GlennTuc Posted January 1, 2011 #1 Posted January 1, 2011 Been looking at Goldwings and and the BMW K 1200 LT. Scratching my head. Don't know which one I like the most. My 08 RSV is sittin in the parking lot at work with a bad ignition switch. Waiting till Monday morning, then gonna load it on the trailer and take it to the Yamaha/Honda dealer to get it fixed. Also, needs the fuel level indicator fixed. Took the rear wheel off to grease the splines and noticed the rear shock has about a half inch or more of up and down play in it. Meaning, I can lift the swingarm up about a half inch, like something ain't right. Might be normal, I don't know. Gonna get them to check that, too. I'm not really that unhappy with the RSV, I just think there might be something a little bit better. I ride year round, and while I'm pulling out the choke lever, cranking up and warming up the engine, my buddy hops on his fuel injected Goldwing and rides away. Also, with factory heated grips and seat. I know some of ya have gone to Goldwings and like them. I had one in the early 80's and liked that one. I know they've changed a lot. What do ya think about the BMW K 1200 LT? Know where there's one at a reasonable price. Also, didn't say I was going to quit the web site. If Eck can ride a Goldwing to meet and eats, surely I can too (He, He). Besides, my best friend and cousin-in-law ride an RSV. Anyway, I value ya's opinion. Whatdoyouthink?
Yammer Dan Posted January 1, 2011 #2 Posted January 1, 2011 From what I've seen of them I like that BMW K 1600 GTL. Looks like a 1st Gen!!!
dray Posted January 1, 2011 #3 Posted January 1, 2011 All i can say is I did'nt go wrong buying my GoldWing Good Luck with what ever you deside on Dray
Wolf Posted January 1, 2011 #4 Posted January 1, 2011 I am looking at he 1200LT as well. I no longer have the RSV, and fuel injection, heated grips and seat, and ABS are what I am looking for.
CaptainJoe Posted January 1, 2011 #5 Posted January 1, 2011 Was told by a Harley dealership owner there is only one bike that costs more to maintain than a Harley... That would be a BMW... also, good luck on servicing depending on what part of the country you are in. The honda sounds good with all the bells and whistles but you better have deep pockets. But I'll stick with my RSV... Shes done me good so far.
Eck Posted January 1, 2011 #6 Posted January 1, 2011 Food for thought..... Keep in mind that ...Goldwings - or- RSV's..."BOTH" have their problems..
Sideoftheroad Posted January 1, 2011 #8 Posted January 1, 2011 A guy in our group rides a BMW. All I can say from his experience twice, is some parts you are only going to get by importing from Germany and that is major $$$. One was right cylinder coil and the other was final drive unit. Not sure why the coil had to be imported as I found one on e-bay for him, but I guess a new one had to be imported. His is a 2004 R1200CLC.
frogmaster Posted January 1, 2011 #9 Posted January 1, 2011 (edited) Food for thought..... Keep in mind that ...Goldwings - or- RSV's..."BOTH" have their problems.. Also...Food for thought..... IF I'm correct neither Goldwings or BMW's have a 5 year warranty and that is $$$ in your pocket reserves for 5 years!!! Edited January 1, 2011 by frogmaster spelling
dynodon Posted January 1, 2011 #10 Posted January 1, 2011 I still have my '86 VR and love it, but bought an '04 Wing to see how I liked it. Mine has an odd handling thing, but otherwise, I love it. So much power that when I get back on my VR I think I am taking off in 3rd gear every time! As for warranty, get an extended warranty through Honda, it isn't that much, and covers almost everything including headlight bulbs I hear! Very good used ones aren't hard to find, and they come in a lot of different colors. Very good wind/rain protection. I just got back from my New Years ride about 45 miles, 50 minutes at highway speeds at 18 degrees by one bank. 21 by the Wing's display. Love the sound system, and I do like how it looks. The VR still is more stable and I think it rides just a touch nicer. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that the Wing has NO air adjustable suspension. Front end is plain jane, and not very high tech at all even for plain jane. Lot of people spend money on upgrades, Traxion, Progressive etc. Rear has a power pre-load function, but just the one shock. Changing rear tire is super easy, like a car, and can be done by just laying the bike down (gently!). Give one a ride, the handling thing on my bike is NOT what most of them are like, I have ridden others that don't do it. They are hard on tires. Many people get about 9000 miles from a set, others claim they can get 15,000 or more, but from what I see, the majority are at or near 10,000. I like the bags on the VR best, even better than the RSV. But both beat the wing for usefulness and capacity. Wings trunk is OK though. Give the Victory Vision a look-see though, they are pretty neat.
Stoutman Posted January 1, 2011 #11 Posted January 1, 2011 Personally I like the wing. I don't know if it means anything, but the guy that owns local Honda dealership here rides a Harley and a BMW. My friends that ride BMWs love their handling and high tech gadgets, but I had one friend that got stranded on a cross country tour because the local dealer (almost 100 miles away from where he was) had to order a brake lever that got damaged in a parking lot misadventure. The BMW is not the easiest or cheapest thing to keep maintained. In the end you have to ride what your comfortable with and can afford. Better is a lot like beauty, it only exists in the eye of the beholder.
Zane Posted January 2, 2011 #12 Posted January 2, 2011 (edited) I really like the looks of the new Wings, but the only thing that scares me is all that "tupperware" hanging on them. The gen 1's are bad enough to do otherwise simple work on, like the rear tire r & r. The Stars look easier for those that do their own work! Edited January 2, 2011 by Zane Editing
Aimhigh Posted January 2, 2011 #13 Posted January 2, 2011 I really like the looks of the new Wings, but the only thing that scares me is all that "tupperware" hanging on them. The gen 1's are bad enough to do otherwise simple work on, like the rear tire r & r. The Stars look easier for those that do their own work! Rear wheel removal is very simple on the Wing...it is held on like your car tire...w/lug nuts...just tilt it over remove the lug nuts and the tire comes right off.
GlennTuc Posted January 2, 2011 Author #14 Posted January 2, 2011 I am looking at he 1200LT as well. I no longer have the RSV, and fuel injection, heated grips and seat, and ABS are what I am looking for. Exactly! That is what I'm looking for. Like I said, I'm not disappointed in my RSV. Just that for a year round rider like myself, there are some creature comfort items I would like to have (factory installed). The BMW K 1200 LT has all that and more. I'm not going to be upset if I can't swap my RSV, but something with 21st Century technology would be nice. I don't think you could get a more perfect bike if the RSV had the above mentioned items. I just know Yamaha is waiting for me to go ahead and trade my RSV in on something else, then they're going to come out with all that on an RSV. They'll keep the cassette deck on them though. Glenn
CrazyHorse Posted January 2, 2011 #15 Posted January 2, 2011 They are both good bikes. I think in 2008 BMW's rear drive was changed to allow fluid change I think if I remember right to alleviate final drive problems. The Honda is a good solid bike but not as technologically advanced as a BMW and less options that are standard.
ctraylor Posted January 2, 2011 #16 Posted January 2, 2011 I bought a BMW K1200 lt and have never looked back. I been riding 40 years and have never riden a bike that handled this good. I have a friend that has 170,000 on one and all he has done is regular maintenance. The heated seats and hand grips are a plus also.
Zane Posted January 2, 2011 #17 Posted January 2, 2011 Rear wheel removal is very simple on the Wing...it is held on like your car tire...w/lug nuts...just tilt it over remove the lug nuts and the tire comes right off. I watched that video and I can say that sure makes it look easy! After doing all the work doing my rear tire on my Gen 1! It took a lot of work to do mine. Honda does have a better idea!
OldBear Posted January 2, 2011 #18 Posted January 2, 2011 I really love my Wing, but the K1200LT is a lot of bike as well with some really cool features. To me, the LT felt more "top heavy" (just my 2 cents). I love BMW's (have an old Dakar) and am fortunate enough to have a really good BMW dealer fairly close. My biggest reservation concerning BMW's is the scarcity of dealers around the country. That "could" be an issue on a long trip. When we went to the Blueridge last fall my buddy was riding hit GS. He developed a problem with the headlight (was in the canbus system) and the CLOSEST BMW shop was 250 miles away. (Several Honda dealers were within 75 miles of us) It was an annoyance, but not critical. Had it been a biggie though it could have been a real hassle...... Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances....
az1103 Posted January 2, 2011 #19 Posted January 2, 2011 Goldwing is a fine choice and if I was ready for a change, that would be my first choice. The BMW is another matter altogether....I have a friend who bought one, in fact I financed it for him. That thing is mighty pretty but every time the tiniest thing goes wrong with it, it costs an arm a leg and two teeth !!! Everything on that bike is weird and unconventional.....He has been trying to set up communications on that bike for 2 years....nothing doing, he has gone through 2 different systems and they work haphazardly and intermittently. The manufacturers say they won't mess with trubleshooting on a BMW - something about a floating ground - just return the system.... The only solution is to install BMW proprietary for about a Grand and a half! And then you might consider the experience of the Police departments that went to BMW after Kawi stopped making the Police specials; They went to BMW and their maintenance went orbital! Now most of them are abandoning them and going to Honda or Kawi again... Yes, they look good but - no way for me.....
footsie Posted January 2, 2011 #20 Posted January 2, 2011 Take a close look at Victory Vision, and yeah I know here comes the ugly commits, but my riding buddy has a new 2011, it is one nice ride, heated seats and grips are standard. the ride is a smooth as a wing, and service is very simple, the air & oil filters are easily accessible, belt driven so no shaft to grease, and handles like a dream. My advice at least ride one before you buy another bike. Bobby also got the 5 year warrenty in the deal. I intend to put aleast 100,000 miles on my RSV, but if I was buying a bike right now, it would be a Vision. Gregg
bongobobny Posted January 2, 2011 #21 Posted January 2, 2011 Ya never know if you are going to like it until you swing a leg over and ride...
slickster Posted January 2, 2011 #22 Posted January 2, 2011 I would think about a 1-3 yr old BMW r1200rt with low miles...they take a real depreciation hit early on....the R series is alot less complicated that the K series...k is water cooled and the engine is really buried...the R is oil cooled, a twin, and is alot easier to service....the riding position of both are very different than an RSV...the BMW's aren't great 2 up bikes.....the wing is a great bike, one ride will convince you....I can't get off the cash so I got an 06 rsv and really like it....good luck
GOODWRENCH Posted January 2, 2011 #23 Posted January 2, 2011 Check out the new cross roads victory:dancefool:
TearlessTom Posted January 3, 2011 #24 Posted January 3, 2011 If money is an issue at all you might want to look at the Valkyrie Interstate. Yes I know it has been out of production for a few years but it is basically a hopped up Gold wing engine on steroids. The Valkyrie 1500cc engine runs close the the newer 1800's.You can pick one up for 8-10,000 or less. Does not have all the creature comforts of the wing but a great ride none the less. Yes I am bias as I also ride a Valkyrie Tourer.
rsstar Posted January 3, 2011 #25 Posted January 3, 2011 Had a 99 and an 06 Venture. Loved them both but when the 06 was totalled and Yamaha didn't change anything I went to an 08 GW airbagger. Loved that bike almost as much as my RSVs. But when the Wing was totaled I wasn't going to get another bike. But after about 8 months I started looking and was just about to bite the bullet on the price of an 09 airbagger when I saw the new Victory Cross Country. Test rode a Cross Roads (same bike minus the fairing) and was hooked. The CR doesn't have all the comforts of the Wing but it's a lot lighter, easier to handle at low speeds, has lots of power and torque and is way cheaper. The saddle bags are as big as the RSVs and I like the seating position a lot more than the Wing. Guages are easy to read and it has a killer stereo. Someday I may spring for the trunk but for now I don't need it or really want it. I also was looking at the BMW LT at one time but the nearest dealer is in Baton Rouge and after the little run-in I had with the owner I would rather walk than buy a bike from her. If you want a full dresser I would choose the Wing but if you don't need a full dresser give the Victory Cross Country a look. And it's not as radical in looks as the Vision !!
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