BMW’s marketing department would tell you that the “LT” in K1200LT stands for Luxury Touring. My favorite BMW mechanic would always tell me it stood for “Light Truck.” This isn’t a bad thing, though he (and I) do prefer bikes that weigh less than ~850 pounds. But as our buddy Greg Shamieh of Rolling Physics Problem would tell you, “nothing this big has any business being this light on its feet.” Greg has had his bike since new and put over 100,000 miles on it. The same can be said about this feature bike…though the number of owners is about to change.
The LT was BMW’s flagship touring bike – at least with the inline “K” motor, some folks would prefer the R1250RT instead. In this model year, the LT made a claimed 100 horsepower and 85 foot-pounds of torque, BMW updated in the bike in 2004 with the usual upgrades of more power and features. Despite the hefty weight I mentioned above, it was lighter than a Gold Wing of the era and they are absurdly well equipped with all the tech available in ’01 (including a reverse gear) and all the luggage/comfort you could want. For more on this model, check out the MCN review.
This example is offered by the original owner, who has put an impressive 123,654 and has documentation for maintenance throughout. In his words, “this is an incredibly reliable, well-equipped, well-sorted, comfortable touring bike. No issues. None. I would ride this bike anywhere in North America without worry. Just completed a major service, including all oils/fluids/coolant, spark plugs, air filter, etc. Full service records. Factory equipped ABS, heated handgrips, heated seats, cruise control, AM/FM/Weather stereo with cassette, reverse gear, electric adjusting windscreen (lower European screen with wind deflector), alarm. Aux CD player removed for saddlebag storage. 100hp, 45+ MPG, all day long riding comfort. Adjustable seat height (30.3″ – 31.5″). Improvements include HID low-beam, lower level Motolights, Ohlins suspension (perfect for 2-up), silicone coolant hoses, braided SS brake lines.” Those are some great upgrades, and if you’ve needed an excuse to bust out your cassette collection again, here’s your chance.
Find this K1200LT for sale in Edmonds, Washington for $3,000 here on Craigslist.
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Chris C!