I'm having a very strong attraction......

[Guest Swifty]

but it keeps ringing in my ears.......what happens if I have a problem on the road? It might be probmatic if I was in the boonies with an issue. Odds of a breakdown on a new one....slim. But it bugs me

actually many owners ...

1. take pride in the brand for how easy it is to fix stuff on the road,

2. enjoy the brand for how many dealers exist world wide and how easy it is to get parts fed ex'd overnight.

[Midicat]

Snaggletooth, I've always thought this would be a far more interesting way to travel.

http://spyder.brp.com/en-CA/

 

Thomas

[CrazyHorse]

http://www.webbikeworld.com/BMW-motorcycles/bmw-k-1600-gt/

 

Boy that looks like a nice bike. BMW brings alot of tech to the table which I like. Screw Yamaha cant pull the trigger on a redesign, maybe we all should look elsewhere. For whatever bike floats your boat.

[Dave77459]

...The more I look at the Beemer the more I like the bike........but it keeps ringing in my ears.......what happens if I have a problem on the road? It might be probmatic if I was in the boonies with an issue. Odds of a breakdown on a new one....slim. But it bugs me...

 

My buddy road a R1200GS for about 30,000 miles in 2 years. It was exceptionally reliable for him, while the upkeep was expensive. On the plus side, the dealers clearly knew what they were doing. I can pay a lot at a dealer and have them scratch their head and not really do the service I request. Or he could pay a little more and have excellent service.

 

We did come across an identical bike broken down near Langtry, TX... about as boondocky as you like. His ride side cover had blown off. My friend carried a bag of zip ties, and that's all it took to get the bike back together.

 

Note the above link. The K1200LT is a great bike but, like the RSV, is now getting to the end of its production run. THe new K1600GTL "will" be the heavy BMW tourer next year, and it will be a LOT lighter than the current 1200 (plus it will be 160 horses:bowdown:

 

I personally am looking forward to seeing one and trying a test ride.....

Serious question: how would a pillion enjoy that seat for touring? I do not think I'd even get mine to try it. Or is the "GTL" the model with the queen seat?

 

Dave

[OldBear]

Looks like the GT will be a "tourer" with the GTL being the "luxury" tourer (better pillion seating, more electronic goodies, etc. Based on what the dealer tells me and what BMW owners of america website indicates it looks like both of these will be MUCH lighter weight than the current LT.

 

Keep in mind that BMW builds motorcycles to be RIDDEN. (go to any BMW gathering and you'll see a LOT of bikes with 150-200k on 'em) I've got a little 650 GS Dakar (the smallest streetbike BMW made at the time) that is equipped with touratec bags and a BMW trunk. This little 50 horse enduro is, in fact, a great highway ride-so much so that I'm taking it on a 900 mile ride down to GA and back in two weeks (while the Venture stays home). The little bike is very comfortable, light, maveauverable and just plain "fun" to ride. I've got a buddy that's put 25k miles on a R1200GS this past year and he and his wife love it (and they are NOT kids-both in late 50's). We're talking a machine that two up weighs less than our Ventures do empty!!! I gotta tell you, it's got me rethinking the whole tourer thing. I was down to nashville last week drooling over the R1200's.....