OP
OP
teaspoon
Guest
I had a surprising January commute today on the Beemer. The morning temp was in the low 30s, but I was bundled and was comfortable.
As much as I yearn for the Honda wing on my bikes, I would look for a later R-RT to replace what I have. It's a comfy bike, handles great, and has more power than I'll ever use. In ten years on the old Nighthawk I never got pulled over. After two months on the BMW I got popped. The power of 1100 ccs and the protection of a fairing lets me drift into speeds that get me into trouble. I must be more aware of the speedo.
The BMW requires maintenance that the Honda never dreamed of. This is an older bike with 66k miles, and some things need replaced. The ABS is a PITA because it's overly sensitive to the battery voltage, but the bike does have ABS - something I like. It has great wind and rain protection. It vibrates - not as bad as the NT but worse than my four cylinder Nighthawk. AFTER the fairing is off, maintenance is simple. For the BMW, the throttle and choke cables are maintenance items. ***? And the throttle bodies have to be synchronized every time a tail light is replaced.
I wish that Honda could have made the NT with a smoother boxer (or four cylinders) and a little more upright posture, but that isn't an option. If Honda made money with an American NT, it would still be selling them here.
As much as I yearn for the Honda wing on my bikes, I would look for a later R-RT to replace what I have. It's a comfy bike, handles great, and has more power than I'll ever use. In ten years on the old Nighthawk I never got pulled over. After two months on the BMW I got popped. The power of 1100 ccs and the protection of a fairing lets me drift into speeds that get me into trouble. I must be more aware of the speedo.
The BMW requires maintenance that the Honda never dreamed of. This is an older bike with 66k miles, and some things need replaced. The ABS is a PITA because it's overly sensitive to the battery voltage, but the bike does have ABS - something I like. It has great wind and rain protection. It vibrates - not as bad as the NT but worse than my four cylinder Nighthawk. AFTER the fairing is off, maintenance is simple. For the BMW, the throttle and choke cables are maintenance items. ***? And the throttle bodies have to be synchronized every time a tail light is replaced.
I wish that Honda could have made the NT with a smoother boxer (or four cylinders) and a little more upright posture, but that isn't an option. If Honda made money with an American NT, it would still be selling them here.