The BMW was a blast to ride. Up until then I had only ridden V-twin cruisers, so to me it was like a rocket. The bike itself is gorgeous and has some cool features. Stock suspension is better than any aftermarket suspension I've ever had.
Some turn-offs:
- Touring tires still have low tread life. I can't afford tire changes every month.
- Onboard GPS sucks, and no Android Auto capability.
- The maintenance frequency and cost would be an issue.
- The tour pack capacity is very small compared to HD.
- As you mentioned, it feels like you're sitting on top which is something I'd maybe get used to with saddle time.
Pretty much all the same reasons for me too.
Even with Legends cartridges up front and Ohlins shocks in the rear my HD doesn't ride anywhere as near as nice as either the BMW or the GoldWing do in stock form. And the Honda has different ride modes, Tour, Sport, Econ and Rain. I use Tour most of the time, and Rain for rain. Sport mode is wicked crazy fast. It firms up the suspension and changes the power band. It's too much for my reflexes,....LOL!. And yes, the BMW was like a ROCKET when you roll the wrist! I do like the Honda "Boxer" motor as it keeps the center of gravity really low. Combined with the under the seat fuel tank the Honda is really stable, even at slow speeds.
One thing HD does have over the BMW and Honda is storage. The cavernous sized King Tour Pack and the deep saddlebags of the HD will spoil you. But I figured it out, When riding alone the 'Wing is enough with a tall bag on the back seat and a bag on the trunk rack. When my wife comes along I use the trailer. And since it's a Honda I don't have to carry a lot of tools and a quart of oil like I do when touring on the CVO. No more wrenches and Locktite to tighten things after a full day of riding.
The GPS on my 2018 GoldWing is functional, but quirky, however it has Apple CarPlay so I can use my on iPhone navigation apps. Eating up tires is a downside to all that HP and TQ that comes with the BMW. Twisting the wrist has consequences,....LOL! On my Honda I got just shy of 11k on my last set of Bridgestones with dual compound tread. I'm running Shinkos now with all one compound soft tread. I'll probably get 8k out of them, just enough to make it to Sturgis and back.
As for maintenence, what can I say it's a Honda. I do my own oil changes and tires and that alone is a big savings. The airfilter was changed twice, once by the previous ownder and most recently when it was in getting a recall done. Same with the coolant flush. But over on the GoldWing sites riders talk about going 90k before changing plugs or doing valve adjustments which aren't too hard.
But as I said before, for me the biggest thing is reverse gear. No more looking for spots that allow for easy back walking in or out. Just park. And being well over 100lbs lighter than the HD makes a difference. I don't use the ride height adjustable windscreen as I'm old school (just old) and prefer to look over it. But my wife likes it as when raised it cuts down on the wind when she's back there.
Don't get me wrong I still love me 2006 CVO Ultra. I know the newer ones are much better with the partially watercooled M8s.
However for me it's the last Harley I'll ever buy.