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Who bought a 1600 as their first HEAVY bike?

I wouldn't change anything except maybe wishing for hill-hold assist and reverse gear (on rare occasions). I would get a totally different bike as a complement to the K1600. Something less massive. A Zero SR (!!!), a Triumph Street Twin, or a 300cc scooter.
 
I wouldn't change anything except maybe wishing for hill-hold assist and reverse gear (on rare occasions). I would get a totally different bike as a complement to the K1600. Something less massive. A Zero SR (!!!), a Triumph Street Twin, or a 300cc scooter.

Get ready to buy a K1600B, then. Reverse and hill hold will both be available. I asked the sales guys at Hermy's BMW about the availability. "As soon as the [BMW] warehouse empties out the current models".

Gee, ain't it great when someone will happily spend your money for you? [/wink]
 
K1600 gtl

In 2015 I knew I wanted a new bike. We wanted a touring bike and looked/drove as many as possible from Kawasaki, Indian, HD to BMW and even a buddy's Gold Wing. Once I rode the GTL, I was certain I knew what I wanted, the GTL. Purchased a new 15 in 16 and put 5K on it last year. I ride 2 up as much as she will put up with and I have been thoroughly happy with our choice. That bike is heavy in the garage but with the help of the 6 in motion, I find it nimble at 770 pounds. My only regret is the 10 cent seat, heated or not it feels like I'm riding a log after an hour or so. We are getting a custom seat made for it in Kingston Wa (Rich's Seats) and then we will be on to Salt Lake for the rally. Hope to see you there. So far this has been one of the best choices we have ever made, so go ahead, live a little. Just go down there and sign the paperwork. You won't regret it!
 
On mile 500, at the end of the day

5'7" tall. The only time I feel concern is coming to a stop at the end of long days.
Work legs.... Work
 
...At zero mph.....it's heavy and for some of us....tall. I can flat floot it but just. I have a confession to make. I already dropped it at zero. Twice. OK...I suck and I admit that. Feel free to mutter disgust. I accept that. I have never dropped a bike at a standstill in 40+ years of riding them, but I've never had a bike like this. ... The first one caused no damage. Not a scratch anywhere if you can believe that. It was very gentle and I was practicing a pretty dramataic manuever that should have waited until I had more than the 1000 miles on this bike under my belt. I got cocky, dropped it, then I got lucky. The second time was more dramatic and less lucky. I'll go into detail elsewhere at some point if I think it's interesting enough. Not that posting a boring or stupid post has ever deterred me. I just added the Ilium bars and I'm waiting on the panel replacements to bolt it all back up. I have C4 rear bars coming this week too. It kills me to have all these bars on the bike. I'm not even sure if they would have helpd in the second incident. I may take them off and just suck it up if I drop it again. Heaven forbid!

At least, I have some company. I dropped my K twice (once on each side) at zero mph and zero on the odometer.

In my case, it was a perfect storm: recovering from a medical issue that had almost killed me (balance shot, weak, etc), getting back to riding after a decades-long hiatus, and a much bigger bike than I’d ever tackled before.

I got engine guards, and will, some day, replace the skint up plastics. For now, they’re badges of honor. I used the goal of riding as an enticement to recovery, and continue to find that riding serves as both physical and mental therapy.

I feel for you, dropping your bike. But instead of walking away shamefaced, stand tall! You walked away from it. Own it.

Also, sweet ride. You made the right choice.
 
Drop it?

5'7" tall. The only time I feel concern is coming to a stop at the end of long days.
Work legs.... Work

I too am a short ass. I've owned a bunch of other brands and 3 other BMW's and one thing is certain. The K1600 is top heavy and requires a lot of attention in no speed/low speed maneuvers. Taller riders can get away with some stuff. but if you are in a situation where you can't get your foot down securely and keep the bike relatively upright she'll go down a lot easier than anything else I have ever ridden. I have a female friend just over 5 feet tall who rides a Road Glide but the seat on that thing is only 26 inches tall and she can flat foot it when required. So, to me it's not about the weight but about the height, particularly the seat height which comes into play when stopped or stopping. Somebody in this thread said that 45 degrees was the critical tip over angle. I say maybe when riding through a sweeper it is, but standing still it's more like 25 degrees. I defy Clark Kent to hold a K1600 leaned over 30 degrees while standing still. Once underway the thing handles like a Panigale but don't even think about trying to hold it let alone push it anywhere where there is a slope of 10 degrees in any direction. Riding it is a dream, but pushing it around the garage is a nightmare.
 
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