Moving to the sticks, practical needed bike for up to £8K
Discussion
Haha! Unfortunately no! Bike arrived yesterday and I managed to get 40 mins on it before family duties kicked in again. Didn't manage to get out on it today unfortunately as had family round for lunch....booooo! First impressions are that it is everything I hoped for and I'm very, very pleased 
Had a doze on the sofa after my first ride and even had a dream about riding it 
Sporty, but very comfy and very easy to ride despite its size. I want to do a proper mini review of it and get some piccies up after I've spent a bit more time on it in a few days 
First commute through town on it will be tomorrow morning most likely, will be interesting to see how much (if at all) slower I am due to its width!
Shout out to Bowker Motorrad, delivery went off without a hitch, bike as described and in very minty condition. Chap who delivered it was also very helpful taking me round the bike, genuinely felt like I was taking delivery of a brand new item, customer service from them has been very good.
Had a doze on the sofa after my first ride and even had a dream about riding it Sporty, but very comfy and very easy to ride despite its size. I want to do a proper mini review of it and get some piccies up after I've spent a bit more time on it in a few days First commute through town on it will be tomorrow morning most likely, will be interesting to see how much (if at all) slower I am due to its width!Shout out to Bowker Motorrad, delivery went off without a hitch, bike as described and in very minty condition. Chap who delivered it was also very helpful taking me round the bike, genuinely felt like I was taking delivery of a brand new item, customer service from them has been very good.
Edited by Mario149 on Sunday 13th March 17:33
First week's ownership review: I bloody love my bike
Highlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- sooo comfy
- very confidence inspiring, very stable. ESA works a treat although only really noticeable out of town
- looks awesome
- love the duolever front suspension, it great being able to grab a handful of brakes with nearly no front end dive
Lowlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- footbrake very soft
- she's a big girl and more difficult to get through traffic than than my Street Triple, but probably only adds 2 mins to my 25 min commute if that.
Had to go in for a minor bit of warranty work this week and I had an R1200 R loan bike which got on my tits after about 20 mins - ridiculously light throttle and pretty much no wind protection. Engine was nice though, felt exceedingly light and nimble, would love to try the R1200 RS provided the throttle wasn't silly though. Anyway, when I got back on my bike it was like a hallelujah moment, had an awesome 30 min ride home, so pleased to have it back
Highlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- sooo comfy
- very confidence inspiring, very stable. ESA works a treat although only really noticeable out of town
- looks awesome
- love the duolever front suspension, it great being able to grab a handful of brakes with nearly no front end dive
Lowlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- footbrake very soft
- she's a big girl and more difficult to get through traffic than than my Street Triple, but probably only adds 2 mins to my 25 min commute if that.
Had to go in for a minor bit of warranty work this week and I had an R1200 R loan bike which got on my tits after about 20 mins - ridiculously light throttle and pretty much no wind protection. Engine was nice though, felt exceedingly light and nimble, would love to try the R1200 RS provided the throttle wasn't silly though. Anyway, when I got back on my bike it was like a hallelujah moment, had an awesome 30 min ride home, so pleased to have it back
Good to hear things are going well. They really are great bikes and are often underrated. They do pretty much everything well and are superb at a fair few of those.
As you get used to it you'll find it's easier to filter than you think. If you fold the mirrors then it will fit through some surprisingly tight gaps.
My new K1300S Motorsport was delivered on Saturday so I'll be back to commuting on it in the next few weeks. I'm really looking forward to it.
Little update on how the K1300S is going....
I've done about 1300 miles on her, 90% of it commuting (50 miles each way, Hampshire <-> London, 1h10m each way) and most of that in the last few weeks. I only go to the office 2-3 times a week hence why not so many miles and I got uber lazy for a couple of months and only took the train (2 hours door to door
).
Bike is going great, seems to be a fantastic all rounder. Sporty enough for me in terms of riding position, but still very comfy. Engine is still hilarious but manages to achieve nearly 50mpg on my commute. I still always turn back to have a look at her as I walk away, and the feel and noise of firing her up early in the morning still makes me smile. Also fitted a Givi V47 top box (using method here http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=36186) which makes her really practical when needed. Shaft drive has also been brill, given that I'm so lazy I love not having to worry about a chain.
Only negatives I can think of are:
- ideally I'd like a a slightly bigger fuel tank, I can't quite squeeze enough out of a tank to do 2 return journeys which is a little irritating, so I either stop to refill what feels like an "extra" time or I top her up at home from a 5 litre can which probably takes longer truth be told! Although the silver lining is that it means our 2 lawnmowers are very well cared for given that they end up running on super unleaded
- dare I say it, the bike is almost too competent. Sometimes I half wish I had a naked bike again so that you felt the speed a bit more. Sometimes I wish it only had 100bhp so you had to work it at least a little bit to go fast. Would be great to have something like a Thruxton or R nineT alongside it as a complete contrast.
I've done about 1300 miles on her, 90% of it commuting (50 miles each way, Hampshire <-> London, 1h10m each way) and most of that in the last few weeks. I only go to the office 2-3 times a week hence why not so many miles and I got uber lazy for a couple of months and only took the train (2 hours door to door
).Bike is going great, seems to be a fantastic all rounder. Sporty enough for me in terms of riding position, but still very comfy. Engine is still hilarious but manages to achieve nearly 50mpg on my commute. I still always turn back to have a look at her as I walk away, and the feel and noise of firing her up early in the morning still makes me smile. Also fitted a Givi V47 top box (using method here http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=36186) which makes her really practical when needed. Shaft drive has also been brill, given that I'm so lazy I love not having to worry about a chain.
Only negatives I can think of are:
- ideally I'd like a a slightly bigger fuel tank, I can't quite squeeze enough out of a tank to do 2 return journeys which is a little irritating, so I either stop to refill what feels like an "extra" time or I top her up at home from a 5 litre can which probably takes longer truth be told! Although the silver lining is that it means our 2 lawnmowers are very well cared for given that they end up running on super unleaded
- dare I say it, the bike is almost too competent. Sometimes I half wish I had a naked bike again so that you felt the speed a bit more. Sometimes I wish it only had 100bhp so you had to work it at least a little bit to go fast. Would be great to have something like a Thruxton or R nineT alongside it as a complete contrast.
Mario149 said:
Little update on how the K1300S is going....
I've done about 1300 miles on her, 90% of it commuting (50 miles each way, Hampshire <-> London, 1h10m each way) and most of that in the last few weeks. I only go to the office 2-3 times a week hence why not so many miles and I got uber lazy for a couple of months and only took the train (2 hours door to door).
Bike is going great, seems to be a fantastic all rounder. Sporty enough for me in terms of riding position, but still very comfy. Engine is still hilarious but manages to achieve nearly 50mpg on my commute. I still always turn back to have a look at her as I walk away, and the feel and noise of firing her up early in the morning still makes me smile. Also fitted a Givi V47 top box (using method here http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=36186) which makes her really practical when needed. Shaft drive has also been brill, given that I'm so lazy I love not having to worry about a chain.
Only negatives I can think of are:
- ideally I'd like a a slightly bigger fuel tank, I can't quite squeeze enough out of a tank to do 2 return journeys which is a little irritating, so I either stop to refill what feels like an "extra" time or I top her up at home from a 5 litre can which probably takes longer truth be told! Although the silver lining is that it means our 2 lawnmowers are very well cared for given that they end up running on super unleaded
- dare I say it, the bike is almost too competent. Sometimes I half wish I had a naked bike again so that you felt the speed a bit more. Sometimes I wish it only had 100bhp so you had to work it at least a little bit to go fast. Would be great to have something like a Thruxton or R nineT alongside it as a complete contrast.
Thanks for the update. It sounds like things are going really well if one of the two issues mentioned is that the bike is "too good"! I've done about 1300 miles on her, 90% of it commuting (50 miles each way, Hampshire <-> London, 1h10m each way) and most of that in the last few weeks. I only go to the office 2-3 times a week hence why not so many miles and I got uber lazy for a couple of months and only took the train (2 hours door to door
).Bike is going great, seems to be a fantastic all rounder. Sporty enough for me in terms of riding position, but still very comfy. Engine is still hilarious but manages to achieve nearly 50mpg on my commute. I still always turn back to have a look at her as I walk away, and the feel and noise of firing her up early in the morning still makes me smile. Also fitted a Givi V47 top box (using method here http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=36186) which makes her really practical when needed. Shaft drive has also been brill, given that I'm so lazy I love not having to worry about a chain.
Only negatives I can think of are:
- ideally I'd like a a slightly bigger fuel tank, I can't quite squeeze enough out of a tank to do 2 return journeys which is a little irritating, so I either stop to refill what feels like an "extra" time or I top her up at home from a 5 litre can which probably takes longer truth be told! Although the silver lining is that it means our 2 lawnmowers are very well cared for given that they end up running on super unleaded
- dare I say it, the bike is almost too competent. Sometimes I half wish I had a naked bike again so that you felt the speed a bit more. Sometimes I wish it only had 100bhp so you had to work it at least a little bit to go fast. Would be great to have something like a Thruxton or R nineT alongside it as a complete contrast.
As regards the tank range, has it had the filler neck mod done? If it has, it’ll have 1 or more holes drilled in the top of the filler neck. If not, do a quick Google on how to do the filler neck mod. It makes tank filling a lot quicker for the last 2 to 3 litres and can mean getting as much as another 2 litres (20 miles) into the tank as you can fill it right to the brim.
black-k1 said:
As regards the tank range, has it had the filler neck mod done? If it has, it’ll have 1 or more holes drilled in the top of the filler neck. If not, do a quick Google on how to do the filler neck mod. It makes tank filling a lot quicker for the last 2 to 3 litres and can mean getting as much as another 2 litres (20 miles) into the tank as you can fill it right to the brim.
Don't think so, will take a look Mario149 said:
black-k1 said:
As regards the tank range, has it had the filler neck mod done? If it has, it’ll have 1 or more holes drilled in the top of the filler neck. If not, do a quick Google on how to do the filler neck mod. It makes tank filling a lot quicker for the last 2 to 3 litres and can mean getting as much as another 2 litres (20 miles) into the tank as you can fill it right to the brim.
Don't think so, will take a look 
defblade said:
black-k1 said:
However, don't mention radiators! 
Or switchgear. Or ABS. Or throttle bodies...
And another one ...
The ABS issues and the air box (not throttle bodies) were all on the K1200S, and not even on the last ones of those!!!!
The switchgear is generally replaced for free if it causes any issues and most of the dodge switgear has now been replaced (at least once!!!)
A least do some homework before your next attempt!!! 
Edited by black-k1 on Thursday 25th August 20:42
Thought I'd give a little update on the K1300S since it's been a little over a year and 3400 miles using it almost exclusively just for my 100 mile round trip commute to London (5 miles or so of country lanes, 85 miles of DC and 10 miles in town)
Overall, I'm still very pleased with the bike.
Positives:
- still very comfy and very fast, although I've now got used to the way it builds speed so not quite as exciting as it used to be
- still love the looks, always have to look back at it as I walk away!
- clever ESA II suspension is still very impressive
- love the shaft drive and not having to worry about cleaning/lubing/adjusting a chain
Negatives:
- I've broken down twice, once due to faulty switch gear (known issue apparently) and once due to some wiring harness failing i.e. both electrical problems. On the plus side BMW assist were very good both times
- range: massively annoying but probably only for me as I can't quite squeeze 200 miles out of a tank meaning I can't quite do 2 return trips before having to refuel meaning I have to stop 50% more than I would otherwise. Thought about doing the fuel tank hack but want to keep the bike standard.
- I wouldn't run the bike without BMW extended warranty personally, but that would probably be the case for any BMW I had
The only thing I'd in principle swap it for at the moment is an R1200 RS with similar toys, mainly because it'd be an interesting change of engine character/sound and also because it'd get me that 200+ mile range
Overall, I'm still very pleased with the bike.
Positives:
- still very comfy and very fast, although I've now got used to the way it builds speed so not quite as exciting as it used to be
- still love the looks, always have to look back at it as I walk away!
- clever ESA II suspension is still very impressive
- love the shaft drive and not having to worry about cleaning/lubing/adjusting a chain
Negatives:
- I've broken down twice, once due to faulty switch gear (known issue apparently) and once due to some wiring harness failing i.e. both electrical problems. On the plus side BMW assist were very good both times
- range: massively annoying but probably only for me as I can't quite squeeze 200 miles out of a tank meaning I can't quite do 2 return trips before having to refuel meaning I have to stop 50% more than I would otherwise. Thought about doing the fuel tank hack but want to keep the bike standard.
- I wouldn't run the bike without BMW extended warranty personally, but that would probably be the case for any BMW I had
The only thing I'd in principle swap it for at the moment is an R1200 RS with similar toys, mainly because it'd be an interesting change of engine character/sound and also because it'd get me that 200+ mile range
2wheelsjimmy said:
Get a little jerry can of fuel and keep it at home....
I do, that's why our lawnmower etc run on super unleaded Seriously though, I do top up at home occasionally, but by the time I've got the bike out, got the fuel out, and watched it chug into the tank at about 1 litre a minute (takes sooo long!) I figure I might as well have gone to a petrol station 2wheelsjimmy said:
And 3400 miles in a year? Ride more!
Guilty m'lud! Although I do have a few vehicles to spread mileage across so in that context it gets pretty good use!I used to commute a 160mile round trip.
It was daily touch and go if i'd make it back, especially if I got stuck filtering a long way.
There was a petrol station 3 miles from my house, it was a shell (no pay at pump) and a tesco right next to the house (pay at pump).
If I was lucky I'd make it to the pay at pump tesco, so much quicker!
It was daily touch and go if i'd make it back, especially if I got stuck filtering a long way.
There was a petrol station 3 miles from my house, it was a shell (no pay at pump) and a tesco right next to the house (pay at pump).
If I was lucky I'd make it to the pay at pump tesco, so much quicker!
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