With all of last years attention focused on the upgraded K 1300s, it seems the 2009 K 1200 LT had been left to collect dust in the back of the East Coast motorcycle press fleet shed. Is this on purpose? Could the aging LT be next in line to receive the new engine and upgraded components?
Built to compete directly with Hondas Gold Wing (the old 1500cc version), the luxury tourer includes most of the creature comforts one has come to expect from this category of motorcycles like locking, high-capacity hard saddlebags and top case with luggage rack; a large windshield thats height-adjustable via electronic thumb switch; an AM/FM/CD in-dash player with four speakers, six presets, and rider and passenger controls; cruise control; heated seats, handgrips and passenger backrest; dual accessory sockets; and an electro-hydraulic centerstand. Plus, for the same money you also get an anti-theft alarm, height-adjustable Xenon headlight, electronic reverse, and a top-notch, fully integrated braking system with servo-assist and ABS.
At the time of its introduction in 1999, the new tourer blew away the competition. Its modern, sporty, aerodynamic shape and powerful acceleration took corners like no bagger ever had business doing before. Interestingly, a couple years later, Honda fought back with its updated, sportier Gold Wing. So how does the LT stand now?
The 1172cc engine certainly isnt lacking by any means. But as one of the current touring markets smallest motors, it feels like its working much harder than the Gold Wings 1832cc power plant. The noisy grunt the LTs engine produces is one of the only complaints Ive got to write about — if I must nitpick — but twist the throttle, release the clutch, and youd better hang on. Pulling with a decent 86 ft-lbs. of torque at 5250 rpm, this motor likes to be revved hard. Especially when you read BMWs claimed 116 hp is reached at 8000 rpm. Its more than enough to pull you, your passenger, and all the accouterments you can fit in the 77 liters of storage volume.
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Our base model test bike with no additional options, came with only the mount for BMWs Navigator GPS system, leaving an ugly gathering of wires up front and center. And the radio was a bit cumbersome to use. Unless you have extra-long thumbs, like Uma Thurmans character in Even Cowboys Get The Blues, you need to take your left hand completely off the grip to use the bar-mounted radio controls (BMWs infamous turn signal switches on each grip take up a lot of real estate). Perhaps this is why BMW decided to add a controller out back, allowing your passenger to change the volume and station from the pillion. The CD player only accepts one disc at a time, and theres no place near the dash to store extras, though the small compartment in front of the player holds toll change and the garage door remote just fine. My biggest complaint about this radio setup is the lack of an auxiliary input for an iPod, which is available only as an option. But the sound quality of the front and rear speakers is quite good, and I appreciate the automatic noise leveler, which reduces the volume as the motorcycle decelerates.
The LCD dash displays plenty of information, including, in some cases, the song title and artist playing. Besides that, youve got your usual cluster of speedo, tach, trips, averages, air temp, mpg, etc. I particularly liked the orange glow of the nighttime illumination, which activates based on your light sensitivity setting.
The curb weight of this beast is a hefty 835 pounds and the seat height is a bit tall at 30.3 inches (its adjustable to 31.5 inches), but once you manage to muscle the bike off the sidestand, you notice how well balanced the machine is. The cast-aluminum single backbone with tubular steel rear frame chassis combined with BMW’s signature Telelever front fork and Paralever swingarm is simply superb. Rear spring preload is adjustable, but the stock setup felt so good to me that I felt no need to make any kind of adjustments at all. While the chassis is confidence inspiring in hard corners, ground clearance is respectable for a bike of this dimension. The sheer size and weight of the LT is, at first, intimidating, and its true that I did break out in a sweat during some tricky parking lot maneuvers, but the overall ride quality is sophisticated and surprisingly quick and agile. Its also perfect for long hours in the saddle in superior comfort, for both rider and passenger. Its really everything a great tourer should be.
After a couple of commutes on the LT, I had all the controls mastered; I couldnt wait to share the large rear pillion with someone to get an impression. It wasnt difficult to find a friend who was willing. My poor, unsuspecting passenger, Ruby, and I were having a wonderful spirited ride through some of my favorite Connecticut back roads, when a fawn darted out of the woods to cross the road right in front of us. Luckily, Id already been downshifting to a stop sign that was about 30 feet ahead. I brought the big rig to a safe halt with about an inch to spare as the poor animal fluttered to catch its footing on the pavement and escape into the woods.
Not yet familiar with the tech specs of the braking system, I never felt or heard any pulsing, but I did hear a little tire screech, which led me to assume that the bike was not equipped with ABS. Still, I was very impressed by how incredibly quickly, smoothly, and responsively the integrated brake system worked. There was no front-end dive whatsoever as the suspension worked harmoniously with the brake system. Ruby seemed quite content on her pillion, and politely apologized for bumping her helmet with mine, never realizing the ramifications of the close call wed just experienced together.[ad 44]
After the ride, I did my homework, discovering that the LT has been equipped with ABS since its introduction. As the models brochure puts it, “Complete locking of the wheels is prevented and the maximum amount of brake pressure is automatically transferred so that the wheels remain just short of the locking boundary. The fully [integrated] brake system always takes effect on both wheels, whether you use the lever or the pedal. The new pressure modulator ensures that the brake force is perfectly calibrated for the double-disc brake at the front and the single-disc brake at the rear, depending on load and road conditions.” The only downside to this setup is that I can imagine getting lazy about using proper braking techniques since the bike does it for you.
Even though the big Beemer is beginning to show its age, the fact that it began life as a futuristic machine built by some of the best, forward-thinking engineers in the business keeps it a viable purchase option. The LT is a wonderful touring machine, capable of managing long-distance tours in comfort and safety. If BMW does introduce a new version of the LT, history has proven that its sure to be a leader in the luxury-touring category. Even better, perhaps there will be a flood of great used K 1200 LTs in dealerships. Dont toss your CDs yet.
Specs At A Glance: 2009 BMW K 1200 LT
Displacement: 1172cc
Seat Height: 30.3 inches, adjustible to 31.5 inches
Fuel Capacity: 6.2 gallons
Weight: 835 pounds
Price: starts at $21,520 (2010 price $21,700)
WRN Recommendation
This is BMWs top-of-the-line touring motorcycle and not recommended for beginners. Women who love to tour, and want the high-tech engineering and reliability of a BMW will appreciate what the LT has to offer. But remember, the LT has not been redesigned since it was introduced 10 years ago. That should be considered when thinking of buying a new one.
About the Author
Tricia Szulewski has maintained the woman rider’s perspective in RoadBike magazine for the past 10 years. She became a certified MSF instructor in 2008 and logs thousands of miles each year on anything that shows up in the company stable. You can find some of Trish’s bike reviews, adventures, product evaluations and more at RoadBikeMag.com.
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I rode a 1800 Honda Goldwing for several years and only sold it as Honda was to release a new model which I intended to buy. I rode the 2018 Goldwing and was very impressed with it but on closer inspection of the paint I found that it was terrible (orange peel) so did not buy the bike.This left me bikeless, which I haven’t been there since I was 15 years old, so browsing on a bike sales site I saw a 2009 BMW K1200LT with 20,000 miles on the clock and in new condition. Oh, yes, I bought it.This bike is every bit as comfortable as my 2014 Goldwing was and leaves it for dead for handling. Why did BMW stop making these bikes?
Congrats on the new-to-you ride. BMW has discontinued the K 1200 LT because it now offers even more options for large touring luxury motorcycles—all based on the K 1600 engine platform. They are even more of what you love about the 1200!
I appreciate the article but I would think that someone that writes on this topic would do adequate research to correctly inform their readers. The LT is certainly not perfect but point on point is a good overall as anything that was released in 2017.
Not sure what specifically you are referring to, Tom. If we made an error, we would love to correct it. So let us know what you think may have been incorrect. I assure you that our editors research and test all bike reviews on WRN, unless otherwise noted in the article.
Is the BMW K 1200 LT a six cylinder or the opposed twin?
The K 1200 LT has a 1172cc four-cylinder engine in a longitudinal inline configuration.
We own 1st Class Motorcycle Tours a company that logs a lot of miles. When doing back to back tours with clients I use a LT. It's the only bike I have found that you can ride, ride and ride without the fatigue setting in. Do'nt get me wrong, it is not my favorite bike of what we have. It is underpowered and yes heavy at slow speeds. But when I am on a bike for back-to-back weeks on end. I take the LT. It also is smooth enough to run hard mounted cameras to it with little to no vibration.
Good article. The only thing missing, for me, was info on the LT's handling in the curves, gentle and tight.
I've logged 108,000 miles on my 2001 LT.
At low speeds, the bike can be intimidating, until you discover that with proper throttle, clutch and brake control, the LT is capable of quick, tight, lock-to-lock turns. Then, you can enjoy the LT just as much on a commute and in traffic, as the open highways or the twisties. I've always prepared for, but never worried about whether I could complete an Iron Butt ride. Didn't think twice about riding from NC to Tampa, FL for a funeral, then turning right around and heading home. It's that comfortable.
I agree, the bike is a little top-heavy when fully loaded and a passenger on board, but overall, a wonderful riding experience.