BMW R 1250 RT motorcycle test

Menus

• Daily test over 3,500 kilometers, from Spain to Italy by small roads
• Flat Twin of 1,254 cm3, euro5, 136 hp and 143 Nm, 279 kg, 22,490 euros … and the maximum of on-board technologies
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Contact
• In the city
• On the highway
• On small roads
• Braking
• Duo
• Consumption
• Convenient
• Packs and Options
• The RT test in video
• Conclusion

Daily test over 3,500 kilometers, from Spain to Italy by small roads

Flat Twin of 1,254 cm3, euro5, 136 hp and 143 Nm, 279 kg, 22,490 euros … and the maximum of on-board technologies

Reise Turer … at a time when the dream was above all sporting, the RT appeared as a revolution… a motorcycle to ride for a long time. More than 40 years after the R100RT (1978, with its 70 horsepower), the RT 1250 once again revolutionizes its world with plenty of electronics, assistance, marked by the largest TFT screen on the market: 10.25 ", nothing less, fully configurable and shareable between all the information. What a road traveled since the R1100RT of 1995 and the R1200RT of 2004 with the arrival of the ESA. And while the RT is one of the last road cars on the market (goodbye Trophy 1200, FJR 1300, Pan Euro 1300 and other Guzzi Norge) and where new road trends are rather caught up in big road trails, what is left to a real road? And above all, what is the most worth small road finally facing the latest K 1600, Gold 1800, Roadmaster and Ultra Glide? Enough to justify a price up to 22,490 euros compared to 19,920 euros of the previous vintage, excluding options always – very – numerous or even excessive? of 3,500 km in one week and in duo for m to ensure the real road capacities in the face of the competition and to see if it is really cut out for the road, so much we see especially in the city.

BMW R 1250 RT Finish Pro, Option 719 and top case

Discovery

Imposing is the first word that comes to mind when looking at an RT. Elegant is the second, especially in this almost pearly white paint from the 2021 vintage, reinforced by the brown saddle, optional 719 (220 euros). It commands respect and gives an impression of prestige. It’s even hard to believe that there is only 1250cc inside. It is then difficult at first to see the difference between the previous RT, of 2019 and the new version 2021. In any case from the side or the rear, the differences are not obvious. You really have to be from the front to notice the new, more modern – almost sporty – pencil stroke marked by LED lighting, hiding adaptive curved lighting and the disappearance of the radio antenna. Connoisseurs will notice a noticeably smaller bubble and the new two-tone front fender designed to improve air penetration with its new shapes. The RT 1250 is suddenly one of the prettiest RTs of recent years, because it must be said that some vintages were, let’s say, questionable in terms of look..

LED lighting with adaptive lights

Note for the painting, the double hand-made net, option 719 with this white with almost pearly reflections..

Double thread made by hand in the factory

Below, nothing changes for the Boxer with ShiftCam variable valve timing of 1,254 cm3, apart from its actual switch to Euro5, which still delivers 136 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 143 Nm of torque at 6,250 rpm.

No, the big modification of the 2021 vintage does not relate to the engine but to all the aids, connectivity and other assistance, ACC adaptive cruise control signed Bosh first (unveiled almost a year ago), followed by the TFT panel of 10.25 ".

Added to this are full ABS Pro, Eco, Rain and Road driving modes, ASC stability control, DTC dynamic traction control, HSC hill start aid, DCC cruise control and Dynamic Engine Control Brake control. engine brake torque (optional) and still ESA damping with trim and BMW Telever at the front and Paralever at the rear. In all this, we will retain the ABS Pro Integral now coupled front and rear and which intervenes differently whether we are on the angle or not (just not to go straight). In fact, there is only the blind spot detector that there is however on the 650 GT scooter that is missing.

Interfile made more difficult with the huge side cases

In the saddle

825 mm saddle height, rather wide. Suffice to say that the pilot 1.70 will put just the tips of his feet on the ground, even by adjusting the saddle in the low position (after the manipulation to be done under the saddle to modify the height by 20 mm and go from 825 to 805 mm ). And it still weighs 279 kilos fully packed, both a lot and very little, especially compared to a Pan Euro (329 kg), a Trophy 1200 (301 kg) or a FJR 1300 (291 kg). Not much felt especially, because the very low placed Boxer allows not to feel this weight, even at a standstill. Estimated, we thus have more the impression of 250 kilos than of 279. And then for the smaller sizes, there is a low saddle option, which reduces the saddle height by 45 mm, with always these two positions allowing to be then at 760 or 780 mm. Finally, the bike is put on very easily and without forcing on the center stand, which is far from the case on all motorcycles, with an equally easy kick-out..

All comfort, pilot and passenger

As in previous generations, the position is particularly natural, the hands resting easily on the handlebars, the bust straight and the legs barely rising to get on the footrests. Even the older ones will feel at home with all the space they need and the smallest sizes will not be lost either. Moreover, it is undoubtedly one of the road riders on which we also see the most women. Finally, the shape of the tank is ideal, allowing to enclose everything well, thus offering an ideal overall position..

A redesigned, two-tone front fender in 2021

Under the eyes, we then discover the huge 10 "25 TFT panel (versus the 6" 5 screens that arrived in series in previous years as on the 1250R), by far the largest on the market, very readable, including under the sun thanks to its matt aspect. Better still, the panel can split its display into two parts, for example to display GPS navigation on two thirds of the screen and additional information on one third, or vice versa. In fact, you can configure everything at will, using the usual dial on the left stalk and the menu button, not to mention the 4 shortcuts available on the left fairing. These four buttons were used to adjust only the radio before and now provide direct access to 1. radio, 2. heating, 3. audio settings and 4. navigation. And connectivity requires, you can pair your phone to the screen as well as to your helmet, to share information, between radio, music, GPS directions, receiving calls … up to importing roadbooks in GPX format ( Garmin) via the BMW Motorrad Connected app available on Apple Store and Google Play.

10 "25 TFT screen, shareable and configurable

And then thanks to this slab, which clears the field of vision more than before, the pilot’s gaze plunges better at the foot of the motorcycle, less embarrassed than before to see what is at the feet.

Contact

The flat snorts gently, without vibration. Horn, two tone, great! We jump to hear it, a treat! First, including on the hill assisted by Hill Start Control, the road starts slowly over the first kilometers per hour. It is on this low initial speed that we measure all the difference with the biggest road. Generally, you have to be above 10 km / h to be comfortable at a minimum. Here, on a trickle of gas and the clutch, we are already well after 2 meters, with an enormous impression of ease thanks to the extraordinary balance of the machine. The 1250 RT is easy, inversely proportional to how it looks when you look at it, its general overweight being wrongly scary. And the RT is also much more dynamic, "light" weight helping, to start on the hats wheels, in particular in dynamic mode, by carefully avoiding the Eco and Rain modes decidedly too soft for the machine … but can be reassuring to take the road in the rain with the death at 6am in the coltar.

Ready for the road, the long road

In the city

Ease is the keyword of RT in town, aided by low weight and unparalleled overall balance. It is the easiest of all big road cars to handle (lighter weight requires but not only), whatever the speed, including for a small template. Even the U-turns are easy and effortless. The gearbox is soft and even more with the Shifter up and down option, which allows you to completely free yourself from the clutch up and down. It is then its comfort which marks, including on the paved roads of the capital, the hollows and the bumps generally rising quickly in the back. Nothing like it here and the RT seems to be floating above the bad asphalt.

The sand suits him just as well

The twin is exceptionally flexible, almost accepting to drive at 50 km / h in sixth and last gear, or conversely to stay in first. Because yes, the first one can already take you at an illegal speed on the national road! So, we will more willingly stay between 2 and 3 in the city, the most pleasant ratios, offering a balance between dynamics and comfort..

There are still suitcases, large, which require attention in interfile, because they do not fit systematically and much less than a roadster, in particular a 1250 R equipped with suitcases as we have also been able to try it. And if it weren’t for the suitcases, we appreciate the excellent turning radius, the smallest in the big road category, which makes driving in the city calm..

And then with the now Hill Start Control, it is possible to restart more easily on the hill, the system helping depending on the use of the clutch, helping more gently if you keep your hand on the clutch or conversely if you suddenly let go of the clutch. Difficult to stall in these conditions, which will reassure the youngest or the smallest. And that gives you confidence when you find yourself on an incline and you have to restart with weapons and luggage, madam included. Adopted to use !

On tip-toes

On the highway

The R 1250 RT sets off vigorously and quickly on the motorway, still purring at just 5,000 rpm at 150 km / h, half the distance separating it from the red zone, before gaining 20 km / h every 1,000 rpm up to 9,000 rpm from the red zone. At this speed, we take a huge noise in the headphones and ears, almost deafening. A light press on the bubble adjustment button and the bubble rises; we stop it just in front of our eyes to fall into almost total silence. Rarely does a bubble allow you to feel the difference between low and high position so much and all without annoying infrasound. And above all, the noise disappears even if the top of the bubble remains under the eyes, especially for pilots like me who do not like to have a bubble between the road and them.

The RT then absorbs the motorway without thinking about it, leaning at full speed in large curves naturally and remaining perfectly in line, even loaded, in duo and with the suitcases and the top-case fully loaded..

Only his size then makes him take the wind. If you are in the northern part of France everything is fine and the wind does not even seem to exist. Find yourself in the middle of the Mistral or Tramontane as during our test where we went down almost to the Spanish border and on the other side to the south and you will really fight against the wind. And to give an idea of ​​the wind experienced that day, stationary, motorcycle on central stand, the wind managed to trigger the anti-theft alarm (in the Travel pack).

136 hp at 7,750 rpm, set at 5,000 rpm at 150 km / h

It then remains to engage the cruise control. Personally, I have never liked cruise control. Because we always arrive on a legal car; there is then a car in the process of overtaking, we must deactivate it, then switch it on again to overtake and resume its line. In short, in general, I find it more dangerous than anything else, unless you are alone in the world or at night on an almost deserted highway..

Note that with the BMW, the series regulator (DCC) is automatically disconnected in the event of braking (but in a brutal way) but also in the event of use of the clutch and at this moment there in a gentle way. And this regulator works from 15 to 220 km / h, while the new ACC regulator works from 30 to 160 km / h. ACC? yes, this is the 2021 technological revolution.

2021 marks the arrival of adaptive cruise control on the RT (ACC for (Active Cruise Control), after having seen its arrival on the KTM 1290 Adventure and the Multistrada V4. And there, it’s magic, like a new one. world that opens up, because the motorbike automatically adapts its speed to the vehicle in front of you, whatever it is: car, truck or motorbike. 90 km / h, to see the speed of the motorcycle decrease automatically and gradually to automatically stall behind the truck, at about a little more than a line of emergency lane (120 meters), knowing that this distance distance can be set to three values ​​directly on the control unit. You can then shift to overtake and the motorcycle reaccelerates on its own and automatically to reset you to 150 km / h, at 5,000 rpm. There are two modes. , one being soft and natural for re-acceleration and the other more dynamic, suitable to lovers of handle twisting. The system also works – for having tested it in real life – when a car slips violently between you and the car in front to avoid ending up in it. Better, the system is flexible enough to accept that the car in front of you is not perfectly in the middle of its line, as long as it stays in it. And to have tested it with a motorcycle in front, it also works. For the first time, I saw a real contribution in terms of safety. And for those who have the ACC option, it can always be deactivated in favor of DCC with a long press (the display indicating this).

A high electric screen that protects from the wind and even more from noise

The RT loves the highway, capable of driving for a long time, especially since it is also comfortable in terms of seating, whether for the driver or the passenger. It often happens that after 200 km, we ask for mercy or look for a new position in the saddle. Nothing like this here and we are almost surprised when the reserve warning light comes on after 370 km to indicate that you have to remember to stop to refuel..

And on the German motorway, the RT can take well over 200 km / h without flinching.

A real road for duo comfort

On small roads

The RT can be found just as readily on small roads, offering exemplary handling and tilting to the angle without thinking about it in the bends. Above all, its torque and the twin which accepts to resume at very low speed, even allows to chain virolos and pins on a net of gas.

You can choose to stay in "Road" mode for the ride or to switch to "Dynamic" mode to reveal a completely different machine, this change being made by simply pressing the button on the right stalk, not without releasing the gas for a moment. It’s also time to switch ESA to dynamic mode, which is safer and more precise when the pace picks up. And with a high ground clearance, you can really drive hard in RT, even if this is not your primary vocation..

Admittedly, it accepts less improvisation than a roadster, but for as much accepts to rectify in full turn a trajectory a little optimistic and of a light pressure on the handlebars to get back perfectly in line. And inevitably, in duo and loaded suitcases, it is necessary to anticipate a little more the braking.

The RT thus becomes the most playful of the big road cars, capable of doing a wheelie if necessary, which is far from being the case for all road cars..

At night, we appreciate the adaptive lighting, which tilts the light beam so as not to get lost but on the contrary illuminate the inside of the bend. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a real plus, especially when the pace remains high.

143 Nm of torque … the road for couples

Braking

The RT brakes very well, now aided by the Full Integral Pro ABS, which allows coupling between the front and the rear, while taking into account the inclination of the motorcycle. And we must not forget to mention the dynamic braking DBC, which manages both the accelerator and the engine torque in addition to the braking to limit mass transfers, thus always offering more control and safety even in heavy maneuvers. emergency not always under control.

ABS Pro Integral – Double floating disc brake, Ш 320 mm, four-piston brake calipers

Duo

The 1250 RT is a model of comfort, whether solo or duo, including on long journeys. We were able to cover 1,000 kilometers in one day, while arriving as fresh as roaches. Few motorcycles allow this, apart from the larger road. But the RT being overall light, balanced and easy, it allows you to ride a lot without tiring the driver. We recognize here the efficiency of the Telelever (front) and Paralever (rear) aided by the dynamic ESA which contribute comfort, by automatically compensating for the load of the motorcycle (solo, duo and luggage) and by limiting mass transfers. It is adjustable on two levels, between road and dynamic, the road being more flexible, even too flexible in dynamic driving where the motorcycle seems to move more. It is then time to switch to dynamic mode to gain in rigidity of behavior, more reassuring.

Saddle adjustable to two heights а 805/825 mm (low saddle optional)

The heated grips and the heated saddle are a must, with a pleasure reinforced by the fact that the passage can choose itself 2 heating temperatures. The pilot can modulate the heat on five levels and easily thanks to the shortcut button n ° 2 on the apron on the left. In fact, even at night, when the temperature dropped to 4 ° C and with mid-season gloves, I did not need to go higher than the 3rd heating level, too hot during the day.

Test in the rain but also in the snow, long live the handles and the heated saddle

Consumption

On small roads, at a steady pace, the RT consumes around 5.3 liters per hundred. When driving quietly, we can even lower it below 5 liters per hundred, having been able to make it consume 4.7 liters over 100 km, while driving very cool and in town. Its consumption will rise to 6 liters per hundred on the motorway at a stabilized rate above the French limits. All this allows with the 25-liter tank to consider well over 400 kilometers of autonomy, even if the reserve indicator tends to appear after 360 km, indicating another 60 km of autonomy, knowing that the ‘we still have a little slack then. Indeed, even when there was only 10 km of autonomy, I did not manage to put more than 21 liters in the tank, thus leaving 4 good liters still and therefore 80 kilometers.

Convenient

It’s incredible how much you can put in an RT, each suitcase being able to accommodate a modular helmet, the top case two modular helmets and without forcing, because there is still room for things! And there are interior suitcases available as well (optional). And everything can be locked with the remote control, without a key !

One modular fits in the side case (and two in the top case)

The right and left storage compartments are very practical, especially with the "keyless", they are automatically locked by pressing the remote control, just like the suitcases and the top case. From day to day, we are thus sure to close everything at once without forgetting a suitcase.

Two telephones can be placed in the right storage compartment, including induction charging possible (optional); the recharging (5W) being carried out on one or the other of the possibilities, the use of the USB socket deactivating the induction recharging.

As an option, the right storage compartment can therefore recharge the mobile phone by induction or via a USB socket, all complementing the original 12V socket placed on the apron on the right as well as another at the back. And to avoid any heat or overheating while charging, the compartment is even ventilated! (moreover, we hear it ventilate).

And it is this phone and the BMW mobile application (free app) that allows you to benefit from the navigation on the dashboard but also information such as the speed limit of the road on which you are on (practical with all these national roads with portions at 70, 80 and 90 and the associated radars). On the other hand, we did not have a single day without the mobile application inadvertently disconnecting, disabling the GPS and the directions. The easiest solution, but not always effective, was to close and relaunch the app, knowing that the connection was difficult to make again afterwards, sometimes limited to directions, but no longer to the map in full screen..

And since this year, the RT is equipped with the emergency call as standard..

Great traveler

Packs and Options

As we know, options are an essential feature at BMW and they are legion. BMW has simplified the choices a bit with this vintage with only four packs – audio at 550 euros, dynamic at 640 euros, comfort at 960 euros and travel at 1500 euros – which are all included in a large global pack called Professional Finish at 3300 euros (instead of 3650 euros if we added the 4 packs and to which is added the Dynamic Engine Control Brake control). Of course, we can still add a few options including 719 (with parts milled at 305 euros) without forgetting the choice of Elegance style at 435 euros or Sport Style at 610 euros, or the option 719 at 1870 euros. A full pack BMW goes from 22,490 euros to 26,140 euros, or even 28,998 euros if you take the metallic white paint, the brown saddle, the 719 wheels and the two-year warranty extension..

The Comfort pack includes the chrome exhaust, the RDC tire pressure sensor, heated saddles and the keyless system (with central locking of all suitcases, top cases and storage compartments)

The Travel pack includes central locking, adaptive cruise control, anti-theft alarm and additional LED lights.

The Dynamic pack includes pro driving mode and pro shifter.

The Audio2 pack includes audio preparation and extended smartphone connectivity.

Sport (blue), White, Elegance (bronze), option 719 white

The RT test in video

Conclusion

After 3,500 km of duet and loaded roads, with 90% of virolos and a little motorway, the BMW R 1250 RT once again reinforces if it was necessary its qualities of large road and long-distance motorcycle, by its comfort and driving pleasure. Its balance, lightness and maneuverability also confirm its possibilities of use in town, removing the suitcases to pass more easily, also confirming its versatility. Only its price increase, from 19,920 to 22,490 euros (base price excluding options), which is explained in particular by the passage of series of element formerly optional (BMW presents things as a final price reduction for the biker) can make you think twice. Do we really need all of this to ride in comfort for a long time? The old model was already doing it very well and brilliantly. But it is true that all the options provide general day-to-day comfort, which we appreciate even more as the years go by. And then, facing the Gold, Glide and Road, it is the cheapest of the comfortable big road cars made to go far and for a long time. And with its improved look this year, we now arrive at almost faultless general if it were not for this untimely disconnection of the phone….

Strong points

• ease of use
• balance
• comfort
• convenient
• protection
• handling
• motor

Weak points

• disconnect phone from dashboard
• price and option prices

The technical sheet of the BMW R 1250 RT

Test conditions

• Itinerary: 3,000 km of small and varied roads + 500 km of motorway + a little town
• Motorcycle mileage: 3,500 km

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