New to BMW - '06 R1200RT

hey everyone!

I just picked up an '06 R1200RT, 18.4k miles and I am trying to orient myself to BMW's. My wife and I have always wanted one and finally picked one up. I paused my riding 15 yrs ago for small kiddos and now are getting back into it --- FINALLY!!

I am not a technical guy, I just LOVE riding.

I have a question about a flashing warning light but I am unsure of where to post it ... am I an 'oilhead', 'hexhead' ... or, what???

I know this is basic, less than 101 ... I apologize. I am revealing my technical prowess here

First of all, welcome to the forum!

2006 falls into the subgrouping of Hexheads, so head on over there and ask away.

Reg:

Welcome to the gang and the BMW world. As Glen stated you are a Hexhead. When I got my first BMW seven years ago the people here got me through learning curve.

Congrats on the bike

Mike

thanks, Mike! what do you think are the top 5 things you wish you would have known starting out about the bike, riding, servicing it, necessary accessories, etc.?

i feel like I am unconsciously unconscious ... i don't know enough to know what to ask.

Reg:

I am short by BMW Owner standards, 68". I cannot flat foot the RT. My first bike was a used Highway Patrol Bike (RT-P) so it had crash bars on it. What I did not know was the high center of gravity on the bikes. Thus I made great use of the crash bars on that one. It was low speed maneuvers that always got me. If you are over 70", it will not be much of a problem. If you read the "Dropped my RT" thread, you will see where it happens most. Some good tips there.

Stock seats- they will be a pain in the butt very quickly. If you want to do any distance, the stock seats will last for about 100 miles. You will need to get an aftermarket seat. There are a plethora of threads here on stock seats. We all have our preferences, but one of the most agreed upon is the stock seats are evil.

Driving Lights- The 04-12 RT's (from what I have read and heard from other riders) main lighting if not the greatest. Most of us have added some extra lighting not just for being seen, but being able to see. Again, there are a lot of threads on Auxiliary lighting, brands, lumens and so forth. Being an 06, and not having the "wonderwheel" (I do not have one either) it limits some of your choices, but still plenty out there.

When it comes to wrenching, I rarely do it. It is due to a lack of time. Between two jobs and a family, I farm out my maintenance. Whenever I have a day or two off, I want to spend them on the road, not wrenching. I want to learn to do more and actually do it, but for the foreseeable future it is not an option. In the Hexhead subsection there is a TON of great info and How To's as well. There are also a few YouTube vids on doing a few things. If you want to wrench, get a hold of a Haynes manual. They are very thorough, simple to understand and easy to read and LOTS of pictures. They are usually around $25 or so.

If you want to sit back and watch the world burn, ask about Best Oil choices and Best Tires for your RT.

Mostly, just get on the bike, ride it, enjoy and learn as you go. That is how all of us here learned about our bikes, road time. I am still a novice compared to 95% of the people here. I am amazed at the knowledge, expertise, compassion and humor the members here have. This place is a phenomenal resource so have at it. Get to know the Hexhead subsection, see who might live near you that are members and get to know them. In the end it is enjoying the road and the machine.

Hope that makes things clear as mud.

Mike

reglook...

Welcome to the asylum and many thanks for posting your location. Not many do that at first and it is a good thing.

Congratulations on the '06. You are in the Hexhead family so feel free to checkout that area.

I owned and loved my '05 which is virtually the exact same bike you bought. I will be happy to comment on just about any question you might have. Note: "Comment" does not necessarily mean I will have an answer but you never know.... and... at that mileage you are just passing into and through the final stages of having the bike broken-in. In other words... Congratulations on a real find!

The other thing is that with you being in Denver you are only a fun ride from Colorado Springs and if you want to drop down sometime, or meet halfway I would be happy to look over the bike with you. You never know what some previous owner has added, deleted or modified. You also might find that there are some simple modifications/adjustments that might help any "issues" you notice. I might have ideas there or maybe not.

Feel free to ask away and send me a PM so we can swap emails... also let me know what the warning light thing is...

... and was it bought from a dealer or an individual? Any evidence of recent service?... meaning for one thing, what does the oil in the sight glass look like? (Black, Brown, Clear?) Did you get any service records?

If you have not done so I suggest you go see you closest dealer (if you did not buy it there) and introduce yourself to the Service Manager. These guys/gals are a great resource. Ask to see the service record on the bike. In the BMW world all that information is kept in the big computer in the sky and they will be happy to print it out for you. You might want to know when/where it was sold/delivered, and if the basic services were done. If there is no record there is a good chance the previous owner did it themselves or possibly never did it, but don't worry. at those few miles it is nothing likely to be a problem.

You would like to see the first service at 5-600 miles, the next at 6000, oil change at 12K and 18K. Note: If your oil does not look perfectly fresh then that ought to be the first thing that needs doing... New Oil and Filter should have happened at 18k... plan on doing that service every 6k at a minimum.

There are several levels of factory service messages. The big one is a "Recall", lesser ones are "Service Bulletins". I do not recall any Recalls... not to be redundant all over again, but there were some Service Bulletins. You want to know if the dealers did those. Yes it can be important. Ask about the Fuel Pump Conctoller... say "FPC" and he will think you are an experienced guy. The plastic housing around the collar of the FPC can crack and they will replace it if is is bad or put a small metal "collar" around it if its only a tiny crack. Mine got the collar it was never an issue.

Bob

p.s. The bike in my photo is my '05

Welcome! I had a 2006 RT that I truly loved!! Sold it last fall for a 2016 RT and it took me months to stop missing the '06. It is a great bike. Like others have stated happy to answer any questions. You will love it.

Welcome - owner of a '06 here and I love it! You will too! Enjoy!

Welcome Reglook,

I'm just up the road in Boulder with an '07.

I like it a lot!

I took a detour on the way to work last summer and ended up having a Breakfast Burrito in Grand lake after going over trail ridge. Fun indeed on that bike.

Doug

thanks everyone for all the encouragement! I can't contain the level of excitement that has been exuding from me for the last week. My wife said last night as we went to bed, "all you care about now is the bike!" obviously, not true but I am sure it does seem like it from the outside ...

hopz, thanks for all the insight. I will need to be heading down there for work at some point in the near future ... so, I might just take you up on the inspection offer. I would love to meet you.

Reg-

I really like your avatar but you're either going down a very steep hill or it's rotated 90 degrees.

Welcome, BTW.

Lee, really??? It shows right side up as I look at it ... that's odd ... thanks for the insight.

lee, i changed it ... does it look different? it looks the same on my end ...

Ha! Funny. Now it looks like you're going up a very steep hill.

???

No see...

No avatar now. Is this a Psych test?!?

will send info via a PM... watch for it.

I couldn't get it right ... so I took it down ... I'll try again later when I am near a computer

Let me recommend to you that you do some of the maintenance (most of it) yourself. It will save you a great deal of money I own an '05 and I have put 74K miles on it. What a great machine.

There are plenty resources available online to help. Plus, you get to know your bike sooo much better. Otherwise it is a mystery and far more expensive to own than it needs to be.

One of the great things about the hexheads, it they are much more user serviceable than the newer versions. Oil changes are a snap.

You can find plenty of videos on youtube. Also plenty of technical information about your bike on this forum as well.

Good luck with your new bike!!! You will love it.