R1200RT - a worthwhile purchase?

[Brickboy]

For many years I've run airheads (about a dozen different varieties) and oilheads, specifically R1100RT and the R1150GS with the old ABSII system not the iABS horror story version.

In some ways I feel it might be time to move up to an R1200RT but I am very wary of what I suspect is extra complexity.

I service my own bikes and do all repairs at home. This is an essential part of motorcycling for me. R1100RTs are fairly simple things with known weaknesses, all of which can be dealt with without too much fear, perhaps barring snapped exhaust studs. I can happily live with such a bike.

Is the 1200 a whole different kettle of fish, I wonder? Could I deal with it at home, are there versions to be avoided at all costs and what are the dangers for the home mechanic of owning one? I hear stories about early ones being worse, but which ones are these, what are the issues and how can I avoid those problems?

Lastly, at 6'4" I find many bikes too small. I rather assume the 1200 is much the same as the 1100 in rider fit, am I correct?

I'd be very grateful for a heads up so that, if it sounds like I could live with one, I can know what to avoid and what to look for.

Many thanks,
Simon

[SteveD]

What year? Though, it probably doesn't change the answer too much. Do you have a GS911 code reader?

[The Veg]

I don't think you'll find it too enormously different to an R1150. Same basic engineering philosophies, just a little more evolved. I've had both generations of the R1200 engine in GSes and both are great, though I like the 2010-on version better for its slightly higher performance. Maintenance is easy in either case. The 2004-9 version had adjusting screws on the valves much like an airhead but twice as many- yet I found the job easier than with an airhead because I didn't have to spend near as much time finessing it for the clearance to be correct after tightening the locknut. The 2010-on version has shims to adjust the valves but the good news is that they rarely if ever need doing. I have 28K miles on mine and have yet to need to change a shim. The later version does use more oil than the earlier version but it's quite manageable.

I would guess that the ergos of the 1200 are comparable to the 1150, but how that fits you is of course quite subjective. I'm about the same height as you but I'm long in the torso rather than in the leg and I find that the generous leg-room of the GS fits me best as it allows me to keep my knees lower than my hips and that makes my lumbar much happier than a higher-kneed position such as the other models in the R1200 lineup of that era.