Bmw K75rt Making A Virtue of Adequacy
BMW K75RT Making a virtue of adequacy
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THE BMW K75RT IS A PRODuct of democracy. It exists because American buyers have voted for the K75 line with their wallets. In Germany, the land of the open-speed-limit Autobahnen, the price of staying on the pace is four cylinders; but here, the threecylindered K-bikes, smoother, lighter, and less expensive—if slower—have strong appeal. BMW, then, is cashing in upon that appeal with a full-on touring version of its Triple, which isn't available in Germany.
A quick look at the RT tells you it's a motorcycle with a difference. It isn't festooned with the cubic gadgets that bedeck pure touring rigs, yet it doesn't wear the squat, wide rubber and low bars of motor cycles with sporting pretensions. Instead of being so sharply focused. that it performs. one type of riding brilliantly, the K75RT merely does. most things adequately.
Becaus~of its upright riding po sition and the complete coverage offered by its fairing. the RT is a very pleasant bike once you've got it in top gear and in steady-state cruise, where it'll drone along comfortably and smoothly, devour ing mileage. But getting into cruise mode isn't as much fun as it could be because the bike's engine never gets to the point where it makes you grin: It just churns out useable, but unexciting, power. Also, shifting up or down through our test bike's gear box revealed, incredibly, some false neutrals hiding between gears, es pecially if the notchy shift lever wasn't firmly booted home.
The K75RT's fairing is the same unit used on the KIOORT/LT, but it's a better fit on the 75 than it is on the 100 because of a seemingly un important detail: a difference be tween the seats used on those bikes. The 100's is bucketed, while the 75's is stepped. and allows the rider plenty of room in which to scoot back. This means there's more.clear ance for knees on the 75 than on the 100. The knees of taller riders, still . will contact the K75RT's fairing, but not as completely as they will when that same rider is aboard a K100RT.
- Part of the appeal of any bike with luggage is that it provides an excuse to load up and go some where, and the K75RT's optional detachable luggage certainly pro vides plenty of room in which to haul travel tackle. And if you need more room, the bike comes with a luggage rack on the rear bodywork. But that cargo capacity doesn't come cheaply: Figure on spending $454.74 for the kits which will add BMW's hard bags to a K75RT.
The bike's retail price, without thOse bags, is $7990. a significant sum for any motorcycle. We'd feel a little better about this number if the K7 5 RT's paint wasn't orangepeely and if the general fit and finish of the bike's body parts was of a bit higher quality.
Still, the K75RT is an easy bike to like, something BMW's American customers apparently know. Because of them, BMW is selling more K75s. here than it is in its home market. If that isn't a statement in support of all-around capabilities, we don't know what is.
—Jon F. Thompson
