I currently have a 2014 K1600GTL. The GTL rides more like a sport bike, but in a comfortable way. The stock seat is average and the pillion is comfortable (so says Mrs. Smith). You ride a bit forward so you feel more on the bike than in it. The controls are very well thought out with plenty of room to shift and button placement that is easy to use. The GTL has the "wonder wheel" on the left control that essentially controls most aspects of the technology and ergonomics. It has every creature feature including heated seats and grips, radio (AM/FM/USB/AUX/Sirius XM), TPMS, oil pressure level, and many others controlled by a simple to use wheel at your left thumb's disposal. From a technology standpoint, it is stronger than the F6B. Another wonder wheel feature is the ability to adjust the suspension and dynamics of the bike with a simple toggle menu. The bike has three riding modes, rain/comfort/dynamic and you can select one or two passengers or one passenger with "'luggage". This adjusts the suspension accordingly and they all work great. ABS is nice, but the "rain" mode allows the bike to stay in constant control on wet roads.Originally Posted by stevenolts
From a riding standpoint, the GTL is very sporty and has enough clearance to get extremely aggressive if you choose. It was amazing on the Dragon and on most curved roads. I think the fact that there are so many adjustments on the fly gives it the advantage because it allows you to make the bike comfortable for any riding situation. You can make it a Cadillac or you can make it a Corvette whether one or two up. It is very costly in terms of purchase and maintenance, but the intervals are longer between services. Because everything is adjustable, it just rides as an amazing machine. The inline 6 is incredibly powerful and smooth. It tends to go through tires despite proper tire inflation and it is fairly hard to self-service because of the CanBus electrical system (hard to install powered farkles without messing up the computer). Most everything is digital or computer controlled, so you have to be extremely careful or you will end up at the dealership anyway.
So, while it sounds like the K1600GTL is the most amazing bike ever, I do like the F6B for a lot of reasons. It is a simple machine with a long standing history of running and running. It is easier to service and sometimes you want to ride long distances (we travel long distance frequently). I can do 300 miles on the K bike, but Mrs. Smith isn't as comfortable. The F6B allows us to travel comfortably and sometimes, I want to feel more like I am on a motorcycle (thinking back to simpler times of a seat, some lights and a motor between your legs without all of the modern tech hassles) and I think the F6B brilliantly fits this bill. Not so much stuff to fiddle with. The K bike has 46L of removable top box storage and 28L side panniers, but the F6B seems to be more flexible with the installation of a luggage rack and flexible bags to take odd fitting things (camping gear comes to mind). You can always add a rack to the K bike, but the top box is pretty tall to start with and I think the added weight effects the handling of the sport portion of the K bike.
I am blessed to be able to own both in my middle age and I enjoy them both. If I failed to answer anything specific, please reach out and I'll do my best. We will be travelling to NC starting 5.21.16 on the F6B and I am looking forward to making some memories on this fine machine. I feel guilty for leaving the K bike behind, but I've been there, done that. The K has great weight distribution and is very easy to handle, but is somewhat tall for me. The F6B I can essentially flat foot. Gosh, so many more things to compare. If you haven't ridden one, try it.
Smitty
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