Hi All,
I'm pretty new to the forum and today decided to test ride the two bikes I've been interested in. The F800ST and the R1200R. Just some background, I've not ridden a bike for just over ten years now until last month when I decided to take a two day safety course to get me back into the swing of things.
This last week I contacted several local BMW bike dealers to see whom had both a F800ST and a R1200R for me to test ride. All but one of the local dealers had only one or the other. So I went to Wagner in Worcester MA as they had a 2010 used F800ST and a brand spanking new 2012 R1200R Demo bike.
I got to the dealer and chatted with the sales guy, Mike while I signed some paperwork and let him copy my bike license. We walked outside and he had the two bikes side by side. I decided to ride the R1200 first.
Instantly mounting the bike I realised how comfortable the seating position was and I liked the controls layout, which by the way are the same as on the F800ST. After Mike went over the controls with me he started it up and gave me some test route suggestions but I'd already mapped out a route for myself on Google maps. It consisted of 75% two lane country roads with a speed limit of 40 and 50 Mph and 25% 4 lane highway with a speed limit of 65 Mph. I wanted to feel the bikes in both types of road ways.
I pulled out of the dealership and followed several country roads. I never exceeded 10 mph over the speed limits and the country roads had some nice twistys for me to feel the bikes handling. The traffic was light so I could focus on the bike a little more while still riding defensively. I got waves from just about every other bike I passed and seeing as its 73F/21C and sunny today there were a lot of bikes about.
I loved the smooth power delivery and torque of the double overhead cam engine. It also had a great exhaust note when opened up. The suspension handled a few bumpy sections (normal for MA) of the road very well and never felt unstable or challenged by the road conditions. Again, the seating position was perfect for me. I am just under 5' 11" and everything felt like it was made for me personally. The bikes handling was really confidence inspiring, especially considering its been years since I've ridden a bike on the street. Only negative I found, and this was me more than the bike, was when I reached my thumb over to cancel my indicators I'd open the throttle slightly. I'm sure a few hours on the bike and this would be a non issue. I also found I was getting all the clean air as its obviously a naked bike. I'll surely opt for a windshield.The bottom line, not only all of the above made me love this bike but also the looks. To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of BMW's boxer engine in the looks department. However, there is something about this bike that is super sexy.
I decided to take the same route, for fair comparison purposes on the F800ST. Sitting on the F800ST it felt lighter but the cockpit felt tighter and more confining, fairing aside here. Just the seating position and handlebars mostly. I pulled out of the dealership and rode the same route. The F800 was also peppy but not as smooth in power delivery and ride as the R1200. I had a lot of vibration in the left mirror. Keeping in mind, this bike was two years old while the R1200 was brand new so that may have been a factor. As I got to about half way through my test ride I began to not like the F800's riding position. I know they are not mean't to be the same and each unto his own, I much preferred the R1200's. Despite the fairing and small shield I found I was catching a lot of air on the bike, more than I was expecting and also there was a lot of heat on my left leg which I figured would be terrible on a hot summers day that we get in New England. Again, loved how nimble this bike felt everywhere, although less planted than on the highway at 80Mph than the R1200.
Bottom line, I'll definitely be buying a R1200 next spring. I decided its a little late in the season to drop $15K to use it for a few weeks and then let it sit in my garage for the next six months. I'll also be able to save for some farkles if I wait until April. Did I mention I loved the R1200R?
Thanks for reading my novel. Happy riding all.
I'm pretty new to the forum and today decided to test ride the two bikes I've been interested in. The F800ST and the R1200R. Just some background, I've not ridden a bike for just over ten years now until last month when I decided to take a two day safety course to get me back into the swing of things.
This last week I contacted several local BMW bike dealers to see whom had both a F800ST and a R1200R for me to test ride. All but one of the local dealers had only one or the other. So I went to Wagner in Worcester MA as they had a 2010 used F800ST and a brand spanking new 2012 R1200R Demo bike.
I got to the dealer and chatted with the sales guy, Mike while I signed some paperwork and let him copy my bike license. We walked outside and he had the two bikes side by side. I decided to ride the R1200 first.
Instantly mounting the bike I realised how comfortable the seating position was and I liked the controls layout, which by the way are the same as on the F800ST. After Mike went over the controls with me he started it up and gave me some test route suggestions but I'd already mapped out a route for myself on Google maps. It consisted of 75% two lane country roads with a speed limit of 40 and 50 Mph and 25% 4 lane highway with a speed limit of 65 Mph. I wanted to feel the bikes in both types of road ways.
I pulled out of the dealership and followed several country roads. I never exceeded 10 mph over the speed limits and the country roads had some nice twistys for me to feel the bikes handling. The traffic was light so I could focus on the bike a little more while still riding defensively. I got waves from just about every other bike I passed and seeing as its 73F/21C and sunny today there were a lot of bikes about.
I loved the smooth power delivery and torque of the double overhead cam engine. It also had a great exhaust note when opened up. The suspension handled a few bumpy sections (normal for MA) of the road very well and never felt unstable or challenged by the road conditions. Again, the seating position was perfect for me. I am just under 5' 11" and everything felt like it was made for me personally. The bikes handling was really confidence inspiring, especially considering its been years since I've ridden a bike on the street. Only negative I found, and this was me more than the bike, was when I reached my thumb over to cancel my indicators I'd open the throttle slightly. I'm sure a few hours on the bike and this would be a non issue. I also found I was getting all the clean air as its obviously a naked bike. I'll surely opt for a windshield.The bottom line, not only all of the above made me love this bike but also the looks. To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of BMW's boxer engine in the looks department. However, there is something about this bike that is super sexy.
I decided to take the same route, for fair comparison purposes on the F800ST. Sitting on the F800ST it felt lighter but the cockpit felt tighter and more confining, fairing aside here. Just the seating position and handlebars mostly. I pulled out of the dealership and rode the same route. The F800 was also peppy but not as smooth in power delivery and ride as the R1200. I had a lot of vibration in the left mirror. Keeping in mind, this bike was two years old while the R1200 was brand new so that may have been a factor. As I got to about half way through my test ride I began to not like the F800's riding position. I know they are not mean't to be the same and each unto his own, I much preferred the R1200's. Despite the fairing and small shield I found I was catching a lot of air on the bike, more than I was expecting and also there was a lot of heat on my left leg which I figured would be terrible on a hot summers day that we get in New England. Again, loved how nimble this bike felt everywhere, although less planted than on the highway at 80Mph than the R1200.
Bottom line, I'll definitely be buying a R1200 next spring. I decided its a little late in the season to drop $15K to use it for a few weeks and then let it sit in my garage for the next six months. I'll also be able to save for some farkles if I wait until April. Did I mention I loved the R1200R?
Thanks for reading my novel. Happy riding all.
