The combination of low-rev torque and happy ratios lets the bike pull away easily at virtually any speed below jail-time level, doing so without having to let the revs reach for the sky, as the engine feels like a turbine pushing you along as per your command. So if you do need maximum performance right now, the engine delivers, throwing in a surprising level of air intake noise to let you know it is hard at work.

I toured solo and two up, letting the bike work with over 200kg of passenger load on board – it thrived on it. Two-up with bags was the correct preload settings for the Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA), with the middle (Normal) setting for damping, a happy medium for the smooth French roads. For solo riding, I set the preload to the minimum setting, with the softest (Comfort) damping for 130kph blasts on the autoroute, and the middle damping for sportier work on secondary roads. I hope to try out the sportiest setting when I ride the machine again, soon I hope…

The sidebags are wide, but not excessively so, as they do not extend past the width of the rear-view mirrors.  (Photo: Bernard Suquet)

The bike did the usual Telelever thing, with the front wheel seemingly biting into the road under braking and on corner entry, and never showing a hint of headshake under any circumstances. The RT is not a sportbike, but the excellent suspension gives it an easy ability to jump around from corner to corner smoothly and quickly, certainly enough to surprise the average rider on his Liter or 600cc toy bike.

Is it worth the Money?
Definitely, if you can afford the higher cashflow bite, as the cost over long-term ownership works out to be about the same as less expensive bike that end up depreciating more quickly.

The suspension, electronics and generous torque of the R1200RT bring it close to the proverbial dream ride on a top-drawer, sophisticated machine – just what you deserve… or will want as soon as you test-ride it. You have been warned!

Plus
Great ergos
Completely equipped
Torque where you can use all the time

Minus
You do have to pay for all these great features