 to the reserve light is average. I think its around
40 mpg Mine came with a corbiin seat, butt I seem to get along with the stock seat. Mine also
came with barbacks, prolly a good
idea on the 98-2001 models.
The peg to seat distance is a little
short for my taste, may effect
bad knees or long legs. Wind protection is not great on the earliier
k12 either. My 5'11' frame
puts my entire head in the wind.
Tiring at sustaine high speeds

Luggage capacity is a little lacking
for long or two-up trips. Tank bag
and a waterproof duffle bag can hold the rest of the solo riders gear. The k12 is ugly with a top
box in back IMO. I've ridden on and against a buds fjr and the kwhiner holds up pretty well. The k12 is
a bit of a clutz around town although the heat mgmt is excellent in traffic.

The biggest problem with the k12
is that is really starts going at 80.
80-120 happens too fast and is too easy to maintain.

Best,
Eric
Austin
r12gs
k12rs
k10rs

[Sails]

Mark - consider the sources.

I can't claim to have ridden any of the GT's competitors but I did trade my 1150GS because the GT meets my needs better. I live near you in Rye, NY and find myself on the highway more than I care to admit. The GT is a superb, stable long distance tourer that still makes the twisties fun, solo or 2-up. I've been very happy with it and appreciate its beefy weight and long wheelbase when surrounded by trucks, bridges, rain, etc. No complaints or wishes after 6k miles.

[DareDevilDrew]

Got my first K12 RS back in July. I have been riding almost 50 years and this is the best over-all bike I have ever owned and / or ridden ! With special emphasis on the "over-all" !! **** i had a 125 Hodaka Super Rat that was to much fun in the woods, but I don't think I would want to do more than a weekend on it. Then again I like a good challenge ! hmm I digress .

Like one of the other posters I had to have the Suburban Bar-backs to get some weight off my wore out wrist.

I did 4900 miles out to the Rockies and back the first part of Sept. I had plenty of room for all my gear, including camping gear, just using the standard size system cases. Averaged 700 miles a day with no problems except just a little knee soreness that I could walk out in just a few minutes at gas stops. btw the newer K12RS's have both a upper and lower position that one can change on the drivers foot-pegs.

Mine is a '04 RS and it came with Heated grips, cruise control, tail rack, mounting brackets for the system cases, and the 5 1/2 inch back wheel. I had to make a separate deal on the cases. Came with BS 020's that I got 9,500 miles out of, cord was showing, so I know I went way over. Got over a 1,000 miles on some Avon 45/46's that I like much better than I did the Bridgestones.

I realize after finding this site and the K12 RS/GT site I could have made a MUCH better deal than I did in July when I traded my '01 GS in on it.

A poster over on the K12 site reported getting a NEW '04 RS/GT, sry can't remember which one, for $13,000 !!

Make sure you ask about and insist on having the ECU checked and more than likely replaced. If the bike you buy was made before April '04 it will probably need the new ECU !! I would think you could get this done faster before you sign the dotted line or pay for the bike ? Although I was lucky and got mine changed in 2 weeks.

The only new concern I have is wondering why there are no NEW '05 K12 RS/GT's to be seen anywhere ? A nasty unsubstantiated rumor is starting that maybe BMW is discontinuing production of these models and just going with the new K12S's and R's. I will be greatly disappointed if this turns out to be true !!!!! :brow

[BouncinBob]

I live in the flat lands of Ohio, so slab to get to nice riding is required. My first K12RS went almost 80k, then it slammed into a few gaurd rail posts which tore it up pretty well.

I got another which now has 20k on the clock, so I'm close to 100k miles on a K12RS. It is the first bike I have ever owned where I was not lusting after some other bike. Yes, the FJR1300 interest me, but a few things keep me away so far.


Raise the pegs when you get to the mountains (to avoid levering the tire like the track picture above, I've done that on the road when too hot into a turn, prefer to avoid).

I've done BBGs (endless slab) and full days of track or tight twisties. Anybody that says it is for sweepers is dangerous. My though is that it is far too good in the sweepers and raising it to a level that makes it even a bit of challenge creates real high speeds. Yes, it is the most stable bike I have ever ridden in a sweeper, rock solid. stand it up and whack the throttle open, the more speed, the more stable.

The 02 and on have the most awesome braking system ever to go on a motorcycle. This I believe to be a good thing.

The only thing I'll say, it is a bit much in town doing errands. I started taking the woman's R1150R, but now she put that damned plate on it "GODSS", how the hell can I ride a bike with a godess plate on it?

[Mudbug]

I agree with MarkF - go for it.

I did and I'm glad. My 04 K-GT has the most accurate speedo of the three BMW's I've owned. It's only 2.5 mph optimistic. My other Beemers were 10% high as in indicated 90mph actual 81mph.

One other thing, the 04 K-GT has partial linked ABS brakes. The front lever will activate the front and rear brakes. The rear foot lever operates the rear brake only ( owner's manual says so ).

The proof is in the ride. It is the nicest ride I've experienced. It's easy to handle at slow speeds, smooth at any speed, and quick enough for me. It brings smiles to my face. :D

[timrfo]

I agree with MarkF - go for it.

I did and I'm glad. My 04 K-GT has the most accurate speedo of the three BMW's I've owned. It's only 2.5 mph optimistic. My other Beemers were 10% high as in indicated 90mph actual 81mph.

One other thing, the 04 K-GT has partial linked ABS brakes. The front lever will activate the front and rear brakes. The rear foot lever operates the rear brake only ( owner's manual says so ).

The proof is in the ride. It is the nicest ride I've experienced. It's easy to handle at slow speeds, smooth at any speed, and quick enough for me. It brings smiles to my face. :D
I bought a new 04 Gt in July yeeeeeeee haaaaaaa ! I took it out to Yellowstone and Jackson hole, no complaints except the price. I still kept my Kaw. Concours. :bliss Tim

[IndyGT]

I bought an '03 GT in February of last year, just before the end of the .9% interest and five free payments incentive program. What with the option of deferring my first payment 90 days, I didn't make my first payment until October, 2003.
It has a pretty accurate speedo. I had my cruise control set at an indicated 90 mph on U.S. 50 in Nevada when a sheriff's deputy clocked me on his radar gun at 91 mph. He was a motorcyclist and a nice guy and cut me a ton of slack. Fortunately, he didn't see me an hour earlier when I was running 135 mph.
The bike has 19,239 miles on the odometer as it sits in my garage tonight and I like it even more than when I first bought it.
Also, I solved the luggage capacity problem by buying the oversize saddlebags.
Here it is with the original bags at the summit of Cottonwood Pass in Colorado.

[StevieWonder]

If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the K1200GT vs the K1200RS. Love my RS, but I'm not into raw speed and the GT has enough improvement in creature comfort to make a siginificant difference if you plan on doing longer rides. You get nearly all of the RS performance and some of the RT comfort. The fairings and larger windscreen are particularly nice on less than perfect weather days. You can put the bags on the RS, but the GT seems to me like a better choice if you are going to do any touring. Either way, they are both AWESOME bikes despite whatever media pinheads might say.