rangerreece
RangerReece
Just kidding.
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P.S. I'm not really from Alabama.
but I grew up on the back of my daddy's silver wing
I have often thought of moving to a Goldwing myself. I had a 76 Wing years ago and I can still remember that you could hardly hear it running, both at idle and on the road. That still seems to be the case. But at the time it seemed to be an overly complex machine, and BMW's were renown for their durability, and simplicity. I got an r60 that I loved for years. Now, however the reverse seems true. With ABS, Can-bus wiring, electronic suspensions, etc., BMW's seem to be very high tech, but also very hard, and expensive, to work on by yourself. In addition, on the oilhead forum, it seems like every fifth posting is on a final drive failure, input shaft failure, or how to take most of the bike apart to put a dab of grease on the input shaft. I still love the BMW boxer ideal, but I would have to say that I'm questioning the reality.
EVERYONE loves Honda quality. Their cars, generator, motorcycles, etc. And that's built on solid performance, not past accomplishments. I'll bet the guy proudly riding around on his Harley has an Accord parked in his driveway at home. The Japanese know how to make quality, long lasting machinery, that doesn't seem to need a lot of overly complicated maintenance.
The biggest reason I am considering a Wing is the passenger situation. It seems like every issue of the MOA news that I go through is now filled with only articles on GS bikes. The travel articles, equipment reviews, everything. Road bikes seem to be a forgotten segment for BMW. And all those GS bikes have only ONE person on them, with all their stuff piled up where the pillion would be. I need a bike that can haul two people, and maybe their gear, too. No one beats a Goldwing for passenger comfort. Airheads had very small seats for two, my RT is better. I am beginning to see BMWs as a brand designed only for single guys.
Still, at $10,000 used, and 900+pounds of weight, Goldwings are both expensive and heavy, and very large. Please let us know how you like it after owning it for a while. I myself will find it very interesting.
...roll tide!
i could say something like....as they say, if you can't say something nice............just move along....
Approaching 17,000 miles in less than two summers on the 2012 2nd generation Gold Wing.
Awesome machine - extreme attention to detail, more power than I might ever need, basic engineering refined to near-perfection, and seems to shed 300 lbs. the minute you get it above a walking pace.
Can do everything with it I do with my R1200RT, but in greater comfort and unsurpassed reliability.
Honda and BMW are apples and oranges in the motorcycling world. Glad to have owned both, but the Wing is arguably a step up on numerous levels.
Keep in mind the new K1600GTL Exclusive is now less than a hundred pounds away from my Wing's wet weight.
Apples and Oranges, a good statement comparing the RT to the Gold Wing. But, how do you compare the Wing to the GLT?
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I, too, am selling my RT (a '99). Age and a worsening right leg. But instead of a Gold Wing, I'm considering a Can-Am Spyder RT-S (I need three wheels). But talk about pricey -- they're asking over $28K for them! But from what I read on the Spyder forums, they're s-m-o-o-t-h.
Nothing BMW currently makes interests me. I'm not a fan of the angular, humpbacked, atomic-mutated-cockroach school of design.
A local to me franchise conglomerate which has BMW also has Can-Am. Talked with the Service Manager who oversees a few of their facilities one of which is Can-Am. He told me tried very hard to like them but riding wise it is just not a motorcycle. And on the service end... they hate them.
For me if I "had" to no longer ride but still wanted the wind in my hair, I'd buy a nice convertible. For $28k you can get a sweet BMW Z4. The Can-Am is going to take up the space of a full car in your garage so why not just fill it with one?