The joy of travelling on two wheels: when the ride is sporty yet comfortable

The new Rt has a sportier riding set-up, in that the triangle formed by the handlebars, footpegs and seat positions the rider further forward than before; this results in greater feedback from the front end, and therefore even better control during dynamic riding. The riding position remains comfortable, however, even on longer journeys, without straining the wrists or back. In front of the rider is a proper command centre, featuring a 10.25-inch display that is fairly intuitive. The RT has always stood out for its unexpected agility, despite weighing in at almost 300 kg: the new 1300 is no exception. In city traffic, in fact, you can make the most of the engine’s smooth performance at very low revs, aided by the cardan shaft, which remains one of the RT’s strong points: quiet, clean and virtually maintenance-free.

The biggest surprise comes as soon as you hit the bends on the mountain passes. BMW has completely overhauled the chassis, introducing a new steel frame combined with an aluminium subframe at the rear. The familiar Telelever system at the front and the Paralever at the rear remain, but now bear the ‘Evo’ designation, signifying a significant evolution of the system; in short: the entire chassis has been stiffened and refined. The result is clear: entering a bend requires less effort than with the previous 1250 RT; furthermore, the bike changes direction with a speed that is unexpected for a tourer of this size. 

Stability and responsiveness, handling and braking system

On the straights, it almost seems to forget its weight of over 280 kg, maintaining impeccable stability even as the pace increases. This is also thanks to the Dynamic ESA electronic suspension, which absorbs road irregularities superbly without compromising control and continuously adapts to the rider’s style. The braking system is well suited to the bike’s size and allows for substantial deceleration without the bike losing its composure; the ABS is also well tuned (the Pro integral system comes as standard): after all, BMW was the first to fit it to a motorbike back in 1988. The result is that on mixed roads, the bike encourages you to ride at a pace that, until a few years ago, would have been unthinkable for a grand tourer of this weight: the new RT is certainly no sports bike, but it is probably the most enjoyable RT ever built.

Finally, on the motorway, the Rt is in its natural element: absolute protection (even excessive on the test day when it was 36°C), stability, a responsive engine for overtaking, an engine that runs at low revs at 130 km/h with no vibrations, and adaptive cruise control all make motorway journeys a real pleasure. In short, the designers had the German autobahns in mind when they conceived the Rt. And the 1300, with a 24-litre fuel tank and average fuel consumption of around 20 km/l, offers a range of over 450 kilometres.