[PadG]

I am going the other way. R1200RT to the K1600GT. Reason is power difference. The R1200 and 1250 just does not have the raw power. Yes it has the torque but not the simple acceleration. The VFR1200 I had before my R1200 had about the same torque but acceleration the VFR1200 left the RT for dead. The RT feels like a lead balloon when it comes to acceleration.
Don't get me wrong I loved riding the RT and it is nimble as. Just want some old fashion acceleration back.

I am utterly surprised at that, especially since you are in NZ! You simply don't have the roads for what the K1600s are really meant for. As for power, you have it totally backward, as others have pointed out. Looking at straight HP, you will be fooled by the 160 HP for the K1600s as compared to the 136 HP for the 1250RT. The K1600s are way heavier than the RT, and so you need to look at the power-to-weight ratio for real comparison. I had just posted these data in another thread, and so this is what you will find:

K1600GT delivers 160 HP and weighs 736 pounds, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 0.217. The R1250RT delivers 136 HP and weighs 615 pounds, giving it P/W ratio of 0.221. So, the RT will outperform the K1600GT by some amount!

The above is the best-case scenario for the K1600. If you use the data for what is more typical for touring K1600, you would have 772 pounds for the GTL, and that would give you P/W ratio of 0.207. Quite a bit less than for the RT! Or, the worse-case for the K1600, which would be the heaviest Grand America, weighing in at 802 pounds, yielding P/W ratio of merely 0.200.

PS: in case you forgot, I had lived in NZ for 13 years back in the '50s and '60s, and I was back there recently in 2017 for more than a month, with some of the time riding an RT.

 

[PadG]

Well the roads have improved since the 60's and the weight difference is not that much. I tested a K16 and the difference in acceleration was noticeable to say the least. Figures don't mean a thing in real life. Yes I am coming from the R1200 not the R1250 but I will be happy with what I am getting and am sure the roads will be good enough. We are not all idiots taking corners at speeds that are too great for our ability and the bikes. I am sure I will adapt.

As I said, I was back there in 2017 and so I did see the improvements, especially on the westcoast of south island. Canterbury used to be my "stomping grounds" where I did most of my riding in the old days, and I usually don't venture west of Arthurs Pass because the roads further west were so bad. They are really wonderful roads to ride now. Wellington is what I would have call my hometown in NZ, and the local roads are still the same, but seem awfully narrow, now that I am much more used to the US roads.

For me, I prefers the RT for a couple of reasons. First is because I appreciate the nimbleness of the bike. I still like to ride the curves quite hard. Handles almost as well as the Norton 650ss that I used to ride back then. The second reason is the weight. At my age, weight becomes somewhat of an issue. Not once the bike is on the move, but it has to do with the ability to move the bike around when stopped. I opted for the RT many years back because it is the lightest bike that meets all of the things that I want for my riding style. Now, I am just waiting for the 2021 1250RT to be my last ride!

Good luck on your selection.

 

[PadG]

I've had a couple occasions to do some WOT runs against a friends 1250 GS. He stayed right with my K16, and even jumped to a small lead initially. Pretty amazing how far the boxer has come. I'm sure as speeds got to "send me directly to jail" levels, my K16 would start to gap him, but for the most part, there isn't any disparity between the two. I would imagine the RT would be about the same as the GS.

BTW, you should realize also that the GS/GSA has a lower gear ratio in the final drive, which gives them better acceleration, but lower top speed than the RT!