{"id":33124,"date":"2014-08-01T10:54:18","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T14:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/?p=33124"},"modified":"2020-04-07T12:36:11","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T16:36:11","slug":"r1200rt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/2014\/08\/r1200rt\/","title":{"rendered":"Touring Precision"},"content":{"rendered":"
Through sleet or snow, rain or shine, the RT\u2019s weather protection sets this bike apart from the crowd<\/p>\n
My first real experience with the BMW R1200RT was during a tour of Tuscany in 2010, hosted by Edelweiss Tours. The bike had been upgraded with BMW\u2019s more powerful eight-valve boxer engine that year, but I had chosen it for its wind protection, and since I was travelling with my girlfriend, for its luggage capacity. What I also got in the package, quite unexpectedly, was a machine that handled like a sportbike. And the RT\u2019s weather protection proved better than any larger luxury-touring bike I\u2019d ridden. Even the K1300GTL, BMW\u2019s flagship touring motorcycle, doesn\u2019t match the RT\u2019s wind-breaking capability. I recently renewed my relationship with the R1200RT at the press launch of the latest generation, held in the spectacular red rock canyons surrounding Sedona, Arizona.<\/p>\n
BMW\u2019s big adventure-touring bike, the R1200GS, got a complete overhaul last year, receiving an all-new frame, and it was the first bike to use the firm\u2019s latest liquid-cooled boxer engine. Wait, did I confuse you? Why am I discussing BMW\u2019s adventure-tourer when this review should be about the RT? Because once the two machines are stripped of their bodywork (which is all-new on the RT), it would be difficult to distinguish the new RT from the new GS. They share the same engine and frame, and look almost identical beneath their bodywork. But from the saddle they are unique machines, entirely different from one another.<\/p>\n
<\/a>We stayed at the Enchantment Resort, nestled within the crimson cliff walls of Boynton Canyon, and located just a few miles north of Sedona. The clear morning sky belied the actual weather forecast, which called for snow later in the day. It was a cool morning, in the high single-digits Celsius, so after adjusting the seat to its higher of two positions for more legroom (seats 25 mm higher or 25 mm lower are available as no-cost options), the next thing I did was to turn on the RT\u2019s standard heated grips. In an oversight on my part, I\u2019d forgotten to pack warm gloves and would have to make do with summer gloves on this ride, which was shortened to about 240 km from the original 320 km due to the forecast snow. This was unfortunate, because the omitted section of our route would have taken us to the Lomaki ruins at Wupatki National Monument. Perhaps that\u2019s a future road-trip location to add to my list.<\/p>\n Much like Harley\u2019s Project Rushmore big twins, BMW\u2019s latest boxer twin applies liquid cooling only to the heads, the remaining heat being dissipated by air passing over finned cylinders. The engine is easily identifiable by the vertical configuration of its intake and exhaust, which improves airflow into the cylinders and also improves legroom, as the throttle bodies are no longer located ahead of your shins. The new engine produces 125 horsepower, which is 15 hp more than in the previous RT, which was still built around BMW\u2019s previous-generation, air\/oil-cooled boxer. But BMW didn\u2019t just graft the new R1200GS engine into the RT. The engine has been slightly altered with a torque-enhancing, heavier flywheel (0.9 kg heavier), and it gets a more powerful, 540-watt alternator, an increase of 30 watts, which also adds some flywheel mass. These changes have also been incorporated into the 2014 R1200GS Adventure, while the standard GS gets a lighter crank and smaller alternator.<\/p>\n BMW purists might lament the passage of the separate gearbox and single-plate dry clutch, since the latest engine incorporates the transmission into the crankcase and uses a multi-plate wet clutch, now located behind the front engine cover. This makes it more difficult to service the transmission, though clutch access is much easier. The new engine is more compact overall, which has allowed engineers to make the bike narrower between the legs. They also made the seat 30 mm longer overall and dropped seat height by 20 mm.<\/p>\n