Help! 02 K1200LT or 05 K1200LT

[Moto4play]

I am trying to move up from a R1200 CLC to an LT. Thinking about trading for an 02. I have been told the handling of an 02 is not near as good as the 05. Has anyone ridden both? Besides the obvious power diffrence is there any reason not to go with the 02? I have test riden the 05, I loved it. Is the 02 close enough that I would not desire the 05 after a few months. I really like the idea of an even trade on an 02 and not owing anything. But dont want to be disapointed with 02. If anyone out there ownes a 02 and has test riden the 05 Please help. I have been told it is night and day and that a lot of people are trying to get rid of the 02 or 03 and goto an 05.
I am not so much conserned about the bells and whistles, more so on the handling with two up. Also do you feel that the 100 horsepower on the 02 is enough for that bike?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Phil

[strsout]

If money is not an issue... ia ia ia... if wasn't you will not ask :) :)

I have an '02 and still waiting for the 2008 model. Put so much work on my bike to just trade it.
Indee the '05 has a better handling at low speads and a little extra power at cruise speeds.
But besides that I don't think there is a major improvement that make me remove and re-install my accessories on a new bike.
Save the $5000 for something else like trips

PS: Assuming you are seeing a very low mileage 2002.

[Jerrym]

I had a 2001 LT that I purchased used with about 3,000 miles on it in 2003. I had it for about 1-1/2 years and when I sold it it had around 26,000 miles on it. I purchased a 2005, which I have had for one year and have 21,000 miles on it. There is a difference in the handling but not enough that I would spend $10,000 again for. I like the hydraulic center stand and the easier handling at low speed but that is really all. I had no complaint with my 2001 in handling. The 2005 does has a little more power but again not enough to pay a big price for. If the 2002 is low mileage for a good price I would purchase it and within the next couple years I am sure there is going to be a new LT and buy a new one then. This is just my opinion and I have had both and believe me I do like my 2005. You are going to have a lot of different opinions.

Jerry

[WMann]

I bought a new 02 and put 26 thousand miles on it before it got totaled. I loved the bike. About a year later when I had fully recovered I bought a new 05. I have about 18 thousand miles on it so far. I would never go back to a pre 05. If something happened to this one and I decide to replace it, it would be an 05 or newer. I personally don't think the handling is that much different between the two. They both demand a lot of respect when ridden at slow speeds, especially when fully loaded with a passenger.

The big difference for me is the engine. It has quite a bit more power, it's smoother with no vibrations at 4500 rpm like the earlier engines and it pulls like a freight train all the way to redline. Ask my buddy with the 1800 Goldwing, he was like...what the h#ll just happened. Your 02 never went by me like that. It has no hesitation problems in hot weather like the earlier versions. I installed a switch which allowed me to connect and disconnect the brown wire as my 02 did suffer from moderate hesitation in hot weather. The only down side to cutting the brown wire for me was the drop in fuel economy. I haven't heard of any rear end problems with the 05's, but not many of them have serious amounts miles on them yet.

In the end it has to be your decision and your need to determine what is the important differences between the two bikes.

[mneblett]

I've had an '00, '02 and '05. There is what I would consider to be a minor handling difference -- the older bikes a bit slower-steering at very low speed -- but not enough to make this a decision criteria, IMO.

The real question is whether, if you buy the '02, you'll be looking "longingly" over that the '05's everytime you see one -- the revised dash, the power centerstand, the bit of extra power, etc. Personally, having had both, for $10K I could be very happy with a top-condition '02 :)

[KYchris02]

my 2 pennies... get the '02 to get into the LT frame of mind. Use the 6K you save to get ready for the next upgrade. this coming from the '02 rider who did exactly that. my short experience with this model says that there are alot of guys getting rid of excellent older LT's and there is mucho room to negotiate with an '02 seller. what a great problem to have. whatever you decide... have a blast riding... that's the endgame with all this LT dialogue

[DavidTaylor]

I've owned both, and there are minor differences and refinements, but either would be an excellent bike. If you like the idea of brand new and don't mind spending the money, buy the 05. Otherwise the 02 will make a fine ride. The handling differences are noticeable mainly at low speeds and only if you've ridden both bikes. The power on the 05 is definitely somewhat smoother but not vastly different from the 02. I went as fast as I could on my 99, 02, and 05 LTs and there isn't that much difference in top speed. Since you probably aren't commuting the Bonneville Salt Flats that's probably less of a consideration. :)

[Moto4play]

Thanks everyone for your quick response! Either way I am deffinitly looking forward to getting on to the LT. I love my ClC, but I am normally a sport bike rider and I think the Lt is where I need to be. Has anyone had any luck with aftermarket intercoms like Autocom? Or is it best just to go OEM?

Thanks again!
Phil

[riderup1]

I had a 2000 and bought up to a 2005 last summer....personally I thought the difference was huge. The 2005 is much more fun to drive at slow speeds, and the exhaust note sounds much better on the freeway with the extra horsepower as well as when going thru the gears. Unfortunately however I am selling it due to a job change...2000 miles and never even been driven in the rain..showroom perfect....PM me if interested....Glenn

[rglassma]

I own an '03. I love it. The only thing that concerns me about the '02 is the rear end. My understanding is that the bearing configuration should have been changed from the 19 bb config. to the 17 bb. config. which is significantly more reliable.

The '03 has this change. But, there really isn't any major differences between the two bikes ('02 - '03 that is). My suggestion is to go with a '03 with low mileage with a purchase date after 06/01/03 or later and then purchase an extended warranty. I adore my 03 and I am sure the 02 is great.. But, having that extra piece of mind with additional warranty available is just a great thing considering the cost of repair.

The '05 is a little bit more power, better handling at slow speed (marginally) and the hydro. stand. But, I think the reliability factor of the center stand is questionable with all the problems that I have been hearing about .. Personally, I don't need the hydro. center stand. It isn't that difficult to get the bike up using the manual stand.

Either way, '02 or '03, save your money for '08, get plenty of mileage in on the older bike and love it !!!

[riderup1]

I went from a 2000 to a 2005 and the handling difference at low speed was really huge in my opinion. But....what really got my attention was when I pulled in for gas one day with the 2005 with the low fuel warning light on. Geez....that flying brick handled like an old Triumph 650 in the parking lot of the gas station while whipping it around between the pumps, other cars etc. with less than a gallon of gas left in it! I've been keeping my gas gauge on the lower half ever since unless I'm going on a trip on the freeway. Try it sometime if you're just going to be riding around town for awhile...it handles like a totally different bike!
I can honestly say I don't remember such a difference when my 2000 was low on fuel...

[tarheel_rider]

Even better an 06, and then I'll have something to buy in 3 or 4 years when you decide that you just have to have the latest refinement BMW has to offer. I mean no offense, but buying a motorcycle is more often than not an emotional experience, not a quantitative decision based on facts. I don't think anyone has ever been able to come up with a utility function that can even come close to helping make decisions like this. I value being able to not take out a loan for toys more than having the latest one, so I went with an 02. I've had it for about 2 months and ridden about 4,000 terrific miles on it and looking forward to many more. I enjoy meeting people with the newer bikes and talking about their refinements and features and I don't begrudge them their happiness in the least. Having said that, if money is an issue, and it must be a little or you wouldn't ask the question, you can't beat a used bike for value. It seems the key differences are power, center stand, and reliability. As far as power goes, I'll go out on a limb and say that 90% of the owners couldn't possible use the power difference. I went riding yesterday with friends who own the ST1300. We rode up to the mountains, rode for a couple hours in the mountains and headed home. They should have left me in the dust with all the extra power, performance and handling the ST has over the LT, but only two did. The other 7 ST riders couldn't use all the ST capability to ride any faster or better than I could - and I'm not a very good or fast rider. My point is it is most often about the rider, not the bike. The center stand is nice, not sure how much value to attach to that. The reliability is an issue, but let's say the rear drive failure rate is really 10%, not the 4% reported, then the expected repair value for you would be about $150 ($1500 x 10%). The slave cylinder and clutch even less. So I can't see how someone can make an argument that the 05 is "worth" it, except for an emotional happiness quotient. But, that isn't to say emotional happiness isn't worth every penny and then more. Good luck with your decision. If I can answer any questions about buying an 02, please feel free to PM me. Having just gone through it, I now know a couple of things that I wish I had known earlier, but no regrets for me. Cheers,

[dandiver]

Thanks everyone for your quick response! Either way I am deffinitly looking forward to getting on to the LT. I love my ClC, but I am normally a sport bike rider and I think the Lt is where I need to be. Has anyone had any luck with aftermarket intercoms like Autocom? Or is it best just to go OEM?

Thanks again!
Phil

I added an Autocom to my 2002 in about an hour. It works great. Some of the newer models have more bells and features, but I am very pleased with my unit. Audio is OK and others have modified the speakers.