Welcome to Texas Small Town Rides
A motorcycle enthusiast page based out of Texas.
I am often on one of my two BMW’s, either the S1000XR or the K1600GTL. Jimmy is a Harley Davidson purest and only rides a 2016 Softail Classic, sometimes he rents but only Harley Davidsons.
We ride long distances and will inform you on how we do it and what we take with us. Our favorite rides are considered “signature” rides like The Tail of the Dragon or the Talimena Scenic Drive
We are crazy and love to ride from the Earth to the Moon. We will find you the Roads to travel, as we make motorcycle videos to review them.
We will review gear and motorcycles so you can tell us how wrong we are.
Friendly how to videos so you can learn from our mistakes.
We love to ride with friends, so come along and join us. Subscribe and like us, follow our growth and get to know all the biker stuff we are still learning about.
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I had a 1500 aspencade 1994…. Went to Harley just looking ended up letting them talk me into buying a 2022 roadking special . I can’t wait to trade in this bike.
Hi, Bert here from the Netherlands. Six months ago I traded in my 2002 Roadking classic for a 2014 BMW K1600GT. Man, what a difference! I agree with you on all points except...the Harley sentiment. From an eye-catcher that shakes and makes noise to a sewing machine that can barely be heard. I miss that raw sound! This is already better with an Akrapovic exhaust, but the shortcoming remains...
BMW has a light flywheel.moving 6 small pistons. This make clutch control very hard . The hardest thing you will ever do on a motorcycle is slow speed maneuvering. . To me the clutch was very hard to find the friction zone and that very unsettling to me at stops on uphills. And even though the bmw weight less the my street glide. It felt top heavy at slow speed. Now on the open road these problems disappeared. Now my friend that rode a demo with me is a golding owner. He wasn't so kind on what he felt about the BMW. Glad you like it. . And good luck with it
I buy slightly used Harleys (avoiding the innitial depreciation), then I satisfy myself with their adequate torque and slower but adequate accelleration, and have a great time riding them. I also do all my own work and can keep a Harley alive forever. They are also modular, new engine?, new transmission?, etc. unbolt and replace if you can't fix them. So a Harley the way I do them is MUCH cheaper and for me, a more attractive and satisfying bike. The twin-cam 103 or 96 are the best engines they made, so I stick to those. I am also a big guy and the Harley just fits me better. So you can see... the beemer approach is not for everybody. But I can see why some folks would go that way. Have fun.
Harley Davidson relies heavily on peer pressure and from this comes the never ending urge to upgrade. I've owned two Harleys in my life. My first was an 04 Road King. It had a stage one upgrade installed at the dealership before it went on the showroom floor. For two up riding it had adequate power. I never considered any further performance upgrades. I do wish it had better front brakes. That was the only real flaw the bike had. At 725lbs it could waste a set of front brake pads in a jiffy. Mg second Harley was a 2018 Heritage with the Milwaukee 114. This engine was considerably more powerful than the 88 cubic inch Road King. Again, never even considered any performance mods. I guess Harley appreciated me buying their bikes but not so much for not falling in lock step with the parts department. I enjoyed both bike and appreciated for what they were. But, like you, I moved on to BMW. I purchased a 2022 r1250gs. It is, by far, the most competent motorcycle I've owned in my 53 years of riding. Comfort, handling, size, and power only touch the surface of my move to BMW. I had simply outgrown the Harley cruiser/touring bike design. This is not a knock on Harley. I completely understand the 100 plus year love affair that riders have Been drawn to.
Thanks for this video! I have BMW cars and have contemplated which bagger to get HD vs BMW or Indian. BMW just know how to put it together well with less weight and power. It’s all aerodynamics and physics. I’m looking at tow Roctane R18 model. Enjoy the ride!
I owned a BMW 1100 RT. By far my Harley street glide slow speed handing os better. The comfort level is much higher. .the adjustable windshield of the bmw was nice but the clutch wasn't.
Tengo una HD Street Glide 2020 y le he metido muchos accesorios, y en viajes de más de 3 horas mi esposa acaba molida, suspensión muy dura, y estoy por cambiarla por una K 1600 Gran America, y con tus reseñas me he convencido de que será mucho mejor opción la BMW PARA viajes largos
It’s not about the ride it’s about how cool we think we look and how people we will never know think we look cool with all the bandanas and leather clothes and unshaven faces right ! We don’t mind riding a lumber truck on 2 wheels while we are stuck riding 45 mph on the highway behind slow traffic cause we can’t shoot around anybody…good review you have found nirvana and are now a motorcycle pilot …an elf rather than an orc ….music is a distraction anyway…the Beamer engine is all the melody you will need 😂
I have owned 3 gold wings a 1985 a 2008 and 2016. I had one boss hoss with a 502 v8 ( big waste) now i have a k1600 b grand american and absolutely love it way more than my wings
I have an Electra Glide CVO and a BMW RT. The RT is a pleasure to ride. The Harley not so much. The Harley looks great and sounds great, but the BMW rides great. And it’s 330 pounds lighter with a lower center of mass. 80 mph on the Harley feels like 100mph. 80mph on the RT feels like 60mph.
update? what are you riding now?
2023 k1600gtl
@@TexasSmallTownRides tell me does it wobble at highway speeds? i keep reading it does
@@SP-xd8gs not at all you are thinking the k1600B as in bagger, very different bike same platform but much different aeros
More power and logical design.
Love your comments and agree with them. I have a Harley and an Indian (which is much better than the Harley) but I will be picking up my Grand America in two weeks. I just feel at my age (70) that its time for lighter bike with reverse so I can continue to enjoy this sport for more years.
Smart move.
I’m getting ready to sell my K1600 and go back to a Road Glide having owned a 2007 and 2010 because I can’t get comfortable on the BMW. Maybe I need to make the changes to make the BMW more comfortable. Thanks for the post from a few years ago.
I just picked up a 2023 K1600B Option 719 and spent half what I would have to get the new Road Glide CVO ST. While I know the CVO has a much better stereo, I can upgrade that pretty easy on the BMW to something just as good if not better. My only other gripe are the mid controls but Im sure they will grow on me. I've been on a Harley Vrod exclusively for 14 years now and just got tired of waiting for HD to put out something with good performance. When they finally do they price it through the roof. Test riding the K1600 was pretty crazy, my Vrod is very fast, this thing is on another level.
Hi Ken , nice video I have a 2015 k1600 gtl which is up for sale was thinking about switching over to a Gold-wing and the reason is I’m having trouble keeping it up right and that’s probably my fault need to lean some slow speed handling.but when I look at what BMW offers compared to other Bikes I’m thinking about going to a newer model and leaning how to handle it better.
What can I say? I have owned Harleys and presently own 2, including a Limited that I upgraded with the Stage III kit and headers. And a whole bunch of other things too… And it is a good performer…for a touring Harley. I tested the ‘24 K1600B recently at Bike Week and found it to be better than the Harley in every measurable way. It would flat smoke any Harley outside of a race-prepped bike. So I’m selling another underutilized bike and considering the Grand America variant. I want the option of the top case and the taller windshield. But you are absolutely right and it is entirely possible that after owning Harleys for most of my adult life I’ve bought my last one.
bmw are expensive to maintain and lack many dealerships. Had a bmw 1150 I liked it for riding the curvy roads
Hello Darren,Do you still own your BMW K 1600 GT? I'm in the market of buying another motorcycle and the K1600 GT is one I'm considering. And are you happy with the service maintenance?
I'm also done with Harley-Davidson trading for a bmw shortly 😊
as my friend once said -if we left hitler alone, we would all be driving bmw's nowadays... and they really are top, since ww2 and beyond all bmw models (both cars and bikes) were always on another level, especially here in europe
I agree with all 5 reasons,especially the customizable part. my biggest regret was getting my Harley because if I want to have someone ride I have to upgrade seat and shocks and then I’m gonna need more powers and have to upgrade the engine then I’m gonna need better handling so I gotta upgrade the suspension and it just goes on and on. It’s an expensive after thought in my garage. The seating positions like sitting in the chair at the dinner table and being really top heavy. I just don’t feel connected to the bike in corners sitting like that. I choose my 2022 Rocket 3R for all my riding. The seating position is great for me. I need to find a tourer that fits me and Harley is definetly not it.
Hi, I just went threw the same thing you did except I had a Indian challenger. Don’t get me wrong the challenger is a great bike , I had the lloydz cams,tune, and exhaust the bike ran great but it still wasn’t where I wanted it to be. My 1600B will be delivered on 1-5-23 and can’t wait to ride if from what all the reviews have said about it
Nice review. I’m looking at a BMW next year. I have 2022 Pan America Special.
Thanks, Darin! I enjoyed your video. I grew up 3 blocks West of Fairview Cemetery on Olive Street from 1966 - 1982. It was awesome to relive it. 😊
Did you try the gold wing?
One thing to remember: BMW motorcycle deprecate much more than a Harley. The value on my K1600b sank faster than a rock tossed into a pond.
Never buy a Harley if you're looking for a "performance" motorcycle. You either accept the engine performance as it is or buy something else. You'll go broke trying to make the HD V twin engine into something it can never be. And when you're finished, you will have a two-cylinder hand grenade that still can't keep up with a Japanese or European motorcycle. I love Harleys and have owned many, but I know better than to go down that Stage 1, Stage II, Stage III rabbit hole.
Exactly the same reasons I traded my 2020 Harley in for my 2023 bmw GTL1600. Great video.
I rode several CVO (owned) purchased a 2014 BMW GTL and never looked back. On my third BMW. I also do very long rides. Four corner ride of the US two(2) times and the true X ride once(15K) race in 19 days. so yes I ride and NEVER had a brake sown
Even though this video is 3yrs old, it hits on every single point on why I changed to a K1600B a month ago. #1 especially. I'm beyond over buying a new HD and immediatley have to dump 10k into it just to make it enjoyable to ride. Every HD I bought in the last 10 years needed bars, exhaust, tune, seat, stereo and suspension all around to start to make it enjoyable. Not to mention I was 29K OTD on the BMW and the newer Road Glide ST with a 117 was 36k OTD. The BMW out of the box only needed a taller windscreen and I changed to some shortly levers. Thats it. Good Suspension, Comfortable seat, Good technology, Seat and Grip heaters, Nice screen, nice lighting, center stand, central locking, and a quickshifter out of the box are some nice additions. HD needs to step it up and offer a better bike 'out of the box'. My K1600B runs circles around my former 131 Road Glide that I had 15k of mods into.
I totally agree, I owned 6 Harleys before I actually went to BMW. I first owned a R1200GS, great bike as I do a lot of long distance. Then traded in for a K1600 Bagger, did not like the way it handled in the highway, the airfoils create LIFT and the bike is unstable, Then I moved to a R1250GSA HP, wonderful…again the very best, but I dreamed of having a K1600 GTL, got it and enjoyed a long trip, wonderful bike, but cannot be compared to the R1250GSA, so then and now, I am back to a 2022 R1250GSA again and for long distances and for the unexpected, there is NOTHING you can compare out there.
BMW gets motorcycles right. Love the K1600!
Returned to riding at 48 on a BMW F900XR, and it has been a great bike to return on - very nimble, upright seating, & very torquey for low speed maneuverability. But looking to my next bike, more touring capabilities with the sport. Test ride the Harley low rider ST - 117, fairing, small chassis. Very nice big - turns with the effort of a school bus and has the tech of a 1980’s calculator for $22k??? Sorry, Harley maybe a lifestyle as mentioned by another commenter - but that “lifestyle” is setting the bar very low and paying to much for it. Based on my 20 minute test ride - this video is spot on!!!
What about vs GSA bmw 1250 vs Ultralimited ?
57 yrs old just got a low miles(500) used 1600gt most comfortable 2 wheels I've scooted in my long worn out life🍻
The tech part I have to disagree with as far as phone integration. New Harley have Apple CarPlay/android auto. The k1600 doesn’t and the bmw connection is trash.
3 year old video, HD has far better tech now
Maybe right but hey harley is a way of life no way ur gonna find that on a beamer
BMW GS Adventure vs Ultralimited friend?
The roads suck in Gainesville.
Have you paid for the valve check/adjustment on the k1600 yet?
I went from a Goldwing to a Harley never happier, 2 cyl vs 6 duh metric bikes have no soul
2 years old, but still good information.
HD's are for people who want to be seen. BMW's are for people who want to ride.
Esattamente quello che sto facendo io in questo momento lasciando la mia HD Electra glide ultra Classic per una bmw r1200rt.
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You should try the BMW 😊R 18.
Completely agree with you. Another reason for me is the suspensions. Totally unsuitable here on Italian roads....every run is a massacre for the back!