I have now toured on both the Honda Goldwing and the BMW K1600GT and enjoyed both and have a few comparison notes.
You would already know they are both similar size large motorcycles and both are similar weight. At a standstill the BMW feels the heavier of the two. The Honda carries its fuel low under seat the BMW higher up with a traditional fuel tank. The BMW also feels the bigger of the two at standstill however I only rode the bagger version of the Honda.
Once moving the BMW feels the lighter of the two and turns in faster. The BMW has more cornering clearance and can be ridden in a more sporting way. The Honda still has quite reasonable clearance and handles very well within that clearance. Riding at my usual relaxed touring pace I never touched pegs down cornering on the Honda, but I did not try to ride it faster.
The BMW can be ridden much faster and in a real sports touring fashion especially in it’s dynamic mode which sets the suspension firm. However I must say the dynamic suspension setting was too hard for me to use for very long. But riding the twisty roads of Portugal I forgot I was on such a big bike which is an amazing achievement by BMW.
If riding tight corners with ease is important to you then the BMW might be the winner. However if that is the case perhaps the Sport Touring bike category might also be a better match than the luxury tourer category.
Ride quality on the Honda is a little plusher than the BMW. Even in tour mode the BMW front suspension does not ride over manhole covers or bumps as good as the unique front suspension of the Honda which delivers a magic carpet ride feel. And that is not wallowing or spongy on the Honda, but then the BMW is much more nimble and the Honda more slow to turn so depends what you are seeking.
Now lets talk 6 cylinder engines which is one of the main reasons to consider these bikes.
The BMW 1600cc inline 6 has 160hp which on paper seems like a win however the engine is not a stump puller at low rpm. The straight six needs to be in it’s mid range for you to feel it’s power and you can reach or exceed the speed limit just in first gear. So unless you leave the bike in lower gears which is hardly fitting the luxury tourer class you going to be riding around in rpms above where it makes most power – as happens with most modern high powered engines.
Still the inline six is a nice engine, not entirely vibration free until I got to it’s upper rpm range where it was remarkably smooth compared but this could be it was due to be serviced and needed a throttle body balance as my FJR1300 used to get a vibe when it needed a throttle body balance.
The Honda engine delivers almost it’s max power just off idle. Twist the throttle from walking pace and the engine thrusts you forward like an airliner starting its take off. You can access and enjoy that all the time at legal road speeds. I think that style of power delivery can be enjoyed more often on highly policed Australian roads.
Big Harley V-Twins also are engines you can actually enjoy occasionally without doing hyper speeds while high powered litre class bikes have way more power but you cannot access it on public roads without risking loss of licence, bike being crushed and even jail time.
If you live somewhere that you can wind on the throttle then the BMW for sure has the more fun engine but where I live I’d never get to feel the power of the straight six for more than an occasional one second burst from on ramp to highway speed, the rest of the time it’s going to be lugging along at rpm way below it’s sweet spot.
While I found the Gold Wing’s flat six more enjoyable at legal road speeds it’s still not clear to me which bike is better because the Gold Wing to me is designed for cruising while the BMW I feel has been designed to be a capable sports tourer.
Both engines sound very good while riding with standard mufflers. Both are a special event to ride.
Brakes are powerful on both bikes. The Honda required less pressure applied to the lever and felt almost like it had power assisted brakes which I liked a lot but that could just be down to new pads or something and honestly the BMW brakes were just as powerful and neither needed a lot of braking pressure applied to pull up quick.
Suspension on the BMW is dynamic and adjustment on the BMW can all be done electronically but nothing on the Honda (bagger version). That’s actually a huge win to the BMW as the Honda only offers that same plush ride all the time.
The aerodynamics of the BMW were not good for me. Unless the screen was fully upright where I am looking through it there was wind hitting my helmet and around back of my neck trying to get down my jacket. Similarly the lower fairing did not direct air around my legs well. Aftermarket screen might help but the design of the screen mechanism lifting at the rear seems limiting compared to screens that slide up.
The Honda bagger version I rode had the touring screen fitted. I would have preferred the regular shorter screen as the larger screen was too much couple of days in traffic. No problems with aerodynamics the touring screen in its lowered position worked well enough and the short screen raised would be about same position.
Luggage is central locking on both and I could fit my helmet in the BMW side cases but not in it’s top box. The Honda side cases are smaller and will not fit my helmet but they are integrated into the bike well. The Honda cases are one touch soft opening which is very nice.
My K1600GT had the older analogue dash not the LCD now fitted. I generally prefer analogue gauges and the Honda also has analogue. I found the BMW gauges much easier to read than the Hondas despite being smaller, the numbers on the Gold Wing instruments are not easy to read. I’ve ridden BMW’s with their colour LCD and it is fine but I actually found this older dash easier to see in strong sunlight.
I prefer the switchgear on the BMW to the Honda. Especially the cruise control switches which I disliked being on the right hand with the Honda.
The BMW branded navigation is a Garmin underneath and worked well with very bright screen that looked about 5″. The Honda comes with a larger screen but asks you pair a phone and use carplay for navigation in most markets (built in navigation in North America). You could add Carplay easy to the BMW but adding a Garmin to the Honda is very awkward due to that center console. (new model BMW has navigation via phone app in the 10″ screen)
If seeking maximum room for larger body shapes then a friend told me he tried both of these then went with a Harley tourer instead. But he is what I call “a big unit” and I don’t think too many other people would find these lacking in room.
I never tried the stereos on either bike, I personally don’t understand blasting music on a bike – just get a headset for your helmet. Perhaps it is like having straight pipes on a Harley or riding around town standing up like I see people on ADV bikes now doing…
Looks are a personal thing. I like the Honda more than the GT but I like the Bagger version of the BMW very much. If looks are important then also in this luxury touring category is the Street Glide or Road Glide from Harley Davidson.
The Honda suffers from negative preconceptions which might be difficult for some people to deal with. Riders just hearing the name ‘Gold Wing’ are likely to think of the older huge bikes and have a negative opinion despite having never ridden the new one. The BMW escapes this as would any of the Harleys.
As far as being a ‘luxury tourer’ the Honda to me fits that role more.. But the BMW is the more versatile tourer, the more engaging more sporting machine. The Gold Wing gets you to your destination in ultimate comfort. The Gold Wing is bespoke, everything on it is made just for the Gold Wing and it looks better finished to me than the BMW.
Here are a couple of onboard videos from the motorcycle journalist Schaaf channel to give an idea of engine sound and cornering limitations for those who wonder.
Really wish Schaff had put the bike into manual shifting and changed gears with the paddles on left bar. That is how I’d ride the Gold Wing on roads like above.
It’s hard for older people like me to see the numbers on the Honda but it’s much faster than I’d be riding so I think corner clearance is fine for 99% of Australian roads with just a handful of twisty roads here where the Gold Wing would not be as much fun as the K1600.
Next look at the BMW video from Schaff.
Much faster than I would be riding on public roads but shows how sporty the K1600 can be. Note Schaafs comments mid way in the video about aerodynamics and question about it being fit for purpose. The Gold Wing is the more luxury ride of the two which is the class of motorcycles these bikes are pitched in.
The BMW debuted in 2017 but has had an update since then while the Honda has not been updated since it’s release in 2018 apart from fixing the Apple Carplay to work wireless. They both retail in the mid $40K price range in Australia although like new barely ridden bikes can be found for $10K below that and then as these bikes age they plummet in price but since older models are basically the same bikes they seem better buying then to me.
I’d like to try the K1600B bagger model. The bagger is said to be tuned to deliver more torque a little earlier in the rev range and the screen on the bagger is said to have less turbulence. However the lower seating on the K1600B might compromise leg comfort too much for me being 6″.
The mid mount foot pegs on the Gold Wing were excellent and I’d say the Honda has the most comfortable ride I have ever experienced which is fitting of course. I live 1500km north from where the good riding in Australia begins so long distance comfort is a top priority – as well as tyre life to cover the distances.
The BMW K1600 is fitted with Metzler Roadtech 01 which seems one of the longer lasting touring tyres, I never tried these on my FJR1300 in Japan but real world reports suggest about 10,000km can be achieved. So every time I would ride south 1/3 of tyre life use up on highway round trip. The Goldwing definitely has longer lasting tyres available (in it’s unique wheel size not made for the BMW) and most reports suggest up 20,000km on the Dunlops made for it.
That is a big advantage for me with the long distances I would be riding. But needs to be weighed against how much nicer the BMW would be in the twisties. That is hardest thing to decide. Buy a bike that is best for comfort and longest tyre mileage and Honda reliability as well a engine enjoyable at legal speeds that suits 95% of the roads or a bike that is more fun in the twisty 5% of the roads. I still occasionally enjoy to ride a bit more spiritedly in the corners but nothing like Schaaf does on the BMW. It would be quite rare that I’d be seeking more sporty riding than what he does on the Honda.
Given I do a lot of fly/ride motorcycle touring in other countries I can still get my fill of twisty mountain riding in Europe or ADV riding in SE Asia and don’t have to make the bike I own in Australia a do everything item so currently I have come back to thinking the Gold Wing might be what I eventually buy.