[Tooth]

I received my copy of OTL ( on the level) from BMW Club Riders association international June 2011
If you have any interest in the K1600 there is an excellent article with many photos of the new bike and its internal components. Well done and really well written.
Let me now post a real Troll post for all of the Brand blind members here who look at the world with Honda "red rose" glasses......let me quote the article page 20


"With that let me put the Goldwing thing to rest. I have alot of seat time on various iterations of the six cylinder platform, and for anything other than the two up interstate trolling of the most mind-numbing sort imaginable, the K16 doesnt just slay the Honda Giant. To borrow from Art Dudley(my favorite reviewer of audio equipment), the K16 rips the Gold Wings beating heart, from its chest,shows it to him, finishes him off, then chases his soul and drags it down to hell. Any questions?"


let the feeding frenzy beginopcorn:

 

[hailrazer]

Well everyone has an opinion.

There are several comparison reviews out already and some say exactly the opposite.

It's all a matter of opinion and everyone's is different and most of the time irrelevant.

 

[JustMeToo]

Yup, everyone has an opinion. Now that you're in love with the BMW, I hope you sell you GW and ride happily down the road and join a BMW posting site and leave us alone.
:lol:

 

[utahawk]

It will be interesting to read a review on the Beemer written by the passenger. That lucky soul will feel like his or her heart was ripped out.....through what's left of their anus. That Beemer is no threat to a Wing and the passenger knows it. And on a two up heavy tourer the passenger has plenty to say.

 

[Remphoto]

The K1600gt/l may well be outstanding bikes. However a bike is only good if it works and can be ridden. Bmw's dealer network is limited in locations and quality. The mothership does not stand behind product defects based on recent personal experience. Also, 2 up comfort does not appear to be compaable to a GW. If Momma aint happy then no one is happy. Just saying...

 

[Stone]

I got my first look at the 1600 today I would not totally rule it out but after setting on it with 34" inseams I did not think it was for me. It sure sounded nice as a guy took off with it on a demo ride.

I currently have a 2011 Road Glide Ultra which I like the riding position of a lot but if I get into serious traveling/touring by bike I would go back to a Wing, even if I don't like the rear!

 

[Tooth]

Yup, everyone has an opinion. Now that you're in love with the BMW, I hope you sell you GW and ride happily down the road and join a BMW posting site and leave us alone.
:lol:

No you have it all wrong.......I have already sent a letter to the editor outlining the obvious fallacies of the statement.

 

[WestWing03]

The BMWs nice for riding one up if your a little guy. Americans with or without a passenger would do much better with a wing or a large HD.

The BMW is just a different type of bike. Nice for what it can do but the wing does what the wing does so much better.

 

[laen]

I am sure the BMW is a great 1up bike. Best to have a pocket of hundred dollar bills and a little extra wait time for repairs and maintainence and hit the road

 

[31261]

Well everyone has an opinion. I like the power and the torque of the 1800. Have not found any other bike to even come close.

So go get you a BMW, buy a hot yellow zoot suit to wear with it, and a helmet with a propeller, fancy boots with a red stripe, and never ever wave at a Wing rider. :joke::joke:

It is a cool bike, has lots of gadgets, good balance and a good suspension. Has adequate power and torque, but it is not a Wing. I would not want to ride one 700 miles a day across country, unless I had lots of Ben Gay for my knees and a bottle of Tylenol.

And the day my foot slips and the bike falls over, that would be an expensive day.

If you have all your maintenance done by others, that would be high dollar for sure, and like where I live, it is an all day ride to and from a BMW shop, if they can do it on that day, otherwise you take the bike there, figure out a way to get home, and then go get it later. What a hassle!!! I do my own work...........just sayin............Some do not.

No sale, no deal, put the BMW where the sun does not shine.......not buying one............:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[HBarlow]

No thanks to the OP and his BMW 1600. I have no desire to own one.

 

[R64Charlie]

We need at least 4 more BMW threads to get things back to normal.......

It's not as 2 up comfortable as the Wing. It lost just for that single reason.
I was 50/50 on the Wing versus the 1600.....

 

[Joe Ewing]

I like the power and the torque of the 1800. Have not found any other bike to even come close.

Not that it come even close as a touring bike, but you may wish to test ride a Rocket III. Crushes the Wing in both power and torque.

 

[LarryM]

Let me now post a real Troll post for all of the Brand blind members here who look at the world with Honda "red rose" glasses......let me quote the article page 20


"With that let me put the Goldwing thing to rest. I have alot of seat time on various iterations of the six cylinder platform, and for anything other than the two up interstate trolling of the most mind-numbing sort imaginable, the K16 doesnt just slay the Honda Giant. To borrow from Art Dudley(my favorite reviewer of audio equipment), the K16 rips the Gold Wings beating heart, from its chest,shows it to him, finishes him off, then chases his soul and drags it down to hell. Any questions?"


let the feeding frenzy beginopcorn:

I fail to understand why people make posts that are designed with the intent to incite other members. :shrug:

Of course we all know that a person who writes reviews of audio equipment is going to be qualified to be the last word on motorcycles. :roll: The funny part is, I usually find audio equipment reviews to be pretty worthless; big on words, but scarce on useful information.

What do you expect an article from a BMW mag to say? It seems to me that the excerpt quoted was more focused on coming up with showing off his literary talent than actually saying anything of any substance about the bike. (not surprisingly, pretty much like an audio equipment review) Whoopee!

BMW supporters on this site have been adamant about trying to stop everyone here from comparing the K1600 to the Wing. BMW has made a huge marketing point of trying to distance themselves from the Goldwing by saying that the K1600 is not designed to compete with the Wing. Apparently BMW owners haven't gotten that message.

As far as those "Honda red rose glasses" go, allow me to explain something to you that you obviously haven't figured out on your own.

Everyone who buys a motorcycle has a goal in mind, and a preference for the type of bike and riding they will do. Goldwing owners who love their bikes have found something that meets those needs. The K1600, no matter how awesome it may turn out to be, does not even come close to meeting the needs of the typical Goldwing customer. So it really doesn't matter whether it "blows the doors off the Goldwing". Does it?

The reviewer of this article obviously doesn't share the same needs and wants that Goldwing owners have, and has found his ultimate bike. Good for him. Why would you come here and smear that in the faces of Goldwing owners?

The old K1200LT actually came closer to matching a Goldwing rider's needs than any other bike on the market. The K1600 is even less suited as a Goldwing replacement, not more. It's a different type of bike.

The K1600 shows that BMW has finally figured out what every other mfr has figured out. Competing against the Goldwing on its turf is a losing battle. For the record, I don't like that. I wish the Wing had competition. It would make the Wing a better bike, and would give us choices. The K1600 sadly doesn't come close in that regard.

There are hundreds of thousands of avid motorcyclists out there that don't like Goldwings. I'm ok with that, and I fully understand their viewpoint. I have never understood why, but for some reason the Wing is a very controversial bike. But I really don't care what other people think of my bike. I bought it for me. I did not set out with the goal of finding the most well liked bike. Some people really need that confirmation and approval in what they buy, but people like that have insecurity issues. And people that get so obsessed that they have to put labels on Goldwing owners for their apparent unshakable loyalty have even bigger issues.

Take that to the BMW riders association.

 

[jjsC6]

I've been very active in these threads because I actually am considering the BMW. I keep reading that it's no threat to the Goldwing and is not meant to compete with it. But I have already seen on the BMW forum that two Goldwing riders have sold their Goldwing and bought a GTL. So much for it not being a competitor to the GW.

BTW, I'm not trying to imply it's the better bike for everyone. The reality is that at this point I think my odds of buying one are less than 50% because I already have my own "one-up" bike (a Concours) and I freely admit the average passenger is not likely to want a GTL over a GW. And two up riding is what I have the GW for.

 

[hailrazer]

Yea I rode the BMW before I bought my 2012 GW. It is a nice bike, but it is a 1 up bike for sure.

I bought the 2012 GW for touring with my wife and after sitting on both, she said there was no way she would ride the BMW for more than a few miles.

Also at 6'2" with a 34 inseam the BMW was just to small ad cramped for me.

Also the 2012 GW has a lot more to offer for touring with the GPS, XM, CB, etc, etc.

It was a no brainer and I'm glad I went with the GW. BUt the BMW is a beautiful bike and it rides nice. Just not the best for touring 2 up.

 

[laen]

Let me say I would LOVE to own both!

 

[Bowtie]

It's kinda silly to post that piece of the article. What would you expect to see in a BMW magazine? Is everyone supposed to "BLINDLY" (as you called it) believe this and rush out to by the BMW?

Jeff...

 

[LarryM]

I've been very active in these threads because I actually am considering the BMW. I keep reading that it's no threat to the Goldwing and is not meant to compete with it. But I have already seen on the BMW forum that two Goldwing riders have sold their Goldwing and bought a GTL. So much for it not being a competitor to the GW.

And I think more Wing owners will move to the Beemer. We have a couple of members here who are contemplating it. I really hope their choice turns out to be a good one. That can be a simple case of an owner buying the wrong bike for them when they bought their Wing. The Wing isn't for everyone. There is also the possibility that those buyers will find out a year down the road that they made a mistake crossing over.

Just between you and me, I think the BMW marketing campaign that attempts to distance the K1600 from the Wing has been a weak load of bull, and for the most part, it has failed. Both the press and the public have freely compared the two, and for good reason.

I feel confident in my thinking that BMW is taking the approach that since they can't compete with a traditional touring bike such as the Wing, they are instead trying to redefine what a touring bike is. That fits more inline with their corporate strategy of building adventure bikes. They are basically taking an end around approach instead of going at the Wing head on like they did with the LT. But for that strategy to be successful, they need to stop people from comparing it to the Wing.

Only time will tell if they have read the public's interests correctly. (BMW usually misfires trying to figure out the US consumer) I think it will do a better job of competing against the Wing in Europe than it will in the US.

 

[Tom Finch]

Wonder if they are going to produce a 1600 LT enclosed version?

A few things bear watching. The timing chain drive sprocket seems very small to me, and the output shaft of the Tranny seems very short coupled. Also, there are two right angle drives with each rejecting heat.


Wonder then about riding in hot climates. I remember the Kawasaki 1300 six cylinder tourer that was called a barbecue pit. Was smooth and had lots of power, but was really hot to ride.

While on this current trip, I happened upon a father and son team on Beemers on their way to the arctic circle. The younger rider said that he had had the final drive (Paralever style) replaced 6 times on his Beemer. That makes me wonder if there are similar reliability items in this new bike.

I had four Beemers at one time, and when the Brit bike makers were falling on their sword in the late fifties, I switched over to BMW to gain reliability. I had a 63 R69S, 74 R90S, 77 R100S, and 79 R100RT all at the same time that I bought new.

I had started to layout a bike with a Buick V6 engine when Honda came out with the 1500, and it was all over. I sold all the Beemers and have put over 550,000 miles on Six Cylinder Wings. I sold my 93 GL 1500 SE to a very good friend with 257,000 miles on it and the valve covers had never been off. It now has 283,000 miles on it.

My 04 Wing has 230,000 miles on it. All miles since 1991 have been 100% with a trailer being pulled. 01 Wing had 90,286 miles on it and my 2010 has 18,000 on it and is 6 months old. These are very reliable and durable machines.

I am so glad I bought a 2010 Wing because the 2012 has lots of short comings to me. No lateral reflection of the headlights, no widely displaced taillights, 5 extra inches of useless overhang of the rear fender to decrease trailer pulling stability,