[RocketRon]

I recently purchased the pre-owned '02 LT without selling my '05 Triumph Rocket thinking I'll make a decision after the Daytona trip as to which one I'll keep. Grant it, the LT is no fun cruising down main street. Eyes are not drawn to it...you can't hear it...it has no LED's lighting its way. When I take it to the local bike night at the pub, heads don't turn...except to say "what's he bringing that thing for". But, after 1300 miles this past week, the thought of another trip without the LT is painful. It was such a joy to ride on the open road. The comfort, smoothness and dependability is a notch above the rest. Nine hrs on the LT and no soreness. I woke up the next day ready to ride again. Now, I just have to take it to the mountains for final judgment on its cornering capabilities...which I have no doubt are terrific....just from minor cornering I've had to do. Oh yea....one minor thing.....my wife likes it!

 

[messenger13]

With all due respect Ron, please allow me to interject a few comments into your post. If you don't like what I'm trying to say, fine. It's just my 2 cents anyway.

Grant it, the LT is no fun cruising down main street.

ANY bike with two wheels and a motor is "fun". If you need the attention of others to have "fun", perhaps our definition of "fun" is vastly different.

Eyes are not drawn to it...

I beg to differ. And so will many others in this forum. The LT looks like no other bike on the planet. A lot of posers don't want to get caught looking at it because they don't want to be thought of as uncool by all the other posers. But someday, you're going to be blown away by the crowd of people around your bike ... meanwhile all the other "custom" bikes will be left alone ... like clones, stamped out by the HD or OCC cookie-cutter shops.

you can't hear it...

I personally like stealth mode, no matter what I'm riding.

it has no LED's lighting its way.

Umm ... whose fault is that? Get busy! My LT looked like a freakin' 747 coming down the road, with plenty of LEDs here and there.

When I take it to the local bike night at the pub, heads don't turn...except to say "what's he bringing that thing for".

Perhaps you need to frequent a different pub. One where they care more about riding, and not fitting into their tight little poser-esque mold. OR ... perhaps you should stop worrying about what others think, and do something really CRAZY. Like ... be an individual for a change. That's what 'real riders' used to do. Not like these posers of today.

The comfort, smoothness and dependability is a notch above the rest. Nine hrs on the LT and no soreness. I woke up the next day ready to ride again.

You mean ... function OVER form, for a change?

Now, I just have to take it to the mountains for final judgment on its corning capabilities...

It's no sportbike, but it's going to out-perform your Rocket III in the twisties by a country mile! I guarantee it.

Oh yea....one minor thing.....my wife likes it!

Now SHE is the one other person that matters. All of the other yaw-whos can go pound salt if they don't approve of your ride. You, your girl, and your bike (with a full tank of gas). What else does a guy need? Validation from 'the crowd'? I don't think so...

 

[Tom1200]

I am glad you like your ride and I can say if the wife likes the ride all the better. As many of us say here, If the wife is happy everyone is happy.

I don't turn a lot of heads anymore with my bike but that is ok. I would rather be riding then talking. But that is me. I think you will fine this bike will handle well for you. If you do a lot of 2 up, you just found the right bike. Have a good ride.

 

[razman10]

+1 on what messenger13 said...

Just remember, happy wife, happy life!! Nothing else matters (except air in the tires,and fuel in the tank!)

 

[woodey]

I recently purchased the pre-owned '02 LT without selling my '05 Triumph Rocket thinking I'll make a decision after the Daytona trip as to which one I'll keep. Grant it,the LT is no fun cruising down main street. Eyes are not drawn to it...you can't hear it...it has no LED's lighting its way. When I take it to the local bike night at the pub, heads don't turn...except to say "what's he bringing that thing for". But, after 1300 miles this past week, the thought of another trip without the LT is painful. It was such a joy to ride on the open road. The comfort, smoothness and dependability is a notch above the rest. Nine hrs on the LT and no soreness. I woke up the next day ready to ride again. Now, I just have to take it to the mountains for final judgment on its cornering capabilities...which I have no doubt are terrific....just from minor cornering I've had to do. Oh yea....one minor thing.....my wife likes it!

I dont know about this one and i Beg to Differ here......i get people rolling down there windows talking to me all the time at lights, gas stations, stores, etc... complimenting me on the Bike ...i see eyes on me all the time driving around

 

[mwnahas]

+1 on what messenger13 said...

Just remember, happy wife, happy life!! Nothing else matters (except air in the tires,and fuel in the tank!)

+1 on what Razman said...

It was my wife that said I could get the LT, when I had a K100. Who am I to argue?

 

[yechave]

I too have to say we get many compliments on our 99LT, hear more than a few interesting remarks going past a group of kids...."nice spaceship!", and the list goes on. I've had folks gather round when I take it shopping at Lowes, brings up many conversations with people I otherwise would never have talked with, and some even think it is a brand new bike. They are astounded this bike is ten years old.

For months of contemplating selling or trading this costly LT for a GW, just when I let go of any attachments to the bike, someone else offers something nice to say about it, and I think twice why we bought it in the first place.

Aside from all the mechanical and financial issues with the bike, it is quite a machine. Seems to ride better with each oil/trans and FD fluid change. Possibly it just was not properly cared for before we got it.

On a side note and having called Kyle Racing about the poor ride of the new Ohlin's shocks.....he feels the spring is too stiff and recommended swapping it out. Just not sure I can bring myself to taking the bike apart one more time, without having a decent place to do that, and give it one more try. The ride as it was set up for our two up weight, is just brutal when I ride alone. Which is a LOT more time than was intended when the bike was purchased.

 

[Shriker]

Been riding over 30 of my 42 years....when I was a kid HD's were utter crap , owned by AMF. Pop had one , junk. In the 80's the government had to bail em out and we had to live with 700cc bikes because HD couldnt compete.

HD SINCE THAT TIME played it RIGHT and created a LIFESTYLE (not just bikes) that every other person in the grand USA and most of the rest of the world, has wanted to join. They more or less created the custom or cruiser market and now have built an enviable empire . The bikes are good these days and HD does a great job overall.

Now everyone else is (and has been) trying to conquer that cruiser market....Triumph has done a good job of being relatively UNIQUE.....

This leads to my point....it used to be that "bikers" rode Hawgs that looked worn , rough , hand customized , and UNIQUE. These guys were loaners and rebels....and lived to ride and road to live.

The majority of the modern cruiser jockeys have become a total and complete sellout to "me too" marketing and style. Until recently the functionality of the machines was a total loss....now many of the cruisers are finally functionally good bikes FINALLY, not being slow , poor handling, bad braking uncomfortable machines .

I have ALWAYS been about function first.....I want it to do what I want it to do first , if it looks good doing it , that is icing on the cake.

When I ride with my main group of weekenders , they mostly on HD's with a few Yamaha cruisers in the mix. When we end of stopping at one of the usual water holes and everyone looks at bikes and talks about them , I am usually the most interested and noligable about most bikes and really enjoy speaking with others about their "pride and joy" and why they like to ride.

When I am asked what I ride .... I tell them and point to my LT . I tell em if they notice , NO ONE else in the place has an LT (most of the time) or even a BMW (usually) and that not only is it a great bike but ....well..... I ride to the beat of my own drum , I do things MY way..... NOT like everyone else, I am unique......

that and the wife LOVES the back seat...... :bmw:

 

[avonfloater]

Interesting that you mention "notice". The firest day I owned my LT I parked it at my sons home in the driveway and a teenage stud rode by on his bicycle. He should have been dreaming of a crotch rocket, but turned his head back, looked at my LT and said, Holy Shit! Nuff said.

Denny

 

[zippy_gg]

Funniest short conversation at a red light: the guy in his Grand Vitara rolls down his windows and says "nice bike! I didn't know BMW made motorcycles"
I laughed out loud seeing what he was driving and replied "Nice truck! I didn't know Suzuki made cars!" :rotf:

 

[SeattlePiR8]

I just have to chime in on the 'looks' this bike gets. I found it unexpected to have women commenting on the LT. It wasn't something I was thinking of when I bought it, but since having it for all of three weeks now I've had more than it's share of comments.

Just the other day I had a conversation that went like this, as I was putting on my helmet to ride and a woman was walking across the street near me. As she approached the bike she said, "Now that would be a dream come true", nodding at my bike. "What's that?" I replied. "You taking me on a road trip on your bike!" she exclaimed. "Do you have a helmet?" I asked her. "No, do you have a spare?"

Well you get the gist. Then sitting on the bike waiting for the ferry home the other night I had a woman lean out her car window as she drove by to tell me what a "Sweet bike" I had...

Hmm, it COULD just be my sexy self, but I tend to think the bike is really the attraction here. Don't underestimate the desirability of your LT and always carry a spare helmet in small. That's my 2 cents.

 

[cfell]

Funniest short conversation at a red light: the guy in his Grand Vitara rolls down his windows and says "nice bike! I didn't know BMW made motorcycles"
I laughed out loud seeing what he was driving and replied "Nice truck! I didn't know Suzuki made cars!" :rotf:

"Yeah.. get yourself one of these and you won't need tatoos or viagra..."

Mostly, I find it is the "approachability" people see in the rider. The LT, and in fact, most BMW's are a draw because they have always been "different"... that's not a sound bite... that's one reason I actually was reticent toward "trying" a BMW...

Sure, I wanted the "good ol' USA" to win at the "global gig"... so I was more a HD guy for years... it was something I knew...and trusted I could fix so I trusted it. Now the BMW's lost it's aura of invincibility regarding it's ownership.

Yeah, it costs more than it should.

Yeah, it is quiet and RELIABLE (there, I've said it..)

Yeah, it is impacted by a smaller "available" dealership network...

But, it is a machine. It is made by men and fallible... just like these words of mine.

Then again, I'm a nut-job.. even HD banished me.. then the great folks at Lonestar BMW in Austin (shameless plug) treated me like REAL family... I hope I never own another type... unless it is one of the Triumph's they sell at Lonestar!!!

Thanks for tolerating my rant.

 

[azredline]

I too had an instance where the LT drew a small crowd at a local car show where eye candy was everywhere. Myself on the LT, my neighbor on his HD Ultra Classic, and his brother-in-law on a new HD Nighttrain with most of the extra shiney stuff from the catalog on it.

We parked off to the side, the LT in the middle. Halfway round the show, we caught sight of our bikes with about 3 or 4 gawking at them. Funny thing was, they were focused on the LT, with backs to the HDs! The Nighttrain owner wasn't pleased and commented that there was "a brand new HD sitting there and they were looking at the Beemer. Harrrummmmph"

I don't ride the LT for it's looks, rather for it's differences with the other bikes around. However, I must admit I enjoyed the moment!

That said, why don't you find some way to keep 'em both! I like them trumpets too!

 

[WildBil]

IMHO, ya took Rocket Ron too seriously.

 

[MarkMPA]

I have to go with the majority on this one. My Lt gets far more looks and compliments than any other bike I've owned! I too have had people roll down their windows at stop lights to compliment the LT. Just last week a gentleman on a older Harley walked over at a gas stop to look over my 04 LT. He thought it was a 09! As far as the ride goes, except for the low speed stuff in parking lots it doesn't get any better.

 

[ldbikin]

I only remember the dumbasses for some reason...

Like the older feller (like I'm not old but he was older!) at the rest stop that was just hostile about the looks, hollering at me "is that a bike or a spaceship?", stomping around...I mean, like, angry!! heheh...trying to get a rise outta me.

I just sat quiet while he ranted, I simply said 'its no spaceship, just a road missle', fired 'er up and rode off into space.

In HB here in socal, stopped at the sign on main st, some crazy young woman stands in front the bike calling it names louder and louder, like I'm gonna entertain her or something...cheez...some folks really need to get a life!!

If my wallet was as fat as the LT I'd be a happy guy, the rest is inconsequential, I just ride what works for me.

oh yeah...and that SO thingy about liking the back seat too Funny how ya'll mention that as an after-the-fact thing when IN FACT, they are usually the one's who pick the bike out after a sitting. :histerica

 

[BMWWANDRR]

I just got back from another 4700 miles, two-up, and loved every minute of the ride. When I do HAVE to take a cage, I can barely stand it. And I loved pulling into Daytona this past weekend on my way home, getting gas, and coming back out to see a group of riders gathered around the bike, looking at the bike, especially with all the other V-twins around

 

[blueknightga6]

I recently purchased the pre-owned '02 LT without selling my '05 Triumph Rocket thinking I'll make a decision after the Daytona trip as to which one I'll keep. Grant it, the LT is no fun cruising down main street. Eyes are not drawn to it...you can't hear it...it has no LED's lighting its way. When I take it to the local bike night at the pub, heads don't turn...except to say "what's he bringing that thing for". But, after 1300 miles this past week, the thought of another trip without the LT is painful. It was such a joy to ride on the open road. The comfort, smoothness and dependability is a notch above the rest. Nine hrs on the LT and no soreness. I woke up the next day ready to ride again. Now, I just have to take it to the mountains for final judgment on its cornering capabilities...which I have no doubt are terrific....just from minor cornering I've had to do. Oh yea....one minor thing.....my wife likes it!

Ron,

Are you sure I didn't write that? :histerica

A few weeks ago I too bought an '02 K1200LTE. We haven't been to Daytona on it yet but hope to this Thanksgiving. Like you my wife loves it and she was one of the reasons we got this particular bike. On our first weekend day ride up to North Gerogia we did 190 miles and she was ready for more. Something that would never happen on our Suzuki Boulevard. You will be very impressed on the mountain roads. I was.

Chris