I think the title pretty much sums it up...what are your thoughts on it? I saw it on a MotoWeek broadcast and then read about it in CycleWorld. Looks really nice and I like its features, especially the adaptive lighting.

Selling my '08 C14 (Link: http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=688.0). The ergonomics on the Beemer look much more relaxed than the Connie's, which might ease my knee pain (t-6 on surgery), and personally, I'm tired of spending $$ to fix what Mama K should done right in the first place.

Of course, buying the GTL would cost me about $65K- the cost of the bike plus a new luxury car for the wifey. Ugh.

I looked pretty hard at the inline 6...a lot of very nice features but at a price.  The clincher for me was i wasn't going to be able to get one till September...I didn't want to mis that much of the the season waiting.  I would be probably looking at the GT anyways.  So bang for the buck hard to beat the 2011 Conc!

Well all that is being said and printed just hasn't hit on the same old thing that BMW seems to be ignoring. The shaft drive is suspec at the rear hub, and the rear calipers just don't seem to last. Two friends with Beemers are very upset with the company. 1 has had 4 rr calipers in 2 yrs. and all have failed in some way or another. The other is on his 3rd rr drive, again, just plain old failer. BMW seems to be ignoring this on a dealer by dealer basis.
I guess we will see in du time if the 1600 has the same problems.
JMHO, but it seems with BMW, once you own it your stuck with it.
Ride safe all.
Greg

Having owned a CBX, the inline 6 of the BMW appeals to me a great deal.  Personally, I would lean more towards the GT than the GTL, because of the ergos.  From your statement, the GTL might be a better fit for you.

I have no desire to spend that much on a bike currently, even disregarding the SWMBO cost.  TBH, if I were wanting to spend money on bikes, I'd add more older bikes to the garage before shopping for the latest and greatest.

I test rode a K1600GTL last weekend. I'm a BMW fan and have been so for several years. I've owned quite a few Beemers, both "R" boxers and "K" inlines. Even worked for the local dealership for a while after my first retirement. I thought I would remain a loyal owner until I test rode a C14 late last year. Haven't looked back since. But back to the original purpose of this post.

In a nutshell: The demo motorcycle had just over 500 miles on it. I found the shifting to be clunky. I experienced a very slight delay in throttle response. Although I wear BMW All Around riding boots, I felt excessive engine heat on my feet. The seat and ergonomics were comfortable, but I'd probably prefer the sportier ergos of the GT (further reach to handlebars and foot pegs slightly farther back). The stock windshield performed well, especially at and/or above Interstate speed. The fairing storage pockets are extremely small. The central locking option is a nice feature. The GPS was easy to program and read. BMW's electronic cruise control is a fantastic feature. Overall it's a great motorcycle with all of it's options, bells and whistles that BMW is known for. The down side is that those options, bells and whistles don't come cheap. If I had money to burn it would be a no-brainer for me. But for what I want out of a motorcycle the C14 fits the bill with plenty to spare.

Mike

hi guys.

i was able to visit a local (if you call being over an hour away local) bmw dealer who has two of these on the floor. wow. the pictures and reviews don't even being to touch on the uniqueness of this bike.

one unit was setup as a fully-loaded (including nav) demo, used for taking out on long hauls. it had the nav and it's something that's giving me pause, especially since it's like a nearly $900 option. you see, it's not a built-in like on a goldwing, instead, it's a modified garmin unit that can come out and used (i'm assuming) elsewhere. the problem i forsee is that it might not be sunlight readable, as i noticed a lot of glare just from the showroom's lights. i don't know if the ones on a goldwing are better in the sun or not.

as i sat on the bike, a couple of things came to mind right off:

1. the seat was wonderful- flat, supportive, room to move but also fits slightly snug. it has a slightly raised back which might be able to be leaned on while riding.

2. the height of the bars and their reach felt damn-near perfect. i have trouble with my right arm going painfully dead within 10-15 minutes of riding, and the addition of the CC on my bike was a necessity. fwiw, when the CC is engaged, i always ride with my left hand, which never suffers like the right.

2a. coming from sportbikes, i'm used to the feeling of being slightly canted forward, arms out, wind supporting the weight of my upper body. i don't believe i've had any experience with bikes in this configuration, so long-haul comfort is iffy at this point.

3. (big disappointment) despite the roominess of the seat and bars, my legs felt bent in half, which, at this point before my knee surgery, is a big no-go. now the dealer said something about getting engine guards in which would either allow forward foot pegs to be used or for the bars themselves to act as a foot rest...i wasn't quite paying attention.

4. the side bags look huge from the outside, but look pretty small when opened. i didn't have a helmet with me to really see and because of highway construction, i got to the shop about 15 minutes before it closed, but the owner was cool enough to hang around for a bit. he even said that had i gotten there earlier, i could have gone out on a ride. two things about that: 1) never had any other dealer just offered that to me before, despite my clean record and experience in all things two-wheeled, and 2) it was over 100 degrees...ain't no way i was going out in that sh1t. hell, i didn't even take the connie out because of the heat.

5. we took off a side bag, and the bike looks just as good without them as it does with them. the exhaust is a thing of beauty. with all the bags off, including the top case, this thing would still rock.

6. the instrument panel is knock-your-socks-off great, with everything easily legible and in color! i love the speedo/tach guages and how it's all setup. it all made sense easily and quickly.

6a. it will probably take a year to get used to all of the options this bike has...whew!

6b. driver's seat heat is adjustable, whereas the passenger's is on/off. the passenger has a switch on the l/s of the seat to turn it on/off. whenever seat or grip heating is on, there is an icon of the seats that turns red to let you know.

7. storage cubbies are incredibly small, but it's nice to know i can take a thumbdrive with my music on it and connect it to the system.

overall, this bike is gorgeous to look at, much better than the connie. though i haven't spent hours looking at it, i just don't see this getting old to look at. yes there is a big price difference but it might be worth it. it doesn't look as huge and ungainly as a goldwing and it's cheaper to boot.

yeah you can outfit a new 14 with many of what's on the GTL and for less, but it will never feel integrated and in the end, it's still a run-of-the-mill jap bike (nothing against that). it's sorta like owning a camry vs. a lexus sedan. the lexus is more expensive, but it brings things to the game that no tricked-out camry could hope to bring. (for the record, we've owned 1 camry and three lexus vehicles)

so i guess time will tell. how will this bike do when it's been out in the field for a while? what issues will come up? as we all know, the showroom floor <> the real world. but for some, not having KiPASS makes it a winner right off!

as a side story, the owner/dealer was trying to tell me how 'powerful' this 6-cyliner is. while ~140mph and ~130hp isn't bad, i was laughing on the inside because i came from the world of sportbikes, my last being a zx-10r with roughly 160+ hp and could hit damn near 180mph. doesn't matter anyhow since i'm more concerned about range/economy and rarely go over 80.

<snip>. it's sorta like owning a camry vs. a lexus sedan. the lexus is more expensive, but it brings things to the game that no tricked-out camry could hope to bring. <snip>

Isn't' a Lexus a tricked out Toyota?

Isn't' a Lexus a tricked out Toyota?

yeah. that was my point. obviously the connie and beemer are from different manufacturers (unlike the camry/lexus), the fact is that the 14 is more or less viewed as poor man's gold wing/touring rig...not withstanding the actual size of the rider's bank account.

while the connie is a terrific ride in its own right, even a lot of its supporters lament the lack of certain items. even when added by the end user, it doesn't feel integrated...sort of like replacing the stock radio in a car and then you lose the functionality of those steering wheel buttons.

so yeah, the price is higher than the 14, but it looks like it's built more for touring that the 14 is, and now, according to what i've been reading, it might even be better at the sport portion than the connie.

I sat on the Demo @ a local BMW Rally....we ran the engine (missed the test drive) and LOVED the exhaust note. -Interesting- only the middle pipe of the 3 holes has carbon black? Maybe the other 2 are fake and just look like a 3 into 3 exhaust?

The seat was comfortable, but very low. I know there is a higher seat available, but this is for dwarfs! I stand 5'8" and my legs were bent way past 90'. I worry how the tall fellas will fit their extremities inside the fairing?

Lastly, it was hot so everyone liked the air vents. Still, after moving them in and out 2-3 times, they looked ready to break off. Mostly plastic pin connection that might need reinforcing w/ some metal.

oh yeah, those air vents...they seemed like they were there mostly for show...i couldn't even see how they would really work that much. when i looked at the dealer after questioning him on them, he kinda threw-up his shoulder and said 'eh'.

that stock seat made my legs uncomfortable too...however, he didn't have the taller seats in stock yet, nor did we have time to start the engine.

So are they killing the K1300GT for the K1600GT or will they continue to offer both bikes? What would be the benefit of having both?

well, doesn't kawasaki offer several bikes in the 600cc range? granted, i am a newbie when it comes to bmw, but i would think it would offer more options for a potential buyer.

Been itching to check out a BMW. The price has intimidated me so far. But heard that due to narrower seat, my shorter inseams will be a better fit on the BMW sport touring. I was about ready to check out the K1300GT when I saw the 1600s. Although, I am not to fond of begin in debt up to my eye balls....wonder if it will be worth to trade/sell both my bikes (2008 connie and a 1999 fatboy) to get one BMW.

if the dealer would (take two on a trade-in). hell, you'd probably save in the insurance and tag fees having only one bike.

You might check out the Beemer site (bmwsporttouring.com) for some ride reports on that bike.  Obviously, there will be a bias, but still good info.  There is a good vid on there as well.

Personally, yeah I like gadetry and all, but a big, massive, heavy six cylinder bike will less horsepower than my stock gsxr 750 just doesn't appeal to me.  Hell, it only has 20 more horsepower than a stock 1200RT.

Call a C14 a poor man's Gold Wing if you want, but I don't WANT a Gold Wing.  I want a lighter, more capable rocket ship that is still good as a touring bike.

i don't really want a gold wing either- that thing would need as much parking space as my wife's car! plus it's expensive and just plain ugly.

you can't compare sport bikes to sport tourers...hell i traded my zx-10r for the connie, i know what hp is all about...being able to lap dayona in the :40's isn't what sport tourers are about.

nothing wrong with a sport bike with luggage on it, but it's just not the same.

So are they killing the K1300GT for the K1600GT or will they continue to offer both bikes? What would be the benefit of having both?

Yes, they are killing off the 1300GT.  I sat on the 16GT at the dealer the other day, but didn't have time for a test ride. I'm bringing in my K12GT for service in a couple weeks and I'll probably take the 16 out for a spin while I'm there. It looks like the power on the 16 isn't much more than the 12/13GT. The present GTs are around 150Hp and top out around 160mph without bags. The 12/13GTs are lighter as well. I seriously doubt I'll even consider the 16 as my 12 will get me in enough trouble already!

I honestly won't mind checking out a K1200GT or a K1300GT. But it may just be pipe dream for me...ain't no way the wife is gonna agree with me for a monthly payment considering both my bikes are paid for. If only I could do a straight trade....

yeah. that was my point. obviously the connie and beemer are from different manufacturers (unlike the camry/lexus), the fact is that the 14 is more or less viewed as poor man's gold wing/touring rig...not withstanding the actual size of the rider's bank account.

while the connie is a terrific ride in its own right, even a lot of its supporters lament the lack of certain items. even when added by the end user, it doesn't feel integrated...sort of like replacing the stock radio in a car and then you lose the functionality of those steering wheel buttons.

so yeah, the price is higher than the 14, but it looks like it's built more for touring that the 14 is, and now, according to what i've been reading, it might even be better at the sport portion than the connie.

Oh.

something i forgot to mention is how they designed the plastic cannisters for the clutch/brake fluids...when you look at them, they aren't the same cheap white plastic, but instead give off a nice warm dark green glow.

and the face of the bike is wicked...sorta like some space alien/insect!