BMW K vs HD
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 317
Likes: 11
From: Arizona
Don't know if i buy the maintenance reliability is better on a harley. A 10k service from the harley dealers here in CA, is twice if not 3 times the price of a BMW service on the boxer engine. I see more high mileage beemers on the road around here too then any harley. Needless to say, i love my road glide and would not trade it for anything at this point. But if i was going to get a second bike for the stable, it would be a 1200RT, the new one. I have ridden the RT for years, i love it and it rides amazing, but its not a harley. i want my main ride to be a harley. But i have to give it to bmw, when harley has a recall you don't get crap, when bmw just did the last recall on the suspension component, they gave loaner bikes and a couple thousand dollars for the invconvience. Harley could learn a thing or two about customer service, they suck at that nowadays.
Last edited by rnothog; Aug 29, 2014 at 10:44 PM.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,221
Likes: 4
From: Annemasse (border of Geneva-Switzerland) facing Mt-Blanc.
The EG is a bicycle compared to my (ex) R50, and the RK a feather.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 10,858
Likes: 5,421
From: My own little slice of heaven
It's all in what you want in a ride. I had and RT and moved on to a RK. After two years I am tired of throwing money at it to try and turn it into something it will never be.....so I put a deposit down on another RT and will be moving on.
Do people tour on a Harley? Absolutely. But in my opinion Harley does not make a true touring rig. And I am one who has toured on a Harley. As a matte of fact I am leaving for another 8 day trip in a couple of days.
IMHO if you want a sport tourer you have to look elsewhere than HD. And by no means does this statement mean HD doesn't make a quality ride. It's just not a sport tourer
Do people tour on a Harley? Absolutely. But in my opinion Harley does not make a true touring rig. And I am one who has toured on a Harley. As a matte of fact I am leaving for another 8 day trip in a couple of days.
IMHO if you want a sport tourer you have to look elsewhere than HD. And by no means does this statement mean HD doesn't make a quality ride. It's just not a sport tourer
Last edited by TracerBullet; Aug 30, 2014 at 05:33 AM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,572
Likes: 5
From: Templeton California
The thing with BMWs is you either like the way they look or don't care.If you're like me and like a bike with classic style that also happens to be a decent tourer the HD has it coming and going.BMW may build a faster, better handling bike but that German industrial art styling just turns me off. Also the ones I've sat on are no where near as comfortable as an Electraglide, to me kind of like a really nice office chair verses a Barcolounger.On the other hand if you like to haul a$$ and don't want to spend a bunch of money on upgrades the Bimmer is the bike for you.That said I did spend at least 6 hours today rolling at 80+ on the Electraglide and that was plenty fast enough for me.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,191
Likes: 2,419
From: USA
As an aging smurf, I'm less and less willing to put up with a bike that doesn't fit me well. Almost all of the current BMWs are designed for people with much longer limbs than mine. Especially legs.
So while I'll freely admit they are a superior bike with regards to handling and performance and German technology, they are simply a no-go for me because of their height first, their overall ergonomics second, and their top-heavy feel. F800GS low seat version being the sole exception. That bike fits me pretty well.
So while I'll freely admit they are a superior bike with regards to handling and performance and German technology, they are simply a no-go for me because of their height first, their overall ergonomics second, and their top-heavy feel. F800GS low seat version being the sole exception. That bike fits me pretty well.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,503
Likes: 94
From: SE Michigan
That's a '60's /2 frame with a mid '70's R90s engine. You see this kind of mod in side car rigs a lot. The /2 frames were set up for a side car from the factory and putting a /5,/6 or/7 engine in them gives them more power and 12vdc electrics. I don't know a lot about the latest generation of BMW's, I road and worked on the oil heads and flying brick K's. I had two K1200LT's and loved them. I never had any major failures, like a rear drive, but when you do it's big bucks and sometimes parts are slow.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,012
Likes: 285
From: Alva Florida
If you go to this forum http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php in the General discussion section, their is an 11 page comparison with some good reading on this very subject.
I too have thought I would like the K1600, nice bike just not for me. The only thing I can add is their was just something missing......like it didn't have a soul.
I too have thought I would like the K1600, nice bike just not for me. The only thing I can add is their was just something missing......like it didn't have a soul.
As an aging smurf, I'm less and less willing to put up with a bike that doesn't fit me well. Almost all of the current BMWs are designed for people with much longer limbs than mine. Especially legs.
So while I'll freely admit they are a superior bike with regards to handling and performance and German technology, they are simply a no-go for me because of their height first, their overall ergonomics second, and their top-heavy feel. F800GS low seat version being the sole exception. That bike fits me pretty well.
So while I'll freely admit they are a superior bike with regards to handling and performance and German technology, they are simply a no-go for me because of their height first, their overall ergonomics second, and their top-heavy feel. F800GS low seat version being the sole exception. That bike fits me pretty well.
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Road Master
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,012
Likes: 285
From: Alva Florida
If you are really interested go here http://www.k1600forum.com/ some of the reading is interesting to say the least!!! Especially the references to Harley's. A lot of ex Harley riders on their.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
From: Treasure Coast, FL
Not saying it's better, it's not ... but most HD owners can and do do most work themselves ... on a BMW after warranty if you have a major problem it is much, much more difficult and costly to fix ... read up on what needs to be done to fix a final drive or starter problem on a BMW and those occur on more than a few ,,, cheers