Moving to the sticks, practical needed bike for up to £8K
Discussion
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!So, I appear to have solved my range issue 
A few weeks ago when I started commuting regularly on the K1300S again, I noticed that my wrists were getting sore/stiff over the commute, so I adjusted my MRA touring screen spoiler down from its highest position (max protection) to it lowest position to allow some wind onto the top part of my chest to take the pressure off my wrists. Somehow this has changed the aerodynamics of the bike quite dramatically such that I now average low 50s mpg instead of high 40s. I suspect that a change to touring tyres from performance tyres (Racetec K3s to Roadtec 01s) has probably contributed to that as well. Improvement seems to be about 20 miles per brimmed tank which gives me 2 return trips with about 10 miles to spare 
A few weeks ago when I started commuting regularly on the K1300S again, I noticed that my wrists were getting sore/stiff over the commute, so I adjusted my MRA touring screen spoiler down from its highest position (max protection) to it lowest position to allow some wind onto the top part of my chest to take the pressure off my wrists. Somehow this has changed the aerodynamics of the bike quite dramatically such that I now average low 50s mpg instead of high 40s. I suspect that a change to touring tyres from performance tyres (Racetec K3s to Roadtec 01s) has probably contributed to that as well. Improvement seems to be about 20 miles per brimmed tank which gives me 2 return trips with about 10 miles to spare black-k1 said:
Excellent news, and thanks for the update. Did you do the fuel filler mod?
No, I didn't in the end. I just take the extra couple of minutes filling the last litre or so slowly. Can normally get it so that with the bike on the side stand the fuel is about 2cm from the top of the red lip.Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff