Traded in my 2004 BMW K1200LT last fall and bought a 2015 CVO Limited. Bought the BMW new in 2004 as it came with Heated Seats, Heated Grips, Cruise Control, Reverse, BMW ABS Braking and a stereo with a 6 disc CD changer as standard equipment for less then either a Gold Wing or Harley without such features. Also it was a BMW. Owned and drove the BMW for 10 years travelling around for long weekends and week long trips twice a year. Rode and drove great with no complaints. Plain Jane looks and odditty of machine did get old to me after about four years. Being paid for though, and performance being fine, just kept riding. Finally decided to upgrade and naturally all the features on the CVO Limited are great. Add my wife as another whose influence is paramount, and who luckily for me, fell in love with CVO at first sighting. Now onto my comparison after having logged 1100 miles in the last 40 days. Most all of our riding has been and is non-freeway.
Seat - BMW was stiff and after 200 miles it got tough to endure. CVO Hammock so far appears to be much better and initial impression is it is a definite upgrade. Wife says BMW was far superior for her, but she had handles on top of BMW saddlebags at seat level which she misses dearly. Also being a petite gal, seat softness does not seem to affect her comfort either way as far as the tush goes, so the handles is what she misses affecting her opinion(?).
Riding Position - Seating position is apples and oranges. BMW situated more in a Street/Sport position with heels slightly behind hips. This gave bike a fun sporty feel that was fantastic in the twisty's. Not so much for long rides and outright uncomfortable at about 200 miles. CVO heels forward and comfortable. Adapting to change and quite pleased with new position for touring. Handlebars on CVO slightly higher, again making more comfortable for touring.
Ride - BMW great fun to ride and fantastic at handling and eating up the twisty's (my favorite). CVO so far has not disappointed. While not the same sport feel as the BMW at cornering and handling, it has greatly exceeded my expectations so far. Rolling through twisty's is whole different feel, but one I am smiling through the whole way. The less challenging stretches of roadway are by far better on the CVO.
Wind Buffetting - This is a draw as BMW shield raised and lowered easily with a button on the grips that was ergonomically situated. Buffetting could be eliminated, drawback though having to look through shield and shield could catch the wind and act as a sail. Also could lower BMW shield below sight line and used for a cooling wind on hot days. Have replaced Harley stock with a LRS 10"Ultra (with flames), that combined with the vent allows me to see above shield line with no buffeting on face, only at very top of my head (I'm 5' 10"). Love the CVO vision over the screen with minimal buffetting.
Controls and Ergonomics - Harley wins this hands down. I find everything is easily manipulated with Joysticks and easy while holding the grips. BMW had limited things you could do while holding grips and required looking down at top of the tank (more dangerous) then compared to the Boombox Screen. Grips on CVO are awesome. I have some wrist tendon issues that do not come into play on CVO as it did with BMW. Also they look as awesome as they feel.
Engines - Again apples and oranges. I am not a mechanic, or care to be one, so my opinions here are all based off feel and not HP, cc's or design. BMW very responsive and was a 1200cc with 5 speeds. Quickness and responsiveness very good. Would start to whine abit though at speeds over 70 mph if not raced through the gears from the start. It would go over 100 mph and have rode at 80 mph for long stretches. In other words if I did not rev it up to the max through each gear to allow me to not shift to 5th until about 70, engine seemed to not like travelling at 70-75 mph for long durations. Had dealer do all of the scheduled maintenance and never had any issues. CVO engine, as you know, performs great and can handle 70 mph with no problem without even hitting 5th gear. Engine performance so far way better then BMW.
Braking - BMW ABS brakes were awesome and came in handy many times. Did not like having any independent control of front brake though at low maneuvering speeds. CVO's reflex braking is great. Trust and hope CVO ABS will take care of me as well as BMW's when needed.
Temperature - I do not withstand heat well and that was also a big factor in buying my BMW for touring back in 2004. No radiant heat from machine at all. CVO considerably hotter, even with cooled heads. Will have to adapt.
TourPak and Saddlebags - Have not used for long trip as of yet so jury still out. First impression though is there seems to be more space.
Appearance - BMW appealed to me as there were not many others you see. I liked the the uniqueness at first. Began to hate the tupperware on the BMW within two years though. No engine to see and virtually no chrome. Not hard to clean or keep up though. CVO is a work of art that I thoroughly enjoy. Not having an abundance out there a big plus. Cleaning and upkeep going to require a lot more of my time. Bought a J & S lift just to help keep clean. I envision becoming one of those guys - Bike always shining
. Bottom line is I love CVO's appearance.
Final Observations - Delighted with looks, ride, and feel of my CVO. Boombox and navigation are great. Navigation and screen location can be used while not deterring much from seeing ahead. BMW stereo cannot compare. Both big machines with CVO being heavier, bulkier, and tougher on parking lot foot maneuvering. Miss my reverse. Have a lot more pride in machine vs all of the Tupperware on the Beamer. Nothing against those who do, hesitant myself to do the look and become completely outfitted with HD everything. HD got enough of my money up front and my machine itself can do all of the explaining.
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Topic: 2015 CVO Limited vs my 2004 BMW (Read 8448 times)