2004 BMW R1150R Pros and Cons - Ride Review

The BMW R1150R what a smooooth riding bike!
Touring on a budget!
1:45 Dunlop Mutant Tires
2:55 Quiet Exhaust!
3:31 The Pros
12:24 The Cons
2004 BMW R1150R Walkaround and Exhaust video:
• 2004 BMW R1150R Walkar...
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1 John 4:19 - We love because He first loved us.
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//////Gear used in this Video////
2004 BMW R1150R
GoPro Hero 7 Black
GoPro Microphone adapter
Sony CS3 Microphone
HJC RPHA 11 Helmet
Spidi Ignite Jacket
Cortech Racing Gauntlets
IXS Leather Pants
Gaerne Racing Boots
---------Music------------
Ethan Meixsell - Vindicated

[@petechawk4100]

I bought a new 2003 R1150R and still have it. Runs great with 60K on the odometer. It's been all over. I consider it my last bike at the age of 71. Sold the rest of the fleet as I don't travel as far and I did at one time. I like the bars where they are and I suppose lowering the pegs would help. The best modification was a Two Brothers pipe. I've used Two Brothers on other bikes. Yes, louder, but that's what ear plugs are for, and it's not Harley loud. There's a substantial gain in power along with losing 17 pounds. I did put it on a dyno, and it backed up the claims published by Two Bros. A bump in over 5 HP. The bump in torque was even more at around an additional 8 at the rear wheel. The pipe also got rid of the surging problem. If my memory serves me correct, I could do a top gear roll-on from 60 to 80 in 3.3 seconds, a gain of over half a second. Very impressive. Enjoy your new toy.

[@PastorMattMoto]

Hi Pete, wow owning a bike for that long and putting on 60k is an impressive feat for sure! I need to do some longer trips soon as well :). Also that is some great hp and torque gains, I'll have to look into two brothers exhausts!

[@EricCevennes]

J’ai la même (2003), j’ai 65 ans :). Lourde à l’arrêt et dans les très petites routes sinueuses des Cévennes (Sud du massif central France).

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

Thanks for sharing it. This is for sure a great looking BMW. I rode a lot of them and now I am thinking of getting one. :) Drop by bro, you may like my content. :) Thanks a lot.

[@bmwdave52]

I have had my roadster since July 2001. You are spot on with your evaluation and commentary! I put on a Day Long seat, Verholen bar backs, and peg lowers. Also Ohlins shocks. That greatly improved the comfort. I have managed three 800 mile days on this bike. The nickname for this bike is “the Curve Wizard“. This is a great all-around bike. It is also not difficult to work on.

[@PastorMattMoto]

Wow 800 miles is massively impressive! :0. The longest I did was about a 3.5 hour ride, if I remember correctly, but there were some awesome roads in southern Wisconsin to hit! The R1150R really is much more nimble than it's weight would suggest isn't it!!

[@enriqueperez6412]

Thank you for your knowledge and video ; drive safe!! From Chile South America

[@PastorMattMoto]

Thanks Enrique, glad you enjoyed the video! The R1150R was and excellent machine! I'm currently looking for another BMW as well :)

[@lenrichardson7349]

I had one of thses when they were new for my daily ride to work, which involved some very heavy filtering. It was great for that because it would tick along with great slow balance. The brakes were a bounus for that because with the servo ABS set up I could cover the rear brake and stop real quick if needed. I only swapped when the dealer shut. Now all these years later I have another which needs a bit of work and the ABS brakes are the main problem and I'm planning to delete them. Good to hear you are happy with the basic set up. I've done the rear drive which can become a problem if not shimmed correctly at some point. The final drive pivot bearings are also a weak point, plain bush replacments with grease points are better.

[@PastorMattMoto]

I think the standard brakes are quite good on the R1150R, especially for the era! I had a deer appear on the side of the road, did some quick progressive braking, ended up doing a bit of stoppie on the big machine :p.....then the deer just decided to stare at me like I was an idiot from the side of the road, and didn't cross anyway! Haha

[@francisderboven5222]

Very good vid for a great bike. I have mine for 12 years now and the riding pleasure is still the same. And an incredible construction quality. Best regards

[@PastorMattMoto]

Thanks Francis! I've heard of some of BMW's boxer twins hitting over 200,000 miles with just regular maintenance, that's pretty incredible!!

[@johncmoney8394]

Thanks for the video! I came across your review after seeing an '04 R1150R for sale locally about a month ago. After watching I went out and bought it the next morning. It has ABS and the smaller windscreen. Love the bike!

[@PastorMattMoto]

Glad the review could help you out with your decision! I think the R1150R is a bit of a sleeper. It does alot of things really well, and seems to be pretty easy to maintain too. Also the reliability is pretty legendary. I rode this one home from the barn it had been stored in for years, started right up! It needed some work to get it in tip top shape, but it still ran good when I rode it away from that barn!

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

Great to hear that. How is it running now?

[@garretv7247]

John I also just found a 2004 and decided to buy it as well after reading, watching and test driving. Let me know how you have enjoyed yours in the last few months. I am getting a very gently used bike with only 12k miles. Its brand new. Such a pretty bike. Would love to hear your input!

[@johncmoney8394]

@@garretv7247 Loving the bike! Not much to compare with though. I had an old Triumph Thruxton years ago which I found pretty uncomfortable for any lengthy ride. That said, this BMW I feel I could ride all day! Very comfortable and smooth. I'm still getting up to speed on the maintenance but so far has been pretty easy. Lots of info out there. Parts at beemerboneyard and I've watched countless Chris Harris videos here on youtube. Congrats. Enjoy it!!

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

@@garretv7247 That should be a great deal if it really has that low mileage. :)

[@davidschoenoff4262]

thank you

[@bruceread3436]

Someone else mentioned the beautiful roads - really nice! Where? What town/area? Thanks!

[@PastorMattMoto]

Hi Bruce, this video was shot out in the country between Tomah and Sparta WI. It's in the driftless area a bit north of wildcat mountain. There are alot of great roads in the driftless area! Some of the pavement is a little rough depending on how far out in the country you get, but the views are pretty amazing!

[@simonchilli2088]

That's a nice area for riding that you have on your doorstep.

[@PastorMattMoto]

Thanks Simon, I'm definitely blessed to have some if these roads right nearby :).

[@henrikewaldsen5013]

Nice review! I don't know where you're shooting this but it looks exactly like Sweden. Almost uncanny.

[@PastorMattMoto]

This is in the driftless area of central Wisconsin, in the US. I'm actually part Swedish, my grandmother was from Sweden. Would love to visit one day :).

[@jan-hendrikmaibaum8814]

More about it. I got the same as a wedding gift. Waits in Germany for our honeymoon and so far never had a chance to ride it yet. Same color, same year with abs. 😊

[@PastorMattMoto]

What an awesome wedding gift! :) :). I do love ABS on bikes when I can get it, I've seen studies where it significantly decreases total stopping distance in emergency braking situations!

[@jan-hendrikmaibaum8814]

@@PastorMattMoto haha 😂 and I would love to have one without. Yes awesome brakes but if the modules fails you miss 90 percent of the braking power. New part at bmw super expensive! Like 1500 buck plus work. I have already the alternative parts at home if it fails that I can bypass the system. Problem in Germany it’s after removal not roadworthy anymore 🤮

[@bryanweller8375]

Solid review

[@PastorMattMoto]

Thanks! :)

[@kevinhawtin4677]

Great review have owned 2xr1150Gs both built to last unlike modern bikes🏍️👍

[@PastorMattMoto]

They are built out of some solid metal aren't they!

[@kevinhawtin4677]

@@PastorMattMoto absolutely proved when you have to pick one up .🏍️👍👍

[@bitofhog]

Mine vibrates a fair amount over 4k. Didn't notice that with yours. Can you put var risers on without replacing the cables?

[@PastorMattMoto]

My R1150R did vibrate at higher RPMs as well, but it wasn't too bad, and it started later than yours, probably above 6k+ I would say. I'm not sure if cable replacement would be needed for bar risers. You might be able to get away with a shorter 1 inch rise with stock cables.

[@paulsteele8083]

I have successfully placed a 1" riser on a 2002 R1150R and while the cables are "snug" the stock cables have been fine after 10 years. @@PastorMattMoto

[@MOUSEBOWEN]

Amazing outstanding video I found a 2004 bmw R1150 military green really cool he is asking $3500 obo I’m diving between the bmw for $3500 or a triumph America for $1809

[@PastorMattMoto]

O man thats a tough choice, especially with the Triumph only being $1,800! What did you end up going with?

[@billzinke9056]

Was this bike for sale in SLC ?

[@MOUSEBOWEN]

@@billzinke9056 yes

[@billzinke9056]

Did you buy it ? If so how is it working for you ?@@MOUSEBOWEN

[@mgp20jam]

I also slide forward on the seat of my 1999 BMW R850R but can still do 300 miles in a day.

[@PastorMattMoto]

Yeah it's still comfortable even with sliding on the seat a bit. Maybe some tank pads would help the situation as well?

[@garymaclean6903]

One side-case? What happened to the other?

[@PastorMattMoto]

Both hard cases came with the bike, but the one side had a problem with the mounting clip unfortunately, so I just ran with one case. It looks a little goofy, but hey some storage is better than no storage :p

[@amerigo88]

Can barely hear the narration. I mostly listen to videos, so this is a non-starter for me. Good looking motorcycle.

[@PastorMattMoto]

Hi, this year I'm using a different helmet for recording, the audio has improved quite a bit. I'm also treating the audio with a multi band compressor to cut some of the low-end noise, and boost the vocal range. If you have a chance to check out some of my newer videos, let me know what you think :)

[@networkbits8958]

i dont like the way it rattles at idle

[@PastorMattMoto]

True it does sound a little rattley, it could be the windshield though, since one of the bolts likes to work its way loose!

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

You can get used to it. :)