Delray
Well-known member
Road trip planning ....
I live in South Florida and have been planning a month or two stay in my hometown of Rochester, New York. Since getting there is half the fun, I've explored several modes of transportation.
1. Tow my C 650 GT. I bought my Toyota Prius from an attorney who loved to race go carts. He had a Curtis hitch installed to tow them. Why not take advantage? Last week, I negotiated the purchase of a 2021 Stinger XL-112 fold-up motorcycle trailer. This sounded easy, interesting and reassuring. I'd drive for awhile and when I reached a destination, I'd be eager to hop on the bike and explore. And talk about safe travels. If one vehicle breaks down, I have another! But this plan had a fatal flaw. The thought of 40 to 50 hours behind the wheel of a car was too grim. That led me to ....
2. Ride the C 650 GT. Fun! Adventure! It's 1,500 miles each way. My '19 GT could easily handle that. I bought it in Charleston, South Carolina in May and rode it 555 miles home. The bike was a dream. But did I really want to pile on that many miles on my beloved, matte blue maxi-scooter? That led me to ....
3. Fly to New York and buy a bike there. This sounded perfect for awhile. Travel home in a few hours and have a brand new motorcycle waiting. I found interesting deals on a Honda Silver Wing, Burgman 650 and a BMW R 1200 RT. Unfortunately, Florida has a stupid "new to the state" surcharge, and with each of the bikes I looked at, the porridge was a little too hot or a little too cold (for non-American readers, that is a reference to a childhood story, "The Three Bears" ;o). That led me to ....
4. My new-to-me BMW R 1200 RT. It's a silver 2007 with 17,100 miles, which apparently is "low mileage" for a mile muncher like this. Got it for $5,450 from a private seller who lives one mile from my house. Easiest bike purchase I ever made. Picked it up yesterday, cleaned it for ten hours and went for a spin. My motorcycle shifting skills were VERY rusty but they came back fast. It's a beast of a bike. Since it's designed for touring (BMW category is "sport touring"), it has all the familiar C 650 GT features. I like the BMW side cases. It came with an ugly GIVI 56-liter top case that I removed to find a pretty BMW luggage rack underneath. I'll use a seat bag instead.
The RT has electronic screen, heated seat and grips, TPMS, ABS and traction, four power ports, adjustable seat heights, electronic suspension adjustments. This one had highway pegs added, which I will LOVE. Haven't been on an interstate yet but I have a feeling this will feel more solid than the C 650 GT. Weirdly, the GT weighs more than the RT, by 4 lbs!
I will update the maintenance in the next few weeks and get it ready for the road. It's oil and air-cooled so there's no coolant, and shaft-driven so no belt or chain. Maintenance appears easy and accessible based on my YouTube videos so far. The BMW Service and Repair DVD I bought includes the RT (and all BMW bikes). Plus, my Motoscan app will work with the RT.
Departure is planned for the second week in August. I hope to ride home in late September in crisp Fall temperatures. I will enjoy the power and handling of the R 1200 RT. It's nice to lean my knees into a bike again. Meanwhile, the GT will have a little nap in my son's garage. With the price I paid for the RT, along with updated maintenance and thorough cleaning, I should be able to recoup my money after my trip and enjoy a new bike for several thousand miles in the process. That's a win-win. I may keep it for awhile, but honestly, I'm not a fan of shifting. I like automatic.
P.S. how did I clean for ten hours? Look closely at the rear rim. See all that black crud? Every square inch of both wheels looked like that when I bought it. The bike was a mess but I could see the potential. And worth noting: in looking at a lot of R 1200 RT's in the last few days, it became routine to see odometers like 65,000 ... 76,000 ... even a 111,000. I know people say the GT can reach those numbers, and I believe it can, but that's pretty rare. With the RT and Boxer engines, that's just how they roll.
I live in South Florida and have been planning a month or two stay in my hometown of Rochester, New York. Since getting there is half the fun, I've explored several modes of transportation.
1. Tow my C 650 GT. I bought my Toyota Prius from an attorney who loved to race go carts. He had a Curtis hitch installed to tow them. Why not take advantage? Last week, I negotiated the purchase of a 2021 Stinger XL-112 fold-up motorcycle trailer. This sounded easy, interesting and reassuring. I'd drive for awhile and when I reached a destination, I'd be eager to hop on the bike and explore. And talk about safe travels. If one vehicle breaks down, I have another! But this plan had a fatal flaw. The thought of 40 to 50 hours behind the wheel of a car was too grim. That led me to ....
2. Ride the C 650 GT. Fun! Adventure! It's 1,500 miles each way. My '19 GT could easily handle that. I bought it in Charleston, South Carolina in May and rode it 555 miles home. The bike was a dream. But did I really want to pile on that many miles on my beloved, matte blue maxi-scooter? That led me to ....
3. Fly to New York and buy a bike there. This sounded perfect for awhile. Travel home in a few hours and have a brand new motorcycle waiting. I found interesting deals on a Honda Silver Wing, Burgman 650 and a BMW R 1200 RT. Unfortunately, Florida has a stupid "new to the state" surcharge, and with each of the bikes I looked at, the porridge was a little too hot or a little too cold (for non-American readers, that is a reference to a childhood story, "The Three Bears" ;o). That led me to ....
4. My new-to-me BMW R 1200 RT. It's a silver 2007 with 17,100 miles, which apparently is "low mileage" for a mile muncher like this. Got it for $5,450 from a private seller who lives one mile from my house. Easiest bike purchase I ever made. Picked it up yesterday, cleaned it for ten hours and went for a spin. My motorcycle shifting skills were VERY rusty but they came back fast. It's a beast of a bike. Since it's designed for touring (BMW category is "sport touring"), it has all the familiar C 650 GT features. I like the BMW side cases. It came with an ugly GIVI 56-liter top case that I removed to find a pretty BMW luggage rack underneath. I'll use a seat bag instead.
The RT has electronic screen, heated seat and grips, TPMS, ABS and traction, four power ports, adjustable seat heights, electronic suspension adjustments. This one had highway pegs added, which I will LOVE. Haven't been on an interstate yet but I have a feeling this will feel more solid than the C 650 GT. Weirdly, the GT weighs more than the RT, by 4 lbs!
I will update the maintenance in the next few weeks and get it ready for the road. It's oil and air-cooled so there's no coolant, and shaft-driven so no belt or chain. Maintenance appears easy and accessible based on my YouTube videos so far. The BMW Service and Repair DVD I bought includes the RT (and all BMW bikes). Plus, my Motoscan app will work with the RT.
Departure is planned for the second week in August. I hope to ride home in late September in crisp Fall temperatures. I will enjoy the power and handling of the R 1200 RT. It's nice to lean my knees into a bike again. Meanwhile, the GT will have a little nap in my son's garage. With the price I paid for the RT, along with updated maintenance and thorough cleaning, I should be able to recoup my money after my trip and enjoy a new bike for several thousand miles in the process. That's a win-win. I may keep it for awhile, but honestly, I'm not a fan of shifting. I like automatic.
P.S. how did I clean for ten hours? Look closely at the rear rim. See all that black crud? Every square inch of both wheels looked like that when I bought it. The bike was a mess but I could see the potential. And worth noting: in looking at a lot of R 1200 RT's in the last few days, it became routine to see odometers like 65,000 ... 76,000 ... even a 111,000. I know people say the GT can reach those numbers, and I believe it can, but that's pretty rare. With the RT and Boxer engines, that's just how they roll.
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