I have had loas of bikes. Currently I have a couple of bikes, a BMW 80/7, a Yamaha R1 and a Honda CX500 in bits. several years ago I had thought about getting a new touring bike and had been for test rides on BMW GT K1200 (The BM) and a Honda Pan European ST1300 (The Pan). The BMW had lots of toys, cruise control, remote suspension adjustment, heated grip, heated seats, motorised screen and a funny front end. The Honda had a big fairing to sit behind, a tidal wave of torque and was comfy to ride, heated grips and motorised screen. The Honda was a bit cheaper to buy than the BM and cheaper to service.
The BM seem a bit slower to turn in and a bit slower on acceleration. I was dragging the toes of my boots on the tarmac in a very short time which underlines the confiedence given by the Pan and torque everywhere. The Bm looked quiet sleek and the Pan something of a bruiser. And that was backed up by feeling you where sitting "on" the BM and "in" the Pan.
It was all moot in the end as the price tags for either bike was somewhere north of £15,000.
Then in 2018 a Pan came up for sale which looked in resonable condition and with a price tag I could afford. It is a 2004 model with 33,000 miles on the clock, so not many miles. It is a bit care worn but it goes like and train and stops like someone stuck bar through the spokes. It came with a years MOT, new battery, heated grip and a Honda top box which was a bonus. The tyres are pretty good.
So very much plug and play. Now there is Pan in the garage!
