Author Topic: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT  (Read 20835 times)

Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2013, 07:24:10 AM »
The BMW is the benchmark?  :o :rotflmao:

Don't shoot the messenger.

Just curious. Ever ridden one?
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Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2013, 07:52:22 AM »
Yeah because a tweak in bodywork and cruise control make it so much better.  It still is down in power, handling, and almost every other category compared to the other bikes.  Having it along for the ride lets them point out how vastly improved the new models are.  Really, if you don't think bike mag comparos are biased....seriously?

I would say "having it along for the ride" highlights the improvements for 2013 on the FJR, and gives readers another perspective to consider. The FJR is a great bike, cost's thousands less, and now has cruise control, etc.

In other words, if the editors were out to outright leg hump the Triumph and BMW, they sure didn't need to add a revised FJR to the article to justify it.

To each their own.
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Offline Pokey

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2013, 12:39:46 PM »
Don't shoot the messenger.

Just curious. Ever ridden one?


Nope, and have zero desire to either. My next rig will be smaller and lighter than the C14, pretty convinced less is more for me. The only BMW that I would love to ride and especially own would be the S1000RR.
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Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #23 on: June 05, 2013, 03:58:13 PM »

Nope, and have zero desire to either. My next rig will be smaller and lighter than the C14, pretty convinced less is more for me. The only BMW that I would love to ride and especially own would be the S1000RR.

I rode the S1000RR. Nice toy I suppose, but incredibly uncomfortable.

Lighter is nice too, which is why I am anxious to ride the new RT with the water cooled boxer. The new GS is a hoot with the added power   
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Offline Pokey

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #24 on: June 05, 2013, 07:11:59 PM »
I rode the S1000RR. Nice toy I suppose, but incredibly uncomfortable.

Lighter is nice too, which is why I am anxious to ride the new RT with the water cooled boxer. The new GS is a hoot with the added power   


Oh that toy would be a toy for sure, not an everyday rider. Rode my friends 2011 Multistrada today..........WOW, just WOW!!!!! I will always like those darn GS models though, call it a weakness of mine.  ::)
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Offline Wrinkled Wrider

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #25 on: June 06, 2013, 05:23:25 AM »
 Eery sport touring comparison i recall over the last 2-3 years has ranked the 1600 GT first, hence the "benchmark" characterization.
1200 RT: I thought this might be the bike I was looking for, but disparities in listed weight got me curious. The BMW website finally provided the answer. Near 500# weight is what BMW refers to as unladen; sans bags and liquids. The upcoming liquid cooled version will probably be close to FJR weight.
As for the article, and other recent comparisons, there are no bad bikes in this category, and enough choices to satisfy nearly everyone. The BMW and Triumph have pretty much every feature one could want (some optional on the Trophy), but for me that takes away the fun of farkling. I want my bike to be MY bike.
Personally, I'd love a ~500# sport touring bike, but the riding position of the Sprint was too aggressive for my old bones,  and the NT700V was comfortable and  pleasant but uninspiring.

Offline wroman

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #26 on: August 07, 2013, 08:10:32 PM »
I have not ridden the GT, FJR or trophy.  But just sitting on the bikes stationary the Trophy feels just about right.  The only stock seat I feel I could live with.  Neither the RT or GT fit me like the Trophy.  One of the testers said something interesting about the Trophy, he said it is the bike to own if you just cannot bring yourself to buy a Goldwing.  I predict now these will do real well by IBR riders.
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Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #27 on: August 11, 2013, 04:03:01 AM »
I have not ridden the GT, FJR or trophy.  But just sitting on the bikes stationary the Trophy feels just about right.  The only stock seat I feel I could live with.  Neither the RT or GT fit me like the Trophy.  One of the testers said something interesting about the Trophy, he said it is the bike to own if you just cannot bring yourself to buy a Goldwing.  I predict now these will do real well by IBR riders.

I would encourage you to go ride one. I really thought the Trophy was going to be my next bike. I'm not too sure about the Trophy being the Goldwing of the ST segment though. As a two up bike, the K16's are better. As a matter of fact, the K16's feel much more refined, have superior ESA, much more power and smoothness, and all the conrols are more intuitive. I also have come to absolutely hate brake dive, particularly with a passenger on board. This the duolever front ends on the K16 are a big preference for me.

I was a little underwhelmed by the Trophy, and even the triple that I loved in the 1050 Tiger did not have the same seductiveness in the Trophy. In fact, it seemed somewhat bland and agricultural compared to the 1050.

Overall a great bike, but for my money the K16's offered more of what I wanted. Both however, put a lot more TOURING into sport touring than the FJR/ST/C!4. 
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Offline martin_14

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #28 on: August 12, 2013, 07:50:47 AM »
It should be, its the top of the top for both performance and price.  Nothing else compares to it (other than maybe on a drag strip).  As a sport-tourer, nothing can touch it. I didn;t realize thats not a known fact. 

What bike you know of surpasses it as far as sport-touring type performance, and standard OEM sport-touring features?  The suspension alone is outrageous and trumps everything in the sport-touring class.

errr... no, it isn't. I recently did a 1000 miles tour to the alps with a... ahem... experienced group, 45 motorcycles in total, with a few K1600GTs and GTLs. Very experienced drivers on them, on full attack mode, and I was easily following them, sometimes with ONE HAND on the handlebar and tons of leaning angle to spare. Engine-wise, as long as you don't use the 6th on the C14 (much, much longer than the equivalent on the Beemer or any other bike, for that matter), there's nothing to worry about. I'd love ESA, though.
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Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #29 on: August 12, 2013, 08:47:34 AM »
errr... no, it isn't. I recently did a 1000 miles tour to the alps with a... ahem... experienced group, 45 motorcycles in total, with a few K1600GTs and GTLs. Very experienced drivers on them, on full attack mode, and I was easily following them, sometimes with ONE HAND on the handlebar and tons of leaning angle to spare. Engine-wise, as long as you don't use the 6th on the C14 (much, much longer than the equivalent on the Beemer or any other bike, for that matter), there's nothing to worry about. I'd love ESA, though.

I think he was speaking to the overall capabilities of the bike, not specifically handling and acceleration. To a vast segment of the sport-touring market, while those attibutes are generally desired, they are not the be all end all of deciding which ST bike is the right choice.

Now, having owned both my exprience is has been that as delivered, the K16 handles better than a C14 or FJR. It steers much lighter than the C14, exhibits no funky brake dive or squirrly linked brake behavior. However, when I added PR3's and went to a 190/55 in the rear, my C14 handled just as well I thought, minus the lamented linked brakes and associated brake dive. Upgrading the Z8's on the K16 might advance the handling capability as it did on my C14. Both offer handling capabilities far beyond the scope of an average rider, let's be honest.

To me, the measure of a sport touring bike goes beyond how fast or how well it may handle. Admittedly, even handling is subjective, as some prefer different handling traits. I can tell you going from duolever to conventional forks and back a few times always gets noticed, and takes me quite some time to adjust. Some guys like conventional forks only, personally, I have come to really dislike them for sport touring. It gets very annoying having my passenger slide into me every time I brake on the C14.

I think the C14 and FJR represent the ST purists in a sense. They most certainly are the best value around with minimal gadjets and conveniences, leaving it to owners to farkle accordingly. Less emphasis on wind protection, more sporting rider ergonomics, etc.

On the other hand Triumph and BMW try to let you have your cake and eat it too. They provide machines that provide better weather protection, comfort/conveniences/refinement, better two up platforms, and give it to you with a very sporting balance of performance and more refinement, and arguably do so beyond the FJR and C14.

I can tell you this much. As good as the C14 engine is, if Kawi plopped in a butter smooth torque monster I6, that would really be something. Nothing beats an engine that is naturally banced, and the more holes the better! 

There is no wrong choice, but it is almost impossible to argue that the Trophy and K16 in particular are at the head of the class in terms of their broader capability.

 
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Offline martin_14

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #30 on: August 13, 2013, 01:06:43 AM »
eng943, that's a well documented post, thanks.

I have to disagree on the handling part, which I found particularly noticeable while on a trip with a friend with his K16 and me on the Kawa, and we were swapping back and forth. Every time I got back on the C14 I felt like I was driving such a nimble, light bike, and the K16 felt like a whale. But as you well put it: each person appreciates different traits on a bike. One thing that puzzles me is how easy it is to take a hairpin on the BMW and how scary it can get on the Kawasaki. But that's about it. Everywhere else I take the Kawasaki without thinking, unless it's a two up trip, then the misses is happier on in the BMW.

Another thing that usually goes unnoticed until someone points it out at you is the throttle lag, that half a second that the BMW takes to respond to throttle inputs due to one-butterfly design and such a long intake. The I6 lack of vibes is neat, but the I4 from the C14 is amazingly smooth. So, to summarize: those 2 factors, together with the paralever, make for a very detached feeling which I don't care for, like driving a 7-series. Some actually like that very feeling; I (as you remarked) prefer conventional forks.
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Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #31 on: August 13, 2013, 04:07:54 AM »
eng943, that's a well documented post, thanks.

I have to disagree on the handling part, which I found particularly noticeable while on a trip with a friend with his K16 and me on the Kawa, and we were swapping back and forth. Every time I got back on the C14 I felt like I was driving such a nimble, light bike, and the K16 felt like a whale. But as you well put it: each person appreciates different traits on a bike. One thing that puzzles me is how easy it is to take a hairpin on the BMW and how scary it can get on the Kawasaki. But that's about it. Everywhere else I take the Kawasaki without thinking, unless it's a two up trip, then the misses is happier on in the BMW.

Another thing that usually goes unnoticed until someone points it out at you is the throttle lag, that half a second that the BMW takes to respond to throttle inputs due to one-butterfly design and such a long intake. The I6 lack of vibes is neat, but the I4 from the C14 is amazingly smooth. So, to summarize: those 2 factors, together with the paralever, make for a very detached feeling which I don't care for, like driving a 7-series. Some actually like that very feeling; I (as you remarked) prefer conventional forks.

Cheers Martin! You're right about the the slight throttle lag. I felt that even in dynamic mode on my pre-order K16. My '13 seems to be mostly cured of that, though I still am no fan of throttle by wire, be it a car, or motorcycle.

The shorter wheelbase and reduced weight, although not dramatic, really did make the C14 feel more nimble at lower speeds in particular. Having relocated back to the midwest, where the roads are bad, the longer wheelbase and ESA set to soft really help my operated/fused lower back cope with bumps better. This is one of the main reasons I went back to a BMW, no pun intended.

Anyway, the C14 is really a great bike, and if Kawasaki ever took a leap and added cruise and ESA I might be back. Honda is well past due to update their ST, and have a gem of an engine in the VFR.         
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Offline shreveportSS

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #32 on: August 13, 2013, 09:38:09 PM »
I think he was speaking to the overall capabilities of the bike, not specifically handling and acceleration. To a vast segment of the sport-touring market, while those attibutes are generally desired, they are not the be all end all of deciding which ST bike is the right choice.

Now, having owned both my exprience is has been that as delivered, the K16 handles better than a C14 or FJR. It steers much lighter than the C14, exhibits no funky brake dive or squirrly linked brake behavior. However, when I added PR3's and went to a 190/55 in the rear, my C14 handled just as well I thought, minus the lamented linked brakes and associated brake dive. Upgrading the Z8's on the K16 might advance the handling capability as it did on my C14. Both offer handling capabilities far beyond the scope of an average rider, let's be honest.

To me, the measure of a sport touring bike goes beyond how fast or how well it may handle. Admittedly, even handling is subjective, as some prefer different handling traits. I can tell you going from duolever to conventional forks and back a few times always gets noticed, and takes me quite some time to adjust. Some guys like conventional forks only, personally, I have come to really dislike them for sport touring. It gets very annoying having my passenger slide into me every time I brake on the C14.

I think the C14 and FJR represent the ST purists in a sense. They most certainly are the best value around with minimal gadjets and conveniences, leaving it to owners to farkle accordingly. Less emphasis on wind protection, more sporting rider ergonomics, etc.

On the other hand Triumph and BMW try to let you have your cake and eat it too. They provide machines that provide better weather protection, comfort/conveniences/refinement, better two up platforms, and give it to you with a very sporting balance of performance and more refinement, and arguably do so beyond the FJR and C14.

I can tell you this much. As good as the C14 engine is, if Kawi plopped in a butter smooth torque monster I6, that would really be something. Nothing beats an engine that is naturally banced, and the more holes the better! 

There is no wrong choice, but it is almost impossible to argue that the Trophy and K16 in particular are at the head of the class in terms of their broader capability.

Just curious, Did you spend much time setting up your C14 suspension or tinker with it? It took me awhile to get mine set up for optimal handling but I can corner better on my Connie than I can on my Ninja 1000 as the N1k's suspension was not manufactured with a 245lbs rider in mind. (Olins in it's future?) By setting mine up correctly, i don't have any noticeable brake dive. Just have to worry about flying over the handlebars.
 I have ridden a new Trophy and  K1600GT  and for me, the C14 was definitely the better canyon carver, but, It's no cushy ride when set up this way when the road gets rough. That to me is where the Trophy and K16 show the superior suspension's ability to perform well while giving that cushy ride.
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Offline eng943

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #33 on: August 14, 2013, 12:18:24 PM »
Just curious, Did you spend much time setting up your C14 suspension or tinker with it? It took me awhile to get mine set up for optimal handling but I can corner better on my Connie than I can on my Ninja 1000 as the N1k's suspension was not manufactured with a 245lbs rider in mind. (Olins in it's future?) By setting mine up correctly, i don't have any noticeable brake dive. Just have to worry about flying over the handlebars.
 I have ridden a new Trophy and  K1600GT  and for me, the C14 was definitely the better canyon carver, but, It's no cushy ride when set up this way when the road gets rough. That to me is where the Trophy and K16 show the superior suspension's ability to perform well while giving that cushy ride.

No, I really did not tinker much with the suspension on the C14, and when I lived in SoCal, it was less of an issue really, since most of the roads were really good.

Now in the midwest, where I crank out more slab, and the roads are really complete junk, the suspension on the C14 became more of a focal point. It's nice to be able to hit a button and get what you want, and it's an option I would love to see more bikes in this segment have along with cruise.
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Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #34 on: August 15, 2013, 12:25:44 PM »
The BMW is the benchmark?  :o :rotflmao:

And I raise you with a  :_shudder_Emoticon .
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Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #35 on: August 15, 2013, 12:35:48 PM »
eng943, that's a well documented post, thanks.

I have to disagree on the handling part, which I found particularly noticeable while on a trip with a friend with his K16 and me on the Kawa, and we were swapping back and forth. Every time I got back on the C14 I felt like I was driving such a nimble, light bike, and the K16 felt like a whale. But as you well put it: each person appreciates different traits on a bike. One thing that puzzles me is how easy it is to take a hairpin on the BMW and how scary it can get on the Kawasaki. But that's about it. Everywhere else I take the Kawasaki without thinking, unless it's a two up trip, then the misses is happier on in the BMW.

Another thing that usually goes unnoticed until someone points it out at you is the throttle lag, that half a second that the BMW takes to respond to throttle inputs due to one-butterfly design and such a long intake. The I6 lack of vibes is neat, but the I4 from the C14 is amazingly smooth. So, to summarize: those 2 factors, together with the paralever, make for a very detached feeling which I don't care for, like driving a 7-series. Some actually like that very feeling; I (as you remarked) prefer conventional forks.

I think that the throttle lag is endemic of anything accelerated by wire.  The computer is calling the shots, not the rider.  I quick twist doesn't necessarily translate to the same thing at the TB butterfly.  On Motorhead Garage they had a device that removed that lag (now this was for a truck, I think) and could change it for road or track or some other condition.  I don't see why that couldn't be done somehow for these fly by wire bikes.
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Offline Rhino

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #36 on: August 15, 2013, 12:52:55 PM »
eng943, that's a well documented post, thanks.

I have to disagree on the handling part, which I found particularly noticeable while on a trip with a friend with his K16 and me on the Kawa, and we were swapping back and forth. Every time I got back on the C14 I felt like I was driving such a nimble, light bike, and the K16 felt like a whale. But as you well put it: each person appreciates different traits on a bike. One thing that puzzles me is how easy it is to take a hairpin on the BMW and how scary it can get on the Kawasaki. But that's about it. Everywhere else I take the Kawasaki without thinking, unless it's a two up trip, then the misses is happier on in the BMW.

Another thing that usually goes unnoticed until someone points it out at you is the throttle lag, that half a second that the BMW takes to respond to throttle inputs due to one-butterfly design and such a long intake. The I6 lack of vibes is neat, but the I4 from the C14 is amazingly smooth. So, to summarize: those 2 factors, together with the paralever, make for a very detached feeling which I don't care for, like driving a 7-series. Some actually like that very feeling; I (as you remarked) prefer conventional forks.

I thought it was just me and my lack of skill. I don't like hairpins on the C14.

Offline gPink

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #37 on: August 15, 2013, 01:38:15 PM »
I think that the throttle lag is endemic of anything accelerated by wire.  The computer is calling the shots, not the rider.  I quick twist doesn't necessarily translate to the same thing at the TB butterfly.  On Motorhead Garage they had a device that removed that lag (now this was for a truck, I think) and could change it for road or track or some other condition.  I don't see why that couldn't be done somehow for these fly by wire bikes.
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Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #38 on: August 15, 2013, 02:15:04 PM »
We're not throttle by wire.  Whole different can of worms with those bikes.
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Offline jayke

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Re: Cycle World - FJR vs. Trophy vs K1600GT
« Reply #39 on: August 15, 2013, 02:25:02 PM »
I'm now riding a '13 FJR with throttle by wire. 

It has two modes:

Sport which has instant response, I don't notice any lag.

Touring- which has simular throttle response to my stock '08 C14

I don't think you can just blame throttle by wire buy it's self for the lag. I'd say it's in the software.

The BMW K bikes with a single throttle body might be the exception though.