The Big K Has Gone

[Belco100]

Well, after 13 years of K Ownership, I am now K Less 

I've had:

A K1300GT
A K1200R Sport
A K1300S
and 6 x K1600GTs

Always loved these bikes, first drawn to their high tech and quality feel, shaft drive and funny front ends with no dive. Still love the big K1600, but not really been doing much 2 up touring over the last couple of years and can't see it happening for the next couple, I maybe wrong 

It's been great seeing the conversations on this Forum, and well done to those who have kept it going during the "change over" about 10 years ago. I hope to poke my head in back in every now and then, but until then I will now ride off into the sunset on my XR.

 

[raesewell]

Do keep in touch Simon 

[Matt]

6! Crikey! Enjoy the XR

[chriscanning]

+1

6 K’s you are a masochist, will carry on seeing you on the X/R channel 😀, and they really are easier to live with.

[black-k1]

A sad day but good luck with the XR.

[Matt]

OK FINE I'll see if Bahnstormer have a new shape XR I can try out, jeez stop telling me what to do!

[black-k1]

OK FINE I'll see if Bahnstormer have a new shape XR I can try out, jeez stop telling me what to do!

[richtea]

OK FINE I'll see if Bahnstormer have a new shape XR I can try out, jeez stop telling me what to do!

They still buzz. How can you tour when the bloody thing buzzes? Fix it, Danno.

I look forward to BMW's answer to the Suzuki GSX S1000 GT - a sports tourer that doesn't cost the price of a 1980s house, has stable mirrors, and doesn't have radar sh*t. A 6-axis IMU (6? last time I looked the world only had 3 axes) I will accept just for the cornering ABS, but radar? Next they'll have that Jaguar eyeball feature to check whether you're falling asleep at the wheel handlebars.

Gosh - I've ranted again.
Anyway, stick around Belco, you know you're going to miss that smooooth K power. There may be a 7th one coming soon.

[chriscanning]

X/R is a great piece of kit, more than a match for a K, just a different way of doing it, but anything under 150 i’ll Take the X/R every time, oh and if you want to cover all the angles i’d Look at a KTM GT as well not everyone’s cup of tea but has its plus’s all the same.

I’ve had a day switching between all 3 today....which has been interesting .

[black-k1]

Without wanting to get too far into an XR vs. K discussion I have to disagree.  The XR is a great bike and better than the K at some things but I think overall, it's not as good at "doing everything really well" as the K1300S is, and it's aimed at a different market when compared to the K1600.

[Matt]

I rode my orange machine down to the coast yesterday, warm enough finally to really get into it. Was good fun. The trip back at night was less cosseting than the GS at the end of a long day, though most of that was because I wanted to hide behind a big screen then. The damping settings seem much better suited to my weight/desires than the GS too.  Nothing as soft as Normal on the GS, which was too soft.

[Belco100]

Took the XR out for a 300 mile ride through Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk on Saturday and it was pretty good. If you hunt for a buzz it is there but it really doesn't feature once riding. Plenty of leg room for my poor old knees - more than on any of my K bikes, and the K16GT was particularly tight  and the sit up and beg style suits me know - I had Superbike bars on my K1300S which was really Gods way of saying your too old for a proper Sports/Tourer 

Got off feeling as fresh as I got on. Miles better over the bumpy roads than my 16, maybe not quite as good as a GS but still pretty good. Looses out in three figure speeds where I was blown around a bit in Saturday's winds. The only real down side is the range, I don't know why but the Gen2 XR is Euro5 and is less economical than my Gen1 Euro4 XR was. Had the same thing on the K16GT, the facelift Euro4 was less economical that the original Euro3 version, very strange.

For me, the main difference is going two up, my wife really struggles with the high backend of the XR compared to K. I ride differently two up anyway, so the handling etc never really comes into it.

I have to say I love the adventure style of bikes nowadays, not what I would of had when I was younger but hay, that's life I suppose. Test rode a Multistrada V4 and a Pan America and liked both of those as well. May have to try an Orange bike and see what they are like. 

Life goes on and the world keeps turning.

[chriscanning]

The important bit... non ESA few other bits and bobs go's well

[chriscanning]

Same bits and bobs.

[chriscanning]

Now I would like to have a go on one of these.