i recently bought a 2000 k1200lt bmw-- i am a big man and have ridden over 200 different bikes in my 47 years of motorcycling.. i have owned at best 27 different motorcycles..i have to say -- the gl1800 and the k1200 lt are equal in performance in most aspects. both are equally difficult to service but i have to give the k1200lt the overall edge in handling and it is 100 lbs lighter.. the reason i bought the k bike is lower purchase price. the k bikes have always been horrible investments but always extremely reliable.. i have owned 5 k bikes since 1993 and never once been towed.. my friend owns a full service motorcycle repair center and he says the wing is an electrical nightmare..