GL 1500 SE versus K-1200-LT Custom
Victor H. Agresti
My wife and I wanted a luxury-touring bike with long-distance comfort for enjoyment on rural roads and the interstate highways leading there. A center stand and electric reverse were mandatory. The $17,500 Honda Gold Wing GL 1500SE and the $18,900 BMW K-1200-LT Custom met our requirements. The GL comes with saddlebag liners, adjustable passenger floorboards, passenger intercom, and CB radio. These upgrades would cost over $2,000 on the BMW. The GL has better lighting fore and aft, greater storage capacity, leg heater and ventilation vents, and more after-market accessories than there are varieties of coffee. The LT has second-generation ABS brakes, heated grips, two-position (hi-low) driver seat, heated driver and passenger seat/back with separate controls, electrically adjustable windshield, built-in adjustable wind deflectors, trip information computer, and a 6-disc-cartridge CD-changer for hours of hands-free music. Both bikes have an adjustable headlight, electronic cruise control, AM/FM, tape player, and front & back speakers. BMW’s reverse uses far less battery power than the Honda, and the LT’s rear tire can be removed by the owner using the standard tool-kit, with the bike on the center stand. The LT has an 840-watt alternator compared to the GL’s 546 watts.
The LT’s electronic fuel-injected rubber-mounted 4-cylinder engine is a bit more powerful than the GL’s dual carburetor 6-cylinder, with 0-60 times of 4.9 seconds versus 5.3 seconds for the GL. They both do the quarter mile in about 13 seconds and 100 mph. Either delivers ample power for a touring bike, with no vibration.
BMW engineers made the LT’s 5th gear quite tall. At 65 mph the tach shows only 3,000-rpm of its 8,400-rpm redline. The benefits are terrific fuel mileage and no tendency to search for a higher gear. However, downshifting is needed for real passing power and hilly driving below about 30 mph. The LT’s 6.34-gallon tank and 52.6 average mpg give up to 333 miles between fill ups. (The GL’s 6.30-gallon tank and 32.2 average mpg provide only a 203-mile range.) Touch the LT trip information computer display button to show mpg from the last fill-up. Other displays are ambient air temperature, estimated miles remaining in tank, and average speed since last fill-up.
Overall, the LT transmission is excellent, but there is a pesky irritant. When going from neutral to 1st gear – it occasionally slips back into neutral when you remove your foot from the gear changer. For an otherwise brilliantly conceived motorcycle, this defect is out of character. The GL transmission is excellent.
The Wing has better overall wind protection. However, the LT’s adjustable windshield provides a more flexible system. You can raise or lower the windshield over a 5" vertical range at the touch of a button -- down for better visibility, up for protection, or anywhere in between.
The LT’s Paralever/Telelever system provides a comfortable and stable ride that absorbs most road defects. The LT’s rear variable rebound dampening adjustment is via a knob under the flip-up driver seat. The GL suspension has an air adjustable front suspension, providing a soft but very comfortable ride. Many owners buy after-market suspension upgrades, which should tell Honda that improvement is needed. You’d think with all that luggage space, the GL could hold the most weight, but the BMW has a 469 pound maximum carrying capacity versus the Honda’s 391.
The LT is wobblier at very low speeds, but once moving it handles like a lighter sport tourer. It will lean steeply in case you want to scare your passenger with a scraping foot-peg. Either bike is stable at super-slab speeds. Wet weights are 912 pounds for the GL and 851 pounds for the LT, so lean either bike too far when stopped and you could hurt yourself just holding it up. If you already have back problems, these heavyweights may not be for you. The GL seats are as good as they come, but they should be heated. For the LT, I had no seat discomfort after all-day rides and my wife said the passenger seat and backrest are more comfortable than our car seat and the built-in handholds were perfectly positioned.
Professional testers can stop the GL from 60-0 in 129 feet versus the LT’s 117 feet. The GL has twin-piston single action calipers in an integrated system versus the LT’s four-piston double-action ABS II in separate systems.
The GL’s instrument panel is marvelous. The controls and displays are clear for everything, designed for glove use, and logically positioned, including the well-integrated intercom and CB radio. The LT has an excellent instrument panel and very satisfactory control layout. I prefer a single left-thumb button for turn-signals rather than BMW’s three-switch arrangement, but that’s minor. If you decide to pay the $900 (gag!) for the LT intercom upgrade plus hundreds more for headsets, the controls will be located, in all places, inside the glove box.
Even though we selected the BMW, there are good reasons to buy either bike. The GL costs less and has advantages such as larger luggage capacity, better lighting, better instrumentation, and those $2,000 of upgrades included. On the other hand, the BMW has better handling, brakes, and suspension. It also has 50% greater range between fill-ups, 78-pound greater carrying capacity, heated grips & seats, trip information computer, CD player, and adjustable windshield.
After a long LT test ride, my wife and I lost interest in our cruiser. (Larry Marling and the other folks at Rockville Harley Davidson/Battley Cycle were terrific.) The GL was the product BMW was out to beat. Now, Honda will have to improve the Wing because of the LT. Competition is a wonderful thing for consumers.