A quick update following the recent blast around the Alps saying farewell to the K1300S MotorSport owning Mark.
The bike was serviced just before the trip with a hefty bill of £1221 but .... the cost of buying and fitting the new radiator and the new guard accounted for almost £950 of that so the actual service wasn't too bad. I'm running a spreadsheet to compare the servicing costs of the H2 SX vs. my two K1300Ss and there is actually very little difference between all three if the costs of the holed radiator are removed. The servicing is now being done on a time basis as I'm not doing enough miles to need it on a mileage basis which will make continuing comparison a little difficult.
Part of the service was for a Kawasaki recall to replace the rear wheel hub bearing due to too little grease being applied at the factory. I had heard of this being a weak spot early on and had ensured it was well greased at previous services so, while mine was replaced, it was still in perfect condition. That mean that in over 30 months of ownership I've still not had to adjust the chain tension as tyre replacement, servicing etc. have all arrived at the time the chain needed adjusting.
The only other item of work done outside of the normal service was the replacement of the front wheel bearings.
So, to the trip. I was again impressed with the luggage capacity of the panniers. Packing for 9 days/nights, including alternative biking gear like gloves, tinted visor, waterproofs, floro waistcoat (for French Motorways) etc. plus rudimentary service items like TyreWeld, plug kit, chain lube (I'll explain that later to the BMW owners
) and a few tools, all fitted into two panniers and a small tank bag, and nothing was "rammed full". I could have left the tank bag at home and got everything in the panniers if I'd wanted to squash things in a little.
The bike handled the luggage really well. It wasn't particularly noticeable when riding although what was noticeable was that when the panniers are fitted, I get around 10 to 15 less miles to a tank when travelling at motorway speeds. That meant that the Kawasaki was always the first bike to need fuel on the trip but on most occasions the 2 K1300Ss were only about 10 miles or so off needing fuel themselves. The KTMs, with their 23l tanks, were drinking fuel as quickly as the other bikes but still had a good range left when we were filling up.
While not as comfortable as the seat on the K1300S, the Sargent seat with the AirHawk cushion was comfortable enough for 9 days, each of 7 to 9 hours in the saddle. Likewise, the overall ergos of the bike meant I was no more or no less in need of a stretch/change of position than any of the other riders.
When it came to performance, the difference between the bikes was very noticeable. The KTMs were easier and quicker to chuck around the hairpins than the K1300Ss but, as regards acceleration, there was little to choose between them. That meant that when we were all trying, the KTMs would consistently pull out some space on the BMWs. The Kawasaki was as least as quick around the hairpins as the KTMs but was noticeably quicker on acceleration, whatever speed we started from. The extra 45+bhp was both noticeable and usable. It meant I was always running with performance in reserve, even when the others were pushing towards the max, and on the occasions where the opportunities allowed for the full potential of the Kawasaki to be used, it pulled away from the other bikes with reasonable ease.
I had Metzler RoadTec 01 SE tyres fitted before the Scotland trip and these were superb. Only on wet over banding on tight switchback hairpins did I get any movement from them, and that was not significant or hugely worrying. They were completely sure footed in the wet and allowed for lean angles up to around 40 degrees (my limit, not the tyres limit) and handled some really serious lean angles (up to 55 degrees) in the dry with complete confidence. While it's totally a subjective judgement, I'd say these are better both in the wet and at more extreme lean angles, wet or dry, than the Michelin Road 5s. That said, the rear is pretty much worn out at a little over 5500 miles (probably about 2000 less than I'd expect from a Road 5) so the apparent extra grip is being paid for in mileage. Given I no longer do the big commuting miles I used to, it's quite possible I'll stick with the better grip/slightly less mileage compromise.
The white lining issues I'd experienced with my previous set of RoadTec 01s, on my MotorSport, were probably still there but the roads I've been riding have meant that there were significantly fewer situations where that would be a problem.
Now, with over 21k miles on it, the Kawasaki H2 SX SE is still proving to be a superb bike. The finish is still spot on and the bike cleans up like new. Despite getting "familiar" with it, the performance is still breathtaking. The ride remains plush enough for both motorways a bumpy back roads while the handling is better than anything else I'd consider using for a 2800 mile, 9 day Alps passes blast. Sure, a super naked would get up the passes quicker, and a tourer would be more relaxing on the motorway but no single bike could do it all any better. Even the likes of the S1000XR would have been totally outclassed when we hit the unrestricted sections Autobahn. Only the K1300S and the SD1290GT get anywhere close.
It is worth mentioning that the two KTM SD1290GT owners were both extremely happy with their bikes. One of the owners had been a long term (8+ years) K1300S owner and felt that the KTM did everything the K1300S did, only just a little better. After much discussion over a number of beers on the trip, I think that the general agreement was that the H2 SX was the slightly better bike but, even if you could still get one new, no one, including me, was sure that the benefits were worth the extra cost over the SD1290GT. (Unless, of course, you feel a little "inadequate" and need to compensate! Well, that's my justification!
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