So, the Old Gits trip to The Dolomites last week has given me an opportunity to really test out the H2 SX and, as I spent most of my time in the company of at least 2 K1300Ss, to directly compare.
Performance: A 170mph (clock – 161mph sat. nav.) run along the autobahn, fully loaded with panniers, tank bag and tail pack showed the H2 SX is stable, predictable and fast. There was more in reserve and a combination of traffic and a desire to not leave the BMWs too far behind were the only things that stopped me utilising that last bit.
A K1300S side-by-side roll on test from 80 to 150mph, firstly in 6th, then from 4th through the gears got the response over the intercom from the K1300S rider of “Jesus! You just f**ked off!â€
On the mountain passes it was also noticeable that while, as the lead bike, I was just “making progress†on the Kawasaki, the K1300Ss were having to work quite hard to keep me in sight. This was confirmed when we swapped bikes and the first comment from both K1300S riders across the intercom was “bloody hell, it’s quick!â€.
Handling: Again, the lightness and speed of turn in were noticeably in the Kawasaki’s favour. I never had a problem with the handling of my K1300Ss
but both of the other riders agreed that the Kawasaki is noticeably “more sportyâ€, without any loss of stability. Before riding it, both said they were concerned with the return to tele-forks after the excellent K1300S front end but both said they never even noticed the forks being different on the Kawasaki after their ride. A scrapped foot peg and a “high score†on the Kawasaki “lean-o-meter†of 54 degrees shows I was having lots of fun.
Luggage: The 40l panniers on the Kawasaki were excellent and, I think, are better than the BMW sports cases. The fact that most of that 40l is tucked under the seat means the Kawasaki is no wider than the K1300S with the sports cases compressed and significantly narrower than when the sports cases are fully expanded.
Comfort: A definite win for the BMW here. Despite use of my AirHawk cushion (which developed a puncture 350 miles from home!!!
) the Kawasaki was not in the same league as the BMW. I managed the long 590 mile/10 hour ride on Saturday and was OK to continue riding on Sunday but it was more of an endurance than a pleasure. That said, it is only the seat that is the problem. The overall riding position, the wind protection, the general ergonomics etc. are all as good on the Kawasaki as they are on the BMW. I’m now just waiting for one of the well-known names to produce a decent alternative seat.
Extras/gizmos: While it would have been nice to have ESA on the Kawasaki (available on the SX SE+) it wasn’t hugely missed. The standard suspension did the job on all the surfaces we encountered. However, the electronic cruise control and the down-shift quick shifter were coveted enviously by both K1300S riders. The down-sift in particular made riding down the mountain passes much easier/safer/quicker on the Kawasaki. No loss of engine traction while coming down through the gears on hairpin approaches has to be experienced to appreciate just how good it is.
Fuel: Another win for the BMW, but only just! For about 70 percent of fill ups, the BMWs used just under a litre less than the Kawasaki. There were 2 occasions when the Kawasaki used about a litre less fuel than the BMWs but it wasn’t clear what specific circumstances favoured one or other of the bikes. All that said, just under a litre on what were, generally 16 to 18l fill ups is only about 5% so not a huge difference. I may even find that after a few more miles to loosen-up (it still has less than 7000 on the clock) the Kawasaki may just make some of that back. On the motorway, it was me that almost always wanted fuel first but none of the BMWs had enough in their tank to make it to the next fuel stop without a little bit of “divine interventionâ€.
Interestingly, both of the other K1300S riders (one on a 2012 and the other on a 2015) who rode the H2 SX thought the Kawasaki felt exactly like how they’d imagine a K1300S with 10+ years of development. Neither are looking for a new bike this year and, like me, if they were looking for a replacement, would likely be going for another K1300S, were such a beast available. That said, both felt that, when it did come time to change, they were pretty sure where they’d be looking!