I own a BMW K1600 GTL. Great bike, but I'm considering trading it on a trouring bike with a lower seat height as my wife is having both knees replaced, and it will be easier for her to mount a bike with a lower seat height.

For reference, the heavy bikes I have owned include a HD Softtail, a GL1800, A BMW K1200LT, a Victory Cross Country Tour, and now a BMW K1600. I've also taken four demo rides on Indian Roadmasters, including the new 2017 that has the glass dashboard.

A local Harley dealer was very accomodating, and rolled an Ultra Linited out the door for us to ride, with the request that we not ride more than 10 miles as this really isn't a demo bike and they don't want to run up the miles on it.

Here's my impression:

Engine: It looks nice, and I'm not invested in how the engine should look compared with past HD engines. It vibrates at idle, but not as much as the 2015 RGU I rented last summer. The mirrors don't blur. Some vibration can be felt in the bars, and it isn't annoying. The vibrations decrease substantially, but do not disappear, at about 1800 rpm. Minimal vibrations were felt in the footboards, front and rear, but they were present. There was enough heat on my lower right leg to be noticeable, but not enough to be uncomfortable. The heat was far less than on the Indian and the Victory. Ambient air temp was 88F.

The engine has a nice torque profile. It accelerates well without having to bang on the throttle. Shifting was smooth, with a noticeable, but not obnoxious, thunk as each gear was entered. Shift action was far better than it was on the 2015 RGU, and also on the Indian. Good clutch action, easy engagement, no stuttering. Firm clutch lever opertation. Running through 1-2-3-4 in semi-rural roads was delightful. This engine/transmission is superb at accomplishing its mission.

Suspension: The 2017 suspension is miles and miles better than on previous touring bikes. It's really good. It is firm but comfortable. Well connected to the road, and it doesn't telegraph every bump and pothole. I looked for a few manhole indentations and other road imperfections, and the bike took them comfortably. This was a big deal (for us) as our current BMW has a high-tech electrically adjustible suspension that we sometimes can't make comfortable on long highway rides. The amout of dive when braking is substantially reduced, the rear did not bottom out. This is a much better suspension than the Victory and the Roadmaster, both of which use an air-adjustible rear set-up that is prone to hard bottoming. I'd still give the Cross Country Tour a slight edge in handling, though, because it took curves and corners better.

Brakes: Strong, nice feel. Very linear. I'm used to using the front brake only, and the linked brakes work very well. Good braking balance. The linking stops at speeds below 25mph, I believe, so making a sharp U-turn with the back brake engaged was simple.

Other: It sounds great. We usually wear earplugs when riding, but didn't for this demo. The engine is quiet, except for a whirring sound, and the exhaust note was very nice. It sounded like a Harley should sound, and a little more basso than the 2015 RGU sounded. Air management is good, though I felt some helmet buffetting above 50 mph, and I'd swap in a slightly taller windshield. My wife felt no buffeting. She liked her accomodations better than on the Indian, which provided less fore-aft passenger space. Seats are comfortable, and everything else has the usual HD high quality look and feel. It's a heavy bike, though, and weights a good 200 pounds more than my K1600. And each of those extra pounds is quite noticeable when maneuvering in stop-and go traffic.

I expect that we may buy an Ultra Limited next spring, depending on how my wife's knees fare. This bike is the right tool for heading across the US, which is how we travel.

 

Nice review. That whirring song is the counterbalancer in the engine. Straight cut gears meshing together. The Motor company had actually reduced the vibration to near zero. They backed the counterbalancer off to 75% efficiency to appease some focus group of 1000 riders who came to the conclusion that "some" vibration was wanted. I would have loved for them to have left the counterbalancer at 100 percent efficiency.

 

Nice write up...Thanks

 

Ditto. Had it been left at 100%, I think we would have ordered one this week. As it is, we may next spring, but before then we'll need to rent one for a day or two.

 

Great review, op. Coming from a BMW rider, that's one hell of an endorsement.

 

Great write up, thanks for sharing.

 

That says alot coming from a BMW rider they are usually the ones to knock down the MOCO

 

Coming from BMWs I would say that may not be accurate. Out of all the brands I have ran and been active on forums with BMW is the least likely to knock HD. Age demographic has a lot to do with HD bashing and BMW closely resembles the HD age demographic.

Edit: BMW riders are more likely to knock HD riders safety apparel choices rather than their bike choice.

 

THAT is quite a list. And makes for an even better review given the fact you have a lot to compare it to. Thanks for the great read.

 

So it's a fake shake motor.