Proud new owner of an 07!!

[nobunaga]

Hey everyone!
I can finally say it! After 3 years of saving, looking, wishing and wanting, I have FINALLY purchased my new 07 K1200LT.
I have been wanting this bike for a long, long time.
:dance:
I want to thank those of you who had suggested to me to wait and purchase a new model so that the warrenty would be there. I admit that it does give one a sense of relief knowing it is there.
I will have questions for you I'm sure.

Thanks again guys!
Nobu

[Ted Shred]

CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW TOY!!! You're gonna love it.

BTW. fill out yer profile so we knowz were ya are:)

[nobunaga]

There ya go Ted. Thanks for reminding me. :o

[Ted Shred]

There ya go Ted. Thanks for reminding me. :o

Cool. Now go for a ride:D

[mwnahas]

Congrats Dennis.
Wow 3 years of waiting, don't know if I could of done it.
Still paying for my used '03 :D

[billr]

Congrats on the new ride. It is a FANTASTIC bike. I did an ERC last week, first time on my 06 LT, when the Rider Coach gave me the sign to STOP NOW! both he and I were amazed how quick the beast came to a stop without the ABS even kicking in. It was the first time I had tried a panic stop.

[cfell]

Congrats...! So, you ready for you 600 mile checkup yet?

[bluebeam]

Hey everyone!
I can finally say it! After 3 years of saving, looking, wishing and wanting, I have FINALLY purchased my new 07 K1200LT.
I have been wanting this bike for a long, long time.
:dance:
I want to thank those of you who had suggested to me to wait and purchase a new model so that the warrenty would be there. I admit that it does give one a sense of relief knowing it is there.
I will have questions for you I'm sure.

Thanks again guys!
Nobu
I had a 92 GSX 1100G suzuki & 98 H-D Fat Boy to end up buying a 06 leftover LT 1 month ago!!, only took me 15 years!!

and was the wait ever worth it!!

Congrats on the bike!!! and enjoy the ride, and as a newbie myself, I will have questions Im sure also.

this site and the guys are great, from what I have read, if you have a question about a bike and it cant be answered here, is it really a question??

Tom-n-Berta
<\\\><

[Seattle]

Oh you got the comfy seat. I'm so jealous! Congrats~ dk

[jake]

Congratulations, Ride safe

[RiderRay]

FANTASTIC! Keep safe and get out and ride.

[nobunaga]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. The wife and i are very happy with our new ride.
Actually Seattle, we are thinking of trading out the comfort seats and going with the standards. Our sales guy told us that he personally didn't like them because he found that the extra plushness made them uncomfortable (I know that sounds stupid but...) and we are finding that it seems true. BUT... we don't have any time in the standard seats to know for sure.
Does anyone else have time into both style seats and can comment on this?
:confused:

[was]

Is it possible for you to try out the standard OEM seat, either through the dealer or maybe someone in your area would ride with you and swap bikes during a run? Seat comfort depends on the interaction of anatomy, weight, pain perception, and seat design, so being able to try out the options (if possible) before you switch is the best way to go. Oh, and I add my congrats on your terrific new ride and welcome to the forum!

[kriach]

Morning Dennis,


I had a chance to ride an 05 with the standard seat before I purchased my 07. I found the standard seat to be less comfortable than the soft touch seat for my anatomy. My wife feels the same way. she finds the soft touch seats good for 2- 3 hours before she feels the need to get off the bike for a break. I would suggest that you test ride the standard seats before you trade the soft touch ones out. Just my opinion.



Ken

[nobunaga]

I was thinking the same thing.
I would hate to trade them away and THEN find they were better than the standards. I will see if the dealer has a demo or used on the floor that we could take out for the afternoon or something.

[ibbones]

Congrats on the new ride. Isn't it cool to know what you want and wait and then it's finally over, happy days are here.

[nobunaga]

I came very close to settling for a Yamaha Star Venture.
I'm sure it's a great bike, but it's no LT now is it.
I'm very proud that i spent the extra money and did the right thing.
I would have NEVER been happy with the Venture. just like when i bought the VTX. I loved the bike but it wasn't my LT.

Now I have it - heeheehee :D

[Seattle]

My SO loves her standard seat, but mine requires me to get up and stretch every hundred or so miles on longer rides. Many people have gone for after market seats and rave about them, most saying their favorite modification. That's true for most stock seats though. But hey, if you end up with the softer one and want to trade with my 06' just let me know! :D

I'm actually in the process or getting a Kontour setup for mine. :cool:

Enjoy. Fantastic bike. Word of advice, always respect the size and be very methodical when moving the bike. Try only to do it when you're seated on the bike because when she catches you off guard she can go down quickly. Almost caught me a couple times but I recovered. I'm 6'2" though and I love to ride the big girl. :bmw:

[nobunaga]

I've heard a lot of warnings about dropping the bike. Scares me. :eek:
I learned a long time ago to not move my bikes from the side. Even my super light GSX has caught me off balance a few times. My sales guy told me he has even dropped on on the showroom when he accidently stepped on one of their carpet protectors and it slipped out. Yikes! :eek:
I've found myself all tightened up while riding the LT. I think it's this underlying fear of dropping it. I think that fear increases by a factor of bike cost ;)

[Buchnerb]

I've heard a lot of warnings about dropping the bike. Scares me. :eek:
I learned a long time ago to not move my bikes from the side. Even my super light GSX has caught me off balance a few times. My sales guy told me he has even dropped on on the showroom when he accidently stepped on one of their carpet protectors and it slipped out. Yikes! :eek:
I've found myself all tightened up while riding the LT. I think it's this underlying fear of dropping it. I think that fear increases by a factor of bike cost ;)

I have had my new LT for 7 weeks and have three drops. One of which was the demo bike in front of the dealer. The cost is minimal. I scuffed the rubber pad and scuffed the chrome strip on the side of the pannier. I don't intend to fix it because I assume at some point I will drop it again. I was really scared of dropping mine until I did. Now that it is no longer a virgin I don't worry about it. I have learned from each drop and my skill and confidence increase with every ride.

The biggest lesson I am learning is to think ahead of the bike. Don't put the bike in a potential drop situation in the first place. Size up and select the stopping point before you get to it. Is there good footing? Does the road slope away on either side? Is there room for the size turn my present skills allow me to make?

Since I have the powered center stand I use it a lot rather than the side stand. I'm not real comfortable yet trying to turn it while using reverse to back out of a parking place so I look for a pull through spot even if I have to walk a little farther. At home I park in a single garage stall at th top of a sloping driveway with cars in it. I don't feel comfortable yet in trying to back down the driveway slope with the cars so I turn it in the garage. The best accessory I have purchased to date is turntable that sits on the garage floor. I drive in. Center the centerstand over the turntable and hit the button. Bike comes up on the centerstand and I dismount. I grab the trunk rack and push down with a couple pounds of force to lift the front wheel and walk the bike around till it headed out the garage. Plug in the battery tender and I am done.

Bottom line is stick with and don't let the drop business bother you. I'm willing to bet at some point you will drop it but almost all of us have.

Bruce Buchner

[steamboatjohn]

Congratulations on your buying decision!
If you think it is nice now, wait 'till it is broken in!!!
One of the overlooked anti-drop tools is good boots with a vibram or some other traction sole - gives a good footing on the ground, while slick-faced soles tend to slip...
Have fun & ride safe!

[nobunaga]

Hey, now that Bruce mentioned the center stand...
I know this sounds wimpy, but i find that a lot of the time, getting the bike OFF the stand can be a real pain (literally). I have a bit of a back problem and torquing the bike forward doesn't always feel all that swell.
Am i doing something wrong? Sometimes I have to lung the thing 3 or 4 times to finally get it off the stand.
Is there some "trick" to easily getting the bike off the stand? :confused:

Also Bruce, this turntable sounds interesting. Tell us more. :cool:

[kriach]

Dennis, I do not find the LT as top heavy as some here on the board. That being said I am 6' 4" 200 lbs with a 36" inseam so I have no problem getting my feet on the ground. I find that the newer LT's 05 onwards have much better low speed handling than the earlier models. Spend some time riding solo and work on your slow speed riding. As you get more comfortable with the bike you will find that you can ride it slower and slower without problems. I usually practise slow speed riding at least once a week to keep the skills fresh. As for the center stand unless you are on an uphill slope you should be able to get it off the stand quite easily. I just sit normally on it and when I am ready to go I just rock it forward gently and the the big girl comes off the center stand without problems. I always take the bike off the center stand before letting a passenger get on as that does make it much harder to get off the center stand. My wife also finds it easier to get on the bike when it is not on the center stand as it is lower and therfore easier for her to get on.



Ken

[nobunaga]

That could be the problem then. As my wife is always on the bike before me.
She is short and because of health issues she has to get on the bike into my seat, then move up to her seat. For her to get on with me on already is a lot harder for her.
That is something we can work at though. I hadn't put much thought into the idea of the passenger weight being the factor.
Matter of fact I think the only time i've rode the bike by myself was the day i brought it home. Interesting...

[ibbones]

That could be the problem then. As my wife is always on the bike before me.
She is short and because of health issues she has to get on the bike into my seat, then move up to her seat. For her to get on with me on already is a lot harder for her.
That is something we can work at though. I hadn't put much thought into the idea of the passenger weight being the factor.
Matter of fact I think the only time i've rode the bike by myself was the day i brought it home. Interesting...

We are in the same boat. I have some back problems and due to a get-off a few years back we both have lots of metal in our bodies. My wife has an ankle that is fused and the hip does not move the way it should. When we go for a ride, I take the bike off the center stand and put it on the kickstand. My wife has to step back and kinda kick up so she can get her foot on the rear seat and then hop forward until she can get her left foot on the peg. Once she is on, then I upright the bike and were ready to go. Getting off is just the opposite. It's funny to watch her hop backward to get her leg off the seat. At least she is still ridding with me.

As others have said, give it time and practice a few times in the driveway.

[Buchnerb]

Hey, now that Bruce mentioned the center stand...
I know this sounds wimpy, but i find that a lot of the time, getting the bike OFF the stand can be a real pain (literally). I have a bit of a back problem and torquing the bike forward doesn't always feel all that swell.
Am i doing something wrong? Sometimes I have to lung the thing 3 or 4 times to finally get it off the stand.
Is there some "trick" to easily getting the bike off the stand? :confused:

Also Bruce, this turntable sounds interesting. Tell us more. :cool:

I'm short and have a bad knee so getting off the centerstand is an effort for me too. I slide to one side so my good leg is down on the floor and my bad leg is just touching the toe. I use the good leg to push forward with and slide my body back to the center as it comes down. So far so good. I have been able to keep it under control so far. I did have a problem one day when there was a mound of dirt in front of me. It was forcing the front wheel to rise as it came down and I couldn't get enough leverage to get the bike off the stand. I had to dig away some of the dirt so the front wheel could roll level. This goes back to my comment about pick your stopping point with care.

Here is a link to the turntable web site. I bought mine from Bob's BMW in MD and have been very happy with it. It only took one episode of trying to manhandle the LT back and forth in the garage turning it around to make me search the web for a turntable. If I tried to do it under power I could see bike hitting wife's car in other stall and two deductables with my insurance company. Manually was either a drop or a sore knee.

http://www.turnabike.com/

Bruce Buchner

[kriach]

As far as I know the bike is engineered to come off the center stand easily without a passenger. With the power center stand on the 05 and up LT's it is very easy to get the bike onto the centerstand with the passenger on, not so easy to get it off. Try it yourself without your wife on the bike and see if it is easier for you. Does your bike have the adjustable passenger floorboards? Mine does and my wife finds them much easier for getting on and off and more comfortable when riding as she has some room to move her feet around to get comfortable. I am seriously looking at a set of lowered floorboards from Darius (dod64) on this site to impove rider comfort and give me a better leg position with my long legs.



ken

[nobunaga]

Nope, i stayed with the standard pegs for the passenger. Not that they won't come eventually. What with the GPS and all, the pegs will have to wait a while longer. ;)
The wife and i will figure something out on the whole getting on and off thing.
I'm sure i would have great fun watching her hopping around trying to get on and off the bike but i suppose that might be a bit mean of me :p
At least now i know i'm not the only one wishing the stand was power "off" as well as on. Ya think i may be getting spoiled by this bike?

[shadowofshoe]

I am not short....but I sure am skinny. My wife is bigger and unless we are facing downhill (I avoid this at all costs) we 1-2-3 it, and she shoves forward w/her hips, legs and her feet on the pegs. Works like a charm...but don't forget to stop forward motion.

Mike in Hillard OH