Choose Wisely

Dr.D said:

I just did a four day tour on the Roadster and it would not have been possible if my wife had not been hauling our gear on the RM. I'll post a thread on that later. After four days I felt more neck fatigue than I usually would have if I had been on a bike with a wind shield. So on most rides I like or need to have stuff packed and protected from elements for maximum comfort.

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I travel on the Rocket, but agree- One feature the Rocket lacks is a good wind shield. The R1200RT has a motorized wind shield that keeps you virtually dry in the rain, no wind or noise, and could be lowered when it was hot.

Journeyman28778 said:

I travel on the Rocket, but agree- One feature the Rocket lacks is a good wind shield. The R1200RT has a motorized wind shield that keeps you virtually dry in the rain, no wind or noise, and could be lowered when it was hot.

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The Indian has the same motorized windshield. A cruise control would be nice too.

The OP asked why I picked a BMW, motorized windshield, electronic cruise control, heated seats and grips, paralever and telelever suspension that absorbs everything and doesn't brake dive....And my K1200 is a 2004, way ahead of their time, certainly way ahead of my Rocket "Touring".

Tripps said:

The OP asked why I picked a BMW, motorized windshield, electronic cruise control, heated seats and grips, paralever and telelever suspension that absorbs everything and doesn't brake dive....And my K1200 is a 2004, way ahead of their time, certainly way ahead of my Rocket "Touring".

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Thanks for the insight, to be honest I haven’t met many BMW owners that were disappointed in their purchase. I haven’t had the pleasure of riding one as of yet. I’m considering demoing the BMW R1250GS...I’m very curious.

Maybe it’s just me but I love the look of the Rockets...both models, I also like the look of the Roadking, I like a bike that has a simple look about it. Not a lot of electronics at the dash and am not a big fan of the farmings, maybe because I’ve spent no time behind one. I do agree about the windscreen, I’ve yet to find one that works well on either the R3R or the touring. I do find the touring a little more comfortable on multi day trips.

Last year I rode from Chilliwack BC down to San Francisco on my R3T, had a blast. A few things I need to tweak for the next trip but no complaints. I have to say that during my trip I met many a bikers on the road and I want to say about 80% were on adventure touring machines. It almost felt nostalgic being on a cruiser. In 2015 I purchased the triumph explorer 1200, the bike was a blast to ride but I found the ergonomics killed me, bad enough I got rid of the bike after 2 seasons. I’ve read that Triumph changed the ergonomics on the new Tiger 1200... worth a test ride I guess. Even on my daily commute which is about 70km one way, the majority of the bikes I meet on route are adventure touring. New generation of riders I guess. The machines are loaded with electronic features, adjustable windscreens and will take gear like a mule.
Not to mention they are pretty much the go anywhere machine. All that said I feel good on my cruiser.

Settled with the Yamaha Venture Transcontinental. Just waiting for a 2020. Keeping the Rocket X. Very nice bike for the price. May not be the fastest or have much bragging valve but One slick machine. Took a 2018 out for a test ride and loved it. Took a 2019 goldwing out for a test ride and just had to laugh. Thought i would at least compare the two before making a final decision. The Yamaha was a much better handling bike and had more torque. On top of all that better rider and passenger commendations. Hats off to Yamaha.

More torque? It's it geared lower? Looks to be about the same by the specs

Taking age into consideration the four bikes I like the most the Rocket, Road King.V-rod and the Busa. The road king has taken me cross country four times and then some without any problems other than a few flat tires and gassing up in the corn belt with ethanol. Pretty much the same for the Rocket and V-rod but there are not too many Triumph dealers around if something catastrophic happens. Back in the day I couldn't find a dealer to just change the tires. It's got a little better but there is a Harley dealer on every corner across the country. My 2008 Hayabusa was my pride and joy till I got too old and crippled with aches and pains..

Dawg68 said:

Thanks for the insight, to be honest I haven’t met many BMW owners that were disappointed in their purchase. I haven’t had the pleasure of riding one as of yet. I’m considering demoing the BMW R1250GS...I’m very curious.

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The 2 cylinders have an entirely different character than the 4s, night and day. Both good though.

sonny said:

Settled with the Yamaha Venture transcontinental. Just waiting for a 2020. Keeping the Rocket X. Very nice bike for the price. May not be the fastest or have much bragging valve but One slick machine. Took a 2018 out for a test ride and loved it. Took a 2019 goldwing out for a test ride and just had to laugh. Thought i would at least compare the two before making a final decision. The Yamaha was a much better handling bike and had more torque. On top of all that better rider and passenger commendations. Hats off to Yamaha.

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I do prefer the look of the venture over the wing, well don sir