October Motorcyclist trashes the LT

[ahpd1992]

Near the last page of the magazine a reader asks why the difference in same/year mileage GW's vs the LT. Motorcyclist was none too kind in their response basically saying the GW is a better bike and worth more than the LT. They even went on to say saving a few thousand would leave him dissapointed if he bought the LT.

Between this and their increasingly unfreindly attitude towards cops, Im thinking Ive had it w/ thier magazine and am not gonne renew my subscritpion.

Any thoughts?

Tom

[dmatson]

I just saw that to and wondered if they have even ridden an LT. Just dismissed the LT like it was an old Connie. Said the GW was the King of the touring bikes. Bunch of crap!

[gpolakow]

although I would NEVER pick a goldwing over an LT, there must be features of the GW that this guy liked better. I doubt if it was handling, but who knows, maybe the color schemes or the whole homogonized kind of vanilla look and feel of them. Whatever. The point is it's just an opinion -- unfortunately, even a stupid opinion carryis some weight, especially in a motorcycle magazine.

[ahpd1992]

although I would NEVER pick a goldwing over an LT, there must be features of the GW that this guy liked better. I doubt if it was handling, but who knows, maybe the color schemes or the whole homogonized kind of vanilla look and feel of them. Whatever. The point is it's just an opinion -- unfortunately, even a stupid opinion carryis some weight, especially in a motorcycle magazine.

Ive said before the 2 biggest moto mags are very biased towards japanese bikes. In this same issue the f800s was criticized because fo the trunsignal configuration! Talk about an inability to adjust to the bike. Im pretty sick of this, but like you say its just an opinion

[munson]

Im thinking Ive had it w/ thier magazine and am not gonne renew my subscritpion.

Any thoughts?

Tom
Years ago I sub'd to all the bike mags. The BS just got to be too much. My favorite article in one of them alternately praised and bashed the then new Vrod in each paragraph! At the end it was the coolest bike ever. It made me wonder how much the editorials were influenced by the advertisers. I dropped them all except MCN for reviews, and rider for the travel articles. Aaron Zimmerman's Legal Speeding is noted on page 66 in the Sept. issue, too.

[BecketMa]

Why wait till the end, cancel.

Bob, 00LT

[Gizmo1137]

Have not read it yet so I dunno, but they had a head to head comparison as I recall and gave the edge to the LT, where in the past the nod seemed to go to the Goldwing. When all is said and done, it is just one man's opinion and I am sure there are many who would agree, just as I am sure that most on this board would disagree. I'll look forward to reading the article.

[mtrevelino]

Have not read it yet xxx. I'll look forward to reading the article.

I posted this on September 8.

[Voyager]

Near the last page of the magazine a reader asks why the difference in same/year mileage GW's vs the LT. Motorcyclist was none too kind in their response basically saying the GW is a better bike and worth more than the LT. They even went on to say saving a few thousand would leave him dissapointed if he bought the LT.

Between this and their increasingly unfreindly attitude towards cops, Im thinking Ive had it w/ thier magazine and am not gonne renew my subscritpion.

Any thoughts?

Tom

I haven't read the article as I only subscribe to real motorcycle magazines - MCN and Rider. :)

Matt

[Newf]

Both bikes are great touring machines. I test rode both before I bought and ended up with the LT. But I do have issues with the availability of BMW dealers close by. With the Gold wing there is one on every corner and a dealer in every town. Not the case with BMW. When ever I stop around bikes my LT always draws people and questions. And there are usually gold wings sitting around by themselves.

[taylorjn]

I posted this on September 8.
THAT's the one I heard about. Noted 'inability to hang with' on our trip last week. Them H-bikes kept dropping back in the twisties . . . . . . 8-D

[motorman587]

Near the last page of the magazine a reader asks why the difference in same/year mileage GW's vs the LT. Motorcyclist was none too kind in their response basically saying the GW is a better bike and worth more than the LT. They even went on to say saving a few thousand would leave him dissapointed if he bought the LT.

Between this and their increasingly unfreindly attitude towards cops, Im thinking Ive had it w/ thier magazine and am not gonne renew my subscritpion.

Any thoughts?

Tom

I read it and also do not like the LEO bash in the mag. I also like how they are giving tips on wheelies and then they crash a nice GS, so I too have not renewed.

[ole_dick]

Both bikes are great touring machines. I test rode both before I bought and ended up with the LT. But I do have issues with the availability of BMW dealers close by. With the Gold wing there is one on every corner and a dealer in every town. Not the case with BMW. When ever I stop around bikes my LT always draws people and questions. And there are usually gold wings sitting around by themselves.

I own Both the LT. and an '07 GW. i just rode the GW today, 180 + miles, and Like you said, the LT. will always draw a crowd, around it, not as many of them maybe, Last year i took a trip with my Buddy him on his 1300 ST. and Every place we stopped there would be a crowd around the LT. i would have rode it today, but i rode it last week 600 miles and noticed it needs a rear tire, which i will put on this week, I love the LT. handles better, in the twisties, the GW does have more power, And better Resale, but i never bought the LT. to sell, i bought it to Ride,

Dick Pointer

[bflemingor]

Well stated Dick. Those of us who aren't 5'10" or under and sporting a "substaintial" SO will allways find the LT a better ride.

I do think the GW makes a better two wheel truck - more torque for towing... :histerica

[rglassma]

After looking through the Goldwing forum, reliability seems to be as much an issue with GW owners as well as bad service at honda dealers. Also, gas mileage in the majority of riders is usually in the 38 to 42 mpg range on the highway (at around 55 - 60 not 80).. That equates to over 10 mpg difference for most of us and in my cast more like 12 - 14. That breaks down to between .02 & .03 per mile.

If you consider the difference in cost, I would think at the price of gas today (at least 3.00 per gallon), that could very well make a big difference in the resale value benefit of the GW if you put any strong mileage on the bike and own it for a number of years.

For example in my case .03 per mile breaks down to 2,250.00 for 75,000 miles. So, add 2,250.00 to the value of your bike at resale.. With more mileage, the savings increases. If you are paying more then 3.00 per gallon (and most of us I think are with premium fuel), the difference narrows even more.

Have to take total cost of ownership into consideration. If you do most of your own wrenching, or have an extended warranty, I believe the TCO gap narrows as well.

Just thought I would throw in my .02 ..

[rattler50]

I was at a Suzuki rally at Possum Kingdom Lake this weekend. I was the only BMW there. Everyone was standing around and oooooooing and ahhhhhing my black BMW. They loved it........ :D

[quohog]

Good Morning All!
Yes I have too read the article. Just goes to show you that anyone can justify and reason any opinion or decision they make.

A couple of months back Cycle World had a short on the LT being the best back road Big Tourer in the twisties.


Take it however you like.

I own my bikes therefore I have a more subjective opinion.

Have a great day everyone.

[bibleman]

After looking through the Goldwing forum, reliability seems to be as much an issue with GW owners as well as bad service at honda dealers. Also, gas mileage in the majority of riders is usually in the 38 to 42 mpg range on the highway (at around 55 - 60 not 80).. That equates to over 10 mpg difference for most of us and in my cast more like 12 - 14. That breaks down to between .02 & .03 per mile.

If you consider the difference in cost, I would think at the price of gas today (at least 3.00 per gallon), that could very well make a big difference in the resale value benefit of the GW if you put any strong mileage on the bike and own it for a number of years.

For example in my case .03 per mile breaks down to 2,250.00 for 75,000 miles. So, add 2,250.00 to the value of your bike at resale.. With more mileage, the savings increases. If you are paying more then 3.00 per gallon (and most of us I think are with premium fuel), the difference narrows even more.

Have to take total cost of ownership into consideration. If you do most of your own wrenching, or have an extended warranty, I believe the TCO gap narrows as well.

Just thought I would throw in my .02 ..

As someone who owns both bikes ('06 LT and '06 Wing), and posts on both sites, I would take issue with your assertions.

Firstly, the Wing runs regular gas, while the LT runs Premium. In my area, the best price on Regular is $2.72 and $3.04 on Premium.

http://www.albanygasprices.com/

Secondly, while there are some mechanical issues associated with the Wing, the frequency is much less. Does that stop me from riding my LT? Hardly, I thrash the $%#% out of it - it's too darned fun! But, that does have a large impact on your TCO formula. If you are going to TRULY look at TCO, you would look at Initial Price, total operating costs, total maintenance costs as per manufacturer's specs, Farkle expenses, and resale value.

Finally, the dealer issue is not what most think it is. Yes, there are many more Honda dealers than BMW dealers. However, most Honda dealers would never get close to my Wing. They are more interested in selling gas powered generators, snow blowers and dirt bikes. While the Beemer dealers are harder to come by, they are fairly single minded in their focus on bikes. My BMW dealer (the wonderful MAX BMW of Troy, NY) is only 15 minutes away. By contrast, I avoid the 4 local Honda dealers and ride to Massachusetts to have my Wing serviced - a little over an hour.

[ole_dick]

MY LT. runs great on Regular Unleaded. i may have used 1 tank of Premium in my LT.
DICK

[OKUIII]

MY LT. runs great on Regular Unleaded. i may have used 1 tank of Premium in my LT.
DICK


I was told that running regular in the LT was OK unless you start getting the feared pre-ignition pinging. Is that true?

[ahpd1992]

Good Morning All!
Yes I have too read the article. Just goes to show you that anyone can justify and reason any opinion or decision they make.

A couple of months back Cycle World had a short on the LT being the best back road Big Tourer in the twisties.


Take it however you like.

I own my bikes therefore I have a more subjective opinion.

Have a great day everyone.

The Cycle World article you speak of was editor Dave Edwards annual "ten rest" list. Its a list of bikes that didnt make thier annual 10 best bikes categories so Edwards comes up with ten bikes that deserve mention. Edwards has always heaped praise on the LT, if I remember the article correctly he describes realing in squid after squid on repli-racers on a mountain road while jamming away to Hendrix's "all along the watchtower". That story always makes me smile :)

Tom

[Caper11]

THAT's the one I heard about. Noted 'inability to hang with' on our trip last week. Them H-bikes kept dropping back in the twisties . . . . . . 8-D

I went on a tour of the Gaspe which is in Quebec, Canada this year with another LT and five GW's. The GW's looked pretty but when it came to riding the twisties the LT's were always in front. Some of the less experienced GW riders decided to ride in their own group. Need I say more!! :dance:

[HornHonker]

I had an 03 1800GW for a year or so before going to the LT. It has in my opinion a slightly better seat and great bottom end. It feels about 2 feet longer in the twisties, and has cheap breakable tupperware. My wife says she likes the LT better for it's wind protection.

The difference between BMW and Wing owners seems to be that GW owners seem little concerned with what goes on under the hood. They often have never ridden anything else and only get excited over the chromed plastic bits and lights they can buy and install. Really nice people but you will probably get a blank look if you try to discuss shock dampening rates or overhead cams. Don't whatever you do try to suggest to them that it would be nice to increase the GW's power over stock ! :eek:

[bibleman]

The difference between BMW and Wing owners seems to be that GW owners seem little concerned with what goes on under the hood. They often have never ridden anything else and only get excited over the chromed plastic bits and lights they can buy and install. Really nice people but you will probably get a blank look if you try to discuss shock dampening rates or overhead cams. Don't whatever you do try to suggest to them that it would be nice to increase the GW's power over stock ! :eek:

As someone who owns both, I would say I fall into the "Wing" category using your rather subjective and generalized criteria. To be quite honest, I don't give a %$#* about the technical specs of the engine, or doing my own shade tree maintenance.

I bought them to ride, and a day spent riding is MUCH BETTER than a day spent wrenching.

Both my bikes see dealers for service.