Jump to content
IGNORED

Opinions on 09 RT


Twinsig

Recommended Posts

Haven't been around lately, but is there any news to tell on 09 RTs?

I "might" trade the flying brick for more forgiving 2up ride, maybe.

Link to comment
Haven't been around lately, but is there any news to tell on 09 RTs?

I "might" trade the flying brick for more forgiving 2up ride, maybe.

 

Morning Twinsig

 

The 09 1200RT was the best of the hexhead series.

 

There was an early-on brake line recall for the front metal brake lines cracking at the ABS unit.

 

Rear wheel flange recall due to the alloy rear wheel flange cracking (BMW installed steel flanges to prevent cracking).

 

A fuel pump pass through (sort-of) recall bulletin for the plastic pump output boss cracking. On most bikes ALL they did was install a metal

reinforcement ring around the cracked boss (some of these ended up leaking at a later time). If pushed BMW

will install a new pump/pass through if the metal band (band-aid) leaks.

 

A number of fuel strip failures with fuel gauge reading incorrectly & darn low-fuel yellow light on brightly in your eyes. (BMW extended the fuel strip warranty on these bikes).

 

The costly one (not acknowledged by BMW) is a number of the I-ABS gen-2 bikes (this included the 2009) failed the ABS controller due to a sticking motor brush. This is fixable at home but very involved & a fair amount of mechanical knowledge needed. I believe Module Masters will repair it though.

 

A few reported drive shaft failures (but better than the early hexhead bikes with the smaller drive shafts).

 

A few final drive failures but not a lot-- bad part is the ones that failed tended to re-fail unless replaced.

 

A few throttle body plastic cable cams failing (BMW never really acknowledged this problem). Problem it is a show stopper if it happens.

 

There were some improvements in the 1200 hexhead series & the 2009 got most if not all of them, like the larger pinion bearing, better drive shaft, Gen2 brakes, etc.

 

Some fuel smell issues as the later 2009 got an updated fuel cap assembly & some of those didn't seal correctly (easily fixable with an added rubber gasket to increase cap sealing to fill neck)

 

LOTS! of H-7 headlight bulb early burn-outs-- Not a show stopper but annoying.

 

Some broken windshield mounting arms (mainly with large aftermarket windshields & riding fast around large trucks with swirling wind currents).

 

The 2009 got the slightly higher silver (more surface area) FPC (Fuel Pump Controller) & those had less issues then the earlier lower ones but still some failures due to moisture intrusion. A number were replaced under warranty with the better black powder coated higher fin FPC's. (if you buy that bike & plan on traveling then make sure to either carry a spare FPC (or FPC jumper) with you, or just install the later black FPC if it doesn't already have one)

 

2009 1200RT is a nice riding & stopping bike that gets great fuel mileage, is fairly comfortable 2 up, is easy to maintain, (I still have one as I really like the hexhead myself).

 

If looking at a used 2009 1200RT then look closely under the rear of engine & up on top of the rear oil sump (use a white glove or paper towel) as there were some rear balance shaft

seal seepage problems. Not a big deal but that oil seeps inside the clutch area (good news is the ones that seep oil leak mostly when parked)

 

Don't let what I wrote above scare you as the 2009 1200RT is actually a very nice bike, easy to service, rides out great, stops with authority, comfortable on long rides, etc.

I was just pointing out some of the things in it's history & things to look for when buying used.

 

 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...