Great review and spot on review on the R1150RT. Bought my first BMW bike in January and it's an '04 R1150RT and will definitely keep this one for a while. Very comfortable ride and it performs well at speed and in the twistys even on two up riding. I have 80k clicks on the clock and as long as it keeps turning over I'll keep riding!!
Great video! Have been considering a BMW and after watching this video I am convinced! Can't wait to watch the one with the 1200RT. Have a great weekend!
For a bike that age front window super clear. Nice review....I'm on my 3rd 2004 1150RT. 2nd one needed a clutch and output shaft....to expensive so I sold it bought another.....fun bike. They are NOT super fast....that good for old guy like me
Great bike but I can see there are issues that can cost more than the bikes value to fix, glad you got a good one to ride!!! Thanks for checking out the video
thx for the great review and a trip down memory lane on the mt hamilton road. I used to live in livermore in the early 90's and me and my honda hawk were on that road as often as we could. Such a great ride!
ah the road is the same now as it was then, the junction has changed hands a cupel of times attempting to make it in to more of a hangout, but still the same road, lots of fun! Thanks for checking out the video
I've heard many folks say when looking at the RT's: "buy the most your budget will allow" and for the moment our budget is at the low end of the spectrum... I'm just having a hard time pulling the trigger on a 1150RT or first gen 1200RT due to the age and the real possibility of buying within a desperately modest budget and the bike turning quickly into a money pit. At any rate, you've put together another excellent video :D
The money pit part is the brakes, on the 1150 and gen one 1200RT. Many people get hundreds of thousands of miles on them. So if it has good breaks they are likely to stay that way for a long time, if the brakes are finicky or not quite right the repair can cost more than the bike is worth. If you find one that has been well taken care of they are fantastic bikes, at a great price
I bought an ‘04 1150RT for $900 with a hole in a exhaust valve. A new exhaust valve is $200 so I opted to install used heads (long story) $189 on eBay both heads. I then carbon cleaned the heads and pistons (my estimated cause of the bad valve), lapped the valves. All with basic hand tools. The rubber brake lines and fluid were worn so I installed stainless lines and did the abs procedure found on RU-vid by the BMW guy. Very few repairs on this are too difficult if you have a set of torx and Allen sockets and a torque wrench. Easy bikes to work on! But you do need to be comfortable getting your hands dirty unless you want to spend big money getting repairs done at a shop.
@@TRCAdventures It’s my first motorcycle project, I’m a BMW mechanic by trade so this is all new for me! Next up is replacing a rusted starter, tires and final drive/transmission fluid and it should be okay until the clutch decides to fail.
Thank you for this terrific “endorsement” of my saddle of choice. I own two of these and cannot wait to watch your 1200 review. I might as well decide to trade one up? We shall see.
One thing I’ve heard from some technicians is that these 1150 engines suffer worn transmission input shaft teeth if you tend to ride in lower rpm range. It’s an engineering fault and shouldn’t happen, but these drivetrains wear better if you rev out each gear a thousand rpm or so higher than normal.
Enjoyed your video! The 1150 front brake does 100% for the front and i believe somewhere around 25%-ish rear modulation.. you can then use the foot brake to add more rear break if you wish to do so in a situation. Press down too much and you'll be "hopping" on some janky but effective abs-braking xD ... Rear brake pedal press is only linked to brake the rear as far as i know, it doesn't affect the front on my twin spark
Thanks, in the older models it's interesting to play with how the brakes are acting and can feel where the system is stepping in, on the newer models it's a lot harder to tell when the system steps in.
@@TRCAdventures i'm glad to hear that! Gives me hope for the day i''m ever trading in my trusty RT for one of it's younger siblings! Ride safe brother!
The old bike had servo controlled brakes or what are called Wizzy brakes. The servo cuts in rather harshly at low speeds. Also true on the early 1200 models. The servo system is rather harsh and sudden in operation. You can really hear the servo motor running when the brakes are operated. Later model 1200s, like the 2009 model have a different system and that system has no servo motor running and has a standard brake feel. Even when ABS kicks in, it is difficult to even notice it in operation. The later braking systems are top notch and more reliable. The Wizzy brakes are a notorious maintenance problem if you don’t flush-out the servo reservoir every year, an expensive repair job to replace a failing system.
@@mybikegarage1040 yesss, maintenance is key! And compared to other bikes the servo is Indeed "harsh" imo,, but i can control 0-100 % with just a finger-tip,, once used to it,, i don't want anything different
Actually rear brake also effects front brake. You can check it, free the front brake pads with a screwdriver, start the engine and press the rear brake, you'll see the front pads will move...
I find your statements comparing power between the two bikes to be off. The 1200 motor is a complete redesign, lighter flywheel allows it to rev higher, lighter internal parts improve efficiency, allow it to rev quicker, higher and better gas flow through the engine allow it to make 15 more HP. I do believe the 1150 is smoother because it has that heavier flywheel. You do need to rev and slip the clutch more on the 1200 to get going from a stop. Add to that that the bike is 25 lbs lighter than the 1150 and the 1200 squirts away from the 1150 on acceleration runs.
The 1200 is definitely a more powerful bike, it also has more touque, It does build it a bit higher in the rev range, but it always feels more powerful even from a stop. Your statements seem to agree
The cases on that bike are much more form fitting than the newer bikes, maybe not as much space but they sure seem to fit more snug to the bike and don't seem to hang out as far.
The 1999 is a good choice, is doesn't have the issues with the ABS break pump. First this is clutch, they are a pain to do, and at that mileage it's likely close to or in need of a new clutch, if they did this than great! Look for oil leaks. Check for drive shaft slack, on the center stand with the motor off, put it in gear and rotate the rest wheel back and forth it should have a little movement but it should not rattle or have exsesive play, there should be a specification somewhere. Sould not have any warning lights Start it when cold preferably after it sat all night, no smoke from tail pipe. Most things are easy to fix on this bike, and I regularly see them with well over 100k miles. Best to stick with the 1999 or older or 2009 or newer!
@@TRCAdventures Thanks a lot for the tips, i will focus on these guidelines, hopefully i can get one soon, here in Mexico are around the $3k - $4K USD tops depending on the condition, i believe is a bargain, the style is great for me.
@@TRCAdventures Is the 2009 different from the bikes of 05-08? I thought they were the same and that the big change was 2010, when they upgraded engine etc. Would love to know because I'm looking at a 2009 next week. Thanks in advance.
@@scrumpymanjack ah yes a major update on the 09 is the breaks, they did away with the servo assist breaks that fail quite often and do not work if the bike stalls or is off. The new breaks are excellent, in 10. They changed the engine cam and I think exhaust valving for more RPM and a bit more power.
@@TRCAdventures that r1200rt is beautiful and looks like a low seat height too i am only 5-7 tall.. is that bike as good as it looks? by me just getting into bmw i definitely need expert advice on how to go about it. is that bike still available. thanks for your earlier response. oh i live in washington d.c. do these bikes handle stop and go including heat usage.
I have an 850 rt 2000 my first bmw i love it but its a bit heavy, I'm only 5, 6" i let the suspension down as much as it will go still a little tall, any suggestions ???
The best thing is to get used to sliding off to one side when you come to a stop, I ride some tall bikes and no way to touch with both feet. Learning to rely on one solid foot on the ground is best. The more you slide off the seat the more solid that foot is on the ground. Try this a few times in a parking lot first, and try swapping sides with a loose position in the seat! When you get the hang of this maneuver you will find it is much more secure than sitting centered on the bike. You may see that this is also the method more Police practice no matter how tall they are
When you talked about it accelerating out of lower rpm's you didn't say what gear you were in... I am curious to know how much you used the 6th gear E...?
I'm trying to remember the reference in the video but the power off idle is likely the reference. As far as 6th gear all the time of the freeway best cruising great and best fule economy!
The R1200RT started in 2005 and I would agree you do not want one of the early ones, they replaced the breaking system in 2009 the early ones had an electric hydraulic assist that doesn't work when the bike stalls or is not running, also the linked breaking system is much improved on 2009 and newer bikes. 2009 and newer bikes are much better!!
Guys if any one knows please a questions about the RT 850 2000 1st gen....does it have any big problems in general engine ? gear box ? a friend of my want to get one .he found one with 70000km 2500eyro
The 2000 was an 1100, if you go back a bit farther there is the rt80 ? The early bikes with hydraulic brake assistance have known issues with them, the fix can far out cost the price of the bike. Other than that they are quite reliable bikes. The best most common advice is buy the newest RT your budget can comfortably afford. They just keep getting better!
@@TRCAdventures thanks for the info ... actually in Europe BMW sold RT 850 since 1996 gen 1 with out brake servo assistant ,just like the normal bikes ,from 2001 they make the gen 2 850RT with servo assistant,yes I have heard about this problems , I was just curious if there is any issue with engine and gear box ... Thanks George
@@TRCAdventures yes is ok after I read your message I thought you are in USA straight away ....many models we have in Europe don't come to America.... thanks again best regards
@@TRCAdventures , I seriously thought about a R1100 as a second bike a couple years ago, and i found one close by with low miles. My Honda ST 1100 was getting some miles on it and i thought well its easier to replace it. But, after doing some research on the BMW , i decided not to buy one, and just bought a much lower mileage Honda . Seems like the 1100 had some issues in the maintenance / design area, that seemed excessively complicated. So, i am not all sure the 1200 is prone to expensive repairs, but i like the looks of it, and must say, the used prices are quite nice, especially with the features you get. I will admit, i am a little gun shy of German engineering, since i worked on some German products for about 25 years , and was not impressed the newer the products became. But i totally understand why these machines are popular, whether deserved or just perceived .
@@flexjay87 well you can never go wrong with the Honda! The BMW'S are overly complex and there are definitely years where there completely gets in the way of reason and reliability, there are other years that seem built proof and a great value. Honda has always been reliable and a great value. As for the RT a sweet spot seems to be 2010 to 2013 for reliability and value. I would include 2009 in that with an exception on there fuel strip gas Guage (easy fix but worth the mention) The older bikes breaks and electronic issues can cost more than the value of the bike to fix, newer RTs are two to three times the cost, so the value is, well what it is, just not a great deal! Loved my newer RT but knowing I could have two or three just a few years older......Humm.
Sorry I promised more than what was in the video, I ended up making three videos that would cover the two bikes,and quite a few more on the 09 then quite a few with the next gen on a 2014 hopefully they can fill in a bit where I missed out on this one.
I've spent 20 minutes expecting a comparison, per the description, between the two machines, enduring multiple ads and its only about one bike. the 1150RT. I can't find the other 'parts' so this is a mis-described review which wastes everyone's time.
Sorry about that, I did quite a few reviews and ride videos on these bikes. Here are the direct Links to the particular bike videos. 2009 R1200RT ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I1sXZHA2iHA.html 2002 R1150RT ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h-Bz5Uda7e4.html 2015 R1200RT ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-su8m4lUgx2A.html
