I'm in a mixed marriage - 1 air head - 1 RT & one Ultra - I just sold my 2008 Goldwing I bought new - The Goldwing is twice the bike a Ultra is in many ways - with that said - the Ultra is twice as fun as the Wing! Fire up an Ultra and Shake - Rattle & Roll - just a different critter - I'm very happy with my stable - I don't have a dual sport - I sold my GS - it kept falling over in mud puddles? Join the club - These old baggers really grow on ya - I have bags on everything - the older I get the more pockets I need! tom

 

I rode BMW's from 1989 until 2011 and switched to a road king. BMW GS was by far the most comfortable cycle ever ridden but still chose the road king over it. My style of riding changed dramatically and the pace of the road king fit perfect.

It is day and nite as most have mentioned. If you want to go a completely different direction Harley is the way to go from BMW. The ride is harsher, the pace is slower, the handling is worse. All that said I was just about to stop riding (30+ years) but tried the Harley and am re-invorgorated to cycling again.

 

two total knee replacements, 6'2" and 205 and moving the bike is no problem. the learning curve for moving the RG around was very short. center of gravity is low and fairly center so they don't really want to fall over. i live in the hills above los angeles and the floor to my garage is on a bit of an incline. but with a little planning it's all good. the low center of gravity and weight/stability really pay off on the highway.

 

Like others have said, you are comparing apples and oranges. The GS is a great sport-tourer, the Harley is a great tourer. If you are into aggressive corner carving with some gravel roads thrown in from time to time, you will not be happy with a Harley touring bike. In that case you may just want to invest in a new seat and maybe new handlebar risers/windshield for your GS. if you're looking for a laid back, comfortable ride, the HD touring bikes excel.

The HD touring bikes do run hot and slow from the factory. Expect to have to spend at least $500 on an FI tuner to undo the EPA settings. And more if you want decent power. And then dump money into the suspension, and on and on. It really never ends.

 

LOL Are some of you sure you're not trying to talk him out of it?

OP, rent a bike and see for yourself. Some of us are perfectly fine with our basically stock bikes. My stock 96" motor has plenty of power, and when it gets hot, I go a little faster to compensate. Never have much trouble getting up near 100 mph if needed, even two up. I got stuck in Texas on a 110 degree day and road 200 miles. I stopped once for fuel and water. By the time I was ready to go, bike was cooled off and ready also. If you're ready for a more leisurely ride, give the Harleys a chance. But that doesn't mean they are slouches. If you grab a handful of throttle, you best be hanging on.

 

I had 5 Bimmers mainly tourers. Started with R1100RT then R1150RT, R1200RT,
K1200GT and the last the R1200R. I would compare the K1200GT to the GS centre of gravity. This is the only bike I have dropped (twice) while manoevring
the bike in the garage. I loved the sophistication of the BMWs. When asked by a friend if I wanted to go 50 miles for a coffee my thoughts were why go so far when we can go up the road. Now with my Harley Street Glide I can't wait to go 50 miles for whatever reason. The character including sound, vibration, handling and general "club" that one belongs to is a different world. Strangers, bikers and non-bikers, approach and chat, admire, compliment. I miss some aspects of the BMs but there is no turning back! I live in Perth, W.Australia which at the moment has temps of 104 degrees F and more at the peak of summer and as a previous member mentioned with slip on exhaust, air filter and retuning we don't have a problem. When stopped and idling in the heat the one cylinder cuts out on the Street Glide to reduce heat build up.

 

Remember, you don't have to jump on the biggest harley in the show room. start with a sportster, dyna ,soft tail, then hit the biggerstuff. Personally I love my wide glide. bags and windshield on and off in a few min. there are also free test rides once in a while at the dealier.

 

Harleys are lower and you can get seats even lower. I am not going to preach the basics of how to park and such. If you are sitting lower and your knees are bent you can easily move the bike. Its the whole lift with your knees not you back. With your BMW you are using more of your uper body to move it since you can push off with your legs as much.

 

The GS is THE bike to have in the UK of late - I had a GS Adventure back in 03/04 and personally I felt it was THE best bike for UK roads. Everyone likes a change though and after a couple of years and a pillion I opted to swap for the RT range for touring purposes.
A year of so later I added a Road King into the mix, then went Ultra, then Ultra Ltd - I like all sorts of bikes and for different reasons hence whilst I no longer have a BMW I do have a Yamaha too. There has been plenty of comment/advice given about heat management so that's covered, in terms of engine stye they are both very similiar grunty low end torque monsters which is an easier style to ride day to day than say a medium weight inline 4.
Regarding the moving it around for parking etc one thing I have found that is a plus is having a rider backrest - left hand on the handlebar and right hand on the backrest makes for easy manoeuvrability into the garage.

I remember when I was thinking of getting the GS how the salesman explained that you'll need more than an hour in the saddle to get it to grow on you (I was riding an R6 at the time). I think the same is true when thinking about getting a Harley - its a grin thing!

Have fun

 

Same here
I owned a BMW R51/3, then an R50, converted it to an R50S and finally added "Fath-Urs" side-car racing cams (11,000 RPM). There was way too much power to handle so I had to get a special solo frame made. This frame was built by the 1970 Swiss side-car champ (see picture) on the concept of the "Rickman" and the Yamaha TD2 (early 70's). The two upper frame bars were welded to the lower end of the neck bearing housing and the engine support bars came on top. This was a revolution at the time! BMW took good care of this issue later on...



Later in life and during 17 years ... at 1/2 throttle the 1100cc Yamaha FJ open bike gave me the same acceleration. The frame was acceptable.

Now the 96ci Harley wide open gives me the same pull, but I don't need as much stability anymore.

Comparing pears, apples and oranges over a period of 40 years, the weigh of my basket has always been in the range of 70 HP

Nobody mentioned the angular stability of the BMW flat twin over the other bikes: when it slides sideways you can stabilise it for a short period by revving the engine (if you're young enough to dare)