Yep If memory serves my 82 R100RT was 520 lbs. about 70 HP....a wimp in todays horse power wars. Such low HP is good only for short grocery runs????? Not a bike for long distance! !!! You have to have at least 120HP and 10 inches of ground clearance to go anywhere!!!
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BMW's Too top heavy for older riders?
- Thread starter jconway607
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- motobikejack
Yep If memory serves my 82 R100RT was 520 lbs. about 70 HP....a wimp in todays horse power wars. Such low HP is good only for short grocery runs????? Not a bike for long distance! !!! You have to have at least 120HP and 10 inches of ground clearance to go anywhere!!!
36654
New member
Honestly, it's amazing that you can get anywhere with only one drive wheel...........................
That would be fine if wind protection wasn't one of your priorities. Also, no luggage. That's going to add at least 20 lbs. More if you want a top box.
It has a windshield, and 20 lbs?....still light, IMO.
It's like everything else...ya need to decide what fits ones needs....
But at 100.7 HP 494 lbs.....if only it wasn't a Honda......
Visian
look out!!!
My 1986 R80G/SPD weighs 425 pounds, but that is not with a full 9.5 gallon tank.
Visian
look out!!!
More like a fly screen.
But it IS a Honda.
And it IS an ADV bike, so, a flyscreen is all you get!
Visian
look out!!!
Visian
look out!!!
.....if only it wasn't a Honda......
emwtk... what is wrong with being a Honda?
I was attending a BMWMOA nationals back around 2000. One of the featured bikes was the K1200LT. I was a mid forties, healthy, 6'2" 200 lb guy. I thought it was pretty cool. They were on display to sit on and ride. I set on one, whoa big! Yep, too big for me. A little later BMWNA was giving rides; they were lining up. A couple pulled up next to me,
I recognised Sandy Cohen, President of the MOA sitting on the back and her husband in front. Just sittin there waiting, she sees me watching. She says 'What do Ya think.' I really didn't know what to say. Finally answered, 'Big.' She nodded and they were gone. A few months later I was at at the Missouri State Rally. A young strapping guy camped by me was riding one. He was proud as a peacock of his new bike.
At the end of the rally I watched him ride down to the rally HQ. He came to a stop and dropped the bike. He could'nt pick it up. A couple of guys came over and helped him right the bike. Yep, to big for me. BMW makes several bikes to big for me.
I recognised Sandy Cohen, President of the MOA sitting on the back and her husband in front. Just sittin there waiting, she sees me watching. She says 'What do Ya think.' I really didn't know what to say. Finally answered, 'Big.' She nodded and they were gone. A few months later I was at at the Missouri State Rally. A young strapping guy camped by me was riding one. He was proud as a peacock of his new bike.
At the end of the rally I watched him ride down to the rally HQ. He came to a stop and dropped the bike. He could'nt pick it up. A couple of guys came over and helped him right the bike. Yep, to big for me. BMW makes several bikes to big for me.
crna59
Member
I bought a '19 S1000R... put handlebar risers on it, windscreen and bags..... got a sport/tourer that will do 9 sec. 1/4miles and even has cruise control.... at 440 lbs.
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Rinty
New member
And everyone's level of fitness is different.
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Top Heavy
After 25 years or so of R100s I bought a K1600 GTL. I had a couple of years off riding with knee replacement surgery and was drawn to the K1600 because of the low seat height. I'm 5'6", 155 pounds and 72 years old and have always felt that most BMW's were too tall for guys my height. The K1600 is damn heavy and damn top heavy. Initially, it scared the s**t out of me and I dropped the thing 10 times in slow and stop situations. I didn't give up however. I got lowering kits for the suspension and seat and got it so that I could flat foot it when stopped. The problem wasn't so much the top heavy nature of the beast but that I couldn't stabilize the thing up on my tip toes especially on slopes, gravel or wet conditions. In addition, with such a heavy bike you have to be careful when navigating parking lots etc that you don't get stuck trying to pull the thing back up any kind of a slope from a stop. I've picked the bike up by myself more times than I care to count but it isn't getting any easier and definitely nothing like the old airheads which I probably only dropped twice in 25 years. My point, if there is one, is that being able to get your feet down and stabilizing the bike is more important than the bike being top heavy. My dealer sells both BMWs and Indians. The Indian Scout with it's 25.8 inch seat height is now looking mighty attractive compared to most BMW's with seat heights over 31 inches. BMW has never been short rider friendly and as I age I am liking less and less the prospect of hiking up a 750 pound bike because I couldn't stand there and keep it vertical. I'm thinking that for most of us, lower and not necessarily lighter, is the key.
After 25 years or so of R100s I bought a K1600 GTL. I had a couple of years off riding with knee replacement surgery and was drawn to the K1600 because of the low seat height. I'm 5'6", 155 pounds and 72 years old and have always felt that most BMW's were too tall for guys my height. The K1600 is damn heavy and damn top heavy. Initially, it scared the s**t out of me and I dropped the thing 10 times in slow and stop situations. I didn't give up however. I got lowering kits for the suspension and seat and got it so that I could flat foot it when stopped. The problem wasn't so much the top heavy nature of the beast but that I couldn't stabilize the thing up on my tip toes especially on slopes, gravel or wet conditions. In addition, with such a heavy bike you have to be careful when navigating parking lots etc that you don't get stuck trying to pull the thing back up any kind of a slope from a stop. I've picked the bike up by myself more times than I care to count but it isn't getting any easier and definitely nothing like the old airheads which I probably only dropped twice in 25 years. My point, if there is one, is that being able to get your feet down and stabilizing the bike is more important than the bike being top heavy. My dealer sells both BMWs and Indians. The Indian Scout with it's 25.8 inch seat height is now looking mighty attractive compared to most BMW's with seat heights over 31 inches. BMW has never been short rider friendly and as I age I am liking less and less the prospect of hiking up a 750 pound bike because I couldn't stand there and keep it vertical. I'm thinking that for most of us, lower and not necessarily lighter, is the key.
powwow
Member
I would just use the Mosko Moto Backcountry bags I have on my Honda Rally...easily transferred to the Africa Twin and not very heavy.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have any plans to change in the near future as I still love riding my 2015 R1200 RT and I have no issues handling the weight. However, it would be hard to "downsize" to the BMW F850GS, when it weighs almost 40 lbs more than the Honda and makes less power. Plus, I have a local Honda dealer and the BMW dealer is 3 hours away.
Visian
look out!!!
I tested a set of Mosko’s Backcountry bags as part of my Always an Adventure column.... when they were first introduced. (See my pic showing Punkin down earlier in this thread... I was “crash testing” them!!). They are and exceptionally good product.
However, you’re going to be surprised, when I weighed a set of them + the required mounting hardware, the difference between them and Jesse Luggage hard bags + mounts was just over 5 pounds. I was truly amazed.
Ian
powwow
Member
Yes, they were a bit heavier than I expected, but I guess high quality ain't light. Ha! Personally, I would never have hard bags on a bike that I ride off pavement. With the MM bags on my Honda Rally, when it goes down, no harm, no foul, no dents and no broken ankles/feet.
