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Cost: about £9000 last year, when 2 years old
Insurance: about £500 p.a. comprehensive, provided you're over 35 and have full no-claims bonus. Don't even consider it otherwise: group 15
Economy: 35 miles/gallon in town, more than 50 over distance
Good points: quick, smooth, reasonable economy, stylish, your mates haven't all got one
Bad points: feels heavy at low speeds
Overview
The BMW K1200LT LUX is a record-breaker in a number of areas. First it is, I believe, the UK's most expensive motorcycle in regular volume production. In bog-standard factory configuration, a new one will set you back about £15,000. With a full set of factory-fitted extras (CD changer, luggage rack, intercom, towbar, etc) it's closer to £20,000. That's more expensive than Harley-Davidson's top-of-the-range machine, and twice the price of some very nice motorcycles indeed. Its second claim to fame is its weight: as well as being the most expensive motorcycle in volume production, it's also the heaviest: about 800 lbs wet. Heavier, even, that a Harley full-dress tourer or a Goldwing. So what does it do with all that weight, and why is it so expensive? Well, it has a staggering array of equipment: servo-assisted brakes with ABS; on-board computer; multi-CD and radio system with digital display, RDS, and 8-way speakers; integrated luggage with interior lighting; map lights; heated seats independently adjustable for driver and passenger; heated grips; electrically adjustable windscreen; cruise control; reverse gear; luggage racks; accessory power outlets; and, of course, that all-important cup holder. There's even, amazingly, a towing hitch, so you can pull a trailer if you can't get the kitchen sink on the bike itself.Bikes like the LT are scorned by those motorcyclists who feel that the rider should be in intimate touch with his surroundings - feeling the wind in his hair an the bugs splatting against his gritted teeth. Riding an LT is undoubtedly a very different experience from riding a 600cc sportsbike. The most obvious difference is that you get off the same shape as you got on.
The ride
At the risk of cliché, sitting on the LT is rather like being in the cockpit of a light jet aeroplane. There's a staggering array of knobs, switches, and things that flash. Where most bikes have a couple of thumbswitches on each handlebar grip, the LT's left grip has no fewer than 11 switches. There are three independent LCD displays (four if you count the gear indicator), and a Christmas tree of flashing lights. Up to a point, you can cheerfully ignore all this and drive it like an ordinary bike: clutch, gear, throttle, go.
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| View from the cockpit. Notice how much bigger this area is than in most bikes -- it has to accommodate the two front speakers, amount other things |
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| Which one shall I press first? Your left hand operates the audio system, cruise control, headlight, screen, and hazard lights, as well as the usual indicator and horn |
In essence, riding the LT is much like riding any other big touring bike, only more so. When the speed is more than about 2 mph, the weight become less of a problem, and it accelerates, brakes, and corners like a much lighter machine. Of course, it's important to remember that in this case the `much lighter machine' is still extremely heavy. When you open the throttle at 4000 rpm, the jetplane looks are complemented by a jetplane engine whine. It appears that this `K-whine' is a feature of BMW K-series bikes. The whine is closely followed by a surprisingly forceful acceleration. What makes it even more striking is that, because there's little windblast, you don't realize how fast you're moving until you look at the speedo. If you're not careful, you could easily find yourself doing 80 mph around town - not good for the licence.
The LT corners far better than the rider has any right to expect: a bit like a Trophy or a Pan-European. There's plenty of grip from the tires even at surprisingly acute angles of lean, although in general its handling is nothing like that of a sportsbike. Received wisdom is that to get good stability, the tyres need to be at the maximum allowed inflation - 48 psi rear, 42 psi front. There's already quite a fokelore about which tyres give the best compromise between grip and durability. Tyre life of 15,000 miles seems achievable with Metzler tyres, at the expense of a bit of high-speed traction.
The LT's weight and height may be off-putting for many riders, but in my opinion the most obvious difference between the LT and other motorcycles is its length, not its weight. It's a least a foot longer than most ordinary bikes. This means that there's comparatively more room on board for both driver and passenger, and I have to report that the LT is the only fully-faired bike I've ever ridden on which my knees don't actually touch the fairing. This does mean, however, that the turning manoeuvrability is somewhat reduced in heavy traffic. Even where you can squeeze between lanes of cars, wiggling between the front bumper of one stationary car and the rear bumper of the one in front is not always practicable. Of course, you shouldn't be doing that sort of thing anyway, but it's a shame that you can't when you need to. The turning circle is also much larger than on many other bikes - it needs the full width of a road to do a U-turn.
Now, of course, you wouldn't want to use an LT for city commuting, because here its size really would work to your disadvantage. But for motorway riding it excels. It's smooth, undemanding, and quite fast enough to deal with motorway overtaking. If the road is clear, you can engage the cruise control. What's more, if you get bored with the view on the motorway, you can put on a CD or listen to the radio.
Comfort and weather protection
The LT is designed to be ridden all year round, in any conditions and over any distance. To that end, it has a number of features which help to make riding in the deep armpit of winter less of a grind than it might be. I can confirm that last winter I only had to make alternative travel arrangements owing to bad weather on one occasion -- and that was when the ice was so thick that I couldn't even open the garage door without slipping over. I rode in snow, ice, gales, and hailstorms without incident. It wasn't alway comfortable, and I do remember getting numb feet on occasion, but I did it.Like most touring bikes, the LT has heated handlebar grips, with two heat settings. Unlike most other bikes, it has heated seats, for both rider and passenger, with two heat settings each. It does take a while for the seats to warm up, but it makes a worthwhile difference on bitterly cold days.
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| The screen and fairing are enormous -- this photo shows the screen in its fully retracted position. When fully raised, it's nearly a foot taller |
The heated grips and seats do a good job of keeping the winter chill at bay, but the best bad-weather feature is the wind protection. As well as the huge screen, there are wind deflectors above and below the handlebars, so you travel in a bubble of still air. An enduring problem with high screens on all bikes is that they are prone to deflect the front end of the bike in strong side-winds. My experience with the LT is that it isn't always possible to have the screen in its highest position, even if you happen to be tall enough to be able to see over the top of it. In some circumstances it is necessary to lower the screen slightly to reduce side-wind buffeting. Happily, the screen is electrically adjustable, so you can tweak it on the move to get the best compromise.
If you favour electrically-heated clothing, you'll be pleased to know that the LT has external power outlets for both rider and passenger. In addition, the alternator generates 800 Watts at motorway speeds, so there should be no worry about draining the battery.
Unfortunately, short of fitting a roof there isn't much that can be done to keep the rain off the rider, particularly at low speeds. The large screen does a good job of deflecting the rain at higher speeds, but the pattern of air flow over the rider has the effect that rain is sucked down forcefully onto the rider's neck and back. So you need to make sure that clothing fits really snugly at the neck, or you'll end up with a soaking wet back (as I did the first time I rode in the rain).
To be honest, riding any motorcycle in heavy winter rain is a wretched experience, particularly when it's cold and dark as well. However, provided you're not standing still, the large screen and fairing make this kind of riding tolerable, if not enjoyable.
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| The LT has adjustable wind deflectors for the leg area. These are among the few things that aren't electric -- you have to turn them by hand |
ABS System
It's a funny thing, ABS, when you think about it. The whole purpose of ABS is to release the brakes when you are trying to brake hard. Of course, we have to hope that the release is short-lived, just long enough for the tyres to restore traction, but it's a very delicate operation. ABS won't make you stop more rapidly; it's job is prevent the wheels locking and the inevitable loss of control that will follow. With ABS, you should still retain a modicum of steering ability, even with maximum braking. BMW clearly takes the view that a disfunctional ABS system is worse than no ABS system at all, and that has to be true. Any system that can prevent the brakes engaging has to be in tip-top condition to be trustworthy. So the system on the K1200LT gets a very thorough test when the bike is started up. Because it is so thorough, the ABS won't activate unless everything is spot on. You'll see the self-test process whenever you switch the ignition on. There are two indicator lights which flash in different patterns to show where the test has got to. If everything passes, both the lights will extinguish. In fact, you won't get both lights out until you start riding -- the system has to test the wheel rotation sensors, and it can't do that until the wheels start to rotate.A number of trivial things can defeat the ABS system, which is frustrating, but given that the job of the ABS system is to deactivate the brakes, you can see why BMW have been so careful. The system is sensitive to low battery voltage, brake fluid level, brake levers being depressed during the self-test, and wheel rotation when the engine's not running. This last one can happen if you switch on the ignition when the bike is on the centre stand, then kick the back wheel. The ABS treats this as a failure because it thinks the wheel rotation sensor is faulty. Normally switching off the ignition and switching on again resets the system easily enough.
For all its complexity, does the ABS work? I think I can fairly report that it's saved me from a crash on at least two occasions, maybe more. The first of these occasions was in Oxford city centre, as I rounded a sharp bend in the road only to find a zebra crossing full of pedestrians. I was, to be honest, riding too fast, and the roads were slick with rain. When I saw the zebra, I slammed on the brakes and -- nothing happened. Well, the bike did slow gradually, and I was able to steer around the pedestrians, ending up -- to my humiliation -- on the pavement. Without the ABS, I would almost certainly have slid the bike down the road, probably scattering pedestrians like skittles.
While on this first occasion I had to rely on the ABS to rescue me from -- let's face it -- my own negligence, on the second occasion the situation was one which I could not have avoided by any amount of diligence. The problem was a huge diesel spillage on the North Circular Road. The spillage covered all four lanes and was about 30 yards long. Goodness knows what could have spilt that amount of diesel, but it was there. I didn't realize it was diesel at the time -- it just looked like a wet patch of road. And I didn't realize immediately afterwards either. In fact, I didn't realize until I tried to slow down on reaching a queue of cars and trucks. Again, I braked hard, and had the sensation that nothing was happening. However, I was able to keep under control until all the diesel had been scrubbed off the tyres (which took about two miles -- wretched stuff).
Unlike my car's ABS, which gives a sort of juddering sensation when it is activated, the LT's braking is perfectly smooth under ABS. When it's activated, the ABS makes a noise like someone saying ``Shush! Shush!'' The sensation is rather like the one you get if you are careless enough to get oil on your brake disks: the brakes work, but don't engage hard enough to lock the wheels.
In short, as far as I'm able to tell the ABS system works flawlessly, but I don't have much experience of other ABS systems to compare it with. This isn't the first bike I've owned that has ABS, and I doubt it will be the last -- it's a lifesaver.
On-board entertainment
The LT has an audio system that would shame most cars. It would shame most home hi-fi systems as well, for that matter. There's a radio with RDS, 6-disc CD changer, eight-way speaker system, and separate controls for rider and passenger. Something that is notably absent is a socket for connecting helmet speakers, so unless you buy this as an optional extra (see below), you'll have to use the main speakers. The speakers are certainly loud enough to be heard in any traffic conditions, but at high volumes they will most likely cause irritation to other road users. Strangely, I found the speakers more audible with my helmet visor closed, than with it open. I'm sure there must be some explanation for this in terms of acoustics, but I'm sure I can't figure it out. In any case, I don't drive on the kind of roads where using external speakers on a motorcycle is likely to be socially acceptable, and I always use helmet speakers now.A frequent complaint about automotive CD players is that they skip when driving over bumps. The CD on the LT can be made to skip if you hit a bump hard enough, and some CDs skip worse than others. However, my experience so far is that skipping is really only a problem if you have loose, heavy items stowed in the same luggage box as the CD unit. I guess what happens is that, when you ride over a bump, things bang into the changer unit and upset it.
As with most good-quality car audio systems, the LT's audio is speed-sensitive. That is, the faster you ride, the louder it gets, so as to overcome wind noise. The degree of automatic adjustment is (surprise, surprise) adjustable, so you can tweak it to match the noise-shielding properties of your crash helmet.
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| The main audio system controls are in the centre of the cockpit, but there are convenience switches on the left handlebar as well |
Audio controls
The main day-to-day controls for the audio system are on the left handlebar for the rider, and on the front of the trunk for the passenger. These controls are for volume, track selection, and channel selection. There's a lot a functionality built into a small number of switches, and different functions are selected by different lengths of switch press. So, for example, when a CD is playing a short press on the right arrow selects the next track, while a long press selects the next disk.The more sophisticated controls are on a button panel with LCD readout on top of the petrol tank. These controls are for tuning, selecting preset stations, adjusting balance, bass, treble, etc., configuring the traffic announcement system, and so on. This is a very sophisticated piece of equipment, and it takes a while to get used to.
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| The passenger also has audio controls and speakers, built into the trunk. These controls are for radio tuning, volume, mute, and CD track selection |
Auxilliary audio inputs
Err.... there aren't any. At least, without optional extras or aftermarket parts there aren't any. This is a shame, because the little compartment on top of the tank is just right for holding a pocket MP3 player. Now, of course, you could wire an MP3 player directly to a pair of helmet speakers, but this would have two big disadvantages. First, you wouldn't be able to play through the main speakers even if your wanted to. Second, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of the automatic volume regulation. There are three main methods that LT owners use to overcome the lack of auxilliary inputs. First, you can buy the optional BMW audio upgrade, which also includes rider-to-passenger intercom features (more on this later). Second, you can get an FM modulator that injects the signal into the radio's antenna line. Third, you can disconnect the CD changer in the luggage box, and inject the signal into the normal CD input. The first method has the disadvantage of being frighteningly expensive. The third requires not only disconnecting the CD player, but also constantly playing CDs to fool the audio system into thinking there's a CD signal. I have opted for the FM modulator, like most LT owners. An FM modulator costs about £30, and has to tap into the antenna line. The best place to do this is at the back of the radio itself. However, this is a seriously horrible job, as you have to dismantle the whole of the fairing on one side of the bike. I have mounted the modulator itself under the seat, and run the input cable up to the compartment on top of the tank. So now, if I want to play MP3s, I just put my pocket player in the compartment, plug it in, and tune the radio to the modulator's output frequency (which is adjustable, so it doesn't have to clash with your favourite radio station). The music quality is not perfect, but it doesn't really have to be.Intercom and communications
The LT is not supplied with an intercom system as standard. There is a shockingly expensive optional system from BMW, but most LT owners opt for an Autocom system (as I have). There are many other intercom systems on the market, but the Autocom seems to offer a good compromise between features and price. More importantly, it will integrate the LT's built-in audio system (although you need a specific Autocom part to do it). Because the Autocom system is so popular with LT owners, Autocom can supply a specific wiring diagram to match the LT. On my LT I have disconnected the rear external speakers, and routed the speaker signal into the Autocom unit. My helmet speakers plug into the Autocom. So now I can switch between main speakers and helmet speakers using the front-rear fader control on the LT audio unit.The Autocom system supports rider-to-passenger, bike-to-bike (with add-on radio unit), and mobile phone operation. The system is voice activated, and it automatically mutes the radio if you talk, or if there's an incoming phone call. My mobile phone will fit nicely in the compartment on top of the tank, along with my pocket MP3 player.
Other features
The LT has lots of subtle nice features, that hint at it being a solid, quality machine. Some of these features may seem rather trivial, but they're not so trivial that other manufacturers have seen fit to include them. For example, if you pop open the hatch on the top of the tank, you'll find a small torch, for checking oil level and brake pad wear, for example. The built-in luggage is illuminated on the inside, so you can find stuff in the dark. If you have a map in a tank bag, the light on the dashboard will illuminate it. There's a socket to plug in a battery charger without opening any part of the bike (which you'll need - see below). The alternator outputs a staggering 840 Watts, so you can fit extra lights (most people do), and still have enough power to drive the heated seats and heated clothing.
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| Luggage capacity is fairly enormous -- the trunk will hold two full-face helmets, or two big bags of groceries. The panniers are fairly big too, but give away some space to the CD changer and toolkit |
Luggage
The LT is designed for touring, and has touring-sized luggage compartments. There are two fairly enormous panniers, and a very enormous trunk. There are also small compartments scattered around, such as the flip-up compartment on top of the petrol tank. The trunk will accommodate two full-face helmets side-by side. The panniers aren't large enough to accommodate a full-sized helmet, but they will take a fair volume of clothing or groceries. These panniers are not all that easy to load, as they are an odd shape inside. As an optional extra you can get pannier liners that are exactly the right shape, which will allow you to fill the panniers off the bike. The panniers themselves are not detachable.Reverse gear
The LT has an electrically-operated reverse gear. In fact, the reverse drive is simply the starter motor, connected to the crank through a reversing gear. The selector for reverse is down by the rider's left boot, and sometimes the bike needs a bit of a back-and-forth wiggle to engage it. Once it is engaged, you can reverse the bike by hitting the starter button with the engine running. BMW being BMW, engaging reverse automatically causes the engine speed to rise to about 2500 rpm, so that the alternator generates enough current to drive the starter motor without draining the battery.
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| This lever by the rider's left foot selects reverse gear. You won't need it very often, but when you do need it, you really need it |
Cruise control
The cruise control is operated by a complicated looking switch on top of the left handlebar. There's sliding control to activate the system; sliding it reveals the toggle switch that sets and controls the speed.On-board computer
The on-board computer will tell you the temperature, average speed, and fuel consumption. It will also estimate the range left until refuelling. This can only be an estimate because, of course, it can't predict how you will ride. The estimate is based on the fuel remaining and the rate of fuel consumption over the last few minutes. I generally start looking for somewhere to fill up when the computer says that I've got about 20 miles left. I've not been caught out so far. The accuracy of the computer can be affected by the size of the tyres (think about it -- it can't really measure your mileage, it can only measure the number of wheel rotations; true mileage depends on a knowledge of the tyre size). If you generally have the tyre pressures higher or lower than the recommended settings (most LT riders have them higher), you can recalibrate the computer using a procedure described in the service manual. It's simple enough to do, but you have to have something even more accurate to calibrate it against. You could, for example, measure the exact average speed over a long ride using a GPS receiver, then adjust the computer until its idea of average speed matches that figure. In any event, the factory settings are unlikely to be wrong by more than a few percent, so it might not be worth the hassle.
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| On top of the trunk is a chromed steel luggage rack with a high-level brake light. The light is about four feet off the ground, so it should be visible to even the most brain-dead car driver |
Toolkit
The LT has an extensive toolkit, not the pathetic attempts that most manufacturers offer. It includes a puncture repair kit, with CO2 cylinder for quick inflation. There's also a couple of bottles of colour-matched paint to repair minor scratches (which I've not yet had to open). The tools themselves are hefty and of good quality, and fit into a tool-roll which can be strapped to the inside of one of the luggage panniers (the straps are included!)
Towbar
My LT came with a towbar, for towing a trailer (or speedboat if you're lucky). The LT's drive generates such a lot of torque that you probably could pull a caravan if you really had to. It makes light work of pulling a heavy trailer. The towing hitch is a serious piece of hardware -- it's made of solid steel and weighs about thirty pounds. There's a standard power take-off point to operate the lights on your trailer; this connects to a set of spade terminals under the seat of the LT. The bar itself bolts onto the chassis on both sides.I don't keep the towbar fitted when I'm not using it, because it's so heavy. Fitting takes about 15 minutes when you've got the hang of it.
Linked brakes and servos
Like many big bikes, the LT has linked brakes -- both hand and foot controls operate both front and rear brakes. The distribution of braking effort seems to be about 2:1 in favour of the selected brake. That is, when you operate the front brake lever, you get about 65% of the braking force in the front brake, and about 35% in the rear. When you operate the rear brake pedal, about 65% of the braking is at the rear and 35% at the front. Linked brakes are generally not well-liked on sportsbikes, but they seem to work well enough on the LT.What is unusual about the LT's braking system is that it's servo-assisted. The servo is driven electrically, not by the engine, and activates as long as the ignition is on. The servo assistance makes a huge difference to braking. If you allow the LT to roll down a hill with the ignition off, you'll soon see what I mean.
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| The on-board computer will tell you how many more miles you can do before refuelling, among other things. |
Cup holder
What can I say? It's got a cup holder! I did try putting a cup of coffee in it once, but I rode over a speed bump and the coffee splashed all over the windscreen.Problems and criticism
What about the problems? Well, the most obvious problem - one that seems to be experienced by all owners at some point - is that the standard battery is only just up to the job. When it's undervoltage - even by a small amount - odd things happen. The first symptom appears to be that the ABS system stops working, and you get lots of flashing red lights on the dashboard. In this condition, my LT's engine cuts out in traffic for no obvious reason. The repeated restarting of the engine drains the battery even more. It never gets bad enough to make the bike unrideable, but the panoply of red flashing lights on the dashboard makes it look like I've just armed the ground-to-air missiles, or something. The solution is straightforward: keep the battery on trickle-charge if you're not going to be riding for more than a week or so. It's handy that there's a socket on the bike to connect a charger. Alternatively, buy a superior battery.Another common problem is to flood the vapour filter by over-filling the petrol tank. In accordance with German environmental protection laws, the LT has a charcoal filter between the petrol tank and the outside world. This allows air in and out of the tank when petrol is pumped and then consumed, while preventing the escape of petrol fumes. All very worthy, of course; but if you overfill the tank, liquid petrol can get into the charcoal and block the filter. This will make the bike run erratically at low speeds until the petrol evaporates. Solution: don't overfill the tank.
What else? Well, as I said earlier, the ABS system is very fussy. On my LT, the brake fluid reservoir has to be filled right to the `max' mark for the ABS to work. The `minus' sign on the temperature gauge is easy to miss -- on one occasion I rode to work on the LT when the temperature was six degrees below freezing, thinking it was six degrees above. It took me the whole day to thaw out. On one occasion the audio system crashed. The lights on the control panel came on, but nothing worked. I had to reboot the system by disconnecting the battery. If you do disconnect the battery for any reason, there is a particular start-up procedure you have to follow after restoring power (it's well documented). If you don't do this, you'll get erratic riding until the engine management system works out the limits of all its sensors.
Conclusion
In summary, the LT is ideal for motorcyclists who travel mostly on long motorway journeys, and have to contend with bad weather on a regular basis. You can ride it indefinitely, in perfect comfort, except in the most atrocious weather. If you need to travel on business, the luggage has ample capacity for a change of clothes, laptop computer, books and documents, and probably other tools of your trade. Since I've found out how fussy the LT is about battery charge and brake fluid level, I have found it to be 100% reliable. It starts first time, every time, and runs quietly and unobtrusively for any distance. The LT can trundle along at 90-100 mph with perfect stability and, unlike other large touring bikes, can corner at these speeds without undue sphincter activity. The features that appear initially to be gimmicks soon become indispensable (the on-board computer, for example).The LT performs least well in congested city traffic. Even in the worst traffic it still makes more progress than a car, but you'll soon wish you were on a scooter. Apart from city commuters, other riders who will not want an LT are those with short legs (for obvious reasons), and those who ride only occasionally. There's no getting away from the fact that the LT is a big, heavy bike; you can't treat it complacently. I find that if I don't ride for more than a week or so, I am taken by surprise by its size and weight. It usually takes me a couple of hours or riding to get back into the swing of it, so if you only ride for a couple of hours a week, you'll always be fighting the bike. Handling the LT properly (both on the move and when standing still) requires a certain amount of big-bike experience, and enough confidence to show it who's boss. You don't want an LT as your first bike after passing your test (and you wouldn't be able to get insurance even if you did).
Above all, the LT is a practical bike; it's for people who favour function over form, and need a bike that will handle any kind of conditions and will always, always work. The LT is not a bad-looking bike, but it's not a thing of beauty like a Road King. Neither is it a two-wheeled gin palace like a Goldwing.
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