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Bmw 1600 b 2018

5K views 32 replies 18 participants last post by  mtvic 
#1 ·
I am intrigued by the BMW 1600B Check it out with one of the reviews on You Tube, They make a nice bike. Looks like a blast to ride, I am happy with my CTX DCT but if I had a wish list the BMW 1600 would be on it!
 
#2 ·
No thanks. Pretty, yes, but like I need a 1.6 litre bike that weighs 800 pounds fueled and loaded. I can kill myself just fine on the CTX. The thing looks HUGE. Kinda reminds me of the old Country song "Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around"
 
#3 ·
I had an 1130CC Harley nightrod. Great bike but way too heavy. Went up to 160 on the track with slipper clutch. Who needs to go that fast. Can't use it on public roads. I got pinned under it once, couldn't budge the 900 lbs of bike. As Bob says, CTX is right.
 
#4 ·
Tried it, liked it, the weight seemed to me to disappear completely above about 5-7 MPH, making even the dealer's parking lot on a hill comfortable at my 50-ish years of age. Not sure about the price unless we take more long distance trips than we can do before retirement. It's on my short list of possibles in a few years.
 
#7 ·
Most people hating on heavier bikes clearly never have ridden one. There is a big difference between sitting on one and moving it vertical off the kickstand vs. actually riding it. The same can be said for ALL bikes! There are times and reasons where more weight is a good/better thing. Bigger bikes are not necessarily for more speed(very common misconception), they do have purpose, just each purpose is more oriented upon its own class.
 
#5 ·
I was on a ride home one windy day, and experiencing quite a bit of handling difficulty on the CTX. My riding partner that day was on his 1600B and said he noticed my problem, so he offered to swap for a short distance, just to see if it was the bike or me. I don't know whether it was the extra weight, or the larger tires, or whatever, but the 1600 was much smoother in the gusty crosswinds. My riding partner also noticed more sensitivity to the gusts on the CTX. Since then, I've had the opportunity to ride a different 1600, and a new 1250RT. They both handle way better than the CTX.

To help in those gusty crosswinds, I took off the top box, and noticed a difference. I had the Bestem 929 mounted on the rear carrier like most everyone else. Since then I bought another rear carrier, that I'm modifying to fit facing forward, over the pillion. I'm not going to use the top box all the time, but when I do, it will be in the slipstream, directly behind me, instead of hanging off the tail like a big rudder. I can do that since I never ride 2 up. I also took off the Cee Bailey windshield to see what effect that would have, on a windy day, and that too improved the handling in gusty crosswinds. I'll probably run the rest of the summer with the stock windshield in place.

Back to the Beemer...

Love the handling of both the 1600B and the 1250RT. If I was 10 years younger, I'd probably swap tomorrow. One thing would really sway me, would be a DCT on either one. The clutch is OK on the open roads, but anywhere that I'd have to be continuously gripping and releasing would be painful for me. "What a drag it is, getting o-l-d."
 
#25 ·
I was on a ride home one windy day, and experiencing quite a bit of handling difficulty on the CTX. My riding partner that day was on his 1600B and said he noticed my
Love the handling of both the 1600B and the 1250RT. If I was 10 years younger, I'd probably swap tomorrow. One thing would really sway me, would be a DCT on either one. The clutch is OK on the open roads, but anywhere that I'd have to be continuously gripping and releasing would be painful for me. "What a drag it is, getting o-l-d."

Both are offered with a quick shifter as one of the options, that is you can upshift and downshift without the clutch and the bike computer does the rev matching for you. It's not a DCT but pretty close.
Also that price........
 
#8 ·
R1250RT is 615# wet and ready. That 101# (20%) more than the CTX w/DCT. You'd never know it riding this bike. I likewise never felt the weight when riding the 1600. It was smooth, and handled better in traffic (buffeting from 18 wheelers), and gusty crosswinds. My personal favorite of the two, is the 1250RT. The one I rode had a lower seat and a lowering kit that brought the seat height down to just a little over 28". The 1600 with lower seat (no lowering kit) had a 29.5" seat height. I wasn't totally flat foot, but hey, I'm not even 5'4" tall and I was able to comfortably move the 1600 around, so what do you want? BTW - the 1600 (like the new Gold Wings) has a reverse function, to make parking easier. It was easier to back up than my CTX.
 
#10 ·
My wife had a BMW 1600 before her crash that totaled it. Nice bike, but expensive to maintain. The BMW folks decided the 1600 needed 2 oil pans and plugs plus the need for a special tool to get to the inner plug. So changing your oil by yourself was a problem. Very, very expensive just to change the oil. No thanks, many other bikes out there just as nice.
 
#11 ·
I agree with Reb.... I actually don't think my CBR is as "nimble" as my CTX was at speed. When I play the pothole game (using pothole marks as cones and weave between em), the CTX was a lot more responsive even though its 200 lbs heavier.


Now being stopped and low speed stuff (like loading) is a different story. It's nice to be able to push a bike up the ramp instead of having to use engine assist....
 
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#14 ·
Compare the rake and trail of the two bikes. I believe a larger rake, shorter trail, makes the bike quicker to handle, but more twitchy. Smaller rake and larger trail stabilizes the bike and steering but doesn't allow tight turns. (depends on the rake and trail ratio or some such)
 
#16 ·
Stopped at the local Honda and BMW dealer a couple hours ago.
Sat on a beautiful K1600B and a new Wing.
Getting the BMW up off the kickstand was work. Very, very heavy feel.
Getting the Wing off the stand was not much different than the CTX. Heavier, yes but not a weight lift challenge like the 1600B.
If you have not done this basic move on either bike you really don't know what you're talking about.
And reverse on the 1600B is an option.
 
#17 ·
That would be one advantage to the Goldwing, not to mention purchase price, maintenance cost, parts cost, dealer network, reliability, and on and on and on. I love the looks of the beemers, and on paper the R1200/1250RT is my dream bike, but I've ruled them out personally, for the reasons mentioned above. YMMV.
 
#24 ·
Drove the K1600 and loved it. If true DCT would have considered it. But I use to have a Vic CCT, previously Road King so was use to heavy bikes. I had to pick up the CCT once, not a lot of fun (around 900 lbs). The only issue with the CCT for small riders was the Trunk. Heavy and sat real high making slow maneuvers tougher. The BMW felt nibble in comparison. Removing the Trunk made the CCT feel about the same. The Vic had low center of gravity.



However, I'm sticking with my my current bikes, light, nimble, easy on the arthritis and flat footed.
 
#28 ·
I had a 2017 Honda CTX700D which was totaled when a driver rear ended me at a stop light. The Insurance company totaled it and paid me the going rate. I then bought a 2014 CTX 1300 which was a beautiful bike. Unfortunately I had to sell it because it’s Seat was too high and the weight was 750 lbs. I was scared that I would drop it at show speeds. So now I have a 2018 Honda CTX700D and I’m happy again!
 
#33 ·
Yea, but they are made by Polaris. Polaris has become a pretty poor company and it started when they were bought out. Across the board ATV, Indian, Victory, Sling Shot... they have had numerous recalls and for some pretty dangerous issues, some leaving users waiting months for fixes. After what they did to dealers, owners, and Police departments dropping Victory over night was the killer. They were winning new riders and Police Depts across the country, came out with their new acclaimed Scout and took it over to Indian, but dumped every one else. When they closed up, their numbers (selling) weren't bad, not great growth though same as others. They gave poor support to dealers and merchandising was a joke. Rather than fix things they bailed to put all weight behind Indian. They could have brought the Cross Country over too, just to keep all that great publicity for the Police Depts. They were selling, and very well. Nope, franchises failed, the companies making the police bikes are struggling or failing, owners lost huge value, counties were left to look like fools for switching to Victory from HD, and my friends tell me parts are impossible to get, nothing in stock and no dealers.


Personally, I won't buy a Polaris product again until they prove they are a reliable company.
 
#32 ·
When I was originally looking at bikes there were some I couldn't even straighten out off the side stand. Others weren't as bad. As for center stand. Forget it. Never worked for me. All the lifting bike videos also never worked. The key is not to drop it, but unfortunately it does happen. Like the time the dealer forgot to lock the seat properly on the bike. The seat and I went one way and the bike went the other when testing it out in the lot. Luckily I wasn't on the road.
 
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