Printable View
This may have been posted before, but if so I missed it. MCN posted a spy shot of a BMW bagger based off of their 1600 6 cylinder motor. It has a trunk(removable?) and I would bet based on their track record it will have cruise and electric windscreen and other tempting gadgets.
An enormous price tag, short service intervals, few dealerships, expensive repairs, and snooty people behind the counter. I had an 06 k1200lt, the bells and whistles sold me, but they couldn't figure out why I had no fm reception on the stereo. Thank god I bought the extended warranty when I bought it used. Replace the antenna, over a hundred bucks, no good. Replace the radio, 600 bucks, still no go, replace the wiring between stereo and antenna, another 200 bucks, no go. After 2 seasons and multiple trips to the dealership, I made them buy it back with a little depreciation for mileage. Anything that breaks on these things is very expensive. Yeah the electric centerstand was cool, but over a grand if it crapped out. Hardly ever used the heated seats and grips and only needed reverse once, wouldn't have needed it if I didn't have it, I would have parked better. I bailed on bmw before the warranty was up.
I also had a K12LT. Let's just say I've moved on 'riding'
They alright sell the 1600 without the trunk and shorter handlebars.
Have a link to the pic? I can't find it.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdawg
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/ne..._/R-EPI-144331Quote:
Originally Posted by mercator1
Need not apply! Had a K75 years ago and I don't think I ever had both tip toes on the ground. I can only imagine how high this one is. :shock:
My 2003 K1200GT smoked like crazy since new... and this was considered normal. This bike had the inline 4 cylinder motor and when parked on the sidestand, engine oil would seep into the combustion chambers. Upon the next startup, billows of white smoke would pour out of the exhaust pipe until it all burned off; after which the exhaust would be normal.
The Ultimate driving machine? Whatever.
Their 6 cylinder motor is pretty awesome and if I like their overall package I will probably take a chance. I wouldn't trade my f6b. I have owned a bmw car before and it was a pretty costly experience, but I still got a lot of enjoyment for my money.
I had a 2002 BMW K1200LT, I bought it in 2003 with 3,000 miles on it for $12,000! Still had two year warranty left. I owned it for a number of years and sold it with over 80,000 miles on it for $8,000. My LT was great! The only things that went wrong were a broken trunk latch and shifter bracket. I have replaced trunk latch with aluminum aftermarket one and all was well after that. The shifter arm was replaced under warranty by dealer, who informed me it wasn't lubricated enough. It never gave me any trouble again.
LT proved a worthy companion, reliable, fast, good handling and super comfortable to me and my wife (she used to ride with me back then). I loved that bike.
Yes, it was normal to puff black smoke for a few seconds if parked on a sidestand overnight. To eliminate that I parked it on centerstand, which I find to have been easier to use than the Goldwing one. I also bought a power centerstand from ebay and installed it myself. It worked great! It was fun to show it off to HD guys at bike gatherings!
Cruise on it was to me better than Goldwing's, it would act immediately and I can also use my left hand to actuate it and completely relax my throttle hand for a while. Power windshield was awesome! I can't believe Goldwing still does not have one! Stereo sounded great, too!
All in all I loved the bike, just replaced it due to mileage. I didn't think the new K1600GTL was really a replacement for it so I bought a tried and true Goldwing. I always felt very secure in a Goldwing but didn't really felt as excited about it as I was with the BMW. so, when F6B came out I had to try it. I loved it right away! So I sold the Goldwing and bought my new black F6B. Now I feel I finally got a worthy succesor to my BMW!
Here is what my LT looked like:
Black IS the fastest color! 'dark-side'
Nice! That is the best looking LT I've ever seen.
Back in 2000 I was in the market. Looked at the K12LT v. the GL1500 Aspencade... And one of the deciding factors was the seat height.
I'm 5'9" on a good day, so the Gold Wing was manageable. The K12 was taller, so no matter how much I thought I would enjoy the ride, I couldn't get past the idea of how difficult (unstable?) it might be for me to handle (especially if it was loaded) at low speed and around town, which is where I spend 85% of my ride time. Just looking at the K12 you can see that her CG is not particularly low.
I opted for the Aspencade, but only kept it for three years for exactly the same reason. I never felt quite at ease riding it in the city. I know I could have lowered it... changed seats, etc... but I wasn't really sold on those options.
Now the F6B is a still a Gold Wing, but it's a totally different animal. I have no qualms about the ride at all... and have 5500 miles in my 3 months with it. I think I'll be keeping it.
Having said all that, I think BMW has room for improvement with their big tourer... and maybe producing a bagger helps 'em get some of it right. Especially if they can lower the height and lower the CG... and losing the tour pac will help with the latter. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
If true and in production then this means that BMW believes there is a worthy market for this style of motorcycle.
That all means that if BMW releases such a bike, the interested consumer will definitely price compare to the F6B while shopping around. Honda may pull prospective BMW customers away in this niche market through lower cost of purchase and lower cost of ownership.
Additionally BMW's entry could ignite Honda to produce an F6B with the competitive gadgets y'all have been asking for.
Lastly dear administrator, you could be looking at more F6B members and we'll make more friends!
Dear BMW: Bring it on!!
:cheers:
Agreed, usually BMWs don't do it for me looks-wise but that thing has style.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdawg
I did some customization. That was CC Bailey windshield, extra carbon fiber graphics and carbon fiber hydrographics in bottom spoiler and some other parts. Frame and front forks were polished and wheels were powdercoated in shiny chrome like finish.Quote:
Originally Posted by motozeke
Bike turned a lot of heads. In fact, when I sold it I was approached by a gentleman who loved the looks of it and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse! That was probably the easiest bike sale I ever made! At over 80,000 miles bike still looked and rode like new to me.
Also, for me at 6' tall and 32" inseam LT fit me perfectly. In fact, this was the only bike I owned that I didn't have to change a seat.
Well you know what they say about BMWs: "Bikes made by tall Germans for other tall Germans..."Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke