Another new member...

[K1300S-TP]

Greetings from a wet and windy Stibbington, a small village near Peterborough!

I’m a new member to this group, and have recently just purchased a 2014 K1300S. My other bike is an Aprilia Tuono Gen 1...but I did not like the thought of touring on her, hence the BMW which I absolutely love (apart from the corrosion on the drive assembly...).

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend (I spent today at the NEC at Motorcycle Live), yet somehow bought nothing! But as my wife pointed out, I did buy a BMW last week!

Best wishes Tim

[richtea]

Welcome Tim!

Re: corrosion on the drive - if the bike has a full service history & warranty you may be able to claim for it. I'm pretty sure a few others on the forum have done that (and probably some who haven't managed). Hopefully, they can describe their circumstances/results.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if it does any lasting damage. Some folks more knowledgable than me will be along soon to tell us.

[Phmode]

Hi Tim and welcome to the madhouse that is EuroKClub!

I think the corrosion, paint bubbling etc. has a disproportionate effect on us owners. Whilst it will do no harm mechanically for the next hundred years or so, it really spoils the BMW owning experience.

Frankly BM ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for such cheapskate paint finish/machining processes and the inconsistency with which this lurgy afflicts the bikes.

[TomL]

Hi Tim. Welcome to the forum.

We sometimes pop into the Nene Valley Railway for a cuppa when we are up that way.

[black-k1]

Hello and welcome.

I'll be interested to hear your opinion of the K1300S vs. the Aprilia. I had a Futura that I enjoyed. I found it had more character than the BM and was more engaging to ride but not as "efficient", no where near as powerful and not as reliable. The K1300S is, in my opinion, a much better "do it all" bike.

[richtea]

Hello and welcome.

I'll be interested to hear your opinion of the K1300S vs. the Aprilia. I had a Futura that I enjoyed. I found it had more character than the BM and was more engaging to ride but not as "efficient", no where near as powerful and not as reliable. The K1300S is, in my opinion, a much better "do it all" bike.

Oo oo, I can give you a BMW v  Aprilia Falco comparison:
- BMW wins on power
- BMW wins on comfort (pegs are too high on Falco), however, the Falco seat - although minimal- was a better shape the the standard BMW seat
- BMW wins ecologically (49-56mpg v 40mpg)
- BMW wins on convenience (centrestand, shaft, perfect mirrors, heated grips, pannier fittings, shifter, etc)
- Aprilia is _almost_ as much fun as the BMW. More character, but at 120BHP you do have to work to get the best out of it.
- I could see the Aprilia's engine
- Aprilia completely wins on value for money. Utterly and completely.

I really liked the Aprilia and it was reliable (more so than people seem to think), but my decreased flexibility put paid to it.

[K1300S-TP]

Good evening all,

Nene Valley Railway and the Stibbington Diner are almost within sight of my house! I’m always up for a cuppa!

Corrosion on the final drive and a tiny area on the front forks (!), whilst not structural, kills me a bit each time I see it! I will rub down paint and lacquer it over the next month or so, once I match the paint colour!

Tuono vs K1300s....

Handling, the Tuono has it, I’m tempted to keep it and track it, I wouldn’t dream of riding my BMW like the Tuono! The brakes are on a par.
Engine, on a par. BMW has more power but the bottom end grunt of the V-twin is amazing.
Economy, BMW! Even an RX8 drinks less fuel than the Tuono!
Value for money, Aprilia most definitely!
Riding position, on a par (Tuono for sub-50 miles, BMW for everything else.

Tuono is a £2500 great fun bike. But I won’t tour on it as it’s Italian and will no doubt breakdown as far from home as possible!

[fjtwelve]

My K12S will hit 95k tomorrow. There are bits of corrosion in the paintwork here and there on the rear drive and the front arms. I keep them clean and paint them with acf 50 as often as I can. They haven't got significantly worse over the last few years. They haven't affected the bike in any way. I was accosted on the Gloucester services today by someone who really liked the bike and wanted to buy one so it's not affecting the looks (I was too cold to think straight sell it to him and get the train to the NEC). I have run the bike with silver wheels  slate grey wheels, and currently have one of each (keep bending them in potholes) and no one seems to notice. Moral: I wouldn't fret too much over your paint colour.

[black-k1]

Thanks for the Aprilia feedback. Your (both) experiences sound pretty close to mine.

I'd be surprised if the Tuono actually has more bottom end grunt than the K1300S though I completely understand that it will feel that way. Running the K1300S on Tesco Momentum fuel allows for smooth low down grunt, in any gear, from the K1300S, but without either drama or fanfare. I'd suggest doing either side by side comparisons or timed accelerations, using a given speed/gear combination. I expect that'll show the K1300S either as quick, or quicker. It just won't feel as quick!

As for VFM, I think that it's not an apples with apples comparison. For a given snapshot in time, ANY older bike (thus cheaper) will appear better value for money than any newer bike (thus more expensive) providing the older bike is reliable and has been reasonably well maintained. For a fair comparison of VFM you have to look at total cost of ownership over the whole life of the bike. You also have to look at the ability of each bike to meet your specific requirements. Thus, a £44K Norton SS can be good value for money if it's the only bike that meets your requirements. I would think that, for most people, the general VFM comparison between a Tuono and a K1300S would give results that are not dissimilar.