Too much time looking out of the window at the snow and not enough riding is a dangerous combination

I've 3 bikes, the K100, MT350 and a Street Triple. Each has its own niche and I enjoy them all in different conditions and on different rides. But often when my mind wanders I start to fantasise about one bike that does it all? You can see where this is heading LOL....

I reckon an F800 GS might do most of it but based on a quick viewing there's not enough that's special about it for me and it might struggle as a touring machine - but the K1300, probably in ''S' form while my back and wrists can still take it - oh yes. That looks some bike and the reviews are pretty positive. Not without flaws but quite a flexible beast - and what a lot of power!

Mind you couldn't go where I go on the MT and I would miss amny things about the K -inclduing the tinkering

Anyway back to reality - can't afford one anyway. Anyone ridden one?

Cheers
Dave

I owned its predecessor, an '05 K1200S, for nearly two years and managed to cover about 38,000 miles on it. It was my sole rego'd bike at the time and I rode it to work every day, carved canyons at the weekend in the mountains of the Pacific North West US, toured through the American South West desert, California and into Mexico; the states of Chihuahua and to the tip of Baja were devoured by its ability to roll up high numbers in a riding day. I did my second and third 1000 mile days on it, back to back, the first thousand mile day being on my old Airhead years ago.

The Mighty 'S' never used any oil, was supremely comfortable for my 176cm frame and 32" (82cm) inseam. It didn't have a bad gearbox/clutch like early models frequently did, the on-the-fly ESA suspension adjustment was superb for most road surfaces/load carrying situations encountered, the 169 HP (K1300S have 175HP) was ample for anything I asked of it. I even did a coupla track days on it. The motor could be likened to a steamroller, Hayabusa-like in its ability to produce torque and get you moving right now. the K12 models had more of a 'hit' at about 8000 RPM which has been tamed on the K13 but overall the newer model rails without fuss or drama.

At 38,000 hard miles the valve clearances on my K12 were smack in the middle of their clearance range. The bike is now in the hands of a Canadian mate of mine (since the end of '07) and has well over 100,000 MILES on it. The total non-scheduled maintenance he has had to perform on it includes an ABS sensor due to a ham-fisted mechanic jamming it against the Duolever leg whilst replacing a front tyre, and two coil-over ignition coils. That's it. If I had some 'disposable' income I'd buy and ride a K1300S without a second thought. It is the muscular, refined and well-behaved grandchild of our venerable K100/1100 series.

One can dream on. It's still free.

Great, write up mate, you've a way with words TWB.

" It is the muscular, refined and well-behaved grandchild of our venerable K100/1100 series"

Spot on. I reckon one of each generation would be an aim in life worth having. After all even when I have my K1300 ( ) I'd have to keep the K100 'cos there's no forum like this forum.

Cheers
Dave

MT350Explorer wrote:Spot on. I reckon one of each generation would be an aim in life worth having. Cheers
Dave

I reckon as refined gentlemen of leisure we ought to eventually have a stable of fine thoroughbreds...

I rented a K1300GT for a week when I was down in California, 2600 kms. Wonderful machine...

Two Wheels Better wrote:

MT350Explorer wrote:Spot on. I reckon one of each generation would be an aim in life worth having. Cheers
Dave

I reckon as refined gentlemen of leisure we ought to eventually have a stable of fine thoroughbreds...

Seems entirely reasonable, I can picture it now, Jeeves polsihing the machines on the croquet lawn of my modest country residence

club_c wrote:I rented a K1300GT for a week when I was down in California, 2600 kms. Wonderful machine...

Nice one Club_c. Got any photos?

12 of us touring in California for a week, began riding down the California coast, turned inland to the deserts, and then north through the interior back to Oakland. Even with that kind of daily mileage I never felt tired on the GT, and it certainly took apart any other bike in our fleet (HD, GW, ST, RT).

Sounds a great trip and a great bike for it. The small parts of California I've seen have great, smooth, well-maintained tarmac - lovely to ride on. Thanks for that club_c
Cheers
Dave

The quality that most impressed me about the K-1200S, aside from the shrieking exhaust note, was the communicativeness of the front suspension. It is also supremely supple. There was no bump steer, steering felt very neutral, no tendency to stand up under braking in a corner, and no guessing about what the front tire was doing. A trustworthy front end is a big deal for me, it gives me the confidence to fully use a bike, and the Hossack front end has that in spades. Everything else seemed to flow from there, for me at least.

The main reason I did not buy one was the complexity of the valve adjustment and the cost of the tools necessary to do the job properly. You know this will be reflected in the shop charge for this service, or in hours burned at home if you are a home tech such as I am. It seemed over the top, especially in comparison to the way Buell and Rotax made adjusting valve clearances on their version of finger follwers on the 1125 cc Helicon engine so simple. You don't remove cams or drain any coolant on that bike. With the Buell you release a flat plate and slide the finger followers out from under their cam lobes so shims can be replaced. On the Beemer the job takes hours and you need special equipment to drain (actually suck out) the coolant and refill it afterwards. No thanks.