Is a '13 R1200RT air cooled, or water? What should one be aware of on a used one?

[MZ5]

I was at the dealer the other day picking up a new footpeg (Death Valley wrecked mine), and they have a decent-looking '13 RT there. It _appears_ to be fairly well equipped, but I know absolutely nothing of BMWs, so maybe there's a bunch of stuff I _thought_ was on it that isn't actually there.

Anyway, when I asked the salesperson whether that model year was air or water cooled, he said water. However, a comparison test I came across (on a '14) seemed to suggest that the '13 was still the air-cooled motor. Do you guys know which a '13 is?

What should I look for on that bike, in terms of things to consider if I'm contemplating its purchase? Tires, of course; they look brand new. Thanks for any input.

 

[Beemerphile]

The 2013 is the last year of the air/oil cooled camhead motor on the RT. The plain (not Adventure) GS was the only one that got the liquid cooling in 2013.

I have a 2013 camhead GS Rallye. I really like the camhead motor. It has shim adjusted valves, however, they used a very ingenious design that does not require cam removal to change the shims. Lots of people I know have never had to change a shim. The ABS brakes of the 2010+ bikes are very robust and they seem to have developed their way out of the final drive gremlins as well. Fueling is good. I'm not finding much to complain about with the drive train.

Relative to the liquid cooled bikes, the vast majority of people who have ridden both say that the LC is improved in every regard. That may be true, but I got my slightly used non-LC with only 11K miles on it for $10,000 less than a new bike. I am known for taking oddball positions on stuff, but I like the camhead better than the wethead. The boxer character is diminished in the wethead. Having ridden boxers for 40 years, they have become part of me. Some say it's great that the LC clutch is on the front of the engine and easy to change. I'm kind of used to holding clutch parts in my hands, but the idea of splitting the engine to replace an alternator stator leaves me a touch worried. The switchgear (wonder wheel, etc.) on the LC's have been problematic. The camheads have the older switchgear which has been historically reliable.

Given the way the LC mania is dropping the "value" of the older designs, it makes it a very cost-effective time to jump on one. Think of it as contrarian investing. Of the oilheads, I think that the 2010+ bikes represent the best of them. I'll take another look at the liquid cooled stuff in five years or so if I am still exchanging oxygen for CO2.

 

[MZ5]

Thanks, BP!

I confess I absolutely _despise_ shim-under-bucket valves, but if they're as durable (stable with regard to clearance) as the experience you relay, that'd be okay; particularly if the cams don't have to come out to change shims.

The bike I looked at had that wheel on the inside of the left grip. Was that present on the pre-wasserboxer bikes, or do they potentially have this one mis-tagged as far as model year? I give the salesman no credit for knowing BMWs, either, since this was a Honda shop I went to.

What's power like on the air-oil-cooled bikes? Somewhere around double the hp of the NCX?

And lastly, but perhaps most importantly: How much does engine or exhaust heat get to your legs or feet on super-hot days? You're in a warm climate, too, so I'm sure you can imagine how unimpressed I get when riding home down the freeway/highway when it's already 115 out, and then have a bunch of engine or exhaust heat added to the 'pile.' My CBR600 used to make me truly concerned that I was either going to melt my textile pants or just plain burn my leg when the wind was just right. It funneled all the exhaust header heat out one side's fairing outlet, right onto my shin. :-/

 

[dduelin]

Until one can easily tell the two models apart there are two drop dead clues to visually separate the current water cooled boxer from the previous oil/air cooled bikes.

1. The exhaust pipes exit the bottom of the cylinders on a water head and directly out the front of the cylinders on a cam head.

2. The muffler is on the right side of a water boxer and the left side of a cam head.

It's probably a 2013, lots of owners trade out of a BMW at 36 months or 36,000 miles when the warranty expires.

 

[Beemerphile]

On the camhead valves, there is a circlip at the end of each rocker shaft. you take the circlip off and the rocker simply slides off the shaft You remove the shim, measure it, and calculate the new shim thickness. Then you can reassemble and ride until the shim comes in, or leave it down. Being the unrepentant tinkerer, I removed and measured all of my stock shims and put them back, so that if I need a shim, I already know what is in there. Again, it is easy to do.

Yes, the wonderwheel existed on the RT's in earlier years, but they seemed to have changed suppliers or something and the switches got cheap. It should be ok. The easiest way to tell if it is a LC model is to look at where the exhaust pipes exit from. Air/oil pipes exit from the front as they have since 1923. The LC pipes exit down.

The RT has 110 hp and weighs about 100 lbs. more than the 51 hp NC. New LC model adds about 15 hp.

The RT is a very full fairing, so it will be warmer than a less faired motorcycle. I don't notice the heat from my GS, but not having ridden the RT, I can't say how it would do. I think a long test ride is in order to answer that, or possibly post on a BMW forum for owner responses.

 

[MZ5]

Okay, definitely air cooled, then; the pipes exit forward from the heads.

I shall see what my wife thinks of the ergos on the back. While I'm intrigued, I doubt I'd move to a larger, heavier motorcycle for purely my own commuting/riding; it'd be for 2-up riding.

Thanks again!

 

[L.B.S.]

On the camhead valves, there is a circlip at the end of each rocker shaft. you take the circlip off and the rocker simply slides off the shaft You remove the shim, measure it, and calculate the new shim thickness.

Hey Lee, are the new shims "normal" style, or the weird hemispherical design like on the F800's?

BMW called the shims on my ST "Oil Sinks" (lol) and they were shaped like a small ball bearing cut in half.

 

[Beemerphile]

In a departure for BMW, they are "normal".