Well doesn't take long I guess. One of the Local Honda dealers has a USED K1600GTL already! Traded in on WING??
saw my first BMW k1600glt on the road
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Bones
Your Humble Scribe
Motorcycle Consumer News has a "Six-Cylinder Showdown" pitting the GL1800 against the K1600GTL. It's in the September issue, which arrived in my mailbox this afternoon. May not be the outcome you were expecting.
Yeah, I read it and was perplexed at the outcome... just goes to show you how good a bike the Wing was baked in over 10 years ago. I beg to differ about some of their "issues with the GTL." Throttle pickup, shifting, buffeting of the windscreen, etc. But in the end, the best bike for sheer comfort won, while the best bike for flat out performance and canyon carving came in second.
I read the article as well, it's hardly a consencus.
To borrow a line from a BMW engineer....do you want a shark or a whale? That describes the different approach these bikes take to luxury touring. The GTL is not a wing, nor was it meant to be. It is a new niche that I would term as luxury sport touing.
The wing is superior for two up, max weather protection Interstate runs. Perhaps that is the perspective MCN is viewing it from.
However, there is no question that the GTL is the superior bike in handling, performance, and enjoyment when the roads start to get technical, while providing 90%of the two up, Interstate duty of the Wing.
Honda really needs to update the Wing by the way. It's ugly and dated looking compared to the GTL, and for Pete's sake Honda, how about an adjustable windscreen at least?
To borrow a line from a BMW engineer....do you want a shark or a whale? That describes the different approach these bikes take to luxury touring. The GTL is not a wing, nor was it meant to be. It is a new niche that I would term as luxury sport touing.
The wing is superior for two up, max weather protection Interstate runs. Perhaps that is the perspective MCN is viewing it from.
However, there is no question that the GTL is the superior bike in handling, performance, and enjoyment when the roads start to get technical, while providing 90%of the two up, Interstate duty of the Wing.
Honda really needs to update the Wing by the way. It's ugly and dated looking compared to the GTL, and for Pete's sake Honda, how about an adjustable windscreen at least?
Bones
Your Humble Scribe
FWIW, that term appeared in Honda's US marketing literature for the 2003 ST1300.
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Today I read the Motorcyclist review of the K1600GTL and Goldwing today that was in progress when I saw the testers at the Tellico Plains Exxon last May. In that conversation at the gas pump next to the bikes Jamie Elvidge in response to my question said yes, they were riding the two bikes in a comparison on local roads. I said that should not be to hard to figure out the outcome seeing as the big BMW is brand new and the GW is nearly 10 years old. She said "well, they are closer than you think". I made a mental note to read the article when it came out and now I know what she meant.
Bones
Your Humble Scribe
The editors at Motorcyclist reached a similar conclusion. Though I'm not in the market for either of those bikes, I have become curious to read what other moto journalists have to say. Comparing these bikes head to head is kind of like comparing Granny Smith apples and Delicious apples...both apples but with different personalities. Interesting that MCN and Motorcyclist both concluded that the K1600 is much better as a GT than a GT-L.
I've seen two one a couple of weeks ago on I75 between Gainesville and Lake City, and one a couple of months ago on I75 between Tampa and Fort Myers.