New K1600s Next Year

[Belco100]

I know they are not popular on here, but there are strong rumours of the K1600 getting some uplifts next year. I have seen all of the GS and RT announcements, but the K1600 maybe launched at one of the European shows later this year:

There is an updated GTL, with a new shape. And possibly a reverse gear? Not sure if this will be called a new model or not?

The GT gets a face lift.

Can't wait to see. Personally I would like the quickshift and blipper, and possibly the Dynamic ESA on the Sport model, but not sounding very likely 

[Costas]

Genova show  is just arount the corner.

[fjtwelve]

I got banned on a 1200S, the 1600S will need barbed wire around it

[richtea]

> And possibly a reverse gear?

Hmmm. I think that's when it stops being a motorbike, isn't it? 

[Niall]

I got banned on a 1200S, the 1600S will need barbed wire around it

Run flat tyres?

[Niall]

> And possibly a reverse gear?

Hmmm. I think that's when it stops being a motorbike, isn't it? 

Reverse its quite useful actually. My driveway has quite a slope and even pushing the 12Gt is taxing. Moving a beast such as a K16GTLE or a K12LT wouldn't happen without "assistance"

It does get you into spaces you wouldn't be able to use, and out of them too

The downside on the 12LT was that you lost a 6th gear, which was OK on the 99-00 models because 5th was an overdrive, but after that, it wasn't so fuel economy deteriorated

Because I did enough miles, it was cheaper to run a 12LT than an RT because the significantly better fuel economy and savings over 6,000 miles far outweighed the labour time to take off panels

[Belco100]

> And possibly a reverse gear?

Hmmm. I think that's when it stops being a motorbike, isn't it? 

Have to agree. I don't want the extra weight - would prefer less if anything.

[Niall]

> And possibly a reverse gear?

Hmmm. I think that's when it stops being a motorbike, isn't it? 

Have to agree. I don't want the extra weight - would prefer less if anything.

Never filtered a K12LT? Easiest bike I had for filtering, people just got out of your way. If the front went through, the back would

Effortless ride, handles very well and can out perform sports bikes - much to their embarrassment. Superb machine, wished I hadn't sold the last one or had bought a 12Lt to replace it, not the 12GT

[alaskier]

From what I have seen on the Internet they seem to be bringing out a new bagger design. So in a year or two's time there will be hundreds of discounted baggers for sale, just like the Honda CTX 1300.

[black-k1]

> And possibly a reverse gear?

Hmmm. I think that's when it stops being a motorbike, isn't it? 

Have to agree. I don't want the extra weight - would prefer less if anything.

Never filtered a K12LT? Easiest bike I had for filtering, people just got out of your way. If the front went through, the back would

Effortless ride, handles very well and can out perform sports bikes - much to their embarrassment. Superb machine, wished I hadn't sold the last one or had bought a 12Lt to replace it, not the 12GT

I know I wouldn’t want an LT for filtering on my daily commute from Suffolk to the South Bank and back. They are easier to filter than some might imagine but they’re not a good bike to choose if you plan to filter often.

I also think you’re a tad optimistic with regards to outperforming sports bikes.  You may well be a more experienced, faster rider who can use more of the capability of his bike than the sunny Sunday afternoon only MotoGP wanabe on his sports bike but, good as it was, the LT will “not outperform” any sports bike with more than 250cc. (Unless we’re talking about a race from here to anywhere south of Paris!)

[Belco100]

Interesting updates in MCN today.

[raesewell]

Well come on Simon give us the grif 

[Costas]

The article on Perry is good.

[Niall]

I know I wouldn’t want an LT for filtering on my daily commute from Suffolk to the South Bank and back. They are easier to filter than some might imagine but they’re not a good bike to choose if you plan to filter often.

I also think you’re a tad optimistic with regards to outperforming sports bikes.  You may well be a more experienced, faster rider who can use more of the capability of his bike than the sunny Sunday afternoon only MotoGP wanabe on his sports bike but, good as it was, the LT will “not outperform” any sports bike with more than 250cc. (Unless we’re talking about a race from here to anywhere south of Paris!)

Not optimistic at all! 12LTs go around corners. Oh yes, having creamed the sporties in the corner, they go whizzing past on the straight, but by then, its too late and they "have been done". Oh the fun at "Wandsworth bridge roundabout" to be had, or filtering along the A3 towards Robin Hood and up Kingston Vale, down West Hill and so forth

I used my 12LTs to commute all over the place, Kingston to Brighton, to Peterborough, to Cambridge, to Basildon, to Cheltenham/Gloucester, to Wilton, into central London (south bank, New Kings Beam House), to Solihull, to Southampton, to Telford, to Birmingham, to Reading, to Theale, back to Cheltenham, runs to Leeds and back in a day...

All up I clocked almost 200,000 miles on 12LTs, 82,000 on the 05 alone, having started with a 99 that suffered every fault they were known to have, from gearbox oil seal to crown wheel bearing to having the gear change fall off

[black-k1]

I know I wouldn’t want an LT for filtering on my daily commute from Suffolk to the South Bank and back. They are easier to filter than some might imagine but they’re not a good bike to choose if you plan to filter often.

I also think you’re a tad optimistic with regards to outperforming sports bikes.  You may well be a more experienced, faster rider who can use more of the capability of his bike than the sunny Sunday afternoon only MotoGP wanabe on his sports bike but, good as it was, the LT will “not outperform” any sports bike with more than 250cc. (Unless we’re talking about a race from here to anywhere south of Paris!)

Not optimistic at all! 12LTs go around corners. Oh yes, having creamed the sporties in the corner, they go whizzing past on the straight, but by then, its too late and they "have been done". Oh the fun at "Wandsworth bridge roundabout" to be had, or filtering along the A3 towards Robin Hood and up Kingston Vale, down West Hill and so forth

I used my 12LTs to commute all over the place, Kingston to Brighton, to Peterborough, to Cambridge, to Basildon, to Cheltenham/Gloucester, to Wilton, into central London (south bank, New Kings Beam House), to Solihull, to Southampton, to Telford, to Birmingham, to Reading, to Theale, back to Cheltenham, runs to Leeds and back in a day...

All up I clocked almost 200,000 miles on 12LTs, 82,000 on the 05 alone, having started with a 99 that suffered every fault they were known to have, from gearbox oil seal to crown wheel bearing to having the gear change fall off

If the 12LT worked for you as a filtering tool on a daily commute then that’s fine. I know an LT would be nowhere near as quick through the traffic for me as my K1300S and that a smaller, slimmer bike such as my old FireStorm would allow me to be quicker still.

In the late 90’s I lived near the B645 and B660 in Cambridgeshire and used to take my old 1984 air cooled R100RS sportsbike hunting.  There was nothing I enjoyed more than passing a Fireblade or latterly, even the occasional R1, while cranked right over on one of the lovely long sweeping bends. As you say, as soon as the straight arrived, they’d come storming past but that was fine as it allowed me to simply repass at the next set of bends. While all of this was fun (and incredibly immature) I was under no illusion that my old R100RS could outperform a Firebalde, let alone an R1. My ability to pass them was down to my experience and their lack of it.  Had I been on the Fireblade and them on the R100RS, the outcome through the bends would have been very different.

The K12LT is the same. Put someone with your experience and familiarity with the bike and road on a sports bike and the sportsbike would rapidly become a little dot in the distance.  That’s not to say the K12LT doesn’t perform well, and in the right hands can’t be hustled along at speeds that would surprise many sports bike riders, but it’s not going to outperform a sportsbike.