Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum but have gotten some great info here in the past when stumped by my 91 K75RT. I love my bike so much it hurts, but it literally hurts all summer when I’m stuck behind that fairing in full gear. So, after racking my brain as to which bike to get, I decided to go with another K75, one for warm weather and one for the cold. My RT is extremely comfortable in the 40s and even down to 30, and will be much better with heated grips installed.
So my options are... get a second RT and strip one down. This is a good option because I could get one a bit newer that may have heated grips, better alternator etc, and could save me from having to do these upgrades on my current bike, which I would strip to naked or just a windshield.
Second, I could get a standard or C. It would be ready to go for my purposes but leave me with all of the upgrade projects for the RT.
Third, I could get an S. Aesthetically, this is the bike I want, but I know for my long-distance rides I would likely want to put the C bars on it. This leads to my first question: how far forward does a person of average height lean? I have never owned a bike with anything but an upright riding position. I feel that I might prefer the lean for handling but would get tired doing 500+ mile days. Is ther a lot of cable and wiring replacement involved in changing the bars? I am having trouble saying no to this option because I love the way they look so much but I really want a bike I can put miles on now and save my projects for the cold weather. My brother and I are planning a ‘Saddlesore’ iron Butt ride so it really needs to be comfy.
Finally, how important does everyone consider the ABS? I have never owned a bike that had it but I am leaning towards making sure this one does. Also, are there any other benefits to specific model years that I might not be aware of?
Sorry for all of the questions. I have never really joined a forum of any kind so please let me know if I violate etiquette. I appreciate any assistance as I will likely have to travel a ways to find a good one and would like to be pretty sure before driving 300 miles.
Thanks!