My LT, HD, GL, RSV Comparison

[BTSOOM]

No intention here to "incite" -- just offering my comparison of the bikes I owned. I waited till I had 1k on the new LT; got that done this week -- that ride is fantastic but CANNOT WAIT to get the custom seat - stock seat is OUCH!!!


BEST OVER THE ROAD SMOOTHNESS
1. K1200LT
2. GL1800
3. ROAD GLIDE

BEST MANEUVERABILITY/COUNTER-STEERING
1. K1200LT
2. GL1800
3. RSV

BEST BRAKES
1. K1200LT – WOW
2. GL1800
3. RSV

BEST LOW END TORQUE
1. GL1800
2. CVO ULTRA
3. K1200LT

BEST HIGH END TORQUE
1. GL1800
2. K1200LT
3. RSV

BEST WARRANTY
1. YAMAHA STAR RSV – 5 YR UNLIMITED MILES
2. K1200LT – 3/36

BEST TWO UP RIDING
1. K1200LT – BY FAR THE LEADER
2. GL1800

BEST CB
1. GL1800
2. CVO ULTRA
3. RSV

BEST STEREO
1. K1200LT
2. GL1800
3. CVO ULTRA

BEST STORAGE
1. RSV
2. K1200LT
3. GL1800

BEST STOCK HEADLIGHTS
1. GL1800
2. K1200LT

BEST REAR LIGHTING
1. GL1800
2. K1200LT

WORST STOCK SEAT
1. ROAD KING
2. K1200LT
3. GL1800

[ironbuttwannabe]

Wandering about the storage rating. I figured the GL1800 could fit a ton in those sidecases. Ive never seen one open in person but they look big on the bike. I think the LT's are quite small. Especially for a touring bike. Maybe I'm wrong.

[motoguy128]

Until I got to the bottom, I thought RSV, was a Aprillia RSV Mille. I couldn;t understand how it didn't have the best brakes.

[dmatson]

When you say high end torque is that power bove say 5K? If that is where you are looking then you haven't run you LT from 4-8k yet. I can run away from my partners 06' GW in that range. A GW is out of gas at 6k where the LT has just got it's happy face on! Low end, no contest GW.

[ronk1200lt]

Until I got to the bottom, I thought RSV, was a Aprillia RSV Mille. I couldn;t understand how it didn't have the best brakes.
What is an RSV?

[TxWhiteKnight]

What is an RSV?

Yamaha Roal Star Venture

[legacy]

Good post BTSOOM,
I have to agree with you on most of what you've posted. Having ridden along side a GW for the past 4 years, and I feel somewhat qualified to respond, at least to the LT/GW comparos. Most of my riding has been with a close friend whom I met the day I bought my LT in 2003. He has a 2001 GW and since we met, him and I have put on many kms together, and with our wives. That included a 2 week ride through B.C., Alberta, Montana and Washington last June.
One other ride the 2 of us did together was Edmonton to Vancouver and return over a 3 day period. At one point we switched bikes between gas fill-ups, about 350 kms.

The LT and the GW are both incredible touring bikes, with a touch of sportiness. In most cases, one bike is slightly better than the other, but that is also determined by personal preferance.

As for warranty, the GW is 3 years/unlimited mileage.

Two-up riding, well you would have to ask our wives. On our trip last summer, at each stop they would both get off and sociaize with each other. Never a complaint from either about any discomfort. They both seemed pretty damned comfortable.

Having ridden both, I'm not sure who I would give the edge to when it comes to stock seats. Our ride to Vancouver was long and our rears were more than a little sore at the end of the rides, along with our legs, backs, etc.

The LT will take the GW in hard cornering and the GW will outrun the LT everywhere else. But really, how many of us push their bike to the limit.

When you say high end torque is that power bove say 5K? If that is where you are looking then you haven't run you LT from 4-8k yet. I can run away from my partners 06' GW in that range. A GW is out of gas at 6k where the LT has just got it's happy face on! Low end, no contest GW.

Now this quote is a bit out to lunch. I've raced my buddy twice and he walked away from me both times. In fact he lifted his front wheel off the ground going from 2nd to 3rd each time, and that was over 100km/hr. I backed off somewhere around 175 or 180 km/hr. The last time he did that I said enough, told him I was worried about my FD.
Yes, a GW will run out of gas at 6k, but most riders would shift to a higher gear when 6k rpm starts getting close. They redline at 6000!

The LT and the GW are great bikes and I believe that BMW and Honda have given us riders what we want: the best touring bikes around.

[AlanLT]

Wandering about the storage rating. I figured the GL1800 could fit a ton in those sidecases. Ive never seen one open in person but they look big on the bike. I think the LT's are quite small. Especially for a touring bike. Maybe I'm wrong.

I rented a GW earlier this year and expected the storage would be better since it has more cubic capacity. The shape of the storage made it less functional for my purpuses. The compartments on the GW are too flat (had to unstuff my backpack to fit it in the trunk and my 3/4 helmet wouldn't fit in any compartment). Also, the openings are smaller than the width of the compartments so there are some things that might fit in the compartments but you can't get them through the doors.

[dmatson]

Here is a comparison done on an 05' LT and 05' GW by MCM
GW 0-60 4.35, 0-100 12.92
LT 0-60 4.85, 0-100 12.39
the GW beats the LT by .50 sec to 60 but then as the LT shifts to second it passes the GW and arrives at 100mph 1.03 seconds ahead of the GW
So I don't think what I said is "out to lunch" at all. Remember the new LT's have more HP's.