Ride report bmw k1600gtl

Booger Man

Booger Man

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Dec 3, 2004
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I was first in line for the demo ride that Gateway BMW had on Saturday. Honz said better take now or you'll have to wait. Gear in hand Honz showed me the basic stuff on the bike & said be back in about 20 minutes..and I was off. When standing next to the bike it isn't much bigger than the ST. Bags are little wider & look a little smaller on the inside maybe, maybe not. Bags and rear trunk are very easy to operate. When you first sit on the bike the tank looks huge but that quickly go's away. Bike is easy to put on the center stand and picking side stand not bad. The gauges are good,speedo maybe a little hard to read. Info center I believe once you learn it will grow on you. Easy to read and didn't fade out in the sun. Fit and finish....1st class. This is one GOOD LOOKING bike (sorry Bones you have to see one first hand). So off we go.. this baby is smooooth. Light pull on clutch and shift....ez,ez ez. No klunk. Power oh ya,gobs of it. This thing doesn't lack for it. Twist the throttle and good bye. Cruising along I dropped down to fourth and shazam! My ride was limited to a couple of interstates but you can tell this bike is very nimble,she flicks around very nicely. Rock steady too,trucks did seem it knock it around like the ST. Had her up too 105 for short burst & still smooth. No buzz in the bars or pegs either. Heat off the engine ? What heat ,sure didn't notice any. The wind shield alittle high (this bike had the lower seat) but not too bad. Wind noise less than the ST & I didn't notice any back pressure. So 30 min later Iam back at Gateway. I was smiling from ear to ear. Honz said well... I said your lucky I brought it back. He took the bike and gave to the stunt rider for his show. SO did I like it? It's keeper for sure. I want one. Would like to test the GT first. Look out Honda Goldwing & ST riders. FJR"S & Connie's not in the same league. Price ya it's pricey but...Where there's a will there's a way. I love my ST1300 but...The King is dead. Long live the King. Oh Honz come here.....:biker:
 
I knew I should have come down there to save you from yourself. ;)

I'll have to swing by the local BMW dealer up here to see if there going to have any demo rides soon.
 
I turned down three offers for a test ride on a K1600GT. My will power is just too weak:(. I did sit on it twice. Once the way the salesman parked it. I remember saying it didn't feel any heavier than my K1300GT.
The second time I tried it as it was parked by a test rider. The 70 extra pounds were very noticeable. The new GT is not a light bike and the GTL is heavier. Watch out for those rascally salespeople. The center of gravity is lower than the ST's tho. YMMV
Waiting for Echo to chime in.
 
good write up, Tom. To me, the best thing about the new beemer is: TEST RIDES!!! Corporate and dealer positive conviction about their product. Honda could take a lesson.

Also, seems the perfect barge for an automatic tranny. BMW has as much if not more experience as Honda (car applications.) I'm betting the new Gold Wing (whenever) will have it as an option.

Me? I'll STick with the 1100 for time being. More money for gas 'n tars. :rofl1: (Still waiting for the V-1200-T to appear on the horizon.)
 
George said:
good write up, Tom. To me, the best thing about the new beemer is: TEST RIDES!!! Corporate and dealer positive conviction about their product. Honda could take a lesson....
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George, I have the same thought about Honda needing to take lessons on how to market a new bike... get people interested in it by allowing demo rides.

BTW, Honda has a new bike out -- I'll let you demo mine sometime. ;)
:duck:
 
TOM BOGNAR said:
This is one GOOD LOOKING bike (sorry Bones you have to see one first hand).
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Indeed I will. What has stood out for me in pix of the 1600 is mostly a face only a mother could love (although not as homely as the R1200ST), but evaluating the whole package takes a look in person which I'll get some day soon.

By all reports BMW has a couple winners on its hands. Thanks for your $.02.
 
Cool. Great ride reports so far--super price, wet clutch, and a multi. If the K1600 proves to be relatively trouble free, it will compete successfully against the Wing in ways that the old LT never did.

I'm also not a fan of the looks, but then I yearn for the BMW style of pre-2005, so I'm old.:4is: And besides, it looks better than its competition--the Wing or any H-D.
 
I want that bike so bad I'm lookin for a job so I can pay for it. Not just any ride could get me outta retirement boys.
 
I also had a 30 minute test ride yesterday. I would have preferred the higher seat. The engine is definitely the highlight of the bike. Once moving, it loses the weight, like the ST, and I think it has lighter steering, especially in tight twisties, which I tried it on. The electronics are a handful to digest on a short ride, so I didn't play with it. If Honda doesn't show me something soon, this bike may be in my garage next riding season.
 
Well I just turned 100k on the st and I have always said I would keep it until it hit 150k minimum, but that will give BMW time to work out any bugs in the 1600 and maybe get to see IF Honda will have a new ST
 
I saw it Saturday, and had a sit on it. The one I sat on had the low seat. Gadzooks. Only if I were willing to sit in one fixed spot for the duration of the ride. The rider's cockpit with the low seat is extremely cramped, zero room to move front and back.

Lookswise, it was pretty nice, but I noticed something that struck me. The front end is much narrower than the Goldwing's, which is a good thing, but it results in the bike looking unbalanced from the front. The Goldwing looks remarkably balanced, because the width of the bags and the width of the front fairing are the same.
 
I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...I love my ST...
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But I am being tempted beyond my resistance by the K1600GT....
 
Now here is the big question- what is the price tag of that thing? One of the two things that kept me from looking at BMWs is their price tag; the other, the lack of dealer support in my area. There are several lesser things- like a lack of reliability in recent years. So...if you take a rock-solid reliable ST, add in the common farkles (Russell saddle, electronics/audio, even a windshield for those who switch them), does the ST still come in well under the BMW? I'm sure it does.

That isn't to say that the BMW isn't a nice bike...I'm drooling over that inline-6, and the standard equipment the bike has. But for the price difference, I could buy a brand-shiny-new ST1300, load it up the way I want it, and still have cash to take a few nice trips with it...that is, if I had cash...

Jim
 
I test rode the GTL this morning, nice ride.
Can't fit my XL Shoei RF1100 in the side bags or top case. It's a nice bike but I don't have the $25,000.
 
Bones said:
Seriously?
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Serious!! I tried for about 10 minutes, just couldn't do it. Large shouldn't be a problem in the top case, or maybe another helmet brand. The side cases aren't as large as the ST1300, and have some funky protrusions from the bodywork and frame inside.
 
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