I was a BMW guy for nearly 30yrs and live and love riding in tight technical twisty land. Moved over to a Harley XR1200, one the reasons being to slow down a bit, and that bike turned out to be hell of a lot of fun - loved the engine character. Despite knocking my overall pace down a bit, that bike shredded the sides off of tires, before the centers, like nothing I have ever ridden before. Alias it was piece of shit in terms of build quality and was in the shop on warranty repairs for > 10 week over the 2 yrs/24k I owned it. Perhaps it was just not made for putting on a lot of hard backroad miles (vs easy slab or local Starbucks miles). Had to trade it in before the warranty was up, it was like a time bomb. No more HD products for me. On a Tiger 800 now and love it.
I had the 2005 R1200GS until feb 2011 loved it but was going to need clutch so time to change out. got a 2008 Dyna(Fat Bob) pretty good ride but not overwhelming. Then I made the mistake of test riding a Road King, the dealer made me a trade offer I couldn't refuse. I love this Road King it's a huge heavy beast when trying to push it around but under it's own power...what a ride
I am a Harley rider, have two Triumphs and a Hayabusa too, I looked at the Beemer line up, rode the GS then road the Triumph Explorer, ended up buying a Sprint GT 1050 for 11k otd and a Tiger 800 (demo 1k miles) for 9200 OTD combined about the same price as the GS. I strongly advise you go try out the Triumph line up, the TQ curve will be more familiar (stronger but similar axis) to you than the Beemer, not knocking the Beemer at all just praising the triple motor performance, is a great line up, very much under appreciated in the US. Both Triumphs come with ABS, brakes are superb, the Sprint is like riding on rails the Tiger is just a great all rounder. I let my sons ride the Triumphs, great young person bikes.
I have had three RoadKings and had no problem riding them 7 to nine hundred miles a day. I got really tired of the rubber mounted engine shaking at idle, so my wife and I got 2 softtails. with the balanced engines. In the mountains of Colorado a BMW with a passenger just ran off and left us with apparent ease. It was at that moment I decided to get a BMW. Now my wife has a vstrom and I have a R1200GS. I love my GS and would never be without one. We still have the Harleys but they would be the first to go if necessary. On another note the H-Ds have been trouble free.
No, never did. The trade deal fell through, then I ended up falling back in love with the Road King and kept it. I can't speak for all, but at this point I would be more inclined to keep the Road King and buy a KLR rather then selling the Road King for a GS. I'm sure the GS is a great bike, and I'd love to own one, but I don't know that I'd be happy getting rid of the RK. Tastes change though, I might say something different next month.
I had my '89 Sportster for 20 years. Over those years, I fixed it up with touring ammenities and more power, but always had faster bikes, from Japan and Europe, to satisfy my high-speed addiction. Big-Twin Harleys never interested me; I was always a Sportster guy. In 2005, I bought my BMW K1200s, it was to be my last sport-bike and I wanted the ultimate gentleman's express. In '09, I sold the Sportster, but still have little interest in a Big-Twin Harley. So, right now, no Harleys in the stable of 6 bikes. Maybe I'll get another Sportster after my PhD, or I may change my mind and get a Big-Twin Harley ElectraGlide, or K1600GT, or GoldWing. But I'm not old yet and I still like fast!
Well, long story short - I'm keeping what I've got. I rode the 1200GS for a while on Saturday. It is nice, I enjoyed it. However, I didn't enjoy it as much as the Road King on the highway and I didn't enjoy it as much as the F650GS on the twisties. I've got two extremely different bikes that do what they do very well. I'm sure I'd be happy with the 1200GS, but, well, if it ain't broke...
I had a similar experience except I was in the mountains of North Carolina riding a HD FXDX at what I thought was a decent pace. I realize my FXDX is no sport bike and I'm not a fast rider, but when two guys on BMW's passed me like I was standing still, the humble pie was a bit filling. I didn't think I could ride my bike any faster than I was riding it and decided I wanted something I could ride at a pace at least closer to the guys who passed me. It took me a couple of years of test riding other bikes and looking and looking, but I ended up with a Buell Ulysses. I'm still not a fast rider, but I've ridden it to NC twice now and ridden hundreds of miles through the mountains and haven't been passed by a BMW on it yet. I did get smoked by a guy on a MV Agusta and I had a guy on an Aprilia Futura pass me. I could almost hang with the Futura, but I think he was just a better rider than me. Three years in and I'm still loving the Buell.
I am with you Igg, I have a FLHT and a Flying Brick (K100RS), and a XT 550 for those adventure tours. Each has it's own place, and I feel like the more the merrier. There is no perfect bike, fortunately, and yes I am sorry to say that, but what a blast to own more than one. Yesterday put 240 miles on Harley, today 150 on the Brick. I love it, keep them full of gas for a quick get-a-way!!
Living in Az, it was too much of a heat generator, looked and sounded cool, got good comments on it, but didn't really trust taking it for real trips, just riding around town. Couldn't carry anything on it either. So I got a new 2005 R2100GS, what a great ride in comparison; nimble, quick, comfortable after changing out the seat. Have never second guessed that decision. Then I got a chance to buy a 2005 road king that had a slight laydown. fixed it up and rode it for a couple of years. Great looking, great sounding bike, comfortable to ride long distances; but when riding two-up in the heat, the damn thing seemed to cook my wife's legs. She almost passed out from the heat when we got stuck in Tucson traffic. And I never was comfy that I could stop it as quickly as I might need to in a panic. So I sold it. sold the Ironhead too. Still have the Beemer. Can't see selling it.
I went from a BMW 2000 R1100R to an 08 Heritage Softail. You can't compare one against the other as they are both totally different animals. As an all around bike ( I live in a high wind area ) the Heritage suits me and the type of riding I now do and it is just fun to ride. You never doubt that you are on a motorcycle when you are riding the HD. I still like BMW bikes and currently am restoring a R75/6. So I guess you can say I'm in a time warp with air cooled motorcycles. As somebody else has said, buy what puts a smile on your face and what fits your needs and don't worry about what others think. If you did you wouldn't be riding a motorcycle.
I owned a '06 R1200GS and was ready to pull the trigger on a Electra Glide Ultra after a number of test rides. Went back to BMW to test ride an RT, 1600GT and a GSA to confirm that I was making the right choice. Instead I ending up signing the papers on a new triple black GSA. Got the full 3 piece luggage system with it. There was no comparison with the HD as far as flexibility and fun factor. I'm real glad I took my time, did a bunch of test rides on different bikes and ended up making the right choice (for me). I still like the sound and look of the FLH but they are apples to oranges. The GS line is truly a do it all bike. Good luck with your decision.
Well, I rode a 1200cc Sportster (XL1200N) for 2 and half years. Loved the bike's looks, and despite being a hefty pig by pretty much any standard, a friend of mine who races his motorcycle was always amazed that despite moving like a slug compared to his bike, the tires would be worn pretty much everywhere. I rocked that boat anchor! Still, I had to modify it rather extensively until the point where it became a good bike. Suspension and brakes were dreadful. The gearbox was still more effective than the brakes at stopping it, but handling improved dramatically with the suspension mods. Ultimately, it was a fun, if impratical bike, and due to several factors I got rid of it. 4 months later, got a great deal on a new G650GS. Love it to death. Handles great, brakes great, does everything, no immediate and urgent need for suspension tweaking (as in it's not dangerous to ride it stock), and is a much nicer, more polished motorcycle experience. The only things I miss from the Sportster are the rumble (not the exhaust, but the feeling from that motor) and the minimalistic 'if it breaks I can fix it' nature of it. I guess I may buy another one someday, but will have to be carb-based, pre-2004. I don't much care about the rest of HD's lineup.
I've one GS and a number of Harleys. I personally prefer the Harleys. For ADV bikes, I also preferred the Buell Ulysses over the BMW. I have no real complaints with the BMW other than the horrible seat and excessive buffeting (both fixable), I just enjoy the Harleys more.
I went from a KLR650 to a Wide Glide to a Road Glide and now a Tiger 800XC, which is as close to a Beemer GS800 as you can get. I still have the Road Glide though and don't plan on ever getting rid of it as long as I can still ride. On the interstate you can't beat the Glide for big mile days. For back roads it's Tiger all the way. I think I've got a balance here that satisfies both sides of my brain.
Went from a 2010 FLHTK to a 2011 R12RT, to a 2012 GS/A. Loved the Harley, was indifferent about the RT, love the Adventure. Still have a 2005 Night Train. Love to hit the lottery and get a Road Glide.
Have gone both ways, owning more HDs than BMWs. Currently have a K1200R, however, which I consider to be a perfect bike, for me at any rate. To go to an HD now it would have to be a Sportster for clunking around town or some version of a V-Rod. The big twin HD is boring.
I ride a 99 Road King. My favorite bike I don't own is an R1200RT. BMW is definitely lighter, to say the least, and has more comforts (heated grips, heated seat, electric windscreen, better wind protection). Earlier in the thread one of the posters was talking about riding his Harley down a road at what he thought was a good pace and getting passed by some BMWs like he was standing still. Made me chuckle at myself, because when folks come up behind me on the Harley, I normally just move over. I ride the Harley to look around. If I had to eat miles or get somewhere in a timely fashion, I might favor the BMW. The BMW seems like a great tool with a lot of thought behind it to accomplish the mission, the Harley feels like a time machine.