BMW R1250RT Review | The White Travel Tourer

Seeing a thread title with R1250, the first reaction must be – great another guy with a BMW GS. Then the last two letters RT – what’s that?


Introduction

The role that the RT was bought for was to fill the gap between two bikes already housed in my garage, a full-dress heavy cruiser in the form of a Harley Road Glide and the poster child of adventure bikes the BMW R1250 GS Adventure.

The new bike we were looking for would have to fill a place between the two – something with good suspension and decent ground clearance but also be comfortable for longer highway rides.

A sports tourer seemed to be well suited to this role. At just this time the news came out that BMW would launch the updated R1250RT in India soon. Loving the GS and the incredible boxer engine – this bike seemed to be the perfect fit.

Following the news began discussions with the various BMW dealers on when the bike would launch and be delivered – only one had placed an order for the bike and promised us the first delivery in the country if we booked with them. So never having seen the bike, we made a booking with the BMW dealer in Chandigarh.

Important to note that this would not be the first R1250RT in India but the first of the facelifted model.

The R1250 RT

BMW Motorrad began manufacturing Reise-Tourer (travel tourer) or RT as the R100RT in 1976. The RT was built as a full dresser with a fairing derived from the R100RS and a large windshield.


In 1996 the R1100RT was introduced as the successor to the R100RT – here the bike received the paralever and telelever suspension made famous by the GS. The RT was considered the flagship of the R1100 family.


As the GS became BMW’s flagship motorcycle – the RT has followed with the same family with new models pairing each new family of the GS.

In 2018, BMW launched the R1250RT – adopting the new 1250 Shift Cam engine and a range of new electronics. In 2021, BMW released a facelift of this bike which featured a new look, new infotainment suite and a range of new electronics.

From the BMW release on the facelift:

Delivery

Months had gone by since the original delivery date of early 2022 with no concrete answer for when the bike would be delivered.

Certain parts for the bike like the engine crash guard and lights had already arrived and were waiting for the bike.

In late August we finally got news that the bike had been shipped and the paperwork for delivery began. Unfortunately, the way the dealership handled this part of the process (the paperwork and registration) left a lot to be desired and left me in with a bad taste for the whole experience.

However, I have said it in earlier posts as well – this is also a dealership I trust. Having had good sales and service experiences there before.


Because of this trust, I didn’t even go down to Chandigarh to look at or take delivery of the bike – all the paperwork was couriered and a good friend who runs a transport company had the bike picked up from the dealership and trucked to Bangalore.

The bike was shipped straight to my factory, where we unloaded it. This was the first time I had seen the new R1250RT let alone ever sat on or ever ridden one.


A little bit of assembly later and it was ready to go.

The Walk Around

The first thing that struck me about the RT was that it’s a pretty big bike. Sounds moronic when you say it out loud – but I was expecting something a bit smaller.


The bike has an interesting modern – retro look to it in my opinion, it has smooth flowing lines from older generations complemented by straight angles which give it a modern look.


The panniers are a standard fitment for the bike and are remote lockable from the handlebar.


Coming around to the rider’s side, the massive 10-inch display is the first thing that stands out. The fairing is wide and has the mirrors integrated into them.


The tank cap is keyless which I think is a big mistake. I have had an issue in the past where in the middle of the Spiti valley the tank lid of my GSA stopped opening. The only way to continue using the bike was to unscrew the lid with a torx key - fill up and assemble the whole thing again. A flawed design for a critical component.


Finally, the rear view. Due to the matt black plastic used on the panniers, the width of the bike is not visible on the road. Add on reflective tape or lights are a must.


Quick note – I will be making some comparisons to the BMW GSA since that is what most people ask me about this bike. The GSA have been reviewed in depth on this great thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ve-review.html (BMW R1250GS Adventure Pro MY2020 - Style HP - The Comprehensive Review)

Switching it on

The RT comes equipped with a keyless ignition. So, with the key in your pocket, press the start / stop button on the centre of the handlebar and the display comes to life. The start button is in the traditional place, press it and the engine fires up.


The bike comes with only one key – so it’s important to keep it safe.

The switch gear is almost identical to that found on the GS and is of high quality.

The only display on the bike is the large centre panel which can be controlled through the wonder wheel on the left side of the handlebar. The console displays speed, RPM and other data by default. It can also be setup to show a split screen with music, navigation, etc.


A good thing BMW has done that despite the large screen – it is not crammed with data which makes the data that is displayed very easy to read.

Unfortunately, the menus are a bit cumbersome and adjusting some basic settings like the heated grips or suspension require scrolling through a series of menus which is very distracting and not easy while riding the bike. On the GS, both these settings have dedicated buttons on the handlebar.


Ergonomics

Sitting on the RT, the seat is wide and comfortable. Both the rider and passenger seats are heated.


The riding position is a bit more leaned forward that the GS and your knees are also a fair bit more bent with the pegs being higher. Overall, the position is more committed in comparison, but it is still a comfortable and fairly upright bike.


Seated I can put my legs flat on the ground with even a pair a running shoes.


The first time I sat on the bike and moved the handlebars, it felt pretty heavy so much so that I had to check the tire pressure to make sure it was proper. The gauge said it was. BMW has omitted the TPMS on the bike sold in India – which is a cheap and lame thing to remove.


Electronics and Suspension

The RT has a very similar electronics package to the GS. In India the RT comes standard with the select package which includes Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension), Gear ShiftAssist Pro (Quickshifter), Ride Modes Pro which includes Dynamic Mode, Hill Start Control Pro (HSC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC).

The bike is also equipped with adaptive cruise control which by and large works well, but often fails to detect regular Indian motorcycles so its usefulness is a bit limited.


The RT is equipped with a telelever front suspension and paralever rear swingarm.

The Dynamic ESA package is one of the standout features on both the RT and GS family bikes – it is a semi active suspension system that through a series of sensors and by communicating with the other IMU components continuously adjusts the damping and preload of the bikes suspension.

A video from BMW explaining the Dynamic ESA:

Storage

The RT comes with plenty of storage in the form of its two panniers. I am not a fan of the clamshell design panniers used on most sports tourers, I generally prefer top loading boxes since I find them much easier to use.


These panniers are well integrated into the bike, a button on the handlebar locks and unlocks them. They also come with an integrated handle, so a quick turn of the key and the panniers can be released, removed from the bike and carried with you.


There are two lockable glove boxes on either side of the tank. These are also controlled by the handlebar central locking. The right-side glove box is equipped with a wireless charger for your phone. However, size can be a problem – a regular iPhone fits in the slot with no issue, my larger Max variant does not.


Riding the bike

Powering the RT is the same famous 1250cc boxer twin found in the GS family. Enough has been written about this engine and the shift cam technology so I’m not going to get too far into it.


A video from BMW on the Shiftcam technology used in the engine:


The engine gives you fantastic torque through the low revs and enough power on the top end. The power delivery is very linear and the boxer torque means you don’t have to downshift until a really low rev to find power.

When you work your way through the six-speed gearbox equipped with Gear ShiftAssist Pro (fancy name for a quick shifter), it feels like the RT is geared higher than the GS – the gears can be stretched out longer and shift points are stretched out a bit.

Out on the highway, the bike is fantastic to ride, supremely planted at triple digit speeds it gives you confidence to ride long and fast. The electrically raisable windshield is large and in the fully raised position can provide a comfortable bubble for the rider to sit in.


I usually keep the windshield in the lowest position, raising it slightly at speed so that the music from the speakers is audible. The speakers are loud and clear till you reach the early triple digits and are then audible but increasingly unclear the faster you go.


Bring the bike into a twisty road and it feels a bit lethargic. Compared to the GS which dives into corners, the RT has to be pushed in and wrestled through them. Considering the spec sheet and the RTs position as a sports tourer you would expect it to handle better than its adv brother but the front end feels a bit vague, and the GS definitely corners better.

Where the RT shines is on long sweeping bends on fast highway roads compared to sporty twisty roads.

Stopping the bike are two 320mm disks with four piston Brembo callipers up front and a single 276mm rotor with a two piston Brembo calliper at the back. The brakes are also interlinked and are very responsive. In an emergency the bike stops quickly and remains well planted.


An interesting side note – very important on our Indian roads – the factory horn is a dual tone trumpet horn and is sufficiently loud.

The Connected Ride App

BMW has a phone app called connected which helps record ride data and also service and other status information about your bike.


This app must also be used to use the navigation on the console which is a big drawback in my opinion. You will stop trying to use this once you’ve yelled at it a couple of times in traffic. Having the system integrate with Google / Apple maps would have been far more useful than being stuck with BMWs maps.


The app can be a bit finicky and sometimes doesn’t automatically record a ride. To be sure your ride is recording, it is best to make sure the bike is paired and open the app before setting off.

Some Interesting Pictures


Final thoughts

After a year of owning this bike, to me the RT can easily go head-to-head with the GS for best all round motorcycle. For the majority of riders who buy GSs’ and never go off road this is probably the better motorcycle.

The engine is incredible, it handles well (enough), it’s very comfortable, the heated seats / grips and huge fairing make it useable in any weather and the various electronic gizmos cover every possible requirement.

The RT is designed to be a powerful and comfortable cruiser and in this area it shines. Cruising down highways and long backroads is what it has been designed to do. It’s not a particularly sporty bike – that is just not in its DNA. What it will do is carry you and your stuff any distance in comfort and it does it very well.

Accessories

First thing to do with any bike is to figure out what else we can add onto it. As I mentioned at the start, some of the accessories for the RT had turned up even before the bike.

Engine Crash Guard – Wonderlich. Bought from Bikenbiker in Bangalore – this is the only crash protection I have added on this bike.


Auxilary Lights – Diode Dynamics. Bought these lights from the US. All our other bikes are running lights from Baja so this is a new experience for me. The lights are powerful and have various colour and lens options available. I have connected these to the bike though a Hex EZcan.


Ram Mount – The only way to install the ram-mount on this bike seems to be this add on which sits onto of the factory handlebar mounting. Bought this from Bikenbiker as well.


Grip Puppies – I have these on all the bikes. I really like them – makes the handlebar easier to hold and add some softness for long rides. The heated grips work through them as well but loses a little bit of temperature.

Givi Top Box – Went with the V56 Maxia 4 top box for this bike. Explored a lot of options including the OEM box – however the OEM box was way too expensive and after seeing one fit on another bike – its space and usability was also limited.


The Givi top box must be bought with a separate mounting plate and the lights are also an additional purchase.

First Service

The RT has its first service scheduled at 1 month from delivery or 1000KM. Here the engine oil is changed, and a general check-up is performed. I also had the crash guards and grip puppies fit during this service.

It costed a total of Rs. 11,958 – Rs. 6,561 for parts and Rs. 5,397 for labour.


Next service is after one year or 10,000KM.

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed ownership reviews of bikes have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also been included here. Thank you so much for sharing .

Congratulations on the RT! I will be riding to Bangalore next Sunday and if you are free, we can catch up. Cheers!

Krish

Epic detailed thread! Exact team bhp standards hit! Thanks for sharing!

Beautiful review of a lovely motorcycle !

This is a rare gem of a motorcycle from BMW Motorrad. I had the chance of riding the older R1200RT in New Delhi couple of years back. The RT surely looks intimidating but it is so convenient to ride thanks to the magical weight distribution primarily due to the boxer twin. The armchair comfort levels aid a lot for proper cross country touring.

Many Congratulations for the grand tourer.

Epic! Congratulations on the motorcycle and wishing you thousands of miles of happy ownership.

You can say that again - I had heard of the R1250 RS sometime back when Schaaf posted a ride video of it, but had no idea of its twin, the RT - even after following the industry closely.

What a majestic machine - especially in white! Can't imagine how much of attention it would be getting on our roads!

A very well rounded tourer and very popular where i am based now. It is also the police vehicle in Singapore and Malaysia.

The amazing boxer engine with its benefits of low CG and amazing low end torque, coupled with the "made for touring" body work and ofcourse the famour tele-lever and paralever from the GS family makes one wonder the point of its larger cousin - the K1600GTL.

At the same time, its "poorer" cousin - the RS gets just the boxer engine but a conventional suspension set up and far less body work for touring ( although it does make a good case as a sports tourer - until you bring in the brilliant S1000XR - damnit - BMW knows exactly how to confuse its buyers ) !

Enjoy the ride

Absolutely the most beautiful tourer without question. Wow, it looks just amazing! Many congratulations and I will be following your journey very closely. Best wishes.

One hell of a tourer. Congratulations on the buy and wishing you '000 of cruising miles