Hi Rich!
My uncle had a collection, amidst which had a half-dozen boxers, and the K-four... and I enjoyed every one. Once the K-four's initial smoke-puff cleared, I found it to be an excellent ride, very comfortable, and very nimble, without a harsh ride... IMO, it has similar feel to the ST-1100. I'll have to admit that the 2-valve airheads of the 60's and 70's suprised me with their calm desire to hold current speed, regardless of throttle position... smooth as a sewing machine, with a nice burble, but certainly not willing to disrupt a sunday ride with violent accelleration. The introduction of the R1100's injected 4-valve head and ABS, however, gave them a brand new attitude, and so much that my uncle (actually, my dad's cousin) was unwilling to push it's envelope... so he asked ME to put it up on the back, then the front wheel for him... I've hence put the 4-valve R-bikes in their own class of 'fun'. I haven't ridden any of the K-fours since his (I think his K100LT was about a '91ish? don't remember if it was a 2 or 4-valve)... so if yours is newer, it'd be a different story...
My previous main bike is a '79 Honda CX500D, that I bought in '89 with under 8000mi on the odometer. I ran the heck out of that thing, it's had at least 25 sets of tires, four speedometers, three tachometers, replaced the mechanical fan with an electric, and put a GL1000 front end (dual brakes, stiffer tubes) on it... and given it probably a hundred oil changes and filters, a dozen sets of brake pads... and never had the engine open. When I bought this '84 1200 Aspencade, I knew that the designer of my CX's engine was the SAME GUY that planned out the GL engine back in the '70's... so i was confident in it from day one. I won't call the 1200 a 'fast' motorcycle, but it is certainly never lacks in traffic or hills, and if someone has complaints about two-up performance, they're probably spending a bit-too-much-time at the buffet... :smilie_happy: (a case of the pot calling the kettle black, here... )... but anyway, the 1200's ride is nice, throttle is responsive. Fuel economy eh... but I'm totally comfortable with it spinning calmly at something like 3800 and 80mph... a far cry from the CX500's 8500rpm at 80mph. The GL-series is not without notable issues in the history, but basically, ALL issues up to the 1800 have been addressed. Some seem crazy, but none were downright lemons.
So yeah, the real question is, WHAT do you think you want, and what is your STYLE? Do you prefer to work on your own bike occasionally, or never, or are you a do-it-all-yourself guy? Do you like to travel light, mebbie just a windscreen, or a full fairing? Trunk and/or saddlebags? mebbie pull a trailer? How FAR do you 'need' to be able to lean your bike? Do you find yourself favoring the front brake to the point of having no rear wheel contact? Do you want to be mistaken for a float in the Rose Parade, or wear a leather jacket with a Sons of Arthritis patch on the back? Do you prefer a T-shirt, denim jeans, half-helmet with a boom microphone whilst doing Wolfman Jack imitations on Channel 19, or would you be riding to a reserved spot in the bank's parking garage while wearing a suit and tie? Will it have a WALL DRUG sticker, or 5 O'Clock Somewhere? Is there a wedding in your future with a trailer and dogs in your rear-view mirror, or do you wear a back protector in your leathers, with wear spots on the outsides of your knees?
Early 'wings' had ordinary brakes. Later had 'integrateds'. My '84 1200 has integrated, and I HATE it- my front brake lever only applies one disc, and I don't like that limitation... and a dealer of today's environment would NEVER change that, so I will be. My 1200 has four carbs... if I had the time to swap to a two or single, I probably would, even with a performance penalty, as Eastern Iowa seasons mean long storage at times, and with it, plugged tiny jets... having them more accessible, and fewer/larger makes that easier to contend with... but I'd consider EFI if it was simple and easily maintainable... but the 1500 had duals (rather than six) so I'm considering that. The 1500 is a bit 'yacht-like' in looks... although the 1200 is well-appointed with plastic, there's still a few places that a person can 'see through' it, while the sixes are basically hermetically-sealed. I'll admit the plastic bodywork helps contain dirt (I live on 2 miles of gravel) but I don't have a team of hermits to remove all that plastic so i can work on the @#$% thing... and frankly, I'm not a 'gaudy-lights-and-chrome' guy... so I guess I'm screwed no matter what...
But I ride mine to work, errands, and on shorter rides (2-300 or so) during the spring, summer, and fall. I haven't made much progress on it last few weeks, but I'm building a motorcycle transport trailer specifically for towing the 'wing behind my company truck, so that when I get sent on road-trips to cool places, I can buzz around. Next trip is to Calhoun, Ga on the 10th, it will NOT be ready by then (sigh)...
What's your style... what are you LOOKING for?
