[minatophase3]

I am new to this board and already know which bike is preferred but am curious, did anyone seriously consider the BMW K1200LT before purchasing their Goldiwng?

Right now I ride a BMW R1100RT and have never ridden the K1200LT. I did test ride a new Goldwing and was extremely impressed with the power and handling, by far surpassed my expectations .

Any comments would be appreciated.

Regards,
Tim

 

[gr8wing]

I did check it out when I had a 1500 and before the 1800 came out. My wife said no way to the back seat and that was that. Didn't bother riding it if the other half wouldn't ride it. The back seat on the 1800 is far superior than the BMW's

 

[Winger11]

1200

Checked out the beamer when shopping for a new bike, nice bike but uglyyyyyyyyy and the wing handled better in my opinion, also checked out the Harley Electra Glide as well sorry not for me , My close 2nd choice would have been the BMW though. To each there own though. :sw1: :sw1: :sw1: :s27: :s27: :yes: The 1800 is the best handling touring bike I have ever owned, kinda like a sport bike with storage.

 

[Andrew deLivron]

I had a 1200 Mile test ride

This past summer I had an opportunity to do 2 days of long distance riding on a KLT1200. The bike has it's pluses and minuses. I felt the leg room was better. The power was less and missed my oversized tulsa but the electric windshield and heated grips were nice. I like the Honda controls better then the KLT. But as a rider of a BMW that may not be your opinion.

If there was no Honda GL1800 I would consider the KLT. But still love my wing.

My understanding the cost of ownership is higher on the KLT and they eat up tires as well.

 

[Mighty Joe]

Based on Just the looks alone.........Its the Wing all day long!!!!!


MJ

 

[Wingman26]

In the February 2001 Motorcycle Consumer News they did an article called Supertouring Showdown, comparing the new GL1800 to the K1200LT. Each category had a winner and loser, listed below.

Engine GL1800
Suspension GL1800
Transmission GL1800
Brakes K1200LT
Handling GL1800
Styling GL1800
Riding Impression GL1800
Instruments and controls GL1800
Attention to detail GL1800
Value Tie
Conclusion GL1800 won every category except brakes

Performance
GL1800
0-60 3.77 sec
1/4 mile 12.14 sec @105.92 mph
Top speed 123 mph

K1200LT
0-60 4.64 sec
1/4 mile 12.87 sec @103.41 mph
Top speed 115 mph

Motorcycle Consumer News Quality Rating (Higher numbers are better) Aug 2002 issue
Honda +196
Yamaha +133
Suzuki +61
Kawasaki +34
BMW -27
Harley Davidson -197

 

[minatophase3]

Re: I had a 1200 Mile test ride

My understanding the cost of ownership is higher on the KLT and they eat up tires as well.

Good point, what kind of maintenance costs can I expect from the Goldwing? How long does a set of tires last?

Thanks,
Tim

 

[Andy Eippert]

tires

That's a good question. I got 11,000 miles out of my factory Bridgestones. I've got 16,000 out of my replacement Dunlop and it looks good for another 1,000. However, I much preferred the stickier feel of the Bridgestone. I also think it felt better going over tar snakes. That is my only real complaint about the 'Lops - they scare the crap out of me when you hit a big tar snake with any kind of lean angle. I'm talking front tire here. Rear seems to wear about the same. And you absolutely must run 41 lbs of air in front or it'll cup no matter what brand you're running.

As far as other maint. costs - well, other than buying safety chrome and changing the oil and such, it has cost nothing. I'm at 27,000 miles now and I'm still on the original brake pads. Waiting now for the ECM change out and a free anit-freeze change. I'll change my brake fluid myself this spring. Buy the shop manual - most maint. isn't that bad. Probably the dumbest thing Honda did was require the whole top shelter to come off to replace the air filter. It's about a 2 hour job and a pain in the keister.

 

[Bulldog]

Where I live, (the boonies), It is hard enough to get a Honda repaired. Where in the world would I get the Beemer fixed?

To each his own, I prefer the Wing over any other touring class motorcycle.

If they ever quit making the Wing, what would I ride? I dunno!

 

[DaleC]

<Did anyone seriously consider the BMW K1200LT before purchasing their Goldiwng?>

Never even gave it a thought, the 1800 was the only one on my list of any bike.

DaleC

P.S. Go take your test drive of the 1200 and then you can go get the Wing.

 

[Deadeye-USMV]

My two cents:
When I had a 1500, the K1200LT came out and got lots of magazine opinions that it exceeded the 1500 in most catagories. So, I coudn't wait to test ride one. I took one out alone at the dealers and was most impressed.

Then at Americade (1999), I rode one with my wife on board. These BMW rides are the best test ride you will ever take; they really run them fast and hard through the twisites.

The 1200 couldn't hold a match to the 1500 when riding two-up. It just doesn't have the HP or torque for the job.

Now that the 1800 is out, we are back to the Goldwing being the leader of the category. It was named bike of the year in 2001, and is probably still in that position.

This year at Americade I test rode two other Beemers, they are OK, and if Honda went out of business, I might give them a more serious look, but if you want road performance, the 1800 is the answer.

Tires:
The more fun you have on them, the quicker they wear out. The Stock Dunlops are kind of slippery on wet pavement and the front tire will cup quite a bit by 10,000 miles, even if you top them off with the correct PSI every day you ride.

When you buy some Metzlers, you will get better traction and wear. But still, it is up to you, your right hand and right foot that will determine the number of miles. Some folks go slow in a straight line and get 20,000 miles, others ride the bike like it was designed to be ridden and get 7K to 12 K out of a set. At 10,000 miles, you have spent 4¢ per mile for the tires, about the same cost for gasoline.

If you don't get tempted to buy a lot of appearance items, the price of tires becomes a non-issue due to all the money you saved. Bottom line is that YOU get to decide where to spend your money, on function or on shiny stuff.

 

[Curt Fesler]

At first I thought the LT, BMW was the answer until I rode my buddies. The wind screen is too far forward and its too top heavy. The only advantage to the bike I found was the better gas mileage and the extensive tool kit provided with the bike. The dealers are few and far apart. My buddy sold his LT and bought the new R1150RT. He didn't like the heavy weight of the LT. He is much happier now. The only BMW I would consider would be the RT but gas mileage is the same as the GL 1800 and they to not have all the bells and whistles. Can you believe a modern bike that does not have self cancelling turn signals. I'll stick with my Wing until something better comes along.

 

[Tim Hester]

1200LT vs Wing

When I started looking for a bike in 2001 I had been without a bike for a couple years. I had owned a couple Yamaha Ventures and a bunch of other bikes. I never considered the 1500 Wing. I thought it was too bulky and more of an old guy's bike. I was looking at the new generation Venture and the 12OOLT BMW. I had decided to buy the 1200. The local beemer dealer owner is a great guy and insisted that I try the bike a couple times. I liked the looks of the Venture but the power and handling could have been better. On my way to the BMW dealership to buy the 1200 I passed by a Honda dealership and decided to take a look. They had a couple 1800 wings on the floor. They were the first that I had seen. I ended up getting a black ABS model even though I couldn't get a test ride. I've been happy with my purchase. I've since ridden a friend's 1200LT with a short windshield. I think that the BMW handles better and has plenty of power. The BMW sits higher and some have trouble doing slow speed maneuvers. The BMW has better ground clearance. I really like the short electric windshield on my buddy's bike. The latches on the beemeer luggage work better but the luggage will not hold as much as the Wing. Of course, I'm doing almost all of my riding without a passenger. That could make difference. I'm very satisfied with my 1800 but I think that the 1200 Beemer would have also been a good choice.

 

[Jim Mathis]

All I did was sit on the K12 and didn't care for it. I didn't even have to start the engine. Just didn't care for the feel of it.

Nothing even comes close to the GL1800.

There's my 2¢ worth.

 

[rgoble]

I own one of each

I keep a bike in Colorado and one in Florida. My Colorado bike is a K1200LT and the Florida bike is a GL1800. The are both great bikes. Overall, I have to give the nod to the GL1800. The power is greater and I believe the handling is about the same. I love the adjustable windshield on the BMW. I believe the GL1800 is also a better two up bike.

If I had to choose one, it would definitely be the Goldwing.

Dick

 

[jim nielsen]

unique comparison

Your comparison, as an owner of both bikes, is unique. Also consistent with all the magazine comparisons when the 1800 arrived in 2001. You have a nice set up (jealous). But right now I'm jealous of anyone who's not in Minnesota.

 

[Big Red.]

No comment.

 

[max monaco]

gl 1880 vs K12LT

Don't forget who owns Rolls Royce. :lol:

 

[corbitt799]

My riding buddy has an LT, and we've traveled many miles together. The LT definitely has some pluses (as noted in previous posts) and I have a great deal of respect for the machine, but overall I prefer the wing. My buddy says that power is not everything, but I just tell him he has "cylinder envy!" (being two short!). BMW is supposedly coming out with a revised LT soon. I know they had been working on a supercharged model. That would certianly even up the power catagory. I hope that Honda would respond....I really like spanking the LT with a twist of the wrist!!!

 

[Fred H.]

Hmmm...

I have ridden the KLT and I agree that for the most part the GL1800 is a better designed machine.

However, I wonder how much better it actually is when I factor in the frame cracking problem on the GL1800. Had I known that the frame of my bike might suddenly break in half while I was riding it, I probably would have bought the BMW KLT instead, top heavy and all.

I also see Honda got top marks from MCN on quality. I wonder if those numbers are still accurate now in light of the frame issues.

The overheating problem I could live with, or even overlook. The frame problem I can't.

I have also heard it said that the KLT can spank the GL1800's bottom in the tighter turns, though I haven't ridden the KLT on a good mountain road myself.

Just my 2 cents.