From K1600 GT to XR?

[mdesjard]

For those who have gone from K1600 to XR, do you miss the K16? 
Anything I should be aware of before I made the switch?

[Diavel]

I still have both . A 2017 K1600 GTLE and the S1000XR but, obviously , they are very different bikes. I have had a number of K1600's and I keep it for touring long distances on good roads.Once it gets going it is super comfortable and just eats ups the miles.But it is a big heavy tourer and not ideal around town whereas the S1000XR is a completely different bike and far more versatile.So if I could only keep one then it would be the S1000XR.I have toured Europe , 2 up, on the XR and it was fine...less comfortable but ,in many ways , more enjoyable.If you want to mainly use the bike for long distance touring then stick with the K1600 😁

[mdesjard]

Thanks Diavel for the input.
I ride small rides every day.  I also go on a couple long rides per year.  We always take back roads and get off the bikes every hour.
I love the idea of having a lighter bike with just as much if not more power.  The K16 is soooo comfortable I know I would miss that
aspect.  Has anyone done slow speed maneuvers on XR like the Police do? If so is it easier than the K16? 
I may just purchase the VR and keep the K16 for 6 months to a year to see if I continue to use it.

[Diavel]

If you can have both then you should 😁.For the type of riding you do an XR would be fine and very easy to manoeuvre at all speeds.For the longer trips, on the xr,  I have the BMW panniers and a larger Givi top box with a rack on the top box. Takes everything for 2 people for a few weeks.

[mdesjard]

Never ride 2 up, wife is a nurse and refuses to get on the back.  Easier for me!!

[Diavel]

Definitely the XR then 😁

[Antares]

Lot of K1600 owners swear by it, a lot own both bikes, Imo there is nothing the K1600 can do that the XR can't but the opposite is not quite true. The XR is comfortable when you want it, can easily do 500 miles in a day, but is also an absolute track weapon if you want to embarrass a couple sportbike riders, the only thing keeping the XR from being the best all around bike is that it's not suited for off road. If it handled like it did but had an off-road option, it'd be the single best all around bike in the world. Facts.   

[mdesjard]

Antares, I just read about Mark's school you wrote about.  If they had something in the states like that I would jump at the chance!!

[LeftCoastKen]

Originally Posted by mdesjard

Has anyone done slow speed maneuvers on XR like the Police do?

Here is a YouTube playlist of me doing some police cone patterns on my XR during an advanced rider training coarse I did a few years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdHqlP6lvAXGZWjIfgoKt2l7UMoRoFvqQ

[Antares]

Originally Posted by LeftCoastKen

Here is a YouTube playlist of me doing some police cone patterns on my XR during an advanced rider training coarse I did a few years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdHqlP6lvAXGZWjIfgoKt2l7UMoRoFvqQ

Didn't see this bit but just to comment on it too, the XR handles phenomenally at low speeds, the bars give you so much control and it has a very good rear brake with good feel, only concern is if you're not too confident and your legs don't reach properly you can find yourself in a pickle.