royal
Sep 15th, 2007, 4:03 pm
Hi All,
Sorry for the length of this post, but I've had a lot on my mind, recently. Due to a recent hip injury (Non motorcycle related), I have been thinking of changing bikes. I, currently ride an '05 LT. I think the LT is a fine bike, but there have been a few nagging issues that have bothered me, but none so great that my high opinion of the bike has changed. Anyway, comfort is paramount to me, as well as high speed stability, as I frequently go on extended trips. Creature comforts such as music, also are important to me. Over the past month, I have looked at Harley Road Glide, Victory Vision, Goldwings, Yamaha Ventures, and other less serious contenders. Out of those, I got pretty close to buying the Road Glide. I know many of you are ready to jump all over me for saying that, but it is a beautiful bike, in my opinion. Problem was, it was an emotional thing, not an intellectual one. It isn't the kind of girl Mom would have wanted me to bring home. When I was away from the showroom floor and my rational mind took over, I realized how much I would be giving up by going with the Road Glide.
So, I found something about all the bikes I investigated that would rule them out as my next ride. Goldwings throw too much heat and there have been some reports of instability at certain speeds. Harley throws too much heat, mechanical problems and, also, some comments about instability caused by how the motor is mounted. Vision, well, let me just say that the looks are hard to live with every day and since it is in the first year of production, the jury is still out on reliability. Although, I heartily approve of Victory's foray into real touring bikes.
All of which brings me to the RT. I test rode an '07. I was leary of the RT due to other members comments on vibration and the fear of final drive failures. The test ride went better than I expected. I took it up to 75mph and it felt totally stable. The wind buffeting was less than I have with the LT (I have the Euro shield). I didn't find what vibration there was to be annoying, in the least. The real kicker is that it was a treat to flick around. The decrease in weight and sportiness of the motor made it a lot of fun to ride. However, what really sealed the deal, is the boxer motor. When I was young, a BMW had cylinder heads sticking out of the frame, parallel to the ground. That's how you knew it was a BMW. I love the way the boxer motor looks. The way the Harley motor looks is, in part, why I like Harley's. A Harley wouldn't be a Harley if the most visible part of the bike wasn't that big V-twin. So, I'm picking up my '07 RT on Thursday. Part of me is scared that I'm making this decision emotionally, rather than intellectually. However, unlike the Harley, I'm pretty sure Mom would approve of me bringing this girl home. Now, to the questions that I have. If I should have posted this in the RT section, I'm sorry, but since I'm still an LT rider (Until Thursday), I thought I should post here. Is there going to be any substantial changes between the '07s and the '08s ? Should I have waited ? Also, did I just get lucky on my test bike or are RTs usually very stable at highway speeds ? Those of you that have both RTs and LTs or those of you who switched from the LT to the RT, is there anything I'm going to really really miss about my LT ?
Finally, I love all motorcycles. If it has an engine and wheels, I'm going to want it. It truly is an addiction with me. I would never flame anyone for taking a liking to any make or model, and I take exception to those of us who do. That being said, I'm very happy to be staying in the BMW world. This website is fantastic and the members here are, not only helpful, but interesting and friendly. Please comment so I can sleep between now and Thursday.
Roy
Sorry for the length of this post, but I've had a lot on my mind, recently. Due to a recent hip injury (Non motorcycle related), I have been thinking of changing bikes. I, currently ride an '05 LT. I think the LT is a fine bike, but there have been a few nagging issues that have bothered me, but none so great that my high opinion of the bike has changed. Anyway, comfort is paramount to me, as well as high speed stability, as I frequently go on extended trips. Creature comforts such as music, also are important to me. Over the past month, I have looked at Harley Road Glide, Victory Vision, Goldwings, Yamaha Ventures, and other less serious contenders. Out of those, I got pretty close to buying the Road Glide. I know many of you are ready to jump all over me for saying that, but it is a beautiful bike, in my opinion. Problem was, it was an emotional thing, not an intellectual one. It isn't the kind of girl Mom would have wanted me to bring home. When I was away from the showroom floor and my rational mind took over, I realized how much I would be giving up by going with the Road Glide.
So, I found something about all the bikes I investigated that would rule them out as my next ride. Goldwings throw too much heat and there have been some reports of instability at certain speeds. Harley throws too much heat, mechanical problems and, also, some comments about instability caused by how the motor is mounted. Vision, well, let me just say that the looks are hard to live with every day and since it is in the first year of production, the jury is still out on reliability. Although, I heartily approve of Victory's foray into real touring bikes.
All of which brings me to the RT. I test rode an '07. I was leary of the RT due to other members comments on vibration and the fear of final drive failures. The test ride went better than I expected. I took it up to 75mph and it felt totally stable. The wind buffeting was less than I have with the LT (I have the Euro shield). I didn't find what vibration there was to be annoying, in the least. The real kicker is that it was a treat to flick around. The decrease in weight and sportiness of the motor made it a lot of fun to ride. However, what really sealed the deal, is the boxer motor. When I was young, a BMW had cylinder heads sticking out of the frame, parallel to the ground. That's how you knew it was a BMW. I love the way the boxer motor looks. The way the Harley motor looks is, in part, why I like Harley's. A Harley wouldn't be a Harley if the most visible part of the bike wasn't that big V-twin. So, I'm picking up my '07 RT on Thursday. Part of me is scared that I'm making this decision emotionally, rather than intellectually. However, unlike the Harley, I'm pretty sure Mom would approve of me bringing this girl home. Now, to the questions that I have. If I should have posted this in the RT section, I'm sorry, but since I'm still an LT rider (Until Thursday), I thought I should post here. Is there going to be any substantial changes between the '07s and the '08s ? Should I have waited ? Also, did I just get lucky on my test bike or are RTs usually very stable at highway speeds ? Those of you that have both RTs and LTs or those of you who switched from the LT to the RT, is there anything I'm going to really really miss about my LT ?
Finally, I love all motorcycles. If it has an engine and wheels, I'm going to want it. It truly is an addiction with me. I would never flame anyone for taking a liking to any make or model, and I take exception to those of us who do. That being said, I'm very happy to be staying in the BMW world. This website is fantastic and the members here are, not only helpful, but interesting and friendly. Please comment so I can sleep between now and Thursday.
Roy