Opinions on former police bikes: Honda ST vs BMW

[NorCalBusa]

Whatever the reason, if you're smacking anything with your side cases- you're doing it wrong.

A rear top box BTW isn't "infinitely better", it dramatically raises and moves aft the CG (Center of Gravity) of the bike.

 

[derache123]

What I meant was that top-loading panniers are infinitely superior to side-loading panniers, not top box vs side cases.

 

[ctwo]

Whatever the reason, if you're smacking anything with your side cases- you're doing it wrong.

Of course if you hit anything you're doing it wrong, but I also took my panniers off. Sometimes I need to change my split lane and it can be a tight squeeze crossing a lane.

 

[ST Guy]

I used to share lanes all the time on my ST1100 and never had an issue. Even situations where I had to zigzag. If the front of the bike fit, the rear did as well. I once shared from 237 in Mountain View all the way to Vacaville, nearly 100 miles straight of constant sharing.

 

[Kornholio]

Rode the thing for over 30,000 miles with the majority of it being commuting miles before selling it and never hit anything. Guess I was just lucky then.

 

[bikeama]

I used to share lanes all the time on my ST1100 and never had an issue. Even situations where I had to zigzag. If the front of the bike fit, the rear did as well. I once shared from 237 in Mountain View all the way to Vacaville, nearly 100 miles straight of constant sharing.

Yep, the mirrors in the front fairing are the widest part of the bike. Good design, unlike some other bikes I have had.

 

[NorCalBusa]

Rode the thing for over 30,000 miles with the majority of it being commuting miles before selling it and never hit anything. Guess I was just lucky then.

I believe it's good technique. Many riders tend to clip apexes/early apex and that habit carries into all their riding/turning. Knowing you got some bags back there and widening appropriately- is just good technique. Usually when you've smashed a side case- you get good at "technique" very soon after paying for the new one.

 

[mdesjard]

Where did you buy your RTP

I've never ridden a Honda ST, but I recently purchased a 2015 BMW R1200RT-P and I can tell you that it's a fantastic bike. It's very fast, very comfortable, and very smooth. It's very easy to handle at parking lot speeds, and handles even better at high speeds - arguably better than my F800GT, which weighs 150 pounds less.

It's true that the police model has less storage space than the civilian model due to the slimmer cases and small radio box. However, I find it perfectly adequate for solo touring (no passenger seat anyway), and I find that the slimmer cases make it easier to filter or lane split. They're also top loading, which is infinitely superior to side loading cases. The crash bars are also a nice touch for peace of mind.

I am looking for an RTP and was wondering where you purchased it and how much did you pay (Only if you feel comfortable saying)?? I am in Florida, not California