Referring to my previous thread about the K16 I foolishly opted to take a GSA LC out for a test ride this past Saturday. I have yet to make the decision of buying a second bike for touring duties. A friend went with me on his GS. The weather was not the best, wind and rain, together with some muddy roads would make a good test of how I get on with the bike. First thing I notice is the new button layout. Pushed a few to get the preferred settings and off we go. Within a few feet I was in familiar territory having owned a GSA hexhead before. Everything fell to place and the riding came instinctive. The throttle is a bit sharper, the suspension really good. As we made our way on the narrow lanes of Northern Northamptonshire and on to Stoney Stanton I feel confident to place the bike where I want it to go and could ride it fairly relaxed. Opening the throttle gave it a good burst of acceleration even if it was in rain mode. Only the worst of bumps and holes were noticed with the suspension in comfort. The GSA has a really good lock to lock movement of the handlebars and one reason I liked my previous one is the easy maneuver in tight spaces and no problem doing u-turns with the bars on full lock. The bike doesn't feel heavier than the old one to my memory and is easily pushed around by hand. Overall it has many good points, good pickup on the throttle to make overtaking easier. However there is a feel to the engine I can only describe as having an artificial smoothness, you can feel it through the frame and handlebars, like on a constant throttle the vibrations comes and goes. Wind protection is good but not as good as the old bike I remember. Heated grips are warmer on this model and the seat is one of the better improvements being narrower at the front to get a foot down.
Next up is the K1600GT. I wont be going the same route as the GSA but opted for a few unknown roads nearby. This will show how easily I get on with it. Having ridden this bike before I feel confident to chuck it about in the dry. I don't want to scratch the panniers so throwing a leg over the bike requires more effort than on the GSA. Lifting the bike upright I thought what have I done. This thing weighs a ton. The menu is a whole lot more complex but figured it out after a while to get the settings I want. Both bikes will be in rain mode and comfort suspension settings. Heated grips on. I took off and it did feel a bit unwieldy until I'm out of the car park. As always this bike is super smooth with lots of torque. I set a relaxed pace but on the narrow lanes it sapped a bit of confidence in the bends, being wet and muddy with oncoming traffic. It took me a while to get accustomed to the feel of the bike by which time the roads were dryer as it didn't rain so bad in Bedfordshire. I stick the bike in 6th gear and let the powerful motor do the work. It is ok for overtaking but if the space for overtaking is a bit short a few clicks down the box and this thing turns from lap dog into a snarling angry guard dog. On the A421 it makes the most of the acceleration. Here at speed I can feel the back pressure building with the wind flowing around me and cooling the back of my neck. The windscreen is not the best as that V-shape lets the air hit the top vent of my helmet. Just for the record I'm 5'10'' riding with my Shoei Neotec. The radio is next to useless at speed but not too bad in town. I guess with earplugs in you'll have to broadcast a bit to hear anything. I ended up in a narrow dead end road having to do a u-turn. I managed it feet up over a muddy passing place with the handle bars on lock. I'm impressed. That 6th gear, whilst good for any speed it is useless to maintain 30mph downhill so a few clicks down the box makes town riding easier if you find yourself going downhill. The bike is very relaxed when ridden as such on smoothish roads with a fantastic sounding engine. I like it.
Both bikes had the full package of options fitted bar the SatNav. In terms of spec there is little to choose unless you really have to have heated seats, radio and keyless ignition as fitted to the dealer bike (it is an option on both models). Both of these machines are utterly good at what it does. For the roads that I like to ride and all else that needs to be done the GSA will fit the bill every time. It has got the range, long travel suspension, good visibility, decent wind protection and is very easy to ride. The K16 on the other hand demands a more experienced rider. You need to be in front of the bike more not to be caught out. The suspension is not so plush on the bumpy tracks, it is heavy and somehow the wind protection is lacking just a little bit, mostly at speed. The gearbox requires a more positive shift than the GSA but gone are the clunkyness of the older models. However, the GSA will just be it. A tall long range easy to ride bike that when fitted with all the trimmings will take you anywhere in Europe with the missus on the back. The K16 on the other hand will do all this but may feel a bit more restricted by poorer road surfaces. I did find myself going faster on the GSA than the K16 but given time with the K16 I guess the familiarity with the bike it won't be an issue. It can be a bike with 2 personalities, commuting and touring on it and when the time comes you can hunt down the plastic rockets. Then there is the price. If you are after a bargain then a 2 year old K16 makes a lot of sense. It has got the new design gearbox, luggage is standard, some are fitted with radio and mostly all are the SE spec. SatNav is incorporated into the dash, it has got the range and a lot of electricitry to keep you entertained. All this for between 13 to 14K. Compare that to a year old GSA and you'll have to add luggage, maybe a mudsling and the spend can come to almost 16K. Brand new there is not much between them when spec is roughly the same. Add to the fact that the boxer will hold its value better, is cheaper to service and buy tires for and on paper it wins hands down. But that inline 6 gives me thought. Should I follow the herd and be safe in making a good choice or should I go for what I feel?
Next up is the K1600GT. I wont be going the same route as the GSA but opted for a few unknown roads nearby. This will show how easily I get on with it. Having ridden this bike before I feel confident to chuck it about in the dry. I don't want to scratch the panniers so throwing a leg over the bike requires more effort than on the GSA. Lifting the bike upright I thought what have I done. This thing weighs a ton. The menu is a whole lot more complex but figured it out after a while to get the settings I want. Both bikes will be in rain mode and comfort suspension settings. Heated grips on. I took off and it did feel a bit unwieldy until I'm out of the car park. As always this bike is super smooth with lots of torque. I set a relaxed pace but on the narrow lanes it sapped a bit of confidence in the bends, being wet and muddy with oncoming traffic. It took me a while to get accustomed to the feel of the bike by which time the roads were dryer as it didn't rain so bad in Bedfordshire. I stick the bike in 6th gear and let the powerful motor do the work. It is ok for overtaking but if the space for overtaking is a bit short a few clicks down the box and this thing turns from lap dog into a snarling angry guard dog. On the A421 it makes the most of the acceleration. Here at speed I can feel the back pressure building with the wind flowing around me and cooling the back of my neck. The windscreen is not the best as that V-shape lets the air hit the top vent of my helmet. Just for the record I'm 5'10'' riding with my Shoei Neotec. The radio is next to useless at speed but not too bad in town. I guess with earplugs in you'll have to broadcast a bit to hear anything. I ended up in a narrow dead end road having to do a u-turn. I managed it feet up over a muddy passing place with the handle bars on lock. I'm impressed. That 6th gear, whilst good for any speed it is useless to maintain 30mph downhill so a few clicks down the box makes town riding easier if you find yourself going downhill. The bike is very relaxed when ridden as such on smoothish roads with a fantastic sounding engine. I like it.
Both bikes had the full package of options fitted bar the SatNav. In terms of spec there is little to choose unless you really have to have heated seats, radio and keyless ignition as fitted to the dealer bike (it is an option on both models). Both of these machines are utterly good at what it does. For the roads that I like to ride and all else that needs to be done the GSA will fit the bill every time. It has got the range, long travel suspension, good visibility, decent wind protection and is very easy to ride. The K16 on the other hand demands a more experienced rider. You need to be in front of the bike more not to be caught out. The suspension is not so plush on the bumpy tracks, it is heavy and somehow the wind protection is lacking just a little bit, mostly at speed. The gearbox requires a more positive shift than the GSA but gone are the clunkyness of the older models. However, the GSA will just be it. A tall long range easy to ride bike that when fitted with all the trimmings will take you anywhere in Europe with the missus on the back. The K16 on the other hand will do all this but may feel a bit more restricted by poorer road surfaces. I did find myself going faster on the GSA than the K16 but given time with the K16 I guess the familiarity with the bike it won't be an issue. It can be a bike with 2 personalities, commuting and touring on it and when the time comes you can hunt down the plastic rockets. Then there is the price. If you are after a bargain then a 2 year old K16 makes a lot of sense. It has got the new design gearbox, luggage is standard, some are fitted with radio and mostly all are the SE spec. SatNav is incorporated into the dash, it has got the range and a lot of electricitry to keep you entertained. All this for between 13 to 14K. Compare that to a year old GSA and you'll have to add luggage, maybe a mudsling and the spend can come to almost 16K. Brand new there is not much between them when spec is roughly the same. Add to the fact that the boxer will hold its value better, is cheaper to service and buy tires for and on paper it wins hands down. But that inline 6 gives me thought. Should I follow the herd and be safe in making a good choice or should I go for what I feel?
about a year ago.
and she would soon let me know! Not sure where you are but your wellcome to try mine for a test ride only takes a few mins to swap over.
