The R and K are totally different engine types; however the difference between the two B models are for the most part pretty similar in what they offer to a rider in terms of functionality.
This thread prompted me to take a closer look at the K1600 B; which, was a bike that I was looking at prior to seeing the R18 B heritage line-up.
Well said... Berardi3 has a lot to chew on..
I thought the R18 TC I sold was probably the best long distance touring bike, aside from the 2016 GoldWing I had.
Definitely, the R18TC is definitely, a more comfortable bike for me then either of my K16's.
The K also is not maintenance friendly
I appreciate that sentiment and it's part of while "I want one, I never pulled the trigger". But, the subjective preferences as to what is "friendly" and "tire eater every 5-6 thousand miles", etc., really depends on what I tried to address in my answer. It reflects only on my use/needs for a touring bike and specifically related to the intended miles covered away from home hence my comments comparing my regional v. cross country rides. The first thing that comes to mind is how many places I can easily find to mount a tire especially when I can quickly pull a wheel like on the K1600 v. schedule a major service on the R18 at roughly the same interval. Anyway, no wrong choices with so many great motorcycles to choose from and someone once said something along the lines of "my favorite motorcycle is the one I'm riding" and I would totally agree with that. I have owned and ridden many other bikes and was keeping my comments to these two options and how they would score for me.
Having done my own work on a few boxers over the years, I think they are much easier than inline motors for service (especially with a fairing). I can change the oil & do the valve check on my old /5 airhead in 30 minutes. With the additional covers and dual spark plugs it would be a bit more time to do on an R18, but nowhere close to what it would be on a K16. It’s just valve check, air filter & oil every 6K on the R18. Every other oil change you change spark plugs & rear bevel oil. If I’m pessimistic, it’s what 90 minutes every 6K & an extra 30 minutes on the 12K? If you do 18K miles a year, that’s about 5 hours of maintenance a year.I appreciate that sentiment and it's part of while "I want one, I never pulled the trigger". But, the subjective preferences as to what is "friendly" and "tire eater every 5-6 thousand miles", etc., really depends on what I tried to address in my answer. It reflects only on my use/needs for a touring bike and specifically related to the intended miles covered away from home hence my comments comparing my regional v. cross country rides. The first thing that comes to mind is how many places I can easily find to mount a tire especially when I can quickly pull a wheel like on the K1600 v. schedule a major service on the R18 at roughly the same interval. Anyway, no wrong choices with so many great motorcycles to choose from and someone once said something along the lines of "my favorite motorcycle is the one I'm riding" and I would totally agree with that. I have owned and ridden many other bikes and was keeping my comments to these two options and how they would score for me.
No disagreement and I have done the same. Your last sentence is the key to my comment and that is when and where you do the major service work and if a dealer is relied on to do "all the above". Busy time of year for shops and when one is far from their "home court advantage" of their own garage and/or friendly dealer that will fit one in is a major factor. On the K bike you can see18K before digging in for a major service and you can pop it up on the stand and pull a wheel to facilitate a tire change anywhere that can spare the few minutes needed and without tying up a stall. On either if carrying an oil change kit one can source a drain pan and oil and do the change/recycle in the auto parts jobber parking lot if needed (except Alaska, you have to take your old oil to a recycle center). I don't want to carry the extra tools nor take the time to adjust valves on the road so with the R18 it's multiple appointments at a dealer that would need to be made and it's likely appointments would have to be made in advance to ensure a slot and that limits flexibility in travel especially the more times one has to factor it in. I am surprised that the simple qualifier I used as to regional v. cross country rides is such a difficult concept as to the actual logistics involved with those two very different uses of a "touring" model and with the two models asked to be considered. I'm not trying to win nor lose the "choice war" as it only pertains to the two models in question and as much as I like both I would be back on another GS/A or RT because of their competencies as long mile tours and their "weaknesses" are minimal/easier for me to work around.
That’s fair. I’d wrongly assumed the concern was the effort to do it yourself. If you have to schedule service while out on the road, I could see that being more challenging if you are doing so many miles a year. Longer service intervals would be an advantage in that case.