MotorCyclist Comparison

[Graham Downunder]

BMW can be regarded as bikes for the rich as they cost a bomb in the real world value for money is a major thing and in Australia RELIABILITY is everything ,I do not want a bike that has a history of failures, $$$$$$ service . BMW has always stood for Bring More Wallet .

 

[Fontanaman]

BMW can be regarded as bikes for the rich as they cost a bomb in the real world value for money is a major thing and in Australia RELIABILITY is everything ,I do not want a bike that has a history of failures, $$$$$$ service . BMW has always stood for Bring More Wallet .

I always thought BMW ~ Bring My Wallet.

I have always like the RT touring bike but reliability issues scare me away, plus the lack of an extensive dealership network.

 

[ionbeam]

If Graham really is from Downunder where wallabies 'n 'roos are the equivalent of our deer he doesn't know the North American version of BMW means Bring More Wampum

 

[John d]

It always meant Bavarian Manure Wagon to me.

 

[Fred W]

I have always like the RT touring bike but reliability issues scare me away, plus the lack of an extensive dealership network.

Having owned an oilhead before, albeit an early copy, I'd say that the R bikes are pretty agricultural in nature compared to the FJR or the BMW K bikes. It will be interesting to see how the new water cooled boxer twins work out. They are also said to have wet clutches and refined gearboxes as compared to the old ones.

 

[rfespinosa]

I also read the Motorcyclist article, and I think they did a very good job of being objective. I thought all pro's and con's on the bikes were honest and not biased. One can use the information on this article to pick the feature one values most and make a choice. For me, that's still the FJR as I find it the best looking bike of the lot, an outstanding performer, and the best bang for the buck.

 

[Chiefblueman]

Never owned a BMW 2 wheeler but I do own one of their cars. I love the thing but it is a Big Money Waster.

 

[fljab]

I got my Motorcyclist 3 or so days ago but didn't notice what was in it until today. I agree they really were comparing BMW with the Triumph, and Yamaha with Kawasaki. I guess if I was to pony up the extra $$ then the BMW would be the way to go, but for my money I'd go the FJR anyday.

Of course, there is the possibility I'm biased!

 

[ElectricFJR]

I ride w/ many C14 owners, (COGgers) and they love the higher end 'zip' referenced in the article to the zx14.
I prefer the greater torque @ lower rpm, the larger tank (and mileage), and the smaller stature of the FJR.

My next step is to update my '03FJR to the '13 FJR (eventually).

I agree 100%. I went from a '03 FJR to a '10 C14 to a '13 FJR. The FJR is a much more attractive bike than the Connie (it is the best looking bike of the bunch IMHO)and it is just too annoying to have to drop down 2 or 3 gears from 6th on the Connie to get enough torque to pass. That's where I want my power to be and the FJR excels at this--I could care less about top end.

The Motorcyclist article was just too vague to say who really came in 2nd. If you read between the lines, it could well have been the FJR. My riding buddy has a beautiful '13 gray K1600GT and I can see why it is the undisputed sport touring champ, but then he paid $30K for it. You just can't make these comparisons price independent.

 

[JamesW]

It is interesting to note their "soft"comment on the new FJRs suspension when others have stated it has been firmed up.Also noted was the comment about water coming in under the new windscreen, any of you new 2013 owners have a coment on that?

 

[Fontanaman]

I have always like the RT touring bike but reliability issues scare me away, plus the lack of an extensive dealership network.

Having owned an oilhead before, albeit an early copy, I'd say that the R bikes are pretty agricultural in nature compared to the FJR or the BMW K bikes. It will be interesting to see how the new water cooled boxer twins work out. They are also said to have wet clutches and refined gearboxes as compared to the old ones.

I agree with engines on the RT is like a John Deere tractor, but once past say 3000 rpm it was smooth. What is nice about the RT is they are light weight and have a high gross vehicle weight capacity. I rented on in 2008 in AZ. In one day I road it 525 miles, stock. Simply amazing. My FJR was a bit of a novelty until I farkled the hell out of it - now it is a great bike $3500+ later.

 

[timk]

So the $17,350 R1200RT is closer to others, would be unfair, but it is fair this way? That's why I only have 2 more issues of this rag left.

 

[MCRIDER007]

I also read the Motorcyclist article, and I think they did a very good job of being objective. I thought all pro's and con's on the bikes were honest and not biased. One can use the information on this article to pick the feature one values most and make a choice. For me, that's still the FJR as I find it the best looking bike of the lot, an outstanding performer, and the best bang for the buck.

I think they did a pretty good job evaluating what they were given to work with but the readers should also get some insight of what the bikes actually cost and their reliability records. The K1600GT and Trophy are probably going to cost a thousand more than MSRP due to shipping and setup charges while the C14 and FJR will probably be $800-1000 less than MSRP. The Trophy didn't have a reliability track record when Motorcyclist did the test so they get a pass for not mentioning all the electrical/electronic problems the US buyers are having but its kind of hard to ignore all of the K1600's water pump replacements.

Both the FJR and C14 come with suspensions that are one size fits all but in reality seem to fit very few and the C14 is also hampered by some very cheap tires that were the only rear tires with a "50" profile. Aaron Frank commented on having ridden a C14 with upgraded suspension and how "remarkable" is was and we probably have several hundred FJR owners who can confirm what upgraded suspension does for an FJR. I know its never going to happen but it would be interesting to compare a C14 and FJR with upgraded suspensions and premium tires against their (still) much more expensive European competition.

 

[BBAR]

I really never understand why folks gives so much weight over what some other folks might think about their preferences in a motorcycle. The fact is these comparisons are nothing more than other folks opinions. So why worry about it? IMO, both the BMW and Triumph have too much of a tour bike behind them. When you sit on them, it seems like your looking out from behind a good size fairing. I personally like the smaller feel for a sport tour. So the IMO, the two almost full on tour bikes are not really sport tour bikes. So what are they comparing, Tour bikes that handle very good, or Sport Tour bikes than tour well also. But comparing two tours bikes that cost approximately $5-$10K more than the two sport tours is really a ludicrous comparison. Two tours bikes costing a lot more, loaded up with lots of unnecessary touring BS should win a touring shoot out. But the $25K BMW should be 2/5th's better than the two sport tours to win. (again IMO)

As far as the two sport tours. They are both great bikes. I have owned both. But I would had have taken the lighter, more nimble and less unnecessary BS of the old Gen II FJR over the any version of the Concours14. Now throw in the improvements and the C14 moves down the chain for me even more. I'll take the drivability of the FJR and it's 5 speed any day over the C14 with it's fairly lame stock low end power and 6 speed.

And after owning quite a few Kawasaki's (including a C14), I can tell you that the build quality of Kawasaki sucks compared to the FJR. But to be fair, fairing removal is much easier on the Kawasaki becuase of it. Don't get me wrong, the C14 is a great bike. I just never found it to deserve the praise the magazines give it. I personally find the old antiquated FJR to be a better bike. Maybe not as cutting edge in some aspects as the C14. But better in a lot of ways. And to be honest, I would buy a new Gen II FJR over a new Gen II C14 if the need arose. And that was before the updated FJR came into play. Now I'm thinking of upgrading to a 2013 from my 2010 FJR. But that's just my preference and shouldn't influence anyone. It's more about what works for you, not other folks.

So for what it's worth, I take these comparisons with a grain of salt. Because like almost everything with motorcycles. It's more a matter of opinions and preferences on almost every topic. So who cares what some pin head journalists think. I have also said basically these same things on Concours forums many times as well. Folks on all forums for some reason put so much stock in the opinion and preference of so few. I just can never figure out why folks care. As long as you like what you ride, that's all that matters.

 

[FJR Bill]

I think many owners like to read reviews of "comparable" bikes because they have't ridden the other bikes and they want to know how their bike stacks up with the others. Any savy reader will automatically factor in the cost differential to determine what's best for them. But I do agree, take it all with a grain of salt and if you like your bike, be happy because they are ALL good today. New buyers are smart to read everything available before they plunk down some major dollars.

Bill

 

[rfespinosa]

I also read the Motorcyclist article, and I think they did a very good job of being objective. I thought all pro's and con's on the bikes were honest and not biased. One can use the information on this article to pick the feature one values most and make a choice. For me, that's still the FJR as I find it the best looking bike of the lot, an outstanding performer, and the best bang for the buck.

Update: I used to have a BMW R1150 RT and a K1200RS, I joined the I-BMW forum and I continue to visit there. This article on Motorcyclist is not mentioned there at all, curious, no?

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

I have to say that the Triumph looked like a fat whale compared to the others and I cannot imagine riding it in hot summer weather. It is also slower than my outdated ST1300.

Saw the Triumph at a dealer last week, it does look HUGE and WIDE in person......didn't even want to sit on it.

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

I also read the Motorcyclist article, and I think they did a very good job of being objective. I thought all pro's and con's on the bikes were honest and not biased. One can use the information on this article to pick the feature one values most and make a choice. For me, that's still the FJR as I find it the best looking bike of the lot, an outstanding performer, and the best bang for the buck.

Update: I used to have a BMW R1150 RT and a K1200RS, I joined the I-BMW forum and I continue to visit there. This article on Motorcyclist is not mentioned there at all, curious, no?

I heard they ban you on that BMW Forum if you knock the bike at all, awfull sensetive arn't they?

 

[Falko]

Last fall I was in a local BMW chain facility (Max BMW, North Hampton NH) and I was amazed at the number of used K1600s that they had in inventory. I've never seen so many essentially new motorcycles being sold through 3 dealerships. Whazzup with dat? Last Sept/Oct they had >20 used k1600s in stock. Looking at the stickers on these bikes the asking price was hardly depreciated. I would have been shocked to be told that they sold that many K16's but to have that many return to the nest in less than a year defies understanding. What have you guys that drank the Kool-Aid and hang around the BMW Forums heard, or is this news to you?

I saw that as well, but they always have a tremendous amount of relatively new used BayEmVays. They do come down though on sell price, or give you a huge trade in on your current bike. That's my experience there anyway.

As for the comparo, 1600 GTL should be stacked against the Hondapotamus, not the sport tourers. I've heard BMW really doesn't like going against the Wing though, as that's not how they want it marketed.

 

[Top_Speed1]

Last fall I was in a local BMW chain facility (Max BMW, North Hampton NH) and I was amazed at the number of used K1600s that they had in inventory. I've never seen so many essentially new motorcycles being sold through 3 dealerships. Whazzup with dat? Last Sept/Oct they had >20 used k1600s in stock. Looking at the stickers on these bikes the asking price was hardly depreciated. I would have been shocked to be told that they sold that many K16's but to have that many return to the nest in less than a year defies understanding. What have you guys that drank the Kool-Aid and hang around the BMW Forums heard, or is this news to you?

My dealer has 2 demo K1600's (GT & GTL). That's it in the so called "used K1600 market" at least around me. On national availability and asking price structure I always use the most prevalent of sellers... "fleabay". Search it, hardly any K1600's EVER on there. A couple (maybe) here or there, most are by dealers trying to sell their past years demo models. That being said, the dealers think they are giving you the world by taking off $500 - $1000 off the MSRP for these bikes (with ~2 to 4K miles!). A lot of BMW dealers are quite stubborn (some may say arrogant too! lol.) on moving their past years demos. For me personally? to make this kind of investment, a few hundred bucks is fools gold!.

The BMW K1600's is not for everybody. Us FJR peeps like & love our bikes and for good reason, it does has a few things over on the 1600, the major one being price. On the other side, the BMW has some very cool & engineering marvels over on the FJR. So the big question is will be "is it worth it to me?". I'm sure 99% here (on a Jap bike site) will say "hell no!" and with good reason. I see and hear the EXACT SAME DEBATE all the time on other forums like Corvette owners not thinking a Ferrari is worth the WAY over inflated price of their beloved Vettes. So be it. Talk to the Ferrari owners and they will all tell you it is... blah blah blah. Yes, it's more expensive to own (even just repairs wise!) but that doesn't mean the Corvette is better. I guess that's why this world is just a giant "tier".... Single vanilla scoop at $2 for some, or a $8 banana split for others. Yes, both are ice cream and I'm sure you would get a lot of folks that just say the split is not worth the extra money.

(and for u argument arseholes, sometimes it helps to get out of our motorcycle-only mentality. I didn't pick any car/mfgr. on purpose, u can substitute Ferrari for a Lambo or Maserati, it still all comes down to that one word "tier" or scale and what one is willing to pay for such

Life is short, ride what you want. (and what you can afford!)