All Duels – Duel BMW R1200 RT Vs Yamaha FJR1300 AE: the czars of the road! – Travel far, long and comfortably

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Duel BMW R1200 RT Vs Yamaha FJR1300 AE: the road czars !

All Duels - Duel BMW R1200 RT Vs Yamaha FJR1300 AE: the czars of the road! - Travel far, long and comfortably

In the kingdom of the empresses of the road, the BMW R1200RT and the Yamaha FJR1300 are among the most sovereign of motorcycles. In 2014, each wickedly upgraded and modernized its weapons to rule. MNC opposes them in a duel of tsars… Comparative test.

Travel far, long and comfortably

Thanks to elegant stylistic changes and relevant technical developments, the Yamaha FJR1300 offers itself a very attractive second youth. Equipped as standard with an electronic accelerator, an anti-skid, a regulator, two injection maps, electronically adjustable suspensions and a robotic gearbox, its currently occupies the status of road motorcycle. most "high tech" Japanese.

2014 marks the arrival of the manual gearbox version of this new generation, called FJR1300 AE. A very important model for Yamaha because it will undoubtedly constitute the bulk of its sales: since its release in 2006, the sequential type transmission of the AS model has attracted only around a thousand motorcyclists in France….

By a "funny" coincidence, one of its rivals is also benefiting this year from a major overhaul … And what a rival, since it is the, this road with which the FJR1300 gets out of whack on the …

Video of this duel BMW R1200RT Vs Yamaha FJR1300AE

In addition to this duel between the BMW R1200RT and the Yamaha FJR1300AE, also discover our !

The German notably abandoned the "good old" air-oil-cooled Boxer in favor of the "fleet-twin" discovered on the, from which it also took over the redesigned steel frame, the 4-piston radial Brembo brakes (4 Nissin axially mounted pistons on the Yamaha) and new suspension elements.

This platform sharing includes some exceptions concerning, among other things, running gear and mechanics. Like the diameter of the Telever’s dip tubes (35 mm on the RT against 37 on the GS) or certain parameters of the twin cylinder: the road receives, for example, inertia masses of the crankshaft and alternator heavier compared to his "cousin" maxitrail (reread our).

Like the Yamaha, the R1200RT incorporates electronic management of the calibration of its damping, called ESA Dynamic. And like the FJR1300, this system allows the preload and hydraulic laws to be set from the handlebars. The BMW device is distinguished by its responsiveness, since it changes the behavior of the suspensions in real time according to the state of the road. A feature fighting at the same time against plate movements.

In short, a particularly sophisticated system whose only flaw is that it is not included in the standard equipment. Unlike the FJR1300AE, piloted suspensions are unfortunately in the range of options on the R1200RT, like the cruise control (see equipment and practical aspects on the penultimate page).

At more than 18,000 € (18,200 € for the RT and 18,499 € for the FJR), these kind of "details" can annoy … The BMW does not have to be ashamed of its original package, however. supplied: a TFT matrix on-board computer (two digital screens and a needle tachometer on the FJR1300), an efficient ABS coupled from front to back (the reverse on the Yamaha), anti-skid , as well as a – huge! – electric bubble and efficient heated grips with adjustable intensity (same for the FJR).

Static: BMW advantage

Extremely well finished and rewarding, the 2014 vintages of the FJR1300 and RT1200RT undergo our usual examination of details without batting an eyelid. At the same time at this price, the reverse would have been unforgivable! The surface treatments and the welds are flawless, the plastics fit together perfectly and no "walking" cable pollutes this first visual contact..

Aesthetically similar to the previous model, the FJR1300 AE is distinguished by its sharper and modern front end, an effect reinforced by the use of LED technology. Its indicators take the form of rows of diodes integrated into its side panels – the spacing of which is adjustable without tools to improve protection -, while the rim of its almond optics incorporates a bead of LEDs.

The whole is successful visually, even if a few minor changes to the rear hull – a less "mastoc" light, for example – would have more refreshed the original pencil stroke. Perched on its central stand (standard on both motorcycles), the BMW overshadows it … literally and figuratively, as the volumes of the new R1200RT are impressive !

This feeling is particularly significant when the bike is viewed from the front, an angle from which the enveloping fork crown and its triple optics look intimidating. Despite fairly similar general dimensions (over 2200 mm long and 900 mm wide each: see the technical sheets on the last page), the FJR1300 AE seems more slender, even almost "sporty" with its taut lines..

By loading its belongings in the suitcases supplied as standard (each capable of accommodating a full-face helmet), MNC notes that the interior of the luggage of the BMW is provided with elastic tensioners which adapt "automatically" to the size of the cases to tie down.

On its Japanese rival, this function is devolved to straps, which means that their length must be manually adjusted according to the volume of the effects to be transported. This type of detail may seem insignificant, but it reveals the deep reflection carried out by the German engineers to make their "dear" RT a particularly accomplished motorcycle..

In the same vein, its inflation valves fixed in the sticks of the rims simplify the pressure checks. And its adjustable levers (as on the FJR1300) are notched at their end to remain usable in the event of a fall. Another important "detail": after loosening two screws, its bib – already very effective solo in rainy weather – can be lowered a few centimeters to reduce the risk of projection. Your passenger will appreciate !

Equipped with reassuring "aviation" brake hoses (heavy motorcycles with a high load capacity are more logically subject to the expansion of hoses) and two storage pockets (only one on the FJR1300), the R1200RT continues its harvest of "good MNC points".

Installed as standard, its "Multicontroler" control – a notched knob placed against the left handle – drives home the point by facilitating navigation in the multiple menus of its ultra-complete instrumentation. The dashboard of the Yamaha also offers all the information possible and imaginable, but it is much less easy to navigate.

Relatively complex to understand, the onboard computer of the FJR1300 AE would gain in intuitiveness if shortcuts to essential functions were installed on the switchboards. MNC is thinking in particular of a control allowing to intervene on the height of the screen or to choose one of the 84 (!) Combinations of suspension settings (read our).

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