shmily

That is a gorgeous machine. Congratulations!

I've been thinking the same thing. What it's worth to me (I still love the bike) vs. its "market" value...well...there's no comparison.

...and she's worth every penny of it!!

Here she is. I have every intention of remaining active on this site. Not only has it been a great source of information regarding all things RSV, but its members are some of the coolest folks I've ever come across. In reference to the attributes of the K bike, it's a totally different experience from the Venture. The torque the thing makes is scary (125 lb/ft). In fact, it makes me lazy because there is very little need to downshift and I often find myself ignoring the gear I'm in. The bike is very well thought out and the integration of all the electronics through the magic wheel is nothing less than incredible. The adaptive headlight, electronic suspension, traction control, and ride-by-wire all perform as advertised. One of the negatives (relative compared to the Venture) is the seating position which is awesome on the twisties but not so much on the highway. I haven't done any long rides yet but I can't imagine this being as comfortable as the RSV. Also, it just doesn't have the cool factor of the RSV. As I cleaned up the RSV in preparation for sale, I'm still impressed by the lines and appearance of the bike. Also, integration of Bluetooth is tricky on the BMW. Work-arounds are possible, but the proprietary system works only with the Schuberth C3 helmet which has a price tag of 700 bucks. While the BMW sits much taller, it feels less top heavy than the RSV. It feel like it wants to go, go, go. Leaning it into turns feels very natural - in fact, the bike seems to beg for it.

As many of you recall from a previous thread, I was struggling with the decision to spring for a BMW K1600 GTL. Well....a buddy called because he was trading his '13 for a '16. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse. In short, he sold it to me for what the dealer was going to give him in trade. That bike is incredible in so many ways, but there as some things about the RSV I'm definitely going to miss. I'm dragging my feet on selling the Venture, but my wife keeps reminding me that I need to get moving. I'll post pics of the BMW when I take a few.

You all may recall from another thread that I've been eyeballing the BMW K1600 for quite some time. I've been reluctant to pull the trigger, mostly because of the price tag and maintenance costs of the BMW. This new FJR has all the goodies of the BMW (sans GPS) that any sport touring bike could possibly hope for. I'm really anxious to see how this will be priced. I'm have a suspicion that the price of this bike brand new will be competitive with a three of four year old K bike. If that's the case, there is no decision for me to make. This bike may very well keep a loyal customer with Yamaha for a lot more years.

Depending on pricing, that should give the BMW K1600 serious competition. I wonder if an option will be a topbox/trunk with rider back rest?

I believe you're right about that. The seat height is definitely higher. The pillion and trunk are definitely higher also. The engine is mounted lower, but I think the net CG is higher than that of our Ventures.

Sold my C50 when I got the Venture. I kept them both for a long time and loved hopping on the Boulevard for peppy trips around town. I put a fuel controller on it and it was a blast to ride. I was actually saving the very clean C50 to give to my son as a first bike for my son but in his words "Dad, you want me to ride motorcycles more than I do". I knew then that pushing the issue was a bad idea. The day he opened the garage and the Boulevard wasn't in it, he freaked.

Reminds me of my early days commanding Army aviation units. You see, I found that there were two types of aviators: Those who do it for the love of flying, and those who do it as a job. Interestingly enough, I could always spot those with a love of flying because after buttoning up the aircraft and heading into flight ops, they ALWAYS turned around after a few steps to take one last look at the bird. Almost as if to say "I appreciate you getting me home again". Very cool. There are a lot of similarities between motorcycle people and aviators.

Pretty nice seat cover on the white one! OK, OK...somebody had to say it!

I feel like I just got a graduate level course in riding an RSV. I'll definitely check head bearing adjustment. Also, is there a place on this site where I can learn more about leveling links? I have no idea what they are or what they do. I'm pretty handy and have done a few mods to the bike. If this is something the amateur shade-tree mechanic can probably handle, I'm game.

This has been an interesting thread and has certainly helped my shape my thinking about the topic. Here's a quick synopsis: 1. Be OK riding at your comfort level, not your riding buddy's, 2. There are things that can be done to the Venture to make it a little more manageable on the twisties, 3. A better bike won't necessarily make ME a better rider; if anything perhaps overly-confident, and, 4. At my current comfort level, the bike is not the limiting factor. Most likely, my confidence level is. Sound about right?

Excellent perspective. You're very intuitive also. Yes we are all very good friends who have served together in the Army for years. One final question: I'm wondering if getting a bike that was a built with the twisties in mind increase confidence under those conditions or am I smoking crack? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Lotta wisdom in that statement Puc and exactly the kind of input I'm looking for from other Royal Star riders. I'm blessed enough to be at a stage in my life when I can actually afford the beemer and the wife says if I want it I should go for it. The problem is that I'm still not sure if the bike is the limiting factor or if it's me. There would be nothing worse than paying that kind of cash for a bike that I think will be a panacea only to learn that I'm the problem and that I still suck on the twisties! The truth is, I don't drag the floorboards very often and it scares the livin' bejeebers out of me when I do.