Nice review, being a Honda Valkyrie owner for 25 years, I am thinking of BMW from your review. REVERES IS A MUST FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BACK UP RAMPS.(or maybe just me!!)
personally. I love the K1600 G.T. bike! I add some larger foot rests, a larger wind screen, and a factory bench seat that allows for so much more comfortable seating! Deceptively fast as well.
You have my name! I own a GT 2015 (no reverse) and I own all including the four wheels on the road except the 1000 liter sportbikes. Wrecked my last sportbike at PIR and wrecked my back. It's too low to keep up with the sportbikes.
I own a vintage BMW and a Vulcan, and my first bike was an '88 Magna. Ive only been riding for 20 years, but in that time there are two brands I'd pass on , particularly because of repairs and maintenance: BMW and Ducati. I have buddies who love those bikes, but I can't tell you how often the Ducati rider's bikes were in a shop, or the BMW rider was telling me about cost. Im a simple guy, I like low maintenance bikes, that's why I've stayed Japanese (Honda and Kawasaki). There's no arguing about engineering, but that comes w a post sale price. If i were to step up to that segment I'd consider the Goldwing, personally. Great video tho. I was loving the early prototypes of this bike, but was disappointed in the final production looks.
Make no doubt about it this bike has the goods to deliver. I just bought one. Don't like the single color available now, black, however but I'm sure this will change in the near future but over all this is fun to ride.
I have replaced the standard windscreen with a Wunderlich Touring screen. This gives instant quieteness, no more rumbling, buffeting etc. It is a lot larger but much more comfortable.
I was reading about the maintenance on this model as well as the problems on the BMW forums.. it's a really expensive bike when needing repairs or service ..
YEAH... I've noticed that.. And it's really stupid that he doesn't even drive it a round a block or sumt'n'.... He only really seem to Bash out he GoldWing as much as he can instead of showing us this nice and cool looking Bike... Just really Stupid...
i agree, mostly but in my opinion, the killer argument for the goldwing is the optional dct, which is fantastic and of course the better reliability. bmws tend to break more often on ridicolous and criminally expensive parts. of course you can be lucky and nothing failes vice versa.
FYI BMW 5 series offers a 600hp V8 and the 7 series has a V12. The demise ofthe 6 cylinder engines is based on performance and configuration limitations.
I think it should called a K1600 P for Panniers. I suppose some people could argue a hard case is a bag, but lets face it very few people would say a pannier is a bag or a saddle bag. Now I have a a bagger because it has leather saddle bags on it, but I would prefer panniers!!
Bra!.... Excellent review!!!! I was eye balling a GW. But now this is something that has my attention! Dumb question though. Does it have Cruz control? How many gears? Maybe a little more on the small things. Again great review! Larry
mafosa hopes bud. I own one. Just off my head, it has cruise control, heated grips and seats, reverse, up and down quickshifter with auto blip on down shifts, electric screen, radio with usb ports, on board computer with too many things to mention like Tpm, adaptive xenon lights, linked abs brakes, multi setting traction control, riding modes (rain, road and dynamic) that can be adjusted on the fly, electronic suspension control that can also be adjusted on the fly, full led front and rear, height adjustable seat, floorboards, etc, etc
Nice bike, but what is a Honda fsb,I have A Honda Goldwing F6B that Honda will no longer make in 2018. So to make things fair in your comparisons you should use new specs. I can tell you that my 2013 Honda Goldwing F6B get consistency 45 MPG.But that model has been out since 2013.If you compare the 2018 now thats a hole new story.Let start, does your BMW have an option for a DCT transmission like the 2018 Honda Goldwing? I could go on and on.
Terry Schramm...Agree! I also have 2013 F6B. Low 40s gas mileage. The only thing the 18 BMW has over the 18 Honda is HP. They have same torque. The BMW will be in shop while the Honda presses on to its usual 200,000 miles with only regular maintenance.
Yeah I caught that also fsb !! Anyway I do like this bmw couple things though.For sure the F6B is so good at everything and reliable.Also dealer network non existence in my area..So my f6b would maybe upgrade to the new 18 dct..The engine in the wing is just outstanding and reliable
I got rid of my 1200lt because the services were too expensive. I have a 18 hd road king, luv it very much, thought id try a hd, i dont regret it in the slightest.
I really want to like this bike. I would love to ride one as I'm sure my attitude would change. I can only imagine how sublime the ride would be with the sport bike performance of that beast of an engine, especially considering it's the same one found in the K1600 GTL. But here are my issues with it...(and I admit most are probably aesthetic in nature). I love the look of the front 2/3rds of the bike, up to the pilot's saddle. It looks very well engineered and thought out.....until you hit the pillion and then it just looks like they gave up. 1) I don't care for the GIANT, squared-off exhaust cans that are just too big and clunky for my taste. They're almost cartoon-y in nature. They cause the bags to look like they are sitting higher then they are. 2)The bags (OH the bags!) Too small for their substantial look. Couple that with a clam-shell style side opening makes them sorely inadequate for anything more than a day trip for cargo capacity. For the love of God, make them top loading! Nothing worse than trying to pack stuff into a side opening bag when the bike is leaning on a side stand. It's like "Quick! Cram it in and slam it shut! Do NOT open it until you get to your destination!" Having tried the latches at a local bike show, they felt really chintzy and like they wouldn't be long before they broke. And PLEASE, make the bags removable. The fact that you can't take them off is just idiotic! Finally, why oh why did they only paint half the bags? The flat plastic just looks unfinished and cheap. The same holds true for; 3) the 2-piece rear fender. Again, just looks like an incomplete afterthought, like the engineers just couldn't figure out how to finish it off, went for a beer and just didn't bother coming back. I'm guessing the 2 pieces is to allow access to the rear tire as, like I mentioned earlier, the bags are not removable. It's just a bad look and terrible design in my opinion. And finally, 4) the integrated tail/brake/turn lights are just plain fugly. The bright red lightening bolt-shaped lights stick out like a sore thumb, which I guess, is kinda the idea. From a practical and safety perspective, I suppose you could argue that they serve the purpose, but they look horribly out of place and not at all "integrated". I find they make the already unappealing aesthetic of the rear-end even more disjointed and incomplete. I'm frankly a little surprised. If I'm going to be paying over $26,000 Canadian for a bike, I would it expect it to be a lot more refined than the current inception of the K1600 B is. I hope BMW will continue to improve upon this bike.
2015 F6B Deluxe has a wet weight of 855 pounds. American spec. No reverse or ABS like other countries. Reverse especially will add significant weight from the electric motor. That being said I just picked up a 2015 F6B. Great bike!
With the maintenance costs associated with owning a BMW most riders are aware that BMW really stands for Bring My Wallet. BMW makes the dealers a fortune every time you take one in for a service. In 2008 I took my GL1800 in for it's first service. It was $80.00. I met a fellow with a brand new R Series who had just had his first service. $430.00. Most Beemer riders I know continue to pay upwards of $250.00 for an oil change service as BMW demands that you check out virtually every thing on the bike before the owner gets it back so the labour costs are high. And if you don't have a BMW dealer do your service religiously kiss that lifetime power train warrantee good bye..............
Never owned a GW or A BMW but I'm pretty confident that the maintenance costs of ownership will be way less than the BMW. That DCT seems amazing beat that BMW.
Have 2010 wing. Consistantly get 37to 40 mpg. Evan loaded with wife and trailer get34to36 mph start hammering it 70 to 80 mph yes drops to low 30s. Still killer ride ..
Oh...and don’t forget that the BMW will spend its life in the shop while the gold wing presses on to its routine 200,000 miles with only regular maintenance. Please....there is no comparison! That vibration Free Flat Six rules the road and has for a long time!
I have only owned BMW bikes. NEVER does the bike spend any time in the shop. I always bring it in for the regularly scheduled service or once per year oil change. Nothing else...10’s of 1000’s of miles and they run perfectly! I just got my K1600B-Grand America and love every ride. I think you may be confusing HD. All my friends have HD’s and always picking their bike up from the shop. If you don’t KNOW, don’t spout!
Steven VanderVeen I've had 13 BMWs, also a bunch of other bikes including British, Japanese, Italian and American. According to Internet lore I should have had at least one final drive failure or switchgear failure on a BMW. But nothing - no drama, no failures. My BMWs have also been the bikes that travelled the most miles and in the worst weather, but never let me down. My CVO Streetglide however was the most expensive bike I ever bought, needed the most spent on upgrades and then left me stranded at the side of the road (switchgear). It also started throwing weird codes which the dealer struggled to diagnose and resolve. I won't be buying another HD but have bought another K16GT Sport.
My 2015 Goldwing gets minimum of 42 mpg and best of 45mpg with a 6.6 gallon tank. New 2018 DCT Goldwing tours are getting 45mpg all day long at 70mph...
Michael Beilsmith would be an interesting test, take a Wing and a K16 to a track (track to remove the variables introduced by other traffic). Fill them up with fuel and cruise around not exceeding 70 and see which bike goes farthest. Then fill them up again and see which bike completes 5 laps first. I have a sneaky feeling the BMW would win both events.
You would be right. The beemer has much more technology in the engine design. Also much higher compression. My K1600GTL buddy has to use premium gas, I use regular in the GW. Another good test would be longevity. I know of GW's that have a million miles on the clock. I have have yet to hear of a beemer, or a harley that has ridden that far.
hr2 pilot how many million mile wings do you personally know of? And how many owners plan to / want to do a million miles on one bike? Most would prefer better dynamics they can use every day surely?
70mph, the B gets 45mpg at 70mph if you can keep it going that slow, 37mpg at 105mph across Wyoming, and is stable as a rock running 130mph against the speed limiter.
My whole problem with BMW is the dealer network. The closest one to me is 32 miles away and I live in western burbs of Philly (not the boondocks) so dealer service represents over 120 miles of back and forth unless I want "stick" around while they service it.
Nobody is perfect, but I have taken good hard look at myself, and I know if someone puts a gun to the back of my head and takes my life, I'll go to a better place. And frankly, I wish someone would after buying a BMW from my local (only) dealer. Its been such a headache. Its been such a set back. Its been so degrading. It has so negatively impacted my life as these guys have fought me and tried to cover their asses to take a couple thousand dollars out of me hiding behind disassociation, lying, and constant contradiction. And now all the time I've lost in my life over this. It takes a real lowlife to stand as a proprietary BMW motorcycle dealer and treat customers like they do. I've see these guys inside and out, and its pathetic. People who buy motorcycles are a rare breed, and BMW riders seem to put a lot of miles on their bikes. Nobody deserves the arrogance and deceit I received from this inbred chump. And it happens every day through sales, and good lord don't get me started on service. I hope a BMW service rep comes and puts me out of my misery. Its the least they could do for me after being subjected to the narcissistic heathens they let represent their brand. Its disgusting breathing the same air as these savages (the dealership). Its disappointing knowing how BMW operates, but I can't forget it, and they won't make a positive change for their customers. And this is all from the #1 dealer in the nation.
I'm not a party to racketeering, extortion, negligence, and risk of endangerment, nor am I and accessory to insurance fraud, or warranty fraud, to name a few. Poor and lazy crybabies charge premium dollars and deliver cut-rate service to degrade your machine that you've invested a lot of money into when they're supposed to competently service them. It is clear their intention is maximize their profit, and rather than demonstrate knowledge and proficiency, they will charge for services that are not completed and exploit customer trust. Your bike degrades quicker, and you buy a new one assuming BMW's engineering is getting worse and reliability is thus suffering. Far be it for me to expect a job to be done when I pay someone, but clearly that's no concern to Captain Black Dog Money Bags over here. 80% of BMW motorcycle customers are returning. BMW has an impressive 3 year 36,000 mile factory warranty and that is the typical ownership period for customers buying new bikes. I bought a used a bike, as It was advertised as a one owner (and senior owned), fully serviced, professionally inspected, and 100% ready to ride. All things considered, for the convenience of going to a dealership it seemed worth a premium price, but as I found out issues were unaddressed, deliberately covered up, I hardly think that's my fault and as this continues, BMW's image is the only thing that degrades as this dealer clearly intends to get bikes in for service to support himself, and again, if they did their job, I would have no objection. I was also told that I shouldn't buy a new bike, as they are (quote the top sales guy) "Junk" and failure prone, and my monthly budget would not allow this. Later I'm to find out I could have saved $30 a month had I gone new and my financing options were made available. I was specifically told 3asy ride wouldn't work, and why would I sit an argue with the top sales guy. He does this for a living, right? I financed, as I'm young, and my intention was to strengthen my credit before purchasing a home for myself. I guess since you work so hard and money is no object to you, it doesn't matter that an A+ rated business from the BBB with a list of positive reviews would all be a sham. Perhaps you have enough money to trust a service tech who's ambition is to complete the job as fast as possible, so the service writer can overcharge the hours worked and collect more money for inferior quality work on your premium brand bike. This of course assumes the work was even performed at all. Must be nice to enable a fraud with all your hard earned money. As a customer I see no reason to ever return, as every business transaction proved to be an act of ignorant extortion on their part. My expectation, as dealers are so few and far between, and having little to no aftermarket support, was having a straight exchange. I realize motorcycles are constant maintenance, and I have been given no indication that they will do anything buy exploit your lack of alternatives. Let me make this clear, I had no problem paying a premium price for what was advertised. That, however, was not delivered, and instead I was deliberately lied to, they marked the bike up 100%, and replaced the engine oil with high viscosity oil to cover up an expensive mechanical issue, on top of neglecting a steering issue, turn signal failure, and assured me the suspension was properly tuned, after I expressed wanting a sag adjustment while purchasing. If you believe in negligence, ignorance, and dirty dealings, by all means enjoy. But I assure you the only deals to be had are at the expense of someone else, either another dealer or you the customer. And given a fair opportunity, there is no indication that this organization is worth anyone's business. Again, I support the bikes, but it is clear that the #1 dealer in the nation is nothing but crooked. Being as they are #1, why would I expect anything better having to deal with someone hours away. I guess you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't, which frankly is retarded. I could go on, but you're clearly very Rich and intelligent, so naturally as you have no inclination for properly servicing your own equipment, as you'll (like vast majority) continue to trade up and buy new, and long term reliability degrades through lack of service at a premium price; BMW's overall image will continue to deteriorate, and I'll know how much of a headache I'm saving myself from when I'm on a Honda.
Have you had any meaningful correspondence with BMW Motorrad USA? If not, I'd be curious as to why not. If you have, I'd be curious as to the outcome, etc. BTW, dealer issue(s) aside , Did you like the actual machine? As a service tech in another field, I know "you can't please all the people all the time." However, that axiom does in no way excuse your experience if what you relate is entirely factual. I am lauded nearly daily for my services and my answer is always the same: "Thank you but that's sad. I don't do anything you haven't paid for or shouldn't expect. The fact that you think that is exceptional is really a sad state of affairs.". That being said, I have had customers that I could not make happy. As a seriously prospective buyer of a BMW K1600B, I do not take your post lightly. It gives me pause for concern. If the machine is well engineered, etc. I would not hesitate to purchase all the required documentation and do the service work myself (warranty be damned!). OTOH, if the engineering is not up to the standard German equipment has been known for, well, then I need to reassess my choice. If I were at Corporate BMW, reading this would distress me greatly. A 'shifty' dealer may be quite profitable, but at the expense of reputation, it is a travesty.
Warning: Long read. I Must be thorough. I first explained my issue to BMW Financial services. They appeared inquisitive and sympathetic in and effort to record my story, after which I was told that someone "Might get back to me" regarding the dealer issues and my discrepancies I've discovered after purchasing. I suspect that at best, they contacted the owner, who probably told them I bought the bike, broke it, and was trying to cheat them into fixing it. About a month went by, so I called again, spoke to another rep, again they "listen" and then stated that they are "just a bank" and I need to contact customer service. Customer service did the same thing, before stating that all of their dealerships are independently owned and operated, and I my only option is to go back to dealership, and work with them. Initially, I picked up the bike on a Tuesday, on my lunch break. There was a odd chatter with the bike in neutral after the oil temp warmed up, and the bike seemed to have bad head shake like the steering dampener was bad. I initially thought I'd been riding dirt bikes too long and probable needed to adjust my riding habits. I rode directly home and parked the bike, gave it a good listen and determined I'm not imaging things, there's definitely something wrong. I understand the bike has solid lifters and its a very raw, high output engine, but this was not engine related. I didn't make a huge fuss, though I should have been irate. I e-mailed the sales person, scheduled a time to bring the bike back, and after being scheduled to work out of state, and the weather, it happened to be two Saturdays later that I was able to bring the bike back, during which it sat in my garage and I put no miles on it because it felt questionable. I was first alarmed the salesman replied and said "you may notice the timing change makes some noise, that's totally normal", but I had not noticed that. I showed up and the Master Certified BMW tech came out, tooled around the parking lot on my bike and said "This is normal, these bikes just get chattery with some miles on them". I said "18k shouldn't be a lot of miles, especially for a bike that was owned by a 65 year old rider". He again stated that it was totally normal, then added that the 2010 models had a issue that BMW resolved shortly after, but again, totally normal, and he walked away. I stood there baffled and offended with the sales guy who said "its probably the clutch basket". And I said "well great, tell you what, lets go ahead and resolve this, easily and pain free, go get me a new clutch basket, you'll eat the cost of the part, I'll fix my bike, and we'll pretend this never happen." He replied "you heard the tech, its not broken. But if you think its a part you want to change, we'll give you a good deal on parts." At this point I was ready to stuff the sales guys right up the ass of owner, who had been talking to me when I was buying the bike about how he had the same year bike, and his is all modded with ohlins suspension and the full akropovic race kit "blah blah". So to add to all this, I thought I was buying from someone who knew the bike well, who had clearly put some hard miles on his bike. Besides, maybe he's into that sort of thing. Rather than get into a big blow out, I left. I came back a month later for spark plugs, which should have been changed at the 18k service the performed after the bought the bike on trade for a new one. The service writer looked in the computer and told me they had not been changed before, so I purchased a set. That's really peculiar, because it was clearly stated the bike had the 18k service, and spark plugs are on the list of service items. Needless to say this opened up a can of worms. Like an asshole I stood there in the show room and struck up a conversation with another customer about a bike for sale there. The owner saw me and when I broke away from the conversation and I asked about a job. I brought him my resume, and long story short I quit my job as a construction manager and albeit while it was stressful, it was financially viable and probably out of subconscious aggravation, put my life on hold to get a real, unassuming look at how this play operates. It took a few months, I mowed a bunch of lawns, did grubby shit work all summer but finally a job opened up and I was able to get in to another dealership they owned, which turned out to be able 70 miles from my house. Four and a half months. Four and a half of the most mind numbing and brutally incompetent employment months of my life are now long gone. I'm not getting into the gratuitous details here, but suffice it to say, this dealership is #1 for volume. I'm not going to dispute that or cause an uproar, because I don't own a dealership, and I'm not getting my throat cut to throw numbers back at BMW, so that's only hurting other dealers trying to make ends meet. They claim the best service price. That's not my problem either if people want cheap service for their BMWs. I understand cost of maintenance is high on these bikes, and at first glance it seems appetizing. Due to my internal experience, and seeing first hand that services were not provided as advertised, and on more than several occasions seeing customers wait for their completed bikes while the service writer is running up the clock to create a time gap and thusly more profit, I have no faith in their ability to honestly service my machine from a financial stand point, but more importantly, as far as doing the job properly. I do not care, I do not care, I do not care. I did not buy a BMW to make friends. I did not buy a BMW to show off and make people feel good. I bought a BMW because my ass has taken more than enough abuse over 20+ years of riding, and I know I purchased the right Make and model machine for what I wanted, which was a sport bike built for the real world. The simple fact is that someone abused the bike, they bought it cheap, marked it up 100% over their cost, changed the oil to a higher viscosity to cover the noise and flushed the brake fluid because it was probably 5 years old and cloudy. Again, I don't care, they have a legal responsibility to advertise the bike "AS IS" because that's how I purchased it. That was not the case, and I'm frankly done trying to be reasonable. After this entire ordeal, I have since told BMW FS that this is clearly not a concerning situation, and won't be one for me, so I have stopped payments. Unfortunately as I was still upside down on my loan, BMW has now just been screwed by its own dealership. Naturally this will move into a court hearing as I'm not getting stuck with a repossession for getting screwed, and ironically, BMW will likely write off the bike, sell it back to dealer, and they'll do it again. Thanks for reading this long piece of BS. By all means, buy a BMW. In fact, I highly encourage you to buy a BMW motorcycle, if you're going to ride it. The worst things you can do is cold start and engine, and rev it. The second worst thing you can do is let your bike sit. Through all of this, I'm not mad at BMW. Despite the suspension being horribly out of adjustment (the tech had me sit on the bike and had a measuring tape to read out the sag, saying it was in spec), and the obvious steering issues, the electronic stability control has literally saved my life. I'll give them credit there. The engine now has 30k (from commuting to work at the damn dealership) and it maintains oil level. Its not BMW so far as the design and engineering of these machines. They are well made, they are well balanced, comfortable, confidence inspiring, and reliable is serviced properly and not abused. There is a big difference between riding hard and abuse mind you. With my bike, the fork oil is apparently 8 years old now, the valves haven't had an adjustment, it may have a slight head gasket leak, definitely now needs tires, 2nd and 4th gear are a little slacky, the steering is obnoxiously light, if not dangerously light. But that's how I bought it. Well I bought a serviced bike with no mechanical issues "ready to ride". I should say, that's how it was sold to me. That is abuse because I was under the impression all the major maintenance items were taken care of. If I knew they weren't, I probably still would have bought the bike, just not at what I paid for it, and certainly these things need to be done. Its just not my problem though. I realize businesses need to make money. But businesses need to work, and not cheat people. That's how you businesses make money, and that's how businesses keep people coming back. Where the hell else am I going to go? If I own a BMW, I really have no choice but to keep going back for parts and service, and knowing what I know now, what kind of lunatic would subject themselves to that? Unfortunately with that resolve, and everything weighed, I honestly think back to my Harley days with fondness. Not so much in the speed and handling department, but life is short, and everyone needs a little joy here and there. I didn't get so much as 5 trouble free miles with BMW. That's pretty sad. One last time, unfortunately my experience was based on the purchase of a used motorcycle. And by my own admission, I mistakenly put an OUNCE of faith in the #1 dealership to uphold their own reputation and make my life a little easier by paying the extra money at the dealer. I don't know how to end this for you all. I really think you should buy a BMW if you like to ride, I just can't in good conscious tell you to bring it back for service; not at my local dealer. Its a damn motorcycle, if pilot error doesn't get you (its hard with the electronics now) the only other problem is mechanical failure, and lack of maintenance on an abused machine will do that...Kill you I mean, which is why I can't believe they'd send it out the door, and then back peddle to save themselves a few bucks. Its retarded.
Wrong on the mileage comment....I have owned two GL1800's, one a 2009 and another a 2016, and both get around 45 miles per US gallon or 4.7 litres per 100km. My buddy with a K1600GTL gets a few miles to the gallon better than I do, but it's pretty close. He also has to pay for premium gas, I don't. A lot of the extra 50hp on the beemer comes from the higher compression ratio.
Have owned no less than 7 BMWs. Yes, they are great, until you take one of their multis in for service and need a valve adjustment. BMW - Break My Wallet - among other catchy phrases. Just saying, fast, comfy, expensive to operate and when it breaks, you better have AMA Towing or AAA Motorcycle. This is BMW's modern take on a cruiser, anything but a tourer, at least in the BMW world. I'll definitely pass on this one, the new Goldwing is a better Beemer than this Beemer. Sad, but true.
Lyle Landstrom tell that to my HD dealer... They certainly struggled diagnosing canbus and abs faults! Mostly they kept telling me the bike "runs great" and that it was "just an inconvenience rather than anything serious". Yeah why worry when your ABS light and CEL come on,
Things go bad on motorcycles. If you learn how to fix them it's no big deal. Part of the fun is working on your own bike. My ABS went on the BMW R1150RT '04 I ride. Watched someone else take it out on their bike and reroute the break lines on youtube then did it myself.
A lot of misinformation here especially about the goldwing. Example,Goldwing actually gets a bit closer to 45mpg.. closer to 55 if you use econ mode and baby the throttle. The goldwing is also lighter than suggested.
I want one... but I believe that the ZX14-based Kawasaki Concourse would be much faster and cheaper (by half) than this bike... with much less money for maintenance too. Besides that, this one lacks the style and simplicity of a Harley Street Glide which I can work on and maintain myself. I'd pick Harley over this german schnauzer any day.
Harleys Rule I have a K1600 GT, it's as easy to work on as any other bike and changing the oil requires nothing other than your center stand, a torx bit and an oil filter strap/wrench, not to mention this bike will smoke your HD 7 days a week on the pavement and do it while looking like a super model.
you would be wrong to say the Concours is much faster than the K16B. The K is also very very VERY smooth. Do yourself a favor and test ride one. ....you can then form a better, more factual opinion.....
The Street glide is a good looking and comfortable bike but lacks power and will overheat on an 80 degree day while trying to maintain 85 going across Montana.
Ran Montana Hwy 212 from Alzada to Belle Forche at 90 ran up against the seed limiter, 130mph, for about 5 miles just for the hell of it. Passed a semi and 4 hHarleys in the process. Cruise set at 105 from Gillette to Buffalo. Cruised across I-90 in S Dakota at 95mph, 90+ degree day, August 5. 70mph 45mpg, 80mph 41mgh, 95mph 37mpg. If you were traveling I-90, 1-25, or I-80 Aug 5 - Aug 11, I was the Black and Red K1600B passed you.
Get with the times...you are comparing to 17 gold wing. Compare with 18 gold wing with 129 torque and 40s for fuel mileage and the gold wing bagger weighs nowhere near 900 lbs. get your facts right please.
Given BMW'S shit reliability issues and stupid to repair; I know; I owned three r1100rt and r1150rt. I saved a lot on parts because the local pd had $68,000 in oem parts and 20 sets of tires for the named bikes i bought for a grand at auction, when they went to the r1200 bikes. I burned through a third of the parts just keeping those bikes rideable
I just saw bike definatly 1600 c.f. good but all I see is just that bike is lanky no dash options so that means that basicly it's just a bike that's fast so is holding but gold wing has it all speed control comfort control on board built in nav and other items installed nice bike but that's it speed
Dark Destroyer the BMW is more sportbike oriented rather than a true bagger and Cruiser the Triumph has many aftermarket parts and cruising accessories does Beamers a new design and a new engine design for them if I would ever buy it I'd have to wait until it was 3 or 4 years old, let them figure out the bugs in it. Honda already did this bike 40 years ago. I wish triump had of kept on making the rocket.👍
Perry Daniels you said "touring motorcycle" and I'd still maintain the K1600 is a better tourer. As far as the platform goes this isn't a new chassis or motor, the K1600 has been around since 2011. It's only the bagger version that is new. As far as accessories go, what do you need apart from possibly a different screen, a different seat, different bars to better match your height and maybe a rack? different exhaust possibly? I think you can already find that stuff. If bolting on loads of extra shiny pointless gewgaws is your thing then yeah this sn't the best bike, but then I thought the essence of a bagger was to strip things back a bit and not overload the bike with tassels, medallions, LEDs, flags and "ride free" chrome accessories so it looks like grandad's geezer glide.
john hanrahan, To directly answer as to why BMW cooperate wouldn't care about my situation, the answer seems obvious. Mechanical problems push customers to replace them with new bikes. New bikes are what BMW cooperate sells, and could care less about dealers diminishing the longevity of their product by lying to customers, lying about services performed, and abusing customer bikes while in their care. More than once I've seen techs uncrate new bikes, and beat on cold engines before even adhering to break in periods. I wondered why the dealership put "safety" miles on the bikes, and I guess I got a good answer. Its a opportunity to scar the internals before the customer even gets their hands on them. From experimenting with different oils, I can personally say that the BMW branded oil does not hold its viscosity as well as others. It seems the excessive noise in my bike was of some use in that regard, as the noise was even more abrupt with BMW oil of the correct viscosity. Another BMW cooperate touch, that is if the bulk oil used at the dealerships is even full synthetic, who knows. Its actually strikingly obvious that dealers are "independent", as a separation of liability that enables dealers to destroy customer products when they are in their care or position. Really I do appreciate the chat here, its made me think that if the president of BMW came to my home and presented me with an apology and a brand new bike (obvious hypothetical here) that I would be selfish to accept what would only be a hush bribe. The best course of action is likely a class action suit. Its not just me, its every BMW customer, and I know there's thousands out there that probably have plenty to add to this, and its unacceptable that a customer buying a BMW has no place to receive quality service, especially at a proprietary BMW only dealer, specializing in ONLY BMW motorcycles. Nothing representing the BMW roundel should be anything less than confident, complete and correct. That's why BMW can charge more for assembling the same steel/alloys and plastics together into a product. BMW has introduced an entry level model. Its clear they want to bring people in. As someone who's been riding a long time, I suggest customers steer clear of entering the BMW game and stick to Japanese engineered machines. They last longer, and the community is inviting, even after you buy.
Joseph Marton, that's pathetic on the part of BMW, especially for the top of range bike in their line up. Non of this is rocket science, and I hate to lump all the dealers together as I've only dealt with mine, but suffice it to say I've NEVER experienced a company this committed to screwing people over, and I'm appalled at BMW's complete lack of foresight and interest into this. In my situation, I had no expectation that BMW would have to put out, rather I expected the competence to back up a customer when their dealer can't service or safety check a bike properly, by way of INTENT, particularly when a master certified tech insists there is no problem, despite the nasty shards of metal that collect on the oil drain plug magnet. I'm telling you man, they took one look at that drain plug, and put SAE30 in it to quiet the bike down. It didn't start making noise till I got a mile down the road and the engine was warm, and immediately after changing the oil myself, the noise persisted from a cold start. Then how do you sell someone a sport bike with a bad steering dampener? Are they trying to get someone killed? These assholes signed a safety inspection sheet that isn't worth wiping your ass with. That is criminal action. Its actually horrific how trashed the bike is, but that's BMW's problem. I'm not having this. There is no excuse for the dealership not to do their job, unless they are completely incompetent, or lying cheats, and either way its worth nobody's time or money. Again, I can only say for sure my local dealer is complete scum, and there may be some good dealerships out there, but eventually this will catch up to him, despite him cutting the throats of ever other dealer to maintain the business volume. What a CHUMP. You know you're a bottom feeder when you go to work every day and lie to people to make money, because you don't have the intelligence and self confidence to take an ounce of pride in your work. Its gonna get someone killed one day, if it already hasn't. I don't think motorcycle fatalities are often audited for mechanical defects because of deficient workmanship, lucky for him I guess. The point remains, nobody buying a motorcycle deserves to go to dealer owned by a guy that shouldn't be qualified to pump gas and wash your windows. Haha, that's actually a good analogy. "oh you're all set" and the guy takes your credit card, charges it and sends you off with an empty tank.
Joseph Marton, I wish you the best on your future rides. I wish we were having a different conversation, because I'm pretty confident with BMW products off the assembly line, and value for quality seems to be there; until the dealer gets involved. At the end of the day, I hardly think its worth dealing with someone who views customers as a necessary evil to their success in life. That's bad enough, but messing with your bike, ignoring problems until they become catastrophic, and passing bad and vindictive information to the customer is enough to drive any reasonable person away. Like I said, its just a damn shame, because BMW really does make good bikes.
Its only 132 hp cycle world put one on the dyno don't care what something makes at the crank as that doesn't help acceleration wish ppl would stop accepting the lies from these large corporations without calling them on their bs.
What lies? 160 at the crank is 160 at the crank, even if you only care about the 132 rear wheel hp. Besides it's 129 Torque that makes this a monster... not the hp.
Still a lot faster than any other stock bagger. I currently own a 2015 CVO Street Glide, still a 110 but did the stage 1 and then swapped to the 585 cam to push power to the right a little but I also used to own a K1600GT sport there is no way my Street Glide is anywhere close to the performance of the K1600. Not even in the same ballpark. Had an emergency last year and I needed to get home fast, I can't tell you how much I was wishing I was on the BM rather than the Harley that day - I'd have covered the miles faster and safer. I love my Street Glide but may go back to a K1600 for the handling, braking, power, grip (access to decent tyres due to less weight) and less radiated heat.
Dark Destroyer You’d be way better served from a performance and cool factor stand point. Harley’s are everywhere, nothing proprietary about them anymore. All the same just different colors. A BMW is such a motorcyclists bike and probably the only bike the Harley folks would actually own. Why that matters, it doesn’t, just saying. Safe riding.
It's just a ruined 1600gtl if i was gonna by one it wouldn't be the bagger secondly did you guys ever stop and look at the seat height on one of these things vs a harley maybe not everyone on this planet is 6 ft tall just a thought
This is a nice looking bike but I will never own a BMW because during the 80's I worked on them (cars) for a living. They were without exception the most expensive car to repair and at that time brake pads had a very short life and the rotors were very soft. I only mentioned brakes because I could not believe a manufacturer would produce something like this. Of course that was a long time ago but my daughter drove BMW cars and they required frequent specialized service and parts that was very expensive. I finally convinced her to move to Toyota. BMW's are very nice driving cars and bikes but service cost was unreal, this has stuck with me to this day and will prevent me from ever owning one. This bike and the tour model are really nice looking bikes. I have a 18 year old Honda Valkyrie that has replacement brake pads and bulbs, and it lost a fork seal plus it's own it's third battery. (what a piece of junk, right?)
Yeah your Valkyrie is junk. My 23 year old R1100RT is still on it's original bulbs! And i had a CBR1000 during the 90s and that had to be bump started on cold mornings - junk.
Uh boy. Since the 1980’s now being 2018. Things have changed quite a bit. The R1200GS most successful Adventure motorcycle sold anywhere and this K1600 motor is phenomenal. With Harley Davidson suffering since 2014 from slowing sales due, in part, from high prices and over production makes a BMW motorcycle true values. The engineering and reliability have greatly improved. Although in the Sport Touring realm the newest GoldWing is it’s major competition.
Pads were soft because of German regulations on initial bite of brake pads. Designed to bite hard on a panic stop. Very dusty too as you can see on a lot of dirty BMW's. The 80's BMW engineering was good. The plastic and the corrosion prevention methods were not.
