Audio or No Audio?

[kgerry]

i have a chance to grab an available 2013 R1200RT.... the only thing it doesnt have that i would normally want is the the Audio pkg.... i'm wondering if it's worth killing the deal over having no audio? how many folks have audio on their bikes and find they never use it? or reciprically, how many wouldn't ride without it?

 

i am coming from a Bonneville T100 that has nothing.... so i don't really know if i "need" audio or not.... (just hate to pay that much for a bike and regret it not having a feature later on)

[dirtrider]

Afternoon kgerry

 

Only YOU can answer that question.

 

Personally I have no use for an audio system on the RT. In fact if I bought one with the system I would promptly remove it to gain the extra storage.

 

Others will tell you differently & say they just can't live without the system.

 

It's mainly a personal choice.

 

What you need to do is go ride a 1200RT with the audio system & see if it trips your trigger. Make sure you run at some higher speeds as that is the place I find it the most useless.

 

For what it's worth I haven't ever had any problems selling a used RT without a radio option.

 

[tallman]

Why ride along at BMW speeds with distorted audio (to rider) and sharing bad taste in music with the rest of the world?

Ear buds.

Keep it on the DL.

YMMV

[kgerry]

the only feature i really would want in the audio pkg would be the built in Bluetooth, so i could stream audio to my helmet or possible use to interface with an optional sat nav....

 

again, i don't have/use any of that now so i don't really know if i'll miss not having it.... but i would gladly pay for it even if i didnt use it just to know it's there and available....

 

as far as my "bad taste in music" i prefer to think of it as "eclectic"...

[dirtrider]

Afternoon kgerry

 

If all you want to do is stream music to your helmet there are some GPS devices that can do that as a stand alone as well as interface with your cell phone.

 

Also a lot of aftermarket amps & other options to do what you want to do that are much cheaper & in a lot of cases work better.

 

Even some stand alone helmet mounted audio, bluetooth, bike to bike, etc available.

 

[ully211]

I had the stero on my '02 RT (60,000 miles) and now have it on my '09 RT (36,000 miles) ... I LOVE it and wouldn't buy one without it.

 

DR is right on the money (I know we're shocked!), go ride one and see if it's what YOU want.

[BMW_Ken]

I have the factory audio package on my 2011 RT and I love it. Have it wired into my autocom so that I hear am/fm/wb/Sirius/Ipod through my earbuds. Works great with crystal clear sound.

 

On my 1150RT without audio I had XM radio through my Garmin wired into the autocom. I like having music, podcasts, etc. available, especially on long rides.

[lkraus]

There are quite few threads on this, you might try searching the forum a bit.

 

As best I can tell, the BMW Bluetooth works as designed only with the BMW Helmet Communication System, and reports are that music quality is mediocre. With other brand Bluetooth helmet systems, connections to the BMW Bluetooth can be hit or miss, sometimes working, sometimes not. And music quality seems to be worse.

 

Many prefer to skip the BMW audio and pair their smartphone, mp3 player, gps, radar, etc. to something like the Sena SMH10 or Schuberth SRC. This tends to be much less expensive, provides better sound quality, and is portable to other bikes.

 

Personally, I cringe every time a rolling boombox passes my house, so I'd never use the fairing mounted speakers. I think the $1100 or so BMW wants for their system (+$450 per helmet) is an incredibly poor value. But having ALL the bells and whistles was never a priority for me.

 

YMMV

[onedae]

I would grab that bike. Its extremely hard to find an RT without the audio package. In my opinion the BMW audio system is an overpriced piece of garbage - and - it kills a great storage spot.

The speakers are terrible, you can't hear anything over about 50 mph, and if you crank the volume it just distorts. The system is unduly cumbersome, especially the satelite radio, and the bluetooth only works fully with the ridiculously priced Shuberth/BMW interface set up. If you want sounds there are various much better ways to get it.

[kgerry]

i called them an hour ago and told them to hold it for me....

 

so where is this "great storage spot" you speak of?

[dirtrider]

 

Pix borrowed from Mitch

 

 

This area would be full of radio if you bought the audio option.

[Trojan]

A little late to the party, but LOVE audio. However, I do it in this manner - Garmin 665 is also mp3 player and XM radio, and w/autocom I run this into the helmet speakers, and bluetooth smartphone through the 665 as well.

 

John

[HeliMark]

A superior system is buy one of those GPS's that also has Sirius/XM and Bluetooth. Best of all worlds for less than half the cost of the BMW system, and no hassles attempting and most of the time failing to connect the Bluetooth. Unless you buy the BMW Bluetooth for your helmet ($$$). I have the audio system, and I have hard wired it to my earbuds.

 

Mark

[Deek]

Audio or Not? Depends. I have it on the 2013 I just bought. If you plan to use a Bluetooth helmet to listen to the BMW's audio is it not 100% certain it will pair with your helmet. There is LOTS of good into on the BMW LT, RT section forum. I forget the thread title but you'll find it.

The speakers on the RT are okay for my requirements up to about 60 MPH, depending on the wind, what's playing, etc. So it's better than I expected. But it will not sound like your car radio....unless you car is a 1960s era convertible.

There are plenty of options if you get a BMW RT without the audio option....they 8-9 hundreds dollars you save will buy a lot of nice gear. I used a J&M Integratr on my 2006 non-audio RT and it sounded very good. It connected to an MP3 player, GPS, etc, etc.

Good luck with the purchase!

 

[BerndM]

This is one of those questions that is about as individually personal as it gets.

I bought my RT from a BMW dealer who had it on consignment. It came with the full stereo-CD player setup. I thought, COOL!

I tried using it a couple of times, found it so annoyingly crappy and intrusive, that it has not been used in the last 2 years.

I'd remove it and sell it but the next guy who owns my bike may want it, so it's just extra weight I storing on the bike for now.

IMHO....a TOTAL waste of money.

YMMV

 

 

[UberXY]

Much better off using an ipod or iphone for the tuneage, either your own music or Pandora via the iPhone. I use XM via Zumo on the mighty K12, and it's great when you are burning miles on the slab.

[Peter Parts]

Why ride along at BMW speeds with distorted audio (to rider) and sharing bad taste in music with the rest of the world?

Ear buds.

Keep it on the DL.

YMMV

 

+1

 

As you can tell from this thread so far, many of us think some "Harley life-style" riders need de-programming before entering the BMW world.

 

Ben

[TF1200RT]

I have an 05 RT (a little older) with a Sena SMH10 headset that is paired with my iPhone which streams Pandora, Radio One and allows me to make phone calls. I also have an Escort radar detector and a Zumo 660 (for MP3's) that are wired into a MixIt2 amp with a blue tooth dongle. I have helmet speakers, but you can also buy the Sena with the setup for earbuds. this way I don't annoy others with MY music. the charge on the Sena lasts for about ten hours, and the dongle is good for about eight hours.

[swilson]

Factory stereos are a complete waste of money in my opinion.

 

Get yourself a good Bluetooth helmet setup like the Sena or Chatterbox XBi. Listen to your tunes straight from your smart phone or MP3 player with Bluetooth adapter. You'll have no wires connecting you to the bike. You'll be able to answer calls while riding should you choose to. You'll also have a wireless intercom between 2 or more similiar devices if you want communications with your passenger or riding buddies.

[RAINEY]

My Rt is the 1st bike with audio. I don't use it all the time but when i do I really enjoy having it built into the bike.

[Paul In Australia]

My Rt is the 1st bike with audio. I don't use it all the time but when i do I really enjoy having it built into the bike.

 

,+1

[Deek]

I have an 05 RT (a little older) with a Sena SMH10 headset that is paired with my iPhone which streams Pandora, Radio One and allows me to make phone calls. I also have an Escort radar detector and a Zumo 660 (for MP3's) that are wired into a MixIt2 amp with a blue tooth dongle. I have helmet speakers, but you can also buy the Sena with the setup for earbuds. this way I don't annoy others with MY music. the charge on the Sena lasts for about ten hours, and the dongle is good for about eight hours.

 

Which dongle are you using? I need to get one of those but want to get one that works well for someone else.