At last my own new bike thread!
Discussion
and fitted it with luggage and a center stand.Well then, what a day I've had.
Dragged the missus down to Alton where I had prearranged a test of three bikes; 2011 K1300S, current R1200GS TE demonstrator and a 2010 K1300GT.
First up up was the GS. I wanted to like the GS, really I did. But I just couldn't. The new engine is a peach but I already knew that after sampling it in the current RT. But for such a tall bike, it really lacked substance to sit on and ride. As you'd expect it felt top heavy to tip in but once it's off centre, it's very stable and although you feel like a circus act for the tallest leaning thing ever, it can be finely tuned to very small degrees of difference, very easily. Surprisingly easy to lay over and does not get unsettled by even quite s
tty surfaces. Sadly with her int' pants on the back, I had to keep it quite staid. In fact, she asked to be left back at the dealer early as she really did not like the pillion experience at all.
You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone and that is certainly true of going from an RT to a GS in terms of shelter from the elements. The clothing that was fine for my bike was way short of the mark for keeping warm on the GS. The small screen (for all the difference it makes) is adjustable but with a manually operated knob, meaning it's fairly set-and -forget, for me. I don't know, for something so tall and heavy, I want to feel like I'm riding something substantial. But for me it was too narrow and felt light in terms of build and durability. I struggled with the alignment of both the gear and rear brake levers too, with the rear brake needing almost a full extension of my foot to take up braking.
The mirrors are on the bars but that makes them very close to the rider. As they're so wide and close, a long and pronounced movement of the head is required to look them. For me, an in comfortable amount of time and very large adjustment of my focus from the way forward to the mirror and back again. Going from left mirror to right mirror must look like watching a tennis match.
Another issue for me is that I reverse my bike a lot which means mirrors on the bars instead of the bike are a pain in the arse. I parked it up, walked away and did not look back, the GS itch having been well and truly scratched. I'm convinced of their capabilities but they just don't suit my riding. I think I may get on better with the wider, heavier GSA, but I flatly refuse to have another R engine unless it's the current one and as liquid cooled GSAs are outside the budget, I didn't bother swinging a leg over one.
I've never ridden a K1300S before. As a jap bike rider from Australia, they fell into the column of "quirky European stuff I've no interest in." Hence I ended up with an RT, I just bought the first thing I saw when I entered the dealer. If only Vines knew what "qualifying the customer" meant... As it turned out the bike I sampled today was a Sport model and came equipped with a quick shifter and Remus can. Obvioulsy the bars were low, set deep under the dash and closer together than I've sampled for a while. And my feet waved around in thin air for a second or two whilst they tried to locate the foot pegs which were much higher and further back than they're used to these days.
My word what a machine. What an engine. Within a couple of gears I was having an out loud chat to myself in my helmet riddled with expletives and attempts at self discipline.. The engine is so smooth, so willing to pick up revs. The power delivery is so long it's like applying throttle to a jet turbine, it put me in mind of a Hayabusa but with a much smoother and lighter feeling engine. On full noise upshifts (helped slightly by a minuscule relaxation of the throttle grip), the exhaust barked a highly, HIGHLY satisfying bang that encourages as many 2nd to 3rd gear changes as you can fit into a journey. After months in the boxer twin wilderness, I found myself making loud exclamations to myself in my helmet about how much I must not buy this bike, followed closely by how much I wanted it. I stopped back at the dealer to give the missus a chance to perch on the rear for a bit. As it turned out she found it comfortable and far preferable to the GS. Reeesult. I think that exhaust sold me as much as anything. The bike still had the all important ESA and heated grips, is narrower than the RT and is requires caressing in a manner that I am well versed in and I loved it. Thanks to the helpful chap from Dartford for the K1300S chat.
So having tried the boxer twin in tourer and adventure bike configurations and the K engine in sports tourer guise, what about the K engine in ummm...a "more tourer but still sports tourer" variation of the K1300GT? Again, the engine was the star of the show by some margin though less lively than in the S. It is somewhat surreal taking a sports bike mind set whilst hustling a slab sided tourer along an A road but that's what I found myself doing. The trouble with the GT is me having the RT already and changing would really just get me a (much) nicer and faster engine and a noticeable reduction in low speed manoeuvrability (bad for the commute) and not much else. And whilst there are undoubtedly benefits to having the luggage capacity I enjoy now and is common to the GT, I realised after riding the K1300S that as much as anything I was wrestling with the image. The S would allow me some luggage, some comfort for the missus and some dignity on the roads. Whereas the GT as good as it, risks more Grandpa bike and starship enterprise jibes. In fact thanks to the styling, it guarantees them.
So at the moment, the K1300S is the favourite as the replacement. Bahnstormer have been kind enough to loan me their demo next week to try out on the commute for two days and make sure it's the bike for me, so I am grateful for that. The missus is happy with the pillion aspect so those two days will be the acid test.
Very enlightening day that I should have done 4 months ago. Thanks for all the suggestions.
I may still try and locate a 1400GTR though, it's just chipping away at the back of my mind and I can't discount it.
Dragged the missus down to Alton where I had prearranged a test of three bikes; 2011 K1300S, current R1200GS TE demonstrator and a 2010 K1300GT.
First up up was the GS. I wanted to like the GS, really I did. But I just couldn't. The new engine is a peach but I already knew that after sampling it in the current RT. But for such a tall bike, it really lacked substance to sit on and ride. As you'd expect it felt top heavy to tip in but once it's off centre, it's very stable and although you feel like a circus act for the tallest leaning thing ever, it can be finely tuned to very small degrees of difference, very easily. Surprisingly easy to lay over and does not get unsettled by even quite s
tty surfaces. Sadly with her int' pants on the back, I had to keep it quite staid. In fact, she asked to be left back at the dealer early as she really did not like the pillion experience at all. You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone and that is certainly true of going from an RT to a GS in terms of shelter from the elements. The clothing that was fine for my bike was way short of the mark for keeping warm on the GS. The small screen (for all the difference it makes) is adjustable but with a manually operated knob, meaning it's fairly set-and -forget, for me. I don't know, for something so tall and heavy, I want to feel like I'm riding something substantial. But for me it was too narrow and felt light in terms of build and durability. I struggled with the alignment of both the gear and rear brake levers too, with the rear brake needing almost a full extension of my foot to take up braking.
The mirrors are on the bars but that makes them very close to the rider. As they're so wide and close, a long and pronounced movement of the head is required to look them. For me, an in comfortable amount of time and very large adjustment of my focus from the way forward to the mirror and back again. Going from left mirror to right mirror must look like watching a tennis match.
Another issue for me is that I reverse my bike a lot which means mirrors on the bars instead of the bike are a pain in the arse. I parked it up, walked away and did not look back, the GS itch having been well and truly scratched. I'm convinced of their capabilities but they just don't suit my riding. I think I may get on better with the wider, heavier GSA, but I flatly refuse to have another R engine unless it's the current one and as liquid cooled GSAs are outside the budget, I didn't bother swinging a leg over one.
I've never ridden a K1300S before. As a jap bike rider from Australia, they fell into the column of "quirky European stuff I've no interest in." Hence I ended up with an RT, I just bought the first thing I saw when I entered the dealer. If only Vines knew what "qualifying the customer" meant... As it turned out the bike I sampled today was a Sport model and came equipped with a quick shifter and Remus can. Obvioulsy the bars were low, set deep under the dash and closer together than I've sampled for a while. And my feet waved around in thin air for a second or two whilst they tried to locate the foot pegs which were much higher and further back than they're used to these days.
My word what a machine. What an engine. Within a couple of gears I was having an out loud chat to myself in my helmet riddled with expletives and attempts at self discipline.. The engine is so smooth, so willing to pick up revs. The power delivery is so long it's like applying throttle to a jet turbine, it put me in mind of a Hayabusa but with a much smoother and lighter feeling engine. On full noise upshifts (helped slightly by a minuscule relaxation of the throttle grip), the exhaust barked a highly, HIGHLY satisfying bang that encourages as many 2nd to 3rd gear changes as you can fit into a journey. After months in the boxer twin wilderness, I found myself making loud exclamations to myself in my helmet about how much I must not buy this bike, followed closely by how much I wanted it. I stopped back at the dealer to give the missus a chance to perch on the rear for a bit. As it turned out she found it comfortable and far preferable to the GS. Reeesult. I think that exhaust sold me as much as anything. The bike still had the all important ESA and heated grips, is narrower than the RT and is requires caressing in a manner that I am well versed in and I loved it. Thanks to the helpful chap from Dartford for the K1300S chat.
So having tried the boxer twin in tourer and adventure bike configurations and the K engine in sports tourer guise, what about the K engine in ummm...a "more tourer but still sports tourer" variation of the K1300GT? Again, the engine was the star of the show by some margin though less lively than in the S. It is somewhat surreal taking a sports bike mind set whilst hustling a slab sided tourer along an A road but that's what I found myself doing. The trouble with the GT is me having the RT already and changing would really just get me a (much) nicer and faster engine and a noticeable reduction in low speed manoeuvrability (bad for the commute) and not much else. And whilst there are undoubtedly benefits to having the luggage capacity I enjoy now and is common to the GT, I realised after riding the K1300S that as much as anything I was wrestling with the image. The S would allow me some luggage, some comfort for the missus and some dignity on the roads. Whereas the GT as good as it, risks more Grandpa bike and starship enterprise jibes. In fact thanks to the styling, it guarantees them.
So at the moment, the K1300S is the favourite as the replacement. Bahnstormer have been kind enough to loan me their demo next week to try out on the commute for two days and make sure it's the bike for me, so I am grateful for that. The missus is happy with the pillion aspect so those two days will be the acid test.
Very enlightening day that I should have done 4 months ago. Thanks for all the suggestions.
I may still try and locate a 1400GTR though, it's just chipping away at the back of my mind and I can't discount it.
Edited by Reardy Mister on Saturday 17th October 18:21
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