this comparision article. I've been facinated by them ever since.After countless hours of narrowing down the choices to only the bike that met all my criteria, this was it.I'm happy to say after a 250 mile ride home from Dallas yesterday, it is everything I thought it would be and more. I should have bought one of these a long time ago. Two years ago I bought a Suzuki thinking I could make it into the bike I wanted. Slowly I realized, not matter how much money I spent on it, I would never be able to make the Bandit into one of these.I rode the Bandit to Houston last year and was almost dead when I got there. Yesterday I rode 250 miles from Plano and then when I got to Lufkin, turned and went down some country roads for the hell of it.Things I like...All the scheduled maintenance (and there is a LOT of it, see:http://ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads ) was done at the dealer and stamped. Previous owner even left a log book detailing every tire, bulb, and battery he'd put on it.It's in excellent condition. Clean. Not a bunch of scratches. No rust anywhere. No oil leaks anywhere. Good tires. All rubber gaskets and seals in excellent condition. It was on consignment at a dealer in Dallas. Previous owner was an old rich guy who had 3 BMW's and just decided to get out of motorcycling all-together. He had all three of them up there for sale, the RT, a GS (big enduro), and an R12 cruiser.It included the normal RT stuff: Heated handgrips, electrically adjustable windshield, passenger and driver accessory outlets, 4-way hazard flashers, factory hard bags.On this one the guy had added:* Factory Top case: $540* Kisan Tailblazer flashing rear LED's: $80* Aeroflow oversized windshield: $200* BMW "comfort" seat: $177* BMW engine protection bars: $240* Ventura headlight protector: $40Consequently, they would not budge one iota on the price of $7995. They said it was because it was a consignment sale and not a trade-in. Believe me. I gave it my best shot and even walked out at one point. I was willing to pay that price anyway. BMW dealers have a reputation of not doing much haggling. They ask about what a bike is worth, and that's it.It's a good price. I'd been checking all the sale sites for months on a daily basis. I jumped on this one because I knew it was a good price. Similar bikes are going for $8500 ~ $9500 without the accessories.I did make the salesman give me a $25 hat, $20 t-shirt, and $9 bottle of polish. That made me feel a little better. I drove pretty much 85 ~ 90mph on Interstate 20 all the way from Dallas to Tyler. The RT just hummed along at low rpm. Totally sweet. Now I understand how those guys at http://www.bmwrt.com can do 1000 mile days without complaint. I thought they were just exaggerating.Now I'll feel comfortable investing in some accessory money.Eventually I want:- MP3 / FM radio player with fairing speakers and helmet connect- CB and GMRS radio with helmet connect- radar detector (this thing lugs in 5th gear at 65mph)- buy some seat pans off ebay and build my own seats. I already have the sheets of leather, and can get foam and gel pads from the shop at work where they make custom wheelchairs. Leather will be more durable ...better to withstand me strapping tents and fold-up chairs to the back seat.I really do love this bike. It just feels *right*. No bike I've everridden feels as "right". It's what I spent 6 years searching for.Here's the only picture I have so far...
I hope to see YOU on the highway soon!!!
==========================================
Click here to visit the Lufkin, Texas MC Group!Edited by - John Bennett on 10/13/2002 22:33:57">
I finally bought the perfect bike.
John BennettAs some of you know, I've been searching for the perfect bike for 6 years. Yesterday I bought it. I had been looking at everything, Honda ST1100's, Indians, Victory's, Harley's, Suzuki V-strom's, Honda VTX's, Vulcan's, RoadStars, everything. I've been researching this bike for years. I bought a 1997 BMW R1100RT with 23K miles on it. I first saw this bike in this comparision article. I've been facinated by them ever since. After countless hours of narrowing down the choices to only the bike that met all my criteria, this was it. I'm happy to say after a 250 mile ride home from Dallas yesterday, it is everything I thought it would be and more. I should have bought one of these a long time ago. Two years ago I bought a Suzuki thinking I could make it into the bike I wanted. Slowly I realized, not matter how much money I spent on it, I would never be able to make the Bandit into one of these. I rode the Bandit to Houston last year and was almost dead when I got there. Yesterday I rode 250 miles from Plano and then when I got to Lufkin, turned and went down some country roads for the hell of it. Things I like...
  • Big twin torque and linear power delivery.
  • Comfy seat
  • Totally solid feel. Tracks like a dream. Doesn't dance around in the lane like the Bandit. This is due to the weight and the longer rake on the front fork.
  • Paralever suspension is awesome. Smooth ride, no front-end dive when braking. Awesome cornering for a bike that big.
  • ABS rocks. I tested it in a parking lot before I bought it.
  • Hard luggage is the best in the world. No more bungee nets for me.
  • Full fairing gives excellent weather protection.
All the scheduled maintenance (and there is a LOT of it, see: http://ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads ) was done at the dealer and stamped. Previous owner even left a log book detailing every tire, bulb, and battery he'd put on it. It's in excellent condition. Clean. Not a bunch of scratches. No rust anywhere. No oil leaks anywhere. Good tires. All rubber gaskets and seals in excellent condition. It was on consignment at a dealer in Dallas. Previous owner was an old rich guy who had 3 BMW's and just decided to get out of motorcycling all-together. He had all three of them up there for sale, the RT, a GS (big enduro), and an R12 cruiser. It included the normal RT stuff: Heated handgrips, electrically adjustable windshield, passenger and driver accessory outlets, 4-way hazard flashers, factory hard bags. On this one the guy had added: * Factory Top case: $540 * Kisan Tailblazer flashing rear LED's: $80 * Aeroflow oversized windshield: $200 * BMW "comfort" seat: $177 * BMW engine protection bars: $240 * Ventura headlight protector: $40 Consequently, they would not budge one iota on the price of $7995. They said it was because it was a consignment sale and not a trade-in. Believe me. I gave it my best shot and even walked out at one point. I was willing to pay that price anyway. BMW dealers have a reputation of not doing much haggling. They ask about what a bike is worth, and that's it. It's a good price. I'd been checking all the sale sites for months on a daily basis. I jumped on this one because I knew it was a good price. Similar bikes are going for $8500 ~ $9500 without the accessories. I did make the salesman give me a $25 hat, $20 t-shirt, and $9 bottle of polish. That made me feel a little better. I drove pretty much 85 ~ 90mph on Interstate 20 all the way from Dallas to Tyler. The RT just hummed along at low rpm. Totally sweet. Now I understand how those guys at http://www.bmwrt.com can do 1000 mile days without complaint. I thought they were just exaggerating. Now I'll feel comfortable investing in some accessory money. Eventually I want: - MP3 / FM radio player with fairing speakers and helmet connect - CB and GMRS radio with helmet connect - radar detector (this thing lugs in 5th gear at 65mph) - buy some seat pans off ebay and build my own seats. I already have the sheets of leather, and can get foam and gel pads from the shop at work where they make custom wheelchairs. Leather will be more durable ...better to withstand me strapping tents and fold-up chairs to the back seat. I really do love this bike. It just feels *right*. No bike I've ever ridden feels as "right". It's what I spent 6 years searching for. Here's the only picture I have so far...
I hope to see YOU on the highway soon!!!
==========================================
Click here to visit the Lufkin, Texas MC Group! Edited by - John Bennett on 10/13/2002 22:33:57
RetroVERY nice, John! Love the color! We'll expect to see you at the top of the mileage contest next year with that beauty Ride safe! Retro

"Life may begin at 30, but it get's real interesting around 150."
rwd407Beautiful!!! Very, very nice... It's always fun to search for something and be successful. Pop always said, "Never be afraid to buy the best,,, that way you know you'll never be disappointed." Congrats on the new ride!!! Ron 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic.
bearJohn, you will, do, love it, BMW'S are fine bikes I rode them for 18 years, put quite a few 800 to 1,000 mile days on them, I think if I was you I would buy the radar detector first, trust me you will need it with that bike, if ya look around almost every Beemer rider has one, good for you I'm very happy and pleased you got it, and blue to, you dog you, one of my favorite colors, ride fast, but safe........ Joe [the bear] noli illegitimi carborundum
bjojrSweet bike!!! I know I'm more of a K-Whinner fan but the R1100/1150RT is the "only" Beemer twin I'd think about owing! :D I just know your gona get "lot's o' smiles per mile" on that baby! ENJOY. Ride Often & Enjoy Life More! BJ Ondo 95 ZG1000 Concours Colorado Springs, CO.
John Bennett Thanks for the props guys! My initial impressions of the RT are: * This thing makes a lot of weird noises. * Das Boot! You don't ride this thing so much as pilot it through the twistes. * I'm getting used to answering: "I didn't know BMW made motorcycles" and "You must be rich!". * I enjoy the start-up ritual. Helment/ballcap swap at Topbox. Mount. Kickstand up. Chugga Chugga Fire! Ride off centerstand. Listen for ABS initialization. Start watching for 2 temp bars to cut off choke. There is a certain Zen to it. * So this is what they mean by 'character'. * I previously thought the phrase "If I had to explain, you wouldn't understand" was Harley snobbery. Now I understand. * The RT is more sensitive to wind gusts than other bikes I've ridden because of the large surface area. I haven't driving a car since Saturday morning. Even though it rained yesterday and was 45deg. this morning. Probably won't this week. On the speeding thing... I admit, I've been speeding a lot more on the RT because it is deceptive. It just doesn't seem like I'm going 80mph in those 65mph zones. I don't notice I'm speeding until I actually check the speedo. ==========================================
Click here to visit the Lufkin, Texas MC Group!
RetroOkay, John....
quote:
* This thing makes a lot of weird noises.
Maybe they're not weird noises...maybe the machine is just making them in German.
quote:
* I'm getting used to answering: "I didn't know BMW made motorcycles" and "You must be rich!".
What??? BMW makes motorcycles??? Who knew!!
quote:
* So this is what they mean by 'character'.
I think everyone here will attest that we already though you were a character
quote:
I haven't driving a car since Saturday morning.
Sounds like a winner! Can't beat any bike that will make you want to ride in the rain, wind, etc... Enjoy the new ride. It's readily apparent from the excitement of your posts that you're riding around with one big ole sh!t eating grin on your face ! Aint nothin better! Ride safe! Retro

"Life may begin at 30, but it get's real interesting around 150."
Nite_Ryderthats a mighty fine ride, looks like the best of everything! love that blue too. is the seat in bad shape? looks like it be fun to re-do.

MIKE

[url="http://niteryder.homestead.com"][/url]

John Bennett A strange thing happened this morning. Even though it was 42 deg. here this morning, my usual 11 miles drive to work somehow took 27 miles. Weird. Actually I do want to re-cover the seats in leather. I have about 3 square yards of leather I bought from the Tandy Leather store in Memphis, TN a couple of years ago. I know 42 degrees doesn't seem very cool to you guys up north, but for Octorber in Texas, that's quite chilly. I only saw one other motorcyclist, a HD rider with no windshield and his sunglasses peeking out over a big towel wrapped around his neck. ==========================================
Click here to visit the Lufkin, Texas MC Group!
GiovanniNice looking bike John, hope you have loads of great miles together