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Gold Wing vs R 1250 GSA

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Gold Wing or R 1250 GSA for long street miles

  • Total voters
    32
Tigerkf

Tigerkf

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I am looking to buy a bike for long days on the slab. My first choice was a new Gold Wing. After talking to a friend, he told me the most comfortable bike he's ever owned was his 2021 Tiger 1200. I have only owned ADV bikes so I have no experience on a Wing. For reference he has well over a million miles riding Wings! Since that conversation, I spoke with another person who has owned a lot of bikes and he advised his 2021 R 1250 GSA is the most comfortable bike he has owned. That being said I have never ridden a the GSA or the Wing. So which would you choose for long street miles (no dirt or gravel). I am mainly concerned with comfort, comfort and comfort.
 
Much as it irks the Long Way Round wannabe's we primarily own an R1250GSA because it's the best sport tourer made! For such a large bike it carries its weight so low and is so well balanced that it can take on everything from fast slab (remember it was born in the land of the Autobahn) to twisties and of course, gravel, dirt & fire roads if the fancy takes ya. Cruise control, adaptive ABS, hill assist, electronic suspension, ride modes...you got it all.

You're welcome to test ride ours if you're in the area.
 
Not sure you'll get a test ride on the Honda, but any BMW dealer will let you take a GSA out. Comfort is pretty subjective, and those two bikes are pretty different. I'd think you'd be looking at a K1600 or RT for comparison. If I had to have one bike to do everything it would be a GSA.
 
Justin has had a GS in the past and got rid of it for long highway miles. I found his thoughts on the bike rather interesting.


For truly long days in the saddle wind and noise will wear a person out as much as anything and that's where bikes like the Wing really shine.

I'm not convinced I wouldn't want to go back one generation though.
 
Tigerkf said:
I'm not looking to compare apples to apples. I'm talking comfort only for street miles.
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Fair enough. What are you defining comfort as? Seat with more lumbar support, knees at a relaxed angle, upright ergos, longer/shorter reach to the bars, plenty of isolation from the elements/wind, soft suspension, electronics, low engine noise, etc.?

If you were to ask me in broad terms which bike was more comfortable to sit on, then the Wing would be my choice. That said, I own the GSA for other criteria that falls into the realm of comfort.
 
Grozny said:
Fair enough. What are you defining comfort as? Seat with more lumbar support, knees at a relaxed angle, upright ergos, longer/shorter reach to the bars, plenty of isolation from the elements/wind, soft suspension, electronics, low engine noise, etc.?

If you were to ask me in broad terms which bike was more comfortable to sit on, then the Wing would be my choice. That said, I own the GSA for other criteria that falls into the realm of comfort.
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Yes! I'm just looking for opinions of overall comfort! Obviously I'll ride both before buying and could possibly throw some others into the mix at a later date. However at this point, for a water cooled long day bike, these seem to be the front runners.
 
Texas T said:
For two-up the pre-2018 bikes are the way to go, but now that I'm riding solo I'd be all over one of the new DCT touring bikes (if I had the money).
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My friend, who was a motor officer for years, said most of the guys he knows that bought 2018 up Wings switched back to pre-2018 for police work.
 
I had a K1600 GT that I thought would be a good touring option, turned out the GSA was much better for me so I switched back to a R1250 GSA and haven't looked back. I can ride all day without any pain or discomfort. GSA is worth trying. I swapped out the windsreen for the vstream touring model, added some Rox Risers and a Wunderlich seat, everything else is stock as far as ergos go. The factory bars work as foot rests for me when I need to stretch.
 
Tigerkf said:
.... I am mainly concerned with comfort, comfort and comfort.
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My 2 cents on a subjective topic. I don't find my 2018 GS particularly comfortable on long hauls. A stock GSA offers slightly better wind/rain protection over a GS. As @2N2OUT states, risers and an aftermarket seat would make it more comfortable. I had handlebar risers for a while and they made a big comfort improvement but they're not good for off-pavement.

Maybe consider a 1250RT over a GSA?
 
If I was looking to knock interstate miles, Goldwing.
 
@misterk
@RoadRageTaurus

Mister K has a bunch of miles on a Gold Wing and he's told me once before that he thought his Africa Twin was more comfortable on long hauls. Hopefully, he will chime in and elaborate.

RoadRageTaurus used to have the RT and now has the GSA. Curious to hear his thoughts as well.

This thread is timely, I've been considering an interstate/slab machine lately and wondered about the DCT Gold Wings. Thinking about going to ride one tomorrow.

I'm used to riding bikes where my feet are under me, so I can stand up when my butt gets sore. Guessing that's not possible on a Gold Wing? Or is it even necessary?

I used to own a Tiger 1200 and it has been the most comfortable road going bike I've ridden so far, including a few rides on GS and GSA 1200's. The downside of the Tiger 1200 is that it throws off a lot of heat. The big GSA's do as well from what I've felt.

Do the Gold Wings throw off heat like that? Or have they engineered around that issue?

If I was going to do an ADV bike for long miles, I'd get the Tiger 1200 again. That motor is so smooth and the wind protection is better than any ADV bike I've ridden before.
 
Jarrett said:
This thread is timely, I've been considering an interstate/slab machine lately and wondered about the DCT Gold Wings
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Probably as good a mile eater as there is. And I hear they handle well too. Of the folks I know it seems guys who buy GS1200/1250 and Goldwing seem to be the ones who keep buying the same bike when they buy new bikes.
 
Texas T said:
For two-up the pre-2018 bikes are the way to go, but now that I'm riding solo I'd be all over one of the new DCT touring bikes (if I had the money).
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Yeah, if I was buying a Wing it'd be because the wife had committed to that 2-up life.

But she hasn't so I bought the FJR for slogging miles. :D

I like that it's almost silent on highway at 80+ and the Wing is supposed to be even better.

I can stand on the FJR but it isn't needed much unless the road is nasty. I have it on good authority you can stand on a Wing too.
 
On my recent trip I noticed that I was in significantly better condition at the end of the day on my Goldwing than I used to get get on my last bike. I believe it is due in large part to the fairing and wind protection. Even though I spent 11hrs on the bike on one of my days I was totally fine at the end of it. Tired yes, but not ragged out or needing a rest day. I think the fairing plays a huge part of the comfort on the bike so consider that in comparing the two.
 
Jarrett said:
The downside of the Tiger 1200 is that it throws off a lot of heat. The big GSA's do as well from what I've felt.
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I rode mine from Dallas to San Francisco in July & that was not a problem even across the Southwest at 105 degrees ambient.
 
I know some of you don't have a strong opinion one way or the other but could you vote anyway? I'm curious what the final tally will be!
 
I had a 2012 wing. . . Traded it on a 2018 GSA1200. 18 months into ownership, the rear spokes became loose (warranty item). . . Called the dealership, they said don't ride it, we will come and get it. Took the dealership a week to pick it up, 1 more week for the tech to inspect and order the new wheel, and 2 additional weeks to get the new wheel in and installed on the bike. The bike was down about 4 weeks. The cost would have been $2200.00 had it not been covered under warranty.

I asked the service tech how someone could afford the repairs that aren't covered under warranty. He said that's not a problem because most people trade their BMW's in before the warranty expires. I took his answer as a hint. I traded my 2018GSA in on a new Goldwing Tour. Absolutely no regrets.

The 2 big issues for me regarding the BMW were cost of maintaince, and few dealerships compared to Honda. Also, I had to schedule 2-3 weeks out for any maintaince work at the BMW shop. They were ALWAYS backed up with work.

You asked my opinion, here it is. Get the Goldwing.
 
John D said:
The 2 big issues for me regarding the BMW were cost of maintaince, and few dealerships compared to Honda. Also, I had to schedule 2-3 weeks out for any maintaince work at the BMW shop. They were ALWAYS backed up with work.
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On my 4th BMW, this is why it's my last. And I love it. But as you said a service item under was exactly as yours 4 weeks for a radiator. And I think it's leaking again.
 
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