LOL I do the same. I am partial to the straight reviews vs. the comparisons.
Especially without a bike yet and enormously frustrated I could not do this same comparison in order to purchase one, with no option to ride either bike before taking the plunge. I wonder how many last ~12 month purchasers here rode both bikes and compared? I think it's pretty clear exactly as you say - different bikes for different likes; they're both great for what they are, but they are for different rider preferences, imho.

 

LOL I do the same. I am partial to the straight reviews vs. the comparisons.
Especially without a bike yet and enormously frustrated I could not do this same comparison in order to purchase one, with no option to ride either bike before taking the plunge. I wonder how many last ~12 month purchasers here rode both bikes and compared? I think it's pretty clear exactly as you say - different bikes for different likes; they're both great for what they are, but they are for different rider preferences, imho.

And I'll pile on to your comments Daveturer. My dealer has had my bike since early last week, the CU sent him all the paperwork, I stopped by Saturday to see it out of the crate. The dealer closes each day of the week at 4 or 5, except Thursdays. I'm still a working stiff and have a boss in which I have to request time off from. Your job is to make sure bikes leave your sales floor. I emailed him on Saturday saying I could stop out sometime Wednesday as I'll be off for a medical visit. He says, wait, wait for my call to tell you when to come in. I'm short staffed and blah, blah, blah. I'm thinking to myself, I have a frickin job to do and it gets done. I have to come in and give you 30K of my money in which you did ZERO work to get, and I, the customer, have to come in on your schedule, to get my over-priced product? Ok, I get it that it's a sellers market out there, but this buyer is doing all the spending and not asking you to do anything. Rant over, as I sit at my desk patiently waiting for a call to let me know when it's ok to come on over and give him my money. Frustrating to say the least.

 

Concur with @JohnS1955 post. I've only ran into 1 Goldwing rider that was willing to roll. It was about 5-6 years ago on Cherahola Skyway. @MountainGT and I passed 4 Goldwings. We were ROLLING. One of them tried to keep up. He couldn't, of course, but he was as good on the GW as I've ever seen. By design the GW and the K1600GT/GTL are 2 different genres of bikes. The former is predominantly a touring bike, the latter a sport tourer. If you fancy going through a posted 30mph corner doing a max of 30/35 mph, then the GW may be better suited for you. If, on the other hand...

Duane

 

...I passed 4 Goldwings. We were ROLLING. One of them tried to keep up. He couldn't, of course, but he was as good on the GW as I've ever seen.

If you fancy going through a posted 30mph corner doing a max of 30/35 mph, then the GW may be better suited for you. If, on the other hand...

Duane

Stick around in the SW NC Mountains long enough and you may encounter Yellow Wolf, a rider on a yellow GW. I've never seen, only heard tell of him. Could be YouTube videos out there somewhere. No idea.

As for me and my riding style, I ride my own ride. Maybe I don't go blazing through tight corners I can't see through. Just too many variables: rocks, , limbs (from trees, not usually people!), NC State Troopers (long story), dump trucks, animals. If I get into a corner too hot, I get through it, but it makes for a ride with no enjoyment. What's the point if it ain't no fun. So even though I should sell it/trade it according to some here, I'm not doing it! I'll keep it just to (as I say in my job as a nurse in a prison) win friends, influence people, p!ss off the population. Y'all be careful out there, ya hear?

 

Funny Duane mentioned a GW chasing on the Cherohala. When I was down there a couple years ago, after a couple days of riding, I split from @dobervol at the end of the Cherohala which is near that Tellico Grains bakery that was so good. We had just run the Cherohala and he was heading home. I turned right around and ran it again then over to the Dragon as I started heading for the barn. There was a guy from Chicago heading to the Carolinas on a newer version GW and he chased me all the way to the store on the Dragon. On the Cherohala I wasn't really hammering it, but I was going quickly through the curves, dragged a peg a time or two. Then in the straights I eased up just a bit. I would add space between us by the time I exited the corners, but he'd close it up on the straights. I thought he was doing a great job just to stay close, really. I didn't expect it quite frankly. We stopped and talked at the store and I think he could have easily stayed with me in the corners if he had had the ground clearance. He was dragging parts every corner and had to back off a bit. He was able to sling that thing around. He was not the typical GW rider IMO either. Nice guy like most of them, and even complemented me on my lines. Just a more aggressive pilot than most.

 

I wonder how much more aggressive/spirited said GW rider could be if on the newer wing. or maybe he was on the newer wing?
I agree with the OP, our bikes are not exploited even close to their full potential as many want to ride them like a tourer.

 

A tourer “all the time” I meant. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that but talk about missing out!

 

Hey there. Newb here - freshly minted.

Cruiseman is a pretty good vlogger IMHO. FYI he is going to be publishing a head to head between that GTL BMW let him test and his 2018 wing. He is at WingDing right now so the HtoH will likely be out early next week.

Myself I am very recently the owner of a shiny new 2022 Grand America in Manhattan Matte. I sold my 2014 Street Glide Special and 2009 R1200GS back in mid-April and have had a deposit down on a 2022 Goldwing DCT Tour model ever since. But they seem to have a really screwed up supply chain issue and up here where I live the riding season is short. So I just could not let any more season pass confined only to my Trek.

Thus far (only 300 miles) the reviews are pretty spot on regarding the K IMHO. The in-house NAV app is..., underwhelming let's say. C'mon BMW, you're not a software company. Leave the digital bits to Silicon Valley. This bike is also I think easily the most "twitchy" bike I have ever owned, possibly with the exception of that 1967 Honda 350 back in the early 70's that admittedly probably did not have all its parts. Thinking this animal is going to help me with my balance. I previously owned a 2010 K1300 and I don't recall that one being as wind sensitive as this one.

I think some might be surprised by the capabilities of that new generation 'Wing. It has a ride mode "Sport" that appears to be a real arm stretcher. But with 3" more wheelbase, 35 or so less HP and an extra 50 or so lbs of heft it's not likely to challenge the K bike in a twisty race I'm sure.

For all of your viewing pleasure (assuming you have about 1.5 hrs to kill) here is a YouTube head to head between GW and K from a little over a year ago.

Dirty Baggers

 

Cruiseman is a pretty good vlogger IMHO. FYI he is going to be publishing a head to head between that GTL BMW let him test and his 2018 wing. He is at WingDing right now so the HtoH will likely be out early next week.

Yes, he mentioned with much fanfare his upcoming GW vs. GTL showdown. However, given his anemic testing of the GTL by itself, I don't have much hope for an illuminating review. On his 4 day ride from the LA area to his home in Texas (should have been no more than 2 days), he rode mostly interstate (I-10, I-20). What an incredible waste of a GTL. He had the opportunity to aggressively ride some of the best motorcycle roads in the US through Arizona and New Mexico ( 191, 180, 60), and he picks mostly the Interstates?? What you're left with is a review mentality that puts an emphasis on rolling couches. I hope I'm wrong, but he's missed too many great opportunities so far to believe different.

Thus far (only 300 miles) the reviews are pretty spot on regarding the K IMHO. The in-house NAV app is..., underwhelming let's say. C'mon BMW, you're not a software company. Leave the digital bits to Silicon Valley. This bike is also I think easily the most "twitchy" bike I have ever owned, possibly with the exception of that 1967 Honda 350 back in the early 70's that admittedly probably did not have all its parts. Thinking this animal is going to help me with my balance. I previously owned a 2010 K1300 and I don't recall that one being as wind sensitive as this one.

I think some might be surprised by the capabilities of that new generation 'Wing. It has a ride mode "Sport" that appears to be a real arm stretcher. But with 3" more wheelbase, 35 or so less HP and an extra 50 or so lbs of heft it's not likely to challenge the K bike in a twisty race I'm sure.

The GA is not a GT or a GTL. It's been discussed here many times here and doesn't need to be rehashed. Still, "Twitchy" is mostly a GA/B thing, and is not to be confused with GT/GTL performance. Whatever "Sport Mode" does on a GW, it can't overcome the longer wheelbase, less HP, less ground clearance and heavier weight. It reminds me of Toyota Corolla badged with the "S", as if that suddenly gives it sports car performance. The reality is that is doesn't.

For all of your viewing pleasure (assuming you have about 1.5 hrs to kill) here is a YouTube head to head between GW and K from a little over a year ago.

Dirty Baggers

I'll give it a quick look. Thanks.

 

This Cruiserman spent three episodes riding the K from California to his home in Texas. Those 3 wasted about hour of my time. He had almost nothing to say worth hearing. The last episode 4 he final got to talking about the K in some detail. He said nothing new that most us already know. His audience is the new Goldwing, you think he would pick the K1600 over the Wing ? The K1600 is like Grey Poupon and Wing is yellow mustard. It’s an acquired taste.

 

This Cruiserman spent three episodes riding the K from California to his home in Texas. Those 3 wasted about hour of my time. He had almost nothing to say worth hearing. The last episode 4 he final got to talking about the K in some detail. He said nothing new that most us already know. His audience is the new Goldwing, you think he would pick the K1600 over the Wing ? The K1600 is like Grey Poupon and Wing is yellow mustard. It’s an acquired taste.

Correct! The review was mostly this as @ Booger Man states. He put effort in so I’ll give him credit for that on its face.

I found it kind of hilarious he felt annoyed by the detail of having to remove the windshield to completely clean the back side. If that is a challenge, then maybe it’s just too difficult to imagine better roads to travel…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I never research anything after I've bought something, that goes for anything expensive like new laptop, tv, bike, car etc. Otherwise you only find some regret. Once I've bought, decision done, move on.

 

My My, I get the business from my Queen because I like to do a quick wipe down for bugs and brake dust before garage parking. I can’t imagine (but wholly respect) someone who pulls the windshield for the part I don’t look through.

 

Well and as for that guys implicit assumption about the sexual proclivities of a librarian I’ll just say “don’t judge a bookworm by its cover”.

 

OMG that is funny! its a great analogy!

 

Well, the much awaited Cruiseman showdown video between the K16 GTL and GW was posted:

To no surprise (at least mine), he concludes that the GW is the more comfortable of the two bikes, and is therefore the winner for most. Given his pronounced laid back riding style and his primary GW audience (mostly of the same mindset), this conclusion was mailed in. On one level he said many of the right things and sprinkled in the word "performance" like an over salted meal. Briefly, he actually had my attention in a few segments. But after watching all of his K16 videos, and evaluating them in totality, I was left with the feeling that he never really understood the "K" bike. Unless you push a K16 consistently into the 6,000 - 8,000 RPM range and ride the bike in a way the GW isn't capable, how could he understand and communicate the difference? The answer is obvious -- he can't.

I'm glad I ride something most non-BMW riders look upon with complete confusion. It makes the world a more interesting place.

 

I actually thought he was about as fair as he could be given he's a Wing rider and admittedly not as familiar with the K.
A few items could be debated either way but some are clear 'winners' on either side. I thought his summary closing was pretty spot on - "it's not a question of which bike is the better bike; the question is which bike is better for you"... and "a rider who puts more emphasis on performance may find the BMW a better fit."
Wonder why not a Grand America for closer luxury touring comparison (and would it have mattered or scored anything differently)?

 

I actually thought he was about as fair as he could be given he's a Wing rider and admittedly not as familiar with the K.
A few items could be debated either way but some are clear 'winners' on either side. I thought his summary closing was pretty spot on - "it's not a question of which bike is the better bike; the question is which bike is better for you"... and "a rider who puts more emphasis on performance may find the BMW a better fit."
Wonder why not a Grand America for closer luxury touring comparison (and would it have mattered or scored anything differently)?

"May" find the BMW a better fit? Wow, that was convincing.

Where is the excitement in that description? Where are the examples of performance riding experiences that could give GW owners pause and really consider what they're missing? Of course, they're not there. There was a real opportunity here for a respected GW guy to help bridge the two worlds for his audience, and he whiffed.

The irony is that throughout his K1600 videos, buried deep within the comments sections, he'd let his inner feelings known. I remember once where he commented that if he was 15 years younger, he'd probably pick the GTL. Why not expand on that on the final showdown and give a more complete picture of purchasing tradeoffs? I don't want to be cynical, but I'm having a hard time not going down that road.

 

Yea, I saw the “final”. Turned it off when he stated the GW and K1600 motors were equals.

Duane

 

Yes, a big +1 👍

When he gave a point to each for mostly being “equal”, I was dumbfounded. His rationale was that the low end Torque on the GW was the ticket.

Bizarre and ignorant at the same time. It was hard to continue after that.

 

Here is a follow-up video that's interesting:

At the 12 minute mark, he addresses a critique of his "equal" performance rating of the 2 bikes in the comparison video. He backtracks a bit and tries to clarify. Still, at the end of the discussion regarding K16 performance, he basically dismisses the K16 advantage by saying "if you're into that sort of thing".

He should have declined BMW's offer to review the bike if he was going to take that attitude from the start. It explains a lot of head scratchers in the overall videos.

 

Wow he gets more annoying the more he talks, without even touching his POV on the "environmental whackos that run the world" (but I can't see Honda doing away with the GW).
That said, we're just not gonna be happy unless he came out and said the Beemer is a superior bike - which he'd never do. It's not his jam, and he doesn't need or want what it offers.
BMW should have declined letting him have the bike to review knowing this!

 

Wow he gets more annoying the more he talks, without even touching his POV on the "environmental whackos that run the world" (but I can't see Honda doing away with the GW).
That said, we're just not gonna be happy unless he came out and said the Beemer is a superior bike - which he'd never do. It's not his jam, and he doesn't need or want what it offers.
BMW should have declined letting him have the bike to review knowing this!

Huh? He has 42,000+ Goldwing followers and he just told every last one of them that the K1600 is a very close competitor to their favorite mount and that it is a better performer. Pretty cheap marketing for Motorrad I'd say.

 

Well at the risk of annoying some here I thought I would share yet another GW/K comparis on. This one from our friend on the east side of the pond - TheMissendenFlyer. Like the Cruiseman TMF is notably biased as one of the test articles is none other than his SECOND current generation GW. And he rides pretty tame. That said, as a person who lives around Whitetail Deer it would scare the ever living crap out of me to be running the speed he does with those hedgerows right at roads edge. Reminds me a little of old MN #1 from Two Harbors to Ely before they widened it. 200 yr old white pines just inches from the edge of the pavement on a hillly and twisty road that begged you to open that throttle. Now THAT was exciting! And deadly.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure,

 

Well at the risk of annoying some here....

Well, you succeeded.

Another useless review using "Rolling Couch" as the baseline evaluation criteria. This guy didn't come close to pushing the boundaries of what the K16 is really good at (and what the GW isn't). So who learned anything useful?? If he had spend as much time on testing the real performance differences as he did comparing how the side cases flopped down, maybe it would have been worth the watch.

 

Is it always about performance and corner clearance? How about choosing a bike simply because you like how it looks, how its true to who you are, and how well presenred you feel owning it...? Or perhapse the feeling of sitting in the bike rather then on top of it?

There are so many emotional reasons to select one bike over the other, its not always about specs.

I always waned a GW. Until one day I walked into a dealer to get a used one, and found myself riding out with a 2019 GA. I didn't know anything about the bike. The test ride was short. But I knew instantly the moment I saw her that she was coming back home with me.

 

Is it always about performance and corner clearance?

Yes. duh...

Duane

 

@Avi It's your money. You can buy anything you want for whatever reason it makes you happy.

YouTube and/or written reviews are mostly about understanding objective functionality and performance. And the best capture and present the full picture to the audience. Emotional decisions, while valid, are a completely different thing......

 

@Gunnert @Arizona Jim So much anger. 😁 I hope to see both of you in the next few months. We’ll work through it. 👍

 

Cruiseman is a douche plain and simple. I have watched quite a few of vids, and well most just don't make any logical sense. I skip him now, I'm more into non-fiction.

I know one WInger that can roll. He goes by Jryan19.

 

I know one WInger that can roll. He goes by Jryan9.

I have 2 close riding friends who ride GW. One rides the previous version and likes to lag behind (just what he likes to do) the other has the recent version and he can stay within sight of my brother and I when we hit the "good stuff" in the Rockies.

 

I have never heard of that Cruisman guy and I am glad I haven’t. That video where he responds to that comment about his rating of the engine was baffling. No one who knows anything about cars/bikes compares governed top speeds. The question is how fast can they get to those top speeds. What does the bike feel like at top speed. Over 100mph does is there still power when wrap the throttle or is it just slowly chugging towards that top speed. Having never heard or seen that guy before it took me 15 seconds to turn him off forever.

it’s fine preferring a different riding style but that was something else. It’s like comparing an Aventador with a Chrysler 300 and saying they can both go 80mph.

I did stumble upon the MissendenFlyer review recently and I was confused by his critique of the BMW saddlebags and top case storage when they are larger than his Goldwing and can store 4 helmets in them. How much largerdoes he want them?

To clear that bad taste I suggest everyone watch the fantastic review by Zack Courts and Ari Henning who are now doing fantastic videos for Revzilla. If you guys haven’t watched their stuff it’s great. They just did a hour long video of riding vintage dirt bikes across Wyoming all on dirt.

 

@MVP I watched the Zach/Ari video soon after it first came out. It's one of the few that actually have something to add when comparing the 2 bikes. @Big Rock Moto also does informative/balanced reviews. You have to dig deep, but quality stuff is out there.

 

Meh, I've watched those two knuckleheads ride around the track, Cruiseman, TMF and plenty of Big Rock Moto. To me they are all one and the same. Not a single one of them informs me one way or the other. They are all just entertainment, simple as that. Manufacturers have a slightly different view than mine which is likely why they loan product.

Now, if you want to truly be informed then watch some of the various BDR documentary videos (YouTube creator RideBDR) or just about anything Sterling Noren produces. Those things are informative AND entertaining.

NMBDR

 

Meh, I've watched those two knuckleheads ride around the track, Cruiseman, TMF and plenty of Big Rock Moto. To me they are all one and the same. Not a single one of them informs me one way or the other. They are all just entertainment, simple as that. Manufacturers have a slightly different view than mine which is likely why they loan product.

Admittedly, I haven't watched a lot of Big Rock Moto. But I did watch 2 of his K1600 videos. I thought the following in particular was very good with respect to quality and information:

He actually rides the bike at speeds it's designed to be ridden, and terrain where it's designed to be ridden. What a concept! If you personally got nothing from it, I've got to wonder....

Anyway, beyond everything else, I was fascinated with the mountain highway he was reviewing on. It was clearly somewhere in Southern California, but I couldn't put my finger on it. After watching sections of the video a few times and nailing down some landmarks, I figured out it was the following:

The mountains west of Palm Springs has some pretty good riding. It's an area I don't get to much, so it was a treat to experience it myself.

We each look at things differently. To me, poorly presented, incomplete and bad information is not "Entertainment". Believe it or not, riders sometimes actually look at YouTube to get useful input. And based on comments to both 'Cruiseman's Garage' and 'MissendenFlyer', most of their viewers eat what they present hook, line and sinker.

Such is life.....

 

@CavRider I just started watching the referenced NMBDR video. Very cool. I'm going to watch the whole thing later when I have more time.

Back to "Cruiseman's Garage" and "MissendenFlyer". I thought there was a part of Cruiseman (in the deep dark recesses of his brain) where he actually tried. You always knew that he'd have no choice but to declare the GW as the winner. But in the comments sections of his K1600 videos, he'd sometimes slip in a reply and give honest positive feedback. I even remember on a buried comment reply where he basically said that if he was 20 years younger, he'd give the K1600 the nod. Of course he couldn't explicitly say that in the video. It would do serious harm to his brand.

"MissendenFlyer"?? Well he's a certified douche. He made it clear early that the GW was his choice, and that's all there was to it. When questioned in comments, he plays the "opinion" card even in the face of objective truth. He showed absolutely no interest in exploring the thoughts of commenters who had years of experience beyond his little test ride adventure. His only goal in accepting the test K1600 from BMW was to use it as a prop to push his GW agenda. It's not very ethical.