BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Is there anyone out there with any experience with the R1200C or CL. My friends are telling me that I need to add a cruiser to my garage. I love my 04 R1150R. Do I need a cruiser? I sure like the looks of the R1200C and the CL. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.....

Mike,

Your Roadster will do anything that the R1200C can do. The R1200C cannot do everything that the Roadster can do.

The leg/foot positions on the two bikes are quite different.

For what it is, the R1200C is a really good bike.


mac

You don't need a cruiser...imo.. ...Tell your friends to go jump.. ..(in a nice way)

But then..the Montauk is pretty cool... http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadte ... index.html

I'd have one if I could afford to add another bike.

DJ

There is something about that Montauk.
We've had two come in during the past couple weeks, and one's already sold. I just keep having to tell myself...

"It's only got 61 horse...it's only got 61 horse...it's only got..."


IF, and that's a bit 'IF', I could afford two bikes, I'd have it already.

MikeB wrote:Is there anyone out there with any experience with the R1200C or CL. My friends are telling me that I need to add a cruiser to my garage. I love my 04 R1150R. Do I need a cruiser? I sure like the looks of the R1200C and the CL. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.....

Mike,

I suspect your friends didn't have the R1200C in mind when they counciled you to get a cruiser. When I hear that usually they're telling me I should get a Harley like they have. A large, heavy, poor handling v-twin like they bought.
I had a R1200C for a day and thought it was a decent bike. When you step right off an RR though, it's limitations are more pronounced. It likes a more relaxed pace. The one I had wasn't comfy running up to redline and seemed to tire at about 75 mph, didn't have that top end kick the RR has. But, that's not what the C is about. It was very enjoyable to lope along a twisty road at 50 mph.

My dad had the R1200C Phoenix and really liked it. The only problem was he never found a windshield that was comfortable for him on the highway.

Great looking bike though.

My friend rides an Ivory 1200C. Nice bike and looks the part. He rides with the local Harley Owners club
.
The R & C are very different bikes but I feel they complement each other.
IMHO The 1200CL is ugly but I am sure many love the looks of the CL[/img]

FUGLY is more like it.
I am sure people like them but I just don't see it!

I looked briefly at a CL couple of months ago primarily because my wife is not comfortable on my r for extended periods of time. She has some back issues and I thought this might be an alternative.

I sat on one and was amazed at how heavy it feels compared to my r. I ended up passing on it for various reasons but still wouldn't mind one if I could afford two bikes. Another time perhaps.

wayne

I prefer the CLC.
http://www.chooseyouritem.com/motorcycl ... 17929.html

One of my good friends and the one I rode the most with has a 98 1200C, he is a fanatic about the bike upkeep and guess who keeps the thing up....but I digress.

I have had ample opportunity to ride and evaluate the bike and here are my two cents.

Has a larger displacement engine than the R and the fuel system is tuned for torque which has a very good pull down low since it can keep up with the R's on acceleration.

The front end due to the longer wheelbase and steering head angle, read cruiser, is nowhere as planted and inspiring as the R.

The forward foot controls I hate and never have liked.....but that my be my own trait.

The one thing that I and my friend and he is 152 pounds wet, do hate is that any large surface bumps get transmitted directly up your spine. This is the result of both a fairly short travel rear shock and the center line action vector being located ride under the seat.....Ouch.....I see stars with a road ripple....to top it off, because of the forward controls you can't lift your tush away from the seat when you see the ripple coming.

On the maintenance side, other than oil, filters and plugs, and with 42 k miles on it we haven't had to do replace anything other than 2 set of tires and a battery.

I've had my '99 R1200C since brand new, and is still my favorite all-around bike. The grunt is down low, and is a different bike from my Rockster. The saddle is more comfy on the C, but ground clearance leaves me dragging pegs waay too soon.

Seating position is great, as I have replaced the bars with the lower, Euro version instead of the semi-apehangers that came stock. My loping pace with the Cruiser in the twisties is around 60-70mph. A friend who had an R1150R rode with me a few times in the Sierras, and told me that he was surprised that a cruiser can be ridden aggressively like that. With a bit more experience and familiarity with my bike, I was able to keep him looking at my tail light.

Like many have already said, these two bikes actually complement each other... so I am glad I am fortunate to have both! I prefer my setup to the CLC or Montauk. And the Euro bars are a must in my book.

Let me know if you have any questions!

boxermania wrote:The forward foot controls I hate and never have liked.....but that my be my own trait.

And if you have size 14s, the controls can feel downright dangerous. I love the look of that cruiser (all cruisers, really), and the 1200C in that Bond movie was what inspired me to get into this.

But all that chrome is heavy, and is a big pain to keep clean.

jfslater98 wrote: But all that chrome is heavy, and is a big pain to keep clean.

Actually, my Cruiser is only a few pounds heavier than my Rockster. Must be all that weight from the servo-assist ABS.

[img]http://www.dragonmojo.com\images\R12C_Alien.jpg[/img]

Some of the chrome is plastichrome.