Well, some impressions on my first ride of my K1300S.
Not as heavy to move about at a standstill as I feared.
Gearbox seems very close-ratio’d, probably because of the torque which eats up the road quickly.
I liked cruising in 5th, with 6th as ‘overdrive’ on the motorway.
Now called “the whoosh machine†as it demolishes overtakes. Not with the raw gutsiness of my Panigale R, but that’s a different story. I still haven’t ventured into the top end of the rev range.
Very stable in bends.
Flat-footed in seating. No tippy-toeing like the Panigale or the Hypermotard.
Buzzy around 6000 rpm.
Runs around 4 bars of temp gauge up to 5 in traffic/standing at lights etc. Fan cuts in at 5 but doesn’t run after ignition off?
Lots of wind blast on chest and head, even when ‘tucked in’ as far as an old guy can do. I think I’d rather that than start looking for taller screens.
All in all,impressed, and glad to have it.
However
Having spent a couple of months refurbishing the Ducati Monster S4R, blue, with decat exhaust, I traded that in against the K, but haven’t told Her Ladyship yet. I think she might have noticed, tho’, as she remarked how quiet it was. Hopefully she’ll not notice a) it’s bigger, b) it’s a different colour and c) it’s not a Ducati twin!
Hopefully…😳
