I guess I will keep the RT !

[oldnslow]

Over the last few months I have been jonesing for a 'new and better' bike. I have talked about alot of brands.

So far I have test rode two FJR's, a 2013 Honda ST1300, a Victory Cross Country, a Victory Vision, some kind of big Harley Bagger with full fairing, a K1600GTL, the new GS1200, and older GSA1200, and finally just yesterday, as I was holding off on this one because I thought it would be 'the' bike to own, I rode a new Goldwing.

All of these bikes did somethings better than my 98RT, but none of them did all of the things as well as the RT does. The RT is not perfect, but it may be 'more perfect' than the others. I realize I am preaching to the choir, but the RT has 'quite a bit ' of power, (not massive amounts, just quite a bit), has excellent styling, has 'quite a bit' of storage capacity, has excellent weather protection, has 'ok' long distance comfort, (going to fix that with a Day-Long seat), is 'ok' on the super slabs, is excellent on the two lanes and twisties, is rather a bit of a maintenance queen, but the maintenance is easy to do now that I have done it a few times, (throttle bodies, valves) and did I mention it has excellent styling?

So, since the old RT is paid for, and it does everything the other bikes do in some degree or another, I guess my search for a replacement has come to an end. Its kinda like a Decathalon Champion. It may not win every event, but its good enough in all events to take First Place!

but..... If I could have two bikes, the second one would for sure be a modern Goldwing!

 

[beemerphile]

Happiness comes not from having what you want, but from wanting what you have.

Society generally thinks (and it is the marketer's job to convince you) that there is something wrong with you for taking that point of view.

 

[35634]

Buy a Ural, your 98RT will seem like a rocketship from the future.

 

[BC1100S]

Over the last few months I have been jonesing for a 'new and better' bike. I have talked about alot of brands.

So far I have test rode two FJR's, a 2013 Honda ST1300, a Victory Cross Country, a Victory Vision, some kind of big Harley Bagger with full fairing, a K1600GTL, the new GS1200, and older GSA1200, and finally just yesterday, as I was holding off on this one because I thought it would be 'the' bike to own, I rode a new Goldwing.

I noticed you neglected to try a Ducati 1199 Panigale...

 

[lkchris]

You didn't list the R1200RT either--it's comprehensively better than your R1100, especially in Camhead form.

 

[JDOCKERY132445]

Me too

The good thing about my R1100RT is that it is well sorted. I know it well and feel confident going long distances on it.

 

[greg]

Now that the Water Cooled RT fiasco is near to a close, the '14 and soon '15 RTs are amazing. If you like you 1100 do not ride a 14 or 15 1200RT.

Greg

 

[jconway607]

but.....[/I] If I could have two bikes, the second one would for sure be a modern Goldwing!

An interesting post. I found it so because I also sometimes wonder about switching brands/bikes. But after spending time at the local shops, carefully looking past the shiny chrome or glitzy new paint of all the models, I always seem to come up with the same conclusion. The RT is still the winner. It's all in the details, the things that most people buying bikes must not care about, or simply ignore in the heat of the moment. Passenger foot peg height, actual storage volume, seating position, removable bags, windscreen adjustment, etc. The RT is just a very practical machine. Like you say, it may not excel at any one item, but it does all of them pretty well, which I don't think is true of most bikes.
I too have been somewhat enamored with the 1800 Goldwing. It does seem like the best of all of the alternatives. But the idea of handling a roughly 900 pound machine all the time dampens my enthusiasm. If money was no object, I agree with the other posters thoughts that the 1200 RT, especially the new water cooled ones are great bikes. It would be a tough choice to make. I just imagine that like my R1100, they are very easy to live with.

 

[jrbelknap]

Heck, it gets you out there, does most things well that you need, and it's paid for. Life is good. I spent too many dollars and years chasing incremental improvements, thinking it would bring more satisfaction.. only to discover the lie behind it all. I'm done with that now.

 

[35634]

Heck, it gets you out there, does most things well that you need, and it's paid for. Life is good. I spent too many dollars and years chasing incremental improvements, thinking it would bring more satisfaction.. only to discover the lie behind it all. I'm done with that now.

+1

 

[gsaddict]

re: Wing

I find the GL1800 Wing more of a couch. Comfortable but there is a risk of falling asleep........

 

[happy wanderer]

You didn't list the R1200RT either--it's comprehensively better than your R1100, especially in Camhead form.

Except for maybe the "glove box" which is too deep and narrow to be anywhere near as useful as the 1100RT version. You can tear up your wrists and forearms pretty good reaching way down in there for your tire pencil!

 

[utopian99]

RT1100 love

I too ran the gamut looking for the better bike: 1100RS, 1100GS (two), K1200LT, 1200 Goldwing, 1500 Goldwing, Suzuki DL650 and now the 1998 R1100RT (traded the K1200LT for it). Still love it years later.

 

[EffBee]

I did wander off der plantation a couple of times. First, it was an FJR, a 2007 one after Yamaha had fixed the heat issue. That was an intoxicating motor in an otherwise average motorcycle. It didn't stop or handle as well as my '99 Boston Green RT had. And it wasn't as comfortable for 800-mile days, despite the improvements offered by Heli-Bars and an RDL saddle (although the finished product wasn't all that bad). And as fun as it was to twist the loud handle, multis just don't have the characters of twins IMHO.

Then I moved to WA for about 5 years, where the enforcement is almost inescapable, rendering the one fun thing about the FJR moot. So I sport-touring-ized a 650 V-strom. And it was actually fun. Made a few runs to Utah and Colorado, and really enjoyed it. The little engine got kind of anemic at altitude, but it would still run 30 over on most mountain roads if I wrung it out. And I enjoyed the lighter weight. But a couple of years ago I came across another low-mileage (14K) '99 Boston Green RT, and I fell in love again. RDL, Works Performance shocks, Cee Bailey w/s, HID headlight and driving lights, and a few more personal touches and it was like I'd found an old friend. It's about to turn 40K and I'm headed to Colorado (love riding that state) from SoCal in a few weeks, and will hit Torrey, UT, for a few days on my way back.

A newer Camhead, or the wasserboxer RT would probably get me to switch. Except that there's no need to. My RT is great looking. It's as reliable as tomorrow's sunrise. And it's paid for. Perhaps some day. But not today.

 

[jconway607]

That's a beautiful, well cared for machine. I love the color.

 

[oldnslow]

That is a nice bike, and green is the second fastest color, right after black!

 

[Rinty]

All of these bikes did somethings better than my 98RT, but none of them did all of the things as well as the RT does...

In recent years, I've ridden more than 30 different machines, with a couple of them, the R1200S, and the Triumph Sprint ST 1150, being brilliant. But like your RT for you, my 1200 ST is just right for me and what I do with it.

As for having a GoldWing, it's a completely different type of bike, and if you're going to have more than one bike, the second one may as well be totally different from the first. My friend Paul Puky, a lifetime MOA member, likes to say: "You just don't want to go out to the garage and ride the one that has the most gas in it."

 

[EffBee]

That's a beautiful, well cared for machine. I love the color.

Thank you. I fell in love with the color the second I laid eyes on it. Perhaps someone with more knowledge than me knows the exact numbers, but this was a '99 only color (ironically, the color code is 999) and I'd heard that BMWNA only brought in something like 404 units in this color. That makes it pretty rare, and to find this one with just 14K on it was incredible. It was in pretty ragged shape, having sat in an AZ garage for 5 years. In fact, it had Z4 Metzelers on it, and they'd been discontinued for about 6 years by then. Needless to say, the ride from AZ back to my then home in WA was a little sketchy, and in a steady drizzle over Mt. Shasta, was downright treacherous. I was routinely 10-15mph below the posted limits on the corners, or it would literally begin to lose both ends.

Nevertheless, we made it home and I began replacing brake lines, fork seals, alternator belt, tires and other desiccated items (I reached in behind the fairing to remove the rubber cover over the headlight connection, and it literally crumbled in my hands). I took it apart and added the wiring and fuse block i'd need for accessories, gave it a precision valve adjustment followed by a TB sync. Then put it back together using the aftermarket Works Performance shocks, HID lighting, LED augmentation for the turn signals (front and rear), Cee Bailey windshield, Russell saddle and a few other farkles. Finally, I topped it off with my electrified tank bag that holds my V-1, XM radio and my Autocom. It was perfect.

The newer bikes are so impressive. But this one is a keeper for now. It rides and handles great. And I don't owe anyone anything. That's a great feeling.

 

[roostershooter]

I find the GL1800 Wing more of a couch. Comfortable but there is a risk of falling asleep........

Hardly!

 

[26667]

me too!

When I bought my 2000 RT a couple-a few years ago, used, it seemed rather new-ish. Now I realize it's coming up on 15 years old. And even tho it's only got 87K on the clock, with only about a third of 'em on my butt, it's starting to need a little TLC again. That sense of things "going wrong" wearing out, the drag of having it in the shop, all leaves me feeling like the new ones are somehow more fun, or that I'd have more fun on a newer scoot.

But having regretted the sale of every bike I ever sold, I think I'll keep this one. Maybe toss a couple more "upgrades" at it, get the throttle bodies good and synched, and change the oil, and ride. Maybe the problem with the machine is a lack of miles under my butt! Maybe it just needs to be ridden. Maybe I need to get it rained on and keep going for a while, and then sit under a bridge with some strangers and drink some lukewarm coffee from my thermos and share a smoke. Maybe I need to figure out a better way to pack my gear. Maybe I need to slap on some sticker that makes people chuckle. Maybe it needs to get admired by some kid in a parking lot. Maybe it needs to pass some Harley guy and wave in a friendly way. Just that index-finger-point that says, "Yeah, me too." Maybe I need to walk into some little restaurant carrying my helmet, and feeling all road-king, and unzipping my dirty old euro-techy jacket, and untieing my bandanna. Maybe I've been shaving too often for that bike to seem right. Maybe it just doesn't like those tires and needs me to wear them down to where they say, "new ones, soon." Yeah. I should pro'ly just keep it.