Buying a 1150 RT

[38564]

Buying a 1150RT! Which is the best year for quality?

[bugley]

Buying a 1150RT! Which is the best year for quality?

2000 R 1 1 0 0 R T - smoother than a 1150, no servo assist linked brakes, and quite a good value for the money. :)

[SNC1923]

Buying a 1150RT! Which is the best year for quality?

2004.

[dano]

I didn't think there was a best year for quality for an RT............ :dunno

Maybe by the time 2015 rolls around, BMW will have all the kinks worked out of them. :wave

[CJM]

I don't have a clue which is best. I looked for 8 years at these bikes and each year they improved...i.e., 6-speed, dual-plug heads etc.
I happen to LIKE the servo-assist, linked brake system! I'm old enough to remember magazines testing brake performance with 1st the front, then the rear then both and both always did better. I also will never believe that I can control the brakes front/rear and keep them properly balanced better than a computer. With the servo-assist you can ride forever in the mountains without the fatigue of a manual system. I've done 600 miles from Greenville SC up hwy 28 to Deales Gap, back 28 to the Parkway, down that to Cherokee, across hwy 8 back to Greenville in about 12 hours total time with 60 min for food/gas etc. When I got off the bike at the house I was amazed to not be walking-dead.

I also am highly in favor of abs. In the begining the car mags and then the bike mags all tested them verses non-abs and after lots of stops they would get ONE stop without abs that was better than abs so they concluded abs was inferior! Don't believe that either.

If youlook you can find 04's for around $11,000.00 with very low miles.

Good luck.

MTBATP

[Bfish]

go for an '04. i'm partial to mine and love it. everyone is correct about the wear-in. it seemingly runs better each week.

[BobFV1]

2004 - dual plugs!

[RTdavey]

Chris -
I think MIKETHEBIKE speaks much truth............
I have an '04 and all said and done, my opinion is it's the last year so far the RT looks like an RT.
Function wise, I like everything. I cd've bought really any bike at the time and was looking hard at an '04 GT.
But when I considered the "I can work on it factor", I gave the nod to the RT.
Stay with the '04 and ride the *##%$@*& out of it. Don't worry, it can handle it.

[MarkF]

Me thinks those '04 RTs are gonna be more on the used market than they were at the dealer in Dec. The beauty of the Art Deco RT design, the dual spark heads and the upgraded servos assisted brakes. I really wish I got one and still might. The new RT might do everything better but the R1150RT is already a classic BMW design, like the R100RS.