Questioni am anticipating the purchase of a new bmw 1200 rt or k1300. the first is an air cooled/oil cooled engine and later liquid. should i just consider going for the liquid cooled engine because it is the more advanced, or are there other reasons that i should not eliminate the 1200 rt? (i do realize there is a difference in price, but i plan on having this for a long time and want to get high mileage on it). i have read your book ride hard and ride smart, really enjoying your wit and informed point of view. thanks, ed buchwald.
AnswerHi Ed,
Thanks for the kind words--glad you enjoyed my book. If you haven't seen it yet, take a look at my latest project at www.highviz.org. Free info about conspicuity.
Absolutely do not rule out the RT until you've at least ridden one. You should ride both, to compare. I had the good fortune to borrow one, an ex-police bike from a trooper friend, for the photo shoot for my latest book (Maximum Control). Immediately, I loved it--even though my current ride is a VFR800, which is probably more like the K1300 than the RT.
The Boxer engine (RT) is one of the sturdiest engines ever built, and BMW has had 70+ years to perfect the design. The K designs are much newer, only 35 years or so. Legend has it that it takes 100K miles or more just to get the Boxers broken in! My sense, from friends who own BMWs, is that the R bikes are much more reliable, mechanically, than the K bikes.
Also, the RT is a fantastic bike to ride, and easy to ride well, and for long distances. Almost effortless. Very surprising for such a big bike. It feels much smaller.
When it comes to BMWs, I don't think the liquid cooling is much of an advantage over the traditional air/oil cooling. I'm guessing that BMW sells 10 times as many R bikes as K bikes, and there is probably a reason!
Happy shopping Ed. And let me know what you decide. I am feeling the jealousy right now ... my dream bike is currently the BMW F800 GS.
P
