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BMW vs American V-Twin Touring

I am surprised that in reading all of this thread so many people laud the touring qualities of Harley's pricey "Glide" line, while so few have mentioned what I personally would consider the ultimate in cross country touring work: the Honda Goldwing. Unmatched build quality and proven reliability, plenty of dealer support, excellent weather protection, an ultra smooth six cylinder engine that also happens to be whisper quiet, low center of gravity for improved handling, every gadget you can imagine,( including an air bag on their top model), and passenger comfort that women on the back of Harleys can only dream of, that is a Goldwing.

All that being said, I must in all honesty say that the top of the line Harleys (probably $30,000 plus) seem to be designed for two people. If the original poster is still debating what to buy I would suggest he decide first if he wants to have company on those long tours. The choice of bike then narrows dramatically. Most BMWs (and it appears to be about 95% from the many pictures I see) are ridden by a single person. The rear seat is simply a platform for extra gear. This applies to airheads, oil, hex, cam, K, all of them. One person on front, then the back seat filled with camping gear, chair, tools, maybe a barbecue bucket, etc. Not much room for company back there. So it would seem that most BMW owners prefer to leave the wife at home. Of course for that I could probably load up a Honda 350 for a cross country trip and have just as much fun.

As the owner of a 2012 Gold Wing, you were "preaching to the choir" when I read your post. Ultimate comfort for two-up, tons of storage, great weather shielding, massive dealer network and ultra-reliable. It's everything you stated and then some.

But I think the OP was debating between the German brand and a V-twin, which is why Wings did not get a nod in this debate. There is really nothing in the BMW stable that can compare to the Wing, so no need for a 'contest.' :dunno

Ride what pleases you and meets your needs - brand doesn't matter. :dance
 
But I think the OP was debating between the German brand and a V-twin, which is why Wings did not get a nod in this debate. There is really nothing in the BMW stable that can compare to the Wing, so no need for a 'contest.' :dunno

Ride what pleases you and meets your needs - brand doesn't matter. :dance

Once I sat on a wing. I went to take it off the sidestand. I tried, then again, and walked away. I had the exact same experience with a K1200LT, by the way. I bought an R1150R.

Voni went into a Honda dealership - rode in on her BMW R65 - dressed in full leathers - to test ride a Hurricane - it was red. :) The dufus/fubar salesman tried to sell her a chain sawor snow blower, I forget which. She bought a new R1100RS.

Thus is the follies of several brands of note, or ill repute.
 
I edited that line out of my original comment because I thought I might be offending Harley riders, which I made a resolution to try not to do this year.

You mean like...

What is the difference between a Harley Davidson and a Hoover vacuum cleaner? The position of the dirt bag.

Oh come on now, that was funny.

A friend's brother rode his HD all the way from Santiago, Chile to Montreal, Quebec. That is more of a trip than the majority here have been on.

As for my preferences, they do not make a shaft drive motorcycle, so the prime reason like so many other makes/models, for not owning one.
 
OP here just providing an update. After doing my homework I've decided to stay with the brand and the technology and pull the trigger on a 2017 RT. Thank for all of your input. Cheers.
 
I'm not surprised. The HD is a good bike, but the RT is even better IMHO...and I don't own one.

I've tried the vertical seating position on a previous bike. After all, your Mom always told you to sit up straight...so that must be better. What I found was the shock of each bump in the road was transferred directly into my spine. In a couple days of commuting, I had to change. Luckily for me, all that was needed was a seat adjustment to change to a slightly leaning forward position. Just because of that, I'd always drift toward something like the RT with a sport touring position.


Congratulations on the new bike. Now...what colour did you get? Are there pictures yet?


Chris
 
"Ride what pleases you and meets your needs - brand doesn't matter. "

I agree !

My American V-Twin is easier on my hips/knees...but yes it does get to my back. Just the opposite of my "R"

But as I have said before, much of the hunt for ergonomic comfort has little to do with the motorcycle period...it has more to do with aging & failing bodies....:banghead

Hell even my truck [lumbar seats & all]...bla,bla....Hurts like the dickin's when I get out if I drive too far......
 
OP here just providing an update. After doing my homework I've decided to stay with the brand and the technology and pull the trigger on a 2017 RT. Thank for all of your input. Cheers.
Congrats - I'm sure you'll have a ton of enjoyable miles and a grin on your face.

As has been said, each person and what works best for them is different. For me, I've always tried to approach it with the view of, if I could only have one bike and it was between X and Y which would I choose. And, that is why I ended up with the RTW.

I had an Electra Glide rented for two days in Las Vegas about 4 weeks ago and enjoyed it the whole time. If money and space were no object I would likely have one, but I've already got more bikes than perhaps I should and the RTW (for me) just ticks off more boxes than any other bike I've tried.

Wishing you happy and safe riding.
 
Looking for wisdom from those here who have ownership experience with BMW's RT and either Indian or HD touring offerings. I have owned both the R1200GS and GSA but I am now looking for a more road biased touring alternative with better long range comfort and am leaning towards a new water boxer RT. I don't however wish to eliminate American V-twin alternatives (electra glide or chieftain) without doing my homework first. I have done the HD dealer test rides but find them pretty useless to determine what it would be like to spend multi-day 8-12 hour rides on - maybe the next step is a rental. Regardless I'm looking for opinions on what the more feet forward design of the U.S. bikes does to one's back and hips after extended seat time compared to the RT seating position. I realize that the BMW's are in a different league altogether when it comes to technology and performance. All opinions good, bad and indifferent appreciated. Cheers.

I went to my chiropractor years ago for treatment of an injury and we started talking bikes. I had my R1150RT in the parking lot and he wanted to see it after the appt. He explained that having your feet underneath you allows for more isolation of jolts from the road getting to your back as it has to travel through your legs first.

But sticking your feet straight out, ala the Harley position, would not have the same benefit. At least according to him.
 
My advice: ride what works for you, sitting in a way that works for you, for a distance that works for you, at speeds that work for you. Mind you, there will be differences.
 
My advice: ride what works for you, sitting in a way that works for you, for a distance that works for you, at speeds that work for you. Mind you, there will be differences.



:) not funny I know , but had to chuckle...So what you're saying is , pick what hurts the least & enjoy as you can....:banghead
 
From me, a long time Harley rider, new to Beemers and liking my R1100RT:
You know, 95% of all the Harleys ever made, are still on the road........the other 5% actually made it home! :wave
 
I'm not surprised. The HD is a good bike, but the RT is even better IMHO...and I don't own one.

I've tried the vertical seating position on a previous bike. After all, your Mom always told you to sit up straight...so that must be better. What I found was the shock of each bump in the road was transferred directly into my spine. In a couple days of commuting, I had to change. Luckily for me, all that was needed was a seat adjustment to change to a slightly leaning forward position. Just because of that, I'd always drift toward something like the RT with a sport touring position.


Congratulations on the new bike. Now...what colour did you get? Are there pictures yet?


Chris

Going with white. There are no pics as delivery will be about 8 weeks out.
 
There are choices other than V-twin or BMW for a touring bike. I had a Goldwing for a while and found it easy on my hips and knees and back, and I didn't need a 34" inseam to flatfoot it (28" worked fine). OTOH it was heavy (but V-twins are too) and short-legged (200 miles and I was getting frantic). It's stone reliable (although the GW forums complain about occasional final drive failures after 300,000 miles :violin). Honda has basically had to do nothing significant with the bike since 2001 besides strengthen the frame and fix an overheating problem, the design is just that fully realized. It got a facelift in 2012. Could they add fancy electronic whizbangery? Sure, but their target market keeps buying them as they are, the tooling is fully amortized by now, and as a business decision it makes no sense to change.
 
The wife and I stopped by another dealer to look at some gear, it was a large multi brand dealer with lots of brands of helmets and jackets. They also have been selling Indians for a couple of years now, had to go see. Long story short there is a 17 Roadmaster in my garage.
 
There are choices other than V-twin or BMW for a touring bike. I had a Goldwing for a while and found it easy on my hips and knees and back, and I didn't need a 34" inseam to flatfoot it (28" worked fine). OTOH it was heavy (but V-twins are too) and short-legged (200 miles and I was getting frantic). It's stone reliable (although the GW forums complain about occasional final drive failures after 300,000 miles :violin). Honda has basically had to do nothing significant with the bike since 2001 besides strengthen the frame and fix an overheating problem, the design is just that fully realized. It got a facelift in 2012. Could they add fancy electronic whizbangery? Sure, but their target market keeps buying them as they are, the tooling is fully amortized by now, and as a business decision it makes no sense to change.

:thumb

There's a 2012 Wing with 44,000+ miles hibernating in my garage. Awesome touring machine!
 
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