When I bought this bike, it had 80,700 miles on it. It was my first BMW, and first fuel injected bike.
Test Ride: The first thing I noticed test riding this bike, is that it handled really well. The suspension was tight, cornering was easy, I could pull a 180 on a country road without practice. It didn't have the raw acceleration of the Venture, but it was plenty adequate. It was comfortable to sit on. I had new bike fever. I bought it!
Anyway, now that I have 14,000 miles on it, here are some things I've noticed.
Performance:
This bike corners better than any of the other 4 bikes I've owned. Of course, that includes 3 cruisers and a full dress tourer, and the RTP is essentially a sport tourer. But the suspension is special, with almost no dive on braking, solid feeling in the corners, and not much effort required to initiate a turn. It leans more than the Venture for the same radius turn, but it takes less push on the handlebar to get it to come around.
As for raw acceleration, well, the Venture would beat it, with the 1300cc liquid cooled VMax engine. In spite of the extra 100 lbs the Venture weighed. But the RTP has plenty of oomph for anything I do - I can get from 40-100 mph in the time it takes to pass a line of 4 cars. So that's all I really ask.
The anti-lock brakes probably work - I've never locked a wheel. I like that the hand brake is front and rear linked, and the foot brake is rear wheel only - that gives me the option of using the rear brake in turns if I come in a little hot.
The engine runs a little rough, especially below 4000 rpm. I think it's the fuel injection - hunting for it's set point continually. It will stall at idle when I start it after it's been sitting but is still warm - I need to let it idle with a little throttle. It was a little disconcerting at first, but I got used to it. The fuel injection is nice in that it is less maintenance, and it works even with the bike lying on its side (Don't ask how I know this).
Gas mileage for me is 40 to 45 mpg. With the 6.5 gallon tank, that's at least 250 miles per tank. I've never run out of gas, and never tried to get more than 250 miles out of a tank. 250 miles and I'm ready for a break, anyway.
Comfort, Convenience, and Features:
Ok, the turn signals. Left thumb for left, right thumb for right, that's different, but makes sense. Right thumb up to cancel, that's an unnatural movement for me, and just seems wrong. No flasher on this bike - I think I lost it when I lost all the police lights, but I can make an artificial flasher by holding both left and right signals down at the same time.
Clutch and brake levers are reasonable. Throttle cable is a little touchy compared to the other bikes I've owned. I use the Throttlemeister for long trips and occasionally to make the throttle a little less sensitive. It's not a big deal, just different.
The shifting - this bike is a clunky shifter. It wants to be quick shifted, and has a tendency to clash gears if you shift slowly when the bike isn't accelerating rapidly. I've heard this is due to BMW using standard gears instead of helical gears. It's a little embarassing if you're trying to be ultra smooth with a passneger and the gears grind when you shift. And if I'm not real assertive when I shift, it will sometimes hang out in neutral. This is something I do find annoying about this bike.
Saddle is comfortable. I've been told the passenger seat is comfy, but it vibrates a lot, especially at higher RPM. BTW, some people really like this... :)
Cases - I have two side cases, and the BMW system attaches solidly to the bike and is pretty logical. My only gripe is that if you have the case open, take the key out, and then try and close it, it's really easy to bend the lock tab, which is a major inconvenience, and must be fixed / bent back to shape before the case is usable again. My top case is a Givi, which has more room and a nice backrest for the passenger.
You can load up this bike pretty well. Here it is loaded up with enough stuff for a 10 day trip:
15 comments:
The BMW R1100RT 2000-P began as a similar unit Gilbert, AZ PD traffic, and was decommissioned last year. I bought the bike directly from the city auction and spent the last year doing all the difficult things to do this cycle again a runner calendar.
I hope you enjoy your rtp - props for doing the work to get it up and running! Parts are expensive for these bikes.
Have a 2000 RT and love it. Also used to have R1100R. Regretted selling that bike 5 minutes after it pulled out of my driveway.
Did your RTP have the rear seat or did you find a bracket or kit? I would like to put a rear seat on my 2000 RTO
Matt - my RTP came with the rear seat. The dealer (Moon Motorsports in Monticello, MN) put it on. You could contact them, see what is needed.
Good luck!
I have a 1999 R1100RT. It came with stock saddle bags, which is a great system, & a small rack over the rear tire. I have purchased an after market trunk. It is a DB series, large with LED lights. My problem is that the platform on the RT I need to mount it to, has a raised area on the back & the trunk will not fit flat on it. Any suggested solutions?
I have a 1999 R1100RT. It has original saddle bags & a platform for tie downs over the rear fender. I have purchased an after market trunk, a DB Series, large with LED lights, nice trunk. Problem is that the rear platform I must mount it to has a raised bar across the back so the trunk will not sit flat. Any suggested solutions?
Diego - I have the Givi aftermarket bag, and I needed to use their rear platform - replacing the BMW rear rear platform. maybe DB sells a platform?
Becky,
Regarding the odd movement required to cancel the turn signals, there is a solution - it's called the Signal Minder and you can get information and order it here:
https://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=4
The Signal Minder will cancel your turn signals after either 8, 30 or 45 seconds, depending on your selection and it will allow you to cancel the signal yourself by using the same button you used to start the signal.
I recently thought I had a problem with mine and I sent it back to the factory for troubleshooting. Even though I'm not the original owner and it's WAY out of warranty they gave me a complete new circuit board with the latest firmware for only $38. While the Signal Minder was out for repair I rode the RT over 1000 miles without it and believe me, it's well worth the approximately $100 they want for a new one.
I love mine, exceptI do not like having to pull the whole tupperware off to replace the battery, and Beemers & More in Ft. collins connected on accessory plg but cut or disconnected the other two, which I wanted for later use. I'm thinking of putting my 2000 Velorex sidecare on it from the 1977 75/7.
Mine came from the Sacramento Dept., bags off the BMW sportssite.
Michael aka Swordofwords
As I'm 5' 3" I do enjoy how the machine sits.
More as time and your interest allows.
Sword (I also teach fencin)
The R1100RT doesn't have linked brakes. Those came later on the R1150RT.
Hello,
I've heard such good things about the BMW R1100RT-P. I am curious if I could touch the ground from this bike? I'm 5'4". Thanks so much!
I hope you can. The seat is adjustable, and with the seat in it's mid position I can flat foot it. But I'm very tall - almost 6'. Then again, Swordfords says he can ride it and he's 5'3". Good luck!
Hi VBecky. I'm Alex from Germany. I got the 1100RT 3 years ago and I have been already at some places in Europe and North Africa. It's a great bike. But I'd like to know where you got these great crash bars for the engine and the side cases. I have tried to find them here in Europe, but nobody has these parts.
Could it be possible for you to ask your dealer, where to get them in the US? A contact in the US would be fine too. Please send a short mail "huaidan01@hotmail.com". I'm thanksful for any help I can get. have a nice time with this bike.
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