Test Rides: RG and BMW K1600GT
#1
02-04-2012, 05:54 AM
Test Rides: RG and BMW K1600GT
I am considering a touring bike and recently rented a 2012 RG Custom and test rode a BMW K1600GT for about an hour.
The BMW is fast with good torque, corners very well and has excellent brakes. From a performance standpoint, it is the better bike by quite a bit.
I did not find the BMW comfortable. The forward leaning position put too much weight on the hands and wrists, and hurt my hips. The seat was not great either. The only way I could ride that bike for long distance would be with cruise on so you could lean back and take weight off.
The RG with the new 103 had decent torque and power and could be ridden and enjoyed by most folks without engine modifications. It was more comfortable but the seat is terrible and would have to be replaced. I missed a backrest. The heel shifter prevented movement of the left foot and would be removed if it were my bike.
The wind deflector was a joke and would have to be replaced with a better windshield.
The RG handled the twistees well and was fun to ride. Braking was okay but not great.
Both stock radios were marginal and worthless above 60 mph.
I tried to like the BMW due to the obvious performance edge but it simply was not cool. Too much plastic and no charisma. Missed the feel and sound of a Harley.
If I was to buy a touring bike, it would be a RG but a number of accessories would be necessary to make it worthwhile as a tourer, such as a better windshield, radio and seat, lower fairings with highway pegs, etc.
The bottom line is my WG is much more fun to ride than either. I may just trailer the WG when I travel long distances.
The BMW is fast with good torque, corners very well and has excellent brakes. From a performance standpoint, it is the better bike by quite a bit.
I did not find the BMW comfortable. The forward leaning position put too much weight on the hands and wrists, and hurt my hips. The seat was not great either. The only way I could ride that bike for long distance would be with cruise on so you could lean back and take weight off.
The RG with the new 103 had decent torque and power and could be ridden and enjoyed by most folks without engine modifications. It was more comfortable but the seat is terrible and would have to be replaced. I missed a backrest. The heel shifter prevented movement of the left foot and would be removed if it were my bike.
The wind deflector was a joke and would have to be replaced with a better windshield.
The RG handled the twistees well and was fun to ride. Braking was okay but not great.
Both stock radios were marginal and worthless above 60 mph.
I tried to like the BMW due to the obvious performance edge but it simply was not cool. Too much plastic and no charisma. Missed the feel and sound of a Harley.
If I was to buy a touring bike, it would be a RG but a number of accessories would be necessary to make it worthwhile as a tourer, such as a better windshield, radio and seat, lower fairings with highway pegs, etc.
The bottom line is my WG is much more fun to ride than either. I may just trailer the WG when I travel long distances.
#3
02-04-2012, 06:37 AM
I am considering a touring bike and recently rented a 2012 RG Custom and test rode a BMW K1600GT for about an hour.
The BMW is fast with good torque, corners very well and has excellent brakes. From a performance standpoint, it is the better bike by quite a bit.
I did not find the BMW comfortable. The forward leaning position put too much weight on the hands and wrists, and hurt my hips. The seat was not great either. The only way I could ride that bike for long distance would be with cruise on so you could lean back and take weight off.
The RG with the new 103 had decent torque and power and could be ridden and enjoyed by most folks without engine modifications. It was more comfortable but the seat is terrible and would have to be replaced. I missed a backrest. The heel shifter prevented movement of the left foot and would be removed if it were my bike.
The wind deflector was a joke and would have to be replaced with a better windshield.
The RG handled the twistees well and was fun to ride. Braking was okay but not great.
Both stock radios were marginal and worthless above 60 mph.
I tried to like the BMW due to the obvious performance edge but it simply was not cool. Too much plastic and no charisma. Missed the feel and sound of a Harley.
If I was to buy a touring bike, it would be a RG but a number of accessories would be necessary to make it worthwhile as a tourer, such as a better windshield, radio and seat, lower fairings with highway pegs, etc.
The bottom line is my WG is much more fun to ride than either. I may just trailer the WG when I travel long distances.
The BMW is fast with good torque, corners very well and has excellent brakes. From a performance standpoint, it is the better bike by quite a bit.
I did not find the BMW comfortable. The forward leaning position put too much weight on the hands and wrists, and hurt my hips. The seat was not great either. The only way I could ride that bike for long distance would be with cruise on so you could lean back and take weight off.
The RG with the new 103 had decent torque and power and could be ridden and enjoyed by most folks without engine modifications. It was more comfortable but the seat is terrible and would have to be replaced. I missed a backrest. The heel shifter prevented movement of the left foot and would be removed if it were my bike.
The wind deflector was a joke and would have to be replaced with a better windshield.
The RG handled the twistees well and was fun to ride. Braking was okay but not great.
Both stock radios were marginal and worthless above 60 mph.
I tried to like the BMW due to the obvious performance edge but it simply was not cool. Too much plastic and no charisma. Missed the feel and sound of a Harley.
If I was to buy a touring bike, it would be a RG but a number of accessories would be necessary to make it worthwhile as a tourer, such as a better windshield, radio and seat, lower fairings with highway pegs, etc.
The bottom line is my WG is much more fun to ride than either. I may just trailer the WG when I travel long distances.
I'll stick to my geezer glide!
#4
02-04-2012, 07:07 AM
I road a 1600 GTL last fall at an event and it was nice but still like riding the Harley better. I guess the sound, and after changing the bars to come back more the ride is fantastic. OH and one other item,, I didn't have to get that BMW,, im fancy attitude that i noticed the other riders had.. rofl
#5
02-04-2012, 07:12 AM
160 hp!!!!
I was really looking at that for my next new bike. It is an amazing bike. 160HP touring bike?
I researched, it throughly, started as the first spy photos came out on it. Seems from the BMW forums and the guys that pre-orded the GT and GLT...they have or had some software glitches with the display and controls of the adjustable windscreen. There was some issues with how the bikes were tracking on the interstate. There was also some talk about the suspension changing modes on its own while traveling. Not just one or two post about these items...many great length discussions. Seems folks were more happy with the GT than the GTL. I think it was something to do with the aero dynamics with the tour pack at highway speeds. Now most of these are Die hard BMW riders...
I noticed the tour pack seemed to be mounted on a lot of rubber and it made my wife very uneasy when she leaned back against it...cause she would think it was gonna slip off the back since it moved so much. Then I noticed all the photos you see of the bike riding two up...the passenger is not leaning back on the tour pack...
Seem to me BMW totally ignored the passenger on this touring bike...when they did pretty good on the past LT. I know this is more aimed at the sport touring market but it replaced a very good luxury touring bike.
When I was looking to buy, some dealers had the demo bikes, and if you could find one availible for sale, it was quite pricy. They were trying to get more than suggested retail for it. I have seen a few on Ebay...that makes me wonder if why it is there.
I love all the featuers availible as well as all the technology. I love the 160 HP. But at the time it seemed they had a little more work to get all the bugs out of it.
I may own one of those bikes in the future...but I decided to let them work out the bugs on a brand new design bike. Maybe in 1-2 years...
I purchased a Limted to fill my touring needs for now...I and my wife enjoy it very much. It is comfortable, handles good, has enough power to haul us around, and looks sharp. It has some nice things on it and it has some good size bags to haul our stuff around.
I know from owning several different brands of bikes in the past...They all have thier little problems, (HD included) some good..some bad, some big some small. Many of them are not something you cannot live with, but some may irritate you more than others.
Good Luck...and I hope the choice you make is the best for you.
I researched, it throughly, started as the first spy photos came out on it. Seems from the BMW forums and the guys that pre-orded the GT and GLT...they have or had some software glitches with the display and controls of the adjustable windscreen. There was some issues with how the bikes were tracking on the interstate. There was also some talk about the suspension changing modes on its own while traveling. Not just one or two post about these items...many great length discussions. Seems folks were more happy with the GT than the GTL. I think it was something to do with the aero dynamics with the tour pack at highway speeds. Now most of these are Die hard BMW riders...
I noticed the tour pack seemed to be mounted on a lot of rubber and it made my wife very uneasy when she leaned back against it...cause she would think it was gonna slip off the back since it moved so much. Then I noticed all the photos you see of the bike riding two up...the passenger is not leaning back on the tour pack...
Seem to me BMW totally ignored the passenger on this touring bike...when they did pretty good on the past LT. I know this is more aimed at the sport touring market but it replaced a very good luxury touring bike.
When I was looking to buy, some dealers had the demo bikes, and if you could find one availible for sale, it was quite pricy. They were trying to get more than suggested retail for it. I have seen a few on Ebay...that makes me wonder if why it is there.
I love all the featuers availible as well as all the technology. I love the 160 HP. But at the time it seemed they had a little more work to get all the bugs out of it.
I may own one of those bikes in the future...but I decided to let them work out the bugs on a brand new design bike. Maybe in 1-2 years...
I purchased a Limted to fill my touring needs for now...I and my wife enjoy it very much. It is comfortable, handles good, has enough power to haul us around, and looks sharp. It has some nice things on it and it has some good size bags to haul our stuff around.
I know from owning several different brands of bikes in the past...They all have thier little problems, (HD included) some good..some bad, some big some small. Many of them are not something you cannot live with, but some may irritate you more than others.
Good Luck...and I hope the choice you make is the best for you.
#6
02-04-2012, 08:19 AM
Road Warrior
Blah blah blah. Why do so many try to compare a touring Harley to a BMW? Apples to oranges. If you want to ride America, from super highways to country back roads, in relative comfort and dependability, then Harley is the only choice. If you want to ride thru mud and rocks, and wear a glow in the dark nylon jacket with matching pants and Nancy Boy boots the the BMW is for you! How does a cool looking American icon even belong in the same conversation as a moped on steroids?
The following users liked this post:
electra_boogaloo (02-17-2017)
#7
02-04-2012, 08:26 AM
Blah blah blah. Why do so many try to compare a touring Harley to a BMW? Apples to oranges. If you want to ride America, from super highways to country back roads, in relative comfort and dependability, then Harley is the only choice. If you want to ride thru mud and rocks, and wear a glow in the dark nylon jacket with matching pants and Nancy Boy boots the the BMW is for you! How does a cool looking American icon even belong in the same conversation as a moped on steroids?
Trending Topics
#8
02-04-2012, 08:32 AM
"Seeker of Freedom"
#10
02-04-2012, 08:39 AM
Ultimate HDF Member
I am fast approaching a decision on a ZX 14 as a 4th bike or trade my new z 1000. Would like a Verseys 1000 but don't know if I can wait til they get here in the US. Touring over 500 miles I ride the Harley, will get a trailer soon to haul both type of bikes and maybe a kx 400 MX bike too. I do need a bigger garage. Will stay away from euro bikes, maint too complicated and cost of maint too high. Jap bikes still manageable.