Ok, took delivery Friday, 7/1 and rode it about 20 miles home. Spent Friday evening going over the owners manual, etc., with plan to try to put about 200 miles on it Saturday, and at least 100 each day over the holiday weekend to get within sight of the initial service. Rode 184 miles Denver to Breckenridge and back.
First impression: WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!
This is probably the single best motorcycle I have ever owned, and behaves like no 770#+ motorcycle has a right to.
It is heavy, not a struggle to get off the side stand but it doesn't pop right up either, once up, it's ok. Be sure you have solid footing under you when taking it off the sidestand. Pops up on the centerstand very easily, get the feet centered, stabilize it with your right hand on the passenger grab handle, put your weight on the stand and it comes right up. Start it, and the only way you'll know it's running is because you can hear it, you sure can't feel it.
Engine is truly like buttah, smooth as can be and pretty much willing to pull in just about any gear. Didn't rev it out past about 4k or so since it's so new, but didn't need to, it just goes. The tranny is almost set it and forget it, riding 285 out of Denver into the mountains, 5th gear would pull just about anything. There is a bit of driveline lash, but that will be minimized as I get used to the clutch and shifting action, certainly no more lash than my 1200RT that was the trade, or my 1200GS, have, probably a bit less. I am sure that after a few more rides me and the bike will be in synch as far as shifting, rev matching, etc.
For a while the throttle spring seemed a bit heavy but perhaps I got more used to it as the ride went on because I stopped noticing it and my wrist wasn't sore when I got home, and I only stopped twice.
Handling is truly amazing. Solo rider, sport mode, select a line through a corner and go through it, hold the throttle steady. Even minor imperfections in the asphalt do not upset it. I always felt I had to "wrestle" the RT a bit and make mid-course corrections. Not so with the GTL. Stable and like on a rail, but not heavy-feeling, either. Didn't think to try standard suspension mode while heading east back to Denver on I-70 but sport didn't beat me up on the highway.
Seat started out feeling somewhat firm (low seat) but upon arrival home I didn't feel like I couldn't wait to get off the bike. Even after the short ride home from the dealer my wife commented, "Now, that's a comfortable seat."
Gas mileage as shown on the display was 43.8, didn't refill the tank yet so haven't done the manual math to check it. On my RT it was almost spot on. Speedometer, on the other hand, is quite pessimistic, about 10% slow, an indicated 65 was 71-72 according to the GPS. Got the BMW Nav 4 GPS, integrates nicely and works with the display.
Ok, so no bike can be perfect, niggles:
Having ridden either BMWs or Harleys almost exclusively for the past 20 years, I have gotten used to a turn signal button under each thumb, left for left, right for right, and now I have to get used to the rocker switch on the left side. Do-able and a personal niggle, however, because of the thickness of the thumbwheel for the multifunction display, your hand is a bit farther away from the switch and you can't just rotate your thumb over to the switch, you have to rotate your wrist. IF the thumbwheel had been half the width it is now it could still be manipulated and allow your thumb to reach the signal switch more easily. Not a problem for the long of thumb.
The trunk opens with hydraulic struts when you press the button, however, when you close it is does not latch automatically, you have to hold down the lid with one hand and close the latch with the other. Inconvenient if you are holding your helmet which you have just taken out of the trunk. The trunk did hold a large HJC Symax 3.
This bike could be hazardous to your driver's license.
It's like the Ronco Kitchen Magician, you can chop, slice and dice your way through traffic without even breathing hard.
This thing just plain rocks.
First impression: WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!
This is probably the single best motorcycle I have ever owned, and behaves like no 770#+ motorcycle has a right to.
It is heavy, not a struggle to get off the side stand but it doesn't pop right up either, once up, it's ok. Be sure you have solid footing under you when taking it off the sidestand. Pops up on the centerstand very easily, get the feet centered, stabilize it with your right hand on the passenger grab handle, put your weight on the stand and it comes right up. Start it, and the only way you'll know it's running is because you can hear it, you sure can't feel it.
Engine is truly like buttah, smooth as can be and pretty much willing to pull in just about any gear. Didn't rev it out past about 4k or so since it's so new, but didn't need to, it just goes. The tranny is almost set it and forget it, riding 285 out of Denver into the mountains, 5th gear would pull just about anything. There is a bit of driveline lash, but that will be minimized as I get used to the clutch and shifting action, certainly no more lash than my 1200RT that was the trade, or my 1200GS, have, probably a bit less. I am sure that after a few more rides me and the bike will be in synch as far as shifting, rev matching, etc.
For a while the throttle spring seemed a bit heavy but perhaps I got more used to it as the ride went on because I stopped noticing it and my wrist wasn't sore when I got home, and I only stopped twice.
Handling is truly amazing. Solo rider, sport mode, select a line through a corner and go through it, hold the throttle steady. Even minor imperfections in the asphalt do not upset it. I always felt I had to "wrestle" the RT a bit and make mid-course corrections. Not so with the GTL. Stable and like on a rail, but not heavy-feeling, either. Didn't think to try standard suspension mode while heading east back to Denver on I-70 but sport didn't beat me up on the highway.
Seat started out feeling somewhat firm (low seat) but upon arrival home I didn't feel like I couldn't wait to get off the bike. Even after the short ride home from the dealer my wife commented, "Now, that's a comfortable seat."
Gas mileage as shown on the display was 43.8, didn't refill the tank yet so haven't done the manual math to check it. On my RT it was almost spot on. Speedometer, on the other hand, is quite pessimistic, about 10% slow, an indicated 65 was 71-72 according to the GPS. Got the BMW Nav 4 GPS, integrates nicely and works with the display.
Ok, so no bike can be perfect, niggles:
Having ridden either BMWs or Harleys almost exclusively for the past 20 years, I have gotten used to a turn signal button under each thumb, left for left, right for right, and now I have to get used to the rocker switch on the left side. Do-able and a personal niggle, however, because of the thickness of the thumbwheel for the multifunction display, your hand is a bit farther away from the switch and you can't just rotate your thumb over to the switch, you have to rotate your wrist. IF the thumbwheel had been half the width it is now it could still be manipulated and allow your thumb to reach the signal switch more easily. Not a problem for the long of thumb.
The trunk opens with hydraulic struts when you press the button, however, when you close it is does not latch automatically, you have to hold down the lid with one hand and close the latch with the other. Inconvenient if you are holding your helmet which you have just taken out of the trunk. The trunk did hold a large HJC Symax 3.
This bike could be hazardous to your driver's license.
It's like the Ronco Kitchen Magician, you can chop, slice and dice your way through traffic without even breathing hard.This thing just plain rocks.
