EuroKClub
Welcome to the BMW K1200 K1300 K1600 Forum => I'll show you mine if you show me yours! => Who's Who? => Matt's Bikes => Topic started by: Matt on November 13, 2021, 01:58:52 pm
-
Picked it up this morning. Bike Five, the lovely R1250GS, went in part exchange. So far I've done 40 miles and had just a lovely time. I must say I am glad to be back in the same power territory as the K again. It feels a bit K-like in some ways I'll have to think more on how to explain properly.
The engine sounds lovely, and really gets going further up the revs. Very quiet though, but then compared to the K that just has the cat in the can, this has that whole gubbins under the belly.
Overtakes are back into K territory! One...two...threefourfive cars weeee! Suspension firmer than the GS but one would expect as much. I've yet to move it out of Comfort for suspension. And it's in Street for power delivery or whatnot, so lots to explore still!
It felt pretty good having panniers and top box on and it still feeling like a mentalist.
(https://i.ibb.co/cx5F1VS/20211113-122922.jpg)
-
Bit of a culture shock from a GS, and that's just the bike...wait till you get into the website.
Here's mine/ours... bought it 19.
For some reason... it won't post hey ho.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rv6kihxuxx12eio/2021-08-19%2009.59.39.jpg?dl=0
Still no photo just the link grrrrr
MotoHooligan airbox/PC/Carbon Dymags
What does take some getting used too....gone are the days of trundling in top gear these things won't look at 6th much under 80mph.
-
That looks superb. (Other than the horrendous top box)! :winkthumbs:
Please keep us updated with your experiences of the bike.
-
Haha thanks man :). The top box is flipping huge! I was hoping they made a smaller one! It was on the bike already so I'm not as much to blame as with the GS where I added one :p. I expect I'll stick to the panniers purely from an idiot aesthetic side of things though!
-
It seems rather, erm, Orange Matt. Or Matt Orange...
-
As a lapsed Laverdista orange is the correct colour for a fast bike.
It's also the most visible in terms of safety.
I'm jealous. A good purchase, Matt. :winkthumbs:
-
tidy looking outfit ...fair play to you.
nobody said it matches your hair so i won't either.... just thought mine does too but mines grey....the bike that is...as well
-
tidy looking outfit ...fair play to you.
nobody said it matches your hair so i won't either.... just thought mine does too but mines grey....the bike that is...as well
You're right, it's a heck of a strawberry blonde bike! :P
-
Bit of a culture shock from a GS, and that's just the bike...wait till you get into the website.
Here's mine/ours... bought it 19.
For some reason... it won't post hey ho.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rv6kihxuxx12eio/2021-08-19%2009.59.39.jpg?dl=0
Still no photo just the link grrrrr
MotoHooligan airbox/PC/Carbon Dymags
What does take some getting used too....gone are the days of trundling in top gear these things won't look at 6th much under 80mph.
Looks good. Who did you use for the decat? If I can avoid going the PC route I'll be happy. Garage said something about a map they'd do if I decay but unsure if he wasn't just getting confused with the flap eliminator.
I went out for a loop today and it's still awesome! Seems stronger than the K in the 50+ acceleration but it's been a couple of years so I could be imagining it. Ah internet says both about 140Nm so must just be wherever I am in the power band!
I love how I still have a bike that's happy to trundle through 30s. The noise definitely catches attention, the GS used to do the same but from people at bus stops, which I assume implies it sounded like a bus turning up!
The dash is rather fancy. It has the well known 'feature' of switching between day/night mode too easily with no ability to lock it one way or the other, but otherwise it shows everything. And I mean... almost everything. 4 'favourite' slots on each side of the screen so we can see trip info, temp info, tyre pressure and phone status constantly. On the BMW one had to cycle through a single field at the top of the screen. It also has the programmable shift 'light' as part of the display, configurable to light up and then flash at whatever rpms. Pretty fun!
Oh, and the quickshifter is very much superior to the GS one. Maybe not quite as good as the S1000RR but not far off. At bumbling speeds it does a nice lazy soft change, whereas when going for it the thing snicks up nice and tight. Even 1st to 2nd is lovely (and the manual says yes it's fine). It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.
Only fly so far is they didn't fit the seat stealing sensors when they added the alarm, so going back at some stage to sort that. At present whenever I arm the alarm it does a BOOP to remind me it can't keep my seats safe :/.
-
Biggest surprise you’ll have is the KTM website 😜 the decat was Bodis.
-
It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.
I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.
The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. ::)
-
Great to hear you're really enjoying the bike Matt. When I've ridden them I've always found them to be great fun and pretty easy to ride fast or slow.
The sad thing is that I think they highlight how poor BMW twin development is. I've not tried the latest 1250 engine but the KTM knocks all the previous boxers into a cocked hat and given the on=paper specs of the 1250, it would appear the KTM engine is not really in danger of being caught, never mined superseded.
It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.
I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.
The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. ::)
And just for Rich - a glossary ...
Decat - removal of the catalytic converter.
Flap -eliminator - removal of the valve in the exhaust.
Decay - (in this context!) mis-typed decat.
Seat stealing - alarm sensor that activates if the seat is removed.
-
Great to hear you're really enjoying the bike Matt. When I've ridden them I've always found them to be great fun and pretty easy to ride fast or slow.
The sad thing is that I think they highlight how poor BMW twin development is. I've not tried the latest 1250 engine but the KTM knocks all the previous boxers into a cocked hat and given the on=paper specs of the 1250, it would appear the KTM engine is not really in danger of being caught, never mined superseded.
It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.
I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.
The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. ::)
And just for Rich - a glossary ...
Decat - removal of the catalytic converter.
Flap -eliminator - removal of the valve in the exhaust.
Decay - (in this context!) mis-typed decat.
Seat stealing - alarm sensor that activates if the seat is removed.
Thanks :)
I agree, I hope BMW have some medium term plans, but I also hope their approach to vvt gets changed, especially now I see what KTM can do without resorting to electric motors in the heads.
Richard, all the other bikes I've had have pretty much stayed stock other than my well known dalliance with 'that exhaust' :P. What's driving my present thinking is a mix of EU<pick a number> bikes being ever quieter just as I get one that makes nice noise, and low-level retail therapy disease.
Although if we consider bar raisers fiddling then I did that on the GS and reserve the right to do that here too! And maybe a large ugly screen!
And a fridge.
-
I never understood the fiddling gene. ::)
Really 😳 motorcycles are built to two parameters price and the TUV, it’s then up to the manufactures to persuade you that it’s bike for you.
[Matt: Fixed quotes so we aren't putting Richard's words in my mouth!]
-
It also wins going down the box, but then it has the slipper slutch helping out too.
I love slipper clutches. Every bike should come with them. They cover up my crude clutch work, and probably saves the plates from far worse abuse.
The rest? I barely understand what you're writing. Decat? Flap eliminator? Seat stealing? Decay?
Sounds like you need to change a lot of things. Do they not sell a variant that just works?
I never understood the fiddling gene. ::)
On the slipper clutch, I am still giggling every time I drop it down into 1st and don't get thrown about like a crash test dummy!
And after some days I think I was getting ahead of myself, as I am wont to do with new shiny things. In actuality and as has probably been already alluded to, I should and will just ride (and also stand and stare at) the thing for at least a spring season before doing owt bar maybe bar risers. Bar.
p.s.
(https://i.ibb.co/P4tBdt6/20211120-121720.jpg)
-
When you work out you have a KTM and not twin cylinder BMW you’ll be fine....
-
Took the rear rack off after finding the original grab handle. I think it looks much nicer. I can always re-add the luggage grid for big trips.
Next project, put a BMW badge and some fake cylinders sticking out the sides :p.
(https://i.ibb.co/n6nXMV9/20211216-112126.jpg)
-
That looks great!
If you're going to add fake roundels and cylinders, won't you need to kill off a significant number of the horses too? Perhaps you could ride around with the brakes permanently applied? :D
-
There are those of us who think he already does... :)
-
There are those of us who think he already does... :)
:D
The birony will be if I'm slower on this than the GS!
-
The pen is mightier than the bike : 8)
-
It's a workhorse, you lie surprised. Well done .
-
A quick update some 6 months in.
I love it still. Admittedly I also loved the GS at this stage.
It will please most of you to read the only change I've made is a small can and bar risers (or bar-backs as they bring it back a bit too). It's somewhere towards the GS upper body position but not quite.
In April time I did a day trip to Aberystwyth and back (via a distillery), which was a good too many hours, but other than the motorway causing my body to complain on the way back, it was a great time.
In May I think it was, I went back to Wales for a 5 day trip starting at the bottom and eventually going to Snowdon to try to beat my best time doing the mountain. Unsurprisingly I am not as fit as I was ten years ago, and failed to beat the time. The trip was split between walking/mountaining and riding. The top box made a reappearance as I visited 2 more distilleries and needed the space. I think this trip was around 800 miles and just superb. An evening ride going from Beddgelert to Capel Curig was just great.
In a short time I'm off to Scotland for a much longer trip, but still half and half as I enjoy exploring on foot. And more distilleries so the top box must remain!
The only technical issue I've had so far was a small oil leak which was determined to be some failed 'seal' where the alternator wires come out, or some such possibly dodgy design decision ("we've seen this before" they said). Whilst the bike was apart they found a bearing on the 'torque limiter' shaft was seized and so I had a bit of a wait for that to be replaced. Otherwise it's been fine and it doesn't appear to be drinking oil (I'm somewhat oil paranoid).
As there's nothing more exciting (to me) than this bike at the moment (the Kawasaki requires too much more money and I'm avoiding the K ergos for failing-body reasons) then I foresee the bike staying. You know, until and unless the 1300GS sounds as good.
EDIT:
One negative and something I miss from the BMW - and I know this is foreign to all K owners! - is the integration to nav. The app is about passable for basically doing the same thing as Google Maps, but its sending of that info to the bike is very one-way. I can't stop the nav without getting my phone out. I can't change the destination or skip waypoints. I could do all that on the GS. Plus for a month or two earlier this year the app just wasn't on the App Store. Now there is a new one as well as the old one, but I can't get it to connect to the bike. Most reviews for both apps are negative.
Having said all that, whilst the BMW managed to cover all that missing functionality, it (and many other owners had the same) had a funny habit of completely forgetting the phone and the headset, causing much annoyance trying to remember how to get my headset into pairing mode again.
-
I can't stop the nav without getting my phone out.
I can't start my SatNav without getting my phone out...
The bike sounds v good fun, and I'm sure it handles rather better than a long wheelbase K. The KTM panniers have grown on me, too - lopsided bunnies that they are.
I just couldn't quite bring myself to throw £12-14k at a 2021 secondhand one. Same goes for the H2. As for electric - the entry price is still climbing, not falling. Hey ho.
Maybe in another 3-4 years I'll become deluded with Ks. But it's not happened yet.
-
Chuckling at the ‘throwing 12/14k at a motorcycle....jeez just had a mail turn up offering me an electric mountain bike at 11.3k and it’s not even the top of range, welcome to the 21st century the trick is adjusting to it 😎
-
I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying your KTM Matt. I'm just back from Spain with the Old Gits, where I did a lot of riding with 3 x KTM SD1290GT and 1 x K1300S. The KTM riders really enjoyed their bikes. The KTMs handled all the roads really well. Fast sweepers, full throttle straights, tight hairpins, narrow singe tracks, motorways and in towns, the KTM chaps found things just a little easier than the rider on the K1300S and a lot easier than the Old Git on the Yamaha Tracer who was also with us. The SD1290GT really is a great bike.
Obviously, I'm going to say that the H2 SX was better still, and it was (unsurprisingly) noticeably quicker when we did a few full throttle runs but I’m still not sure, if I was spending my own money rather than my companies money, that I could justify the extra cost over the SD1290GT.
-
Cheers David, and it's always good to hear your experiences on the group tests!
I was enjoying mine on its part worn Angel GTs but now I'm on the Metzeler M9RR things it's even more laugh-inducing! I'm really hoping for at least a few dry days up north to enjoy some well sighted twisties.
-
Chuckling at the ‘throwing 12/14k at a motorcycle....jeez just had a mail turn up offering me an electric mountain bike at 11.3k and it’s not even the top of range, welcome to the 21st century the trick is adjusting to it
The last new motorbike I bought was £5k in 2004. It was 1000cc & cut price from the full £6,995.
The Bank of England (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator) says that would be £7,287.31 in 2021 (£10,194.95 for the full price).
I understand what's happening, and I'm not going to adjust to it.
The prices are driven by low volumes because bikers are getting older/dying off, excessive gizmos, PCP madness, and it's even more of a leisure pursuit now, so a smaller number of richer people are supporting that pricing.
If I don't buy at £12-14k (secondhand!) the price will have to come down, or they'll have to stop adding sh*t that's not needed. Radar my arse.
I can fully understand why 600-800cc bikes at £8-9k are becoming popular again - that's the 'normal' price of a bike.
-
Chuckling at the ‘throwing 12/14k at a motorcycle....jeez just had a mail turn up offering me an electric mountain bike at 11.3k and it’s not even the top of range, welcome to the 21st century the trick is adjusting to it
The last new motorbike I bought was £5k in 2004. It was 1000cc & cut price from the full £6,995.
The Bank of England (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator) says that would be £7,287.31 in 2021 (£10,194.95 for the full price).
I understand what's happening, and I'm not going to adjust to it.
The prices are driven by low volumes because bikers are getting older/dying off, excessive gizmos, PCP madness, and it's even more of a leisure pursuit now, so a smaller number of richer people are supporting that pricing.
If I don't buy at £12-14k (secondhand!) the price will have to come down, or they'll have to stop adding sh*t that's not needed. Radar my arse.
I can fully understand why 600-800cc bikes at £8-9k are becoming popular again - that's the 'normal' price of a bike.
I've seen a number of comments on a number of forums recently about the price of bikes. While I accept that the price has gone up significantly, in the last year or two, I think we need to look at it across a wider spectrum. I stared riding in 1978. I've maanged to find a a BMW price list from that period http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/photos/pricephotos/UK%20Prices%20Oct%201978.jpg that shows that a top of the range BMW R100RS was priced at £3,049. That was in the days of 7.5% VAT. Using the RPI changes https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/cdko/mm23 that would give a price today of £20.013. If you add in an additional 12.5% vor the higher rate of VAT we all have to pay then the price would be £22,515
The late '70's was one of the golden ages of motorcycling, when there were very large numbers of bikers/bikes. The law to restrict mopeds to 30mph was intorduced in 1978 and learners could still ride a 250 on L plates. I'd suggest that we've been very lucky over the last decade or more and that it may be expectations that need to be reset rather than bike pricing as it looks like the price of bikes today are pretty much spot on to where they should be.
-
I love compound interest when working out my ISA and SIPP fun but it's far more depressing to do the same with inflation! :adolf: (Adolf is directed towards the concept of an infinitely growing economy, not anyone here)
-
I understand what's happening, and I'm not going to adjust to it.
As a snotty teenager i’ve Never forgotten being dragged by my parents to see my grandparents, and the lasting memory I always had was how they were stuck in a time warp and I promised myself I was gong to Avoid such at all costs, with the exception that I flatly refuse to have the operation that everyone under 50 appears to have had where by they have had their mobile phone stitched to their hand 😡
Having not sold a motorcycle in the last 20 odd years...currently going through the bizarre process of having bikes make money we are certainly in interesting times, talking of which I have held a full motorcycle licence since 69,and even with my bad memory still chuckle at the domestic I had with my folks because I flatly refused to learn to drive a car and after a mighty bust the whole process took less than a fortnight, from getting behind the wheel to passing my test and I went back to riding a motorcycle 12 months of the year, pushing the garage door open with a foot of snow and riding to work on 500H1A Kawasaki two stroke, or for that matter doing the Western Beach race and getting to the first turn 8th with another 1500 storming down the beach 😜
-
Chuckling at the ‘throwing 12/14k at a motorcycle....jeez just had a mail turn up offering me an electric mountain bike at 11.3k and it’s not even the top of range, welcome to the 21st century the trick is adjusting to it
The last new motorbike I bought was £5k in 2004. It was 1000cc & cut price from the full £6,995.
The Bank of England (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator) says that would be £7,287.31 in 2021 (£10,194.95 for the full price).
I understand what's happening, and I'm not going to adjust to it.
The prices are driven by low volumes because bikers are getting older/dying off, excessive gizmos, PCP madness, and it's even more of a leisure pursuit now, so a smaller number of richer people are supporting that pricing.
If I don't buy at £12-14k (secondhand!) the price will have to come down, or they'll have to stop adding sh*t that's not needed. Radar my arse.
I can fully understand why 600-800cc bikes at £8-9k are becoming popular again - that's the 'normal' price of a bike.
I've seen a number of comments on a number of forums recently about the price of bikes. While I accept that the price has gone up significantly, in the last year or two, I think we need to look at it across a wider spectrum. I stared riding in 1978. I've maanged to find a a BMW price list from that period http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/photos/pricephotos/UK%20Prices%20Oct%201978.jpg that shows that a top of the range BMW R100RS was priced at £3,049. That was in the days of 7.5% VAT. Using the RPI changes https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/timeseries/cdko/mm23 that would give a price today of £20.013. If you add in an additional 12.5% vor the higher rate of VAT we all have to pay then the price would be £22,515
The late '70's was one of the golden ages of motorcycling, when there were very large numbers of bikers/bikes. The law to restrict mopeds to 30mph was intorduced in 1978 and learners could still ride a 250 on L plates. I'd suggest that we've been very lucky over the last decade or more and that it may be expectations that need to be reset rather than bike pricing as it looks like the price of bikes today are pretty much spot on to where they should be.
Having passed my test in '64 at 16, I could never afford a new bike until 1982 (girls, beer, motorsport, more girls, more beer, real motorsport...) but my 1982 Honda CB900 F2C Bol d'Or seemed exceedingly affordable; expensive girlfriend replaced by bike mad girlfriend with champagne performance on beer money, eNORmous pay rise, mortgage almost affordable and trips to the TT and the Med were now on the cards because nothing broke on the damn thing.
So, many decades on and the K12 was cheap even on a pension and the K13 didn't ruffle my pecuniary feathers back in 2016 (no mortgage, no women costing me a fortune...) although both were secondhand, the 2004 K12 with 18k on the clock in 2011 and the K13 in 2016 with 8,000.
Now, I have more pension and fewer outgoings but the thought of shelling out for a very enticing, new green duck makes my Zimmer frame wobble :o
It really is a case of perception.
-
I could never afford a new bike until 1982 (girls, beer, motorsport, more girls, more beer, real motorsport...)
“I spent a lot of money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.†George Best
In terms of being stuck in a time warp, not selling 'excess' bikes hits that button, IHMO. I'm a one-bike man. If it doesn't do it all, then it's the wrong bike (off-roading excepted). So what am I hanging on to by not selling them? Dreams, memories? I have a camera to help there.
I've looked pretty hard, and (in order of priority for me personally, note) nothing matches the K for these criteria:
1. fits physically (i.e. OK for day long rides, not bolt upright)
2. goes 'good enough'
3. handles 'good enough'
4. no unexpected costs for say 40k miles
5, I'm not paying over the odds (brand new bike, or any bike with radar/radio/2022 gizmo)
6. has mirrors that are blur-free well beyond the national speed limit
7. can be fuel efficient
Nearly all bikes fail on point 1 for someone my height. As Brian has said previously - I make a K look like a 125.
Quite a few bikes tick points 2 & 3. Super Duke, H2 SX SE, Multistrada, S1000XR & many other newer bikes surpass the K, but it's still 'good enough'.
Point 4 is tricky - hearsay and rumour can warp this one, but Ks seem reasonably reliable, even knowing some of the standard problems. I'm not sure there are enough 40k+ mile bikes to judge the newer models (although David's H2 might be getting close now?), and I'm likely to put 30k on in the next 4 years.
Any leftover candidates get caught by point 5.
Points 6 & 7 - all bikes should tick these two boxes, but don't. I've spent too long in my life not being able to decide if the fuzzy white car behind has also got some blue bits. And reference the previous rant about Multistrada fuel consumption. ;D
I think I may have drifted off Super Dukes. Sorry Matt. When can I have a go, again? :-*
-
I keep wondering about a K1600GT when my K1300S gets really tired. Doesn't this tick all your boxes too?
-
I keep wondering about a K1600GT when my K1300S gets really tired. Doesn't this tick all your boxes too?
Good point.
I've looked, but not had a test ride (I did ask for one). I think the answer is 'almost', with caveats:
- I'll be sat bolt upright (point 1), but it felt OK stationary at the NEC show
- Points 2 & 3 are compromised by the sheer weight of the beast. Good handling for a tourer, but I would suspect not as good/better than a K1300S.
- it's got a radio & reverse gear (point 5) ;D
All the other points it ticks. Not too thirsty, not that expensive after 4 or 5 years, keeps chugging along for 40k+ miles, but I don't see it as 'better'. I see it as a perfect 'grand tourer', and if I was looking to tour two up, that would definitely swing it. But I'm not. Maybe if Ms Cashmere suddenly wants to ride through Europe for a month!
If there was a K1600S (something between the GT and this concept bike below), that would get really close:
(https://www.iamabiker.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/bmw-concept-60030_opt.jpg)
Courtesy of https://www.iamabiker.com
-
The latest k1600 colours look quite OK, but I watched the Missenden flyer's review and possibly also one of the 44teeth guys had one for a video too. It sounded a bit bargey. I'm sure Rich you could hussle it but little old me I decided nope. I'll try one eventually I'm sure.
Rich: when I see you next if you want!
-
Cheers Matt! And you can remind yourself how ponderous a K1300S is compared to a svelte KTM.
-
... the Missenden flyer's review ... It sounded a bit bargey. ...
I don't think the guy riding his K1600GT in the link below would agree with that statement... He abused (or I could just as well say : "really used properly") his K1600GT ... Including footpegs touching the ground. I doubt if the average K1300S rider could follow this guy. I couldn't have done so...
https://youtu.be/xTZa2iSyn-g?t=120
-
Cheers Matt! And you can remind yourself how ponderous a K1300S is compared to a svelte KTM.
Even with all the work I’ve put into my K, was wishing I was on the KTM today, we live at junction 7M6 and go to a bike meet on a Wednesday morning near Coleshill and ended up filtering from our junction to the M42 oh what joy. 😥
-
... the Missenden flyer's review ... It sounded a bit bargey. ...
I don't think the guy riding his K1600GT in the link below would agree with that statement... He abused (or I could just as well say : "really used properly") his K1600GT ... Including footpegs touching the ground. I doubt if the average K1300S rider could follow this guy. I couldn't have done so...
https://youtu.be/xTZa2iSyn-g?t=120
Bolded a bit. Doesn't that kind of prove my point? As I say, Richard being a good rider could probably do the same, like a racing driver could drive my E class coupe much faster than the average M3 driver :p.
There's no denying it's a big heavy bike. Plus it's 30cm longer. And its rake is more relaxed too. I'm not saying it's a bad bike, it's a different bike.
-
Excellent video, Phillippe!
I didn't know you had a 1600... :winkthumbs:
He's a far better rider than me, and will be quicker than me on either 1600 or 1300!
But I reckon he'd find the 1300 the easier bend swinger of the two.
-
I have some video from the Old Gits Spain trip last week of me following a KTM SD1290GT, (https://thumbsnap.com/t/AWgtauUn.jpg) (https://thumbsnap.com/AWgtauUn) then a K1300S (https://thumbsnap.com/t/FHLjq1eN.jpg) (https://thumbsnap.com/FHLjq1eN) following me. We were making progress! What was interesting is that, with reasonably equally matched riders, no bike was really faster or slower on this type of road. We were all riding at the top end of what we thought was safe and the bikes were all being ridden with the rev counter needle in the top 3rd of the rev range and the throttle well open.
I suspect that the K1600GT rider in the link above would likely have kept up with us also, and know for a fact that the S1000RR rider in our group who was with us at the start of this run was left many minutes behind.
Generally, at the top end, where the SD1290GT, the K1300S and the K1600GT live, it's not the bike that's the limiting factoer on the road, it's the rider.
That said, the rider of the Tracer in our group, who is a good, skilled rider, said he was asking everything of his bike and it simply wasn't keeping up.
-
...
I didn't know you had a 1600... :winkthumbs:
...
<confused mode>I don't ???</confused mode>
-
I have some video from the Old Gits Spain trip last week of me following a KTM SD1290GT, (https://thumbsnap.com/t/AWgtauUn.jpg) (https://thumbsnap.com/AWgtauUn) then a K1300S (https://thumbsnap.com/t/FHLjq1eN.jpg) (https://thumbsnap.com/FHLjq1eN) following me. We were making progress! What was interesting is that, with reasonably equally matched riders, no bike was really faster or slower on this type of road. We were all riding at the top end of what we thought was safe and the bikes were all being ridden with the rev counter needle in the top 3rd of the rev range and the throttle well open.
I suspect that the K1600GT rider in the link above would likely have kept up with us also, and know for a fact that the S1000RR rider in our group who was with us at the start of this run was left many minutes behind.
Generally, at the top end, where the SD1290GT, the K1300S and the K1600GT live, it's not the bike that's the limiting factoer on the road, it's the rider.
That said, the rider of the Tracer in our group, who is a good, skilled rider, said he was asking everything of his bike and it simply wasn't keeping up.
Hah, cool. And yeah I agree. I find it much easier to be fast on the KTM (and tbh on the GS too!) than I did on the K1300S. And that's purely my brain being an arse. Although maybe in my last year with the K I was getting up to it, after the superbike school and the wrinklies school :D.
Which Tracer? I assume the 9. That's ~117hp, with the 7 being ~73. (I went to Yamaha site and one bike power is listed in ps and the other in kw. Well done Yamaha). In any case, it's an interesting observation as we know there's a lower limit of bikes that can fit in the 'top end' bikes.
-
I have some video from the Old Gits Spain trip last week of me following a KTM SD1290GT, (https://thumbsnap.com/t/AWgtauUn.jpg) (https://thumbsnap.com/AWgtauUn) then a K1300S (https://thumbsnap.com/t/FHLjq1eN.jpg) (https://thumbsnap.com/FHLjq1eN) following me. We were making progress! What was interesting is that, with reasonably equally matched riders, no bike was really faster or slower on this type of road. We were all riding at the top end of what we thought was safe and the bikes were all being ridden with the rev counter needle in the top 3rd of the rev range and the throttle well open.
I suspect that the K1600GT rider in the link above would likely have kept up with us also, and know for a fact that the S1000RR rider in our group who was with us at the start of this run was left many minutes behind.
Generally, at the top end, where the SD1290GT, the K1300S and the K1600GT live, it's not the bike that's the limiting factoer on the road, it's the rider.
That said, the rider of the Tracer in our group, who is a good, skilled rider, said he was asking everything of his bike and it simply wasn't keeping up.
Hah, cool. And yeah I agree. I find it much easier to be fast on the KTM (and tbh on the GS too!) than I did on the K1300S. And that's purely my brain being an arse. Although maybe in my last year with the K I was getting up to it, after the superbike school and the wrinklies school :D.
Which Tracer? I assume the 9. That's ~117hp, with the 7 being ~73. (I went to Yamaha site and one bike power is listed in ps and the other in kw. Well done Yamaha). In any case, it's an interesting observation as we know there's a lower limit of bikes that can fit in the 'top end' bikes.
Yes, it was the Tracer 9. According to the rider it was the whole package of engine, suspension/chassis, brakes etc. that meant he wasn't able to push harder without feeling he was going beyond safe limits.
We didn't have any GSs with us that day though I suspect, had Tom been in our group, he'd have been in the videos too. :D
-
Maybe it's too early in the morning for me but he didn't seem 'that' fast in the vid. He would have been much faster if he had been using all of the road; no off-siding, no cutting of obvious corners.
I agree that he would have been in the group, Old Gits or Wrinklies and he was certainly better on hairpins than me ::)
(Were your vids supposed to open and run David? For me, the link went to another page but nothing happened.)
-
Maybe it's too early in the morning for me but he didn't seem 'that' fast in the vid. He would have been much faster if he had been using all of the road; no off-siding, no cutting of obvious corners.
I agree that he would have been in the group, Old Gits or Wrinklies and he was certainly better on hairpins than me ::)
(Were your vids supposed to open and run David? For me, the link went to another page but nothing happened.)
They were only short GIF clips from the full vieo, which I haven't yet uploaded. The link to Thumbsnap shoud just increase the detail and frame rate.
-
Weird. It went to thumbsnap but it was just a blank page...
-
Weird. It went to thumbsnap but it was just a blank page...
Worked for me after a moment. But in any case you aren't missing much :p. Maybe David you'll be uploading to YouTube eventually?
-
Weird. It went to thumbsnap but it was just a blank page...
Worked for me after a moment. But in any case you aren't missing much :p. Maybe David you'll be uploading to YouTube eventually?
Eventually, though the videos are pretty boring. It's a "you have to be there" thing! :D
-
One of my tasks for Scotland is a ride-by whilst my drone is hovering about a bit. I suspect that will result in equally boring footage! :D
-
One of my tasks for Scotland is a ride-by whilst my drone is hovering about a bit.
Like a bloody great midge?
-
Thumbsnap worked this time 8)
I was about a minute in to the first one before I realised it was the same two corners repeated over and over and over and over ::)
-
Pow pow pow, i can't find the tilde key so... roughly 18 month update!
Because i'm annoyed with it right now, here are the things I classify as (subjective, remember) issues encountered to date:
1. The random "MTC Failure!" issues if it's been sat for a little while, anecdotally due to it having OCD about battery voltage. Gets annoying as it generally goes like this... actually, this: A: Stall it because trying to pull away with low revs keeps me engaged. B: Hit Starter. C: Bike sounds a bit annoyed but starts and then a red "MTC Failure" appears. D: Find somewhere to pull over and restart it (roughly a 10-15 second affair). E: Ride on, cursing.
2. The oil leak mentioned before appears to have come back but to a lesser degree. One can note telltale staining on lower part of engine.
3. At the second Italy hotel on OG'23 upon pulling into the hotel car park and wanting to start the bike again it refused to do anything, screen stayed black and the telltale LED indicated it didn't see the key. Battery change made no difference. Thankfully Philip was there and helped (did the whole thing :D) to disconnect and reconnect the battery, which fixed it. Confidence knocked.
4. Somewhere air got into the clutch and after a day getting across Albania where the clutch was used a hell of a lot, it was creeping with clutch fully pulled in. Google says the slave cylinder is a known failure point. Bit annoying.
5. I washed it yesterday after the 4,300 miles of euro-dirt and so far it refuses to start. On hitting the starter it - i think, i don't know noises so well - spins the starter motor briefly, then restarts the display, eventually getting back to the main screen and then popping up the red "MTC Failure" and refusing to even try to start. I now see the battery voltage is at 11.8v, so either washing it shorted something briefly, or it coincidentally drained. It started successfully during the washing day after most of the wet stuff had happened. It's sat in a humidity controlled garage on charge at the moment.
6. I switched to a bigger screen (KTM 1290 Super Duke GT Puig Touring Screen With Visor Light Tint) which whilst looking like it'll fall off, wobbling a worrying amount, also doesn't quite sort out noisy motorway speeds. As I've probably banged on to everyone, the GS set a high benchmark here, and I also think my ears are on the verge of giving up, so i'm very conscious now of extended high speed noisy noises.
7. The chain isn't an issue, I'm the issue. Really the only time on the trip it became an 'issue' was when my tyre guy said "oh my god that chain is dry" and bless him cleaned and waxed it for me. Having checked the tension yesterday it's gone from just loose enough to be in the guidelines to being on the edge of being too loose. The KTM has some markers alongside the top bit of chain for this. The chain would have been no issue at all on this trip if the bike had a centre stand.
8. Oh yeah, the mirrors do vibrate at speed sorry Rich. I find if I firmly hold one of the grips it clears the image up a bit, but it's no K.
----------------------------------
Ok it's been 20 months. And I've taken the bike from about 7,000 miles to 18,100 miles. Good points:
1. It sounds nice, overall. However I must say that the burble and popping it made off throttle going down the passes got tiring after the severalth day! Yeah these are subjective too. But overall, the noise it makes when i'm trying to outrun Martin is pretty satisfying. I still get flashbacks to following Tom's KTM 1290 on one of the Wrinklies and hearing it roar like some awesome animal. The sound was what got me onto this bike, and it's a big part of what makes me want to keep it.
2. It goes nice. It's a fast bike. Although in the context of the mountain passes (Alps, Dolomites) I think (me on) a 1250GS would have kept up for the most part what with its low-end wall of torque overcoming the main challenge of slow-in-fast-out. Overtakes are where it shines though, and where a GS would lose out a bit I feel. Doing 50-100mph business one can tell it still has another 120-70mph of headroom and is eager to get there. Though the K is roughly equal to the KTM for this sort of thing, the wide bars give me more confidence as I know I can dive back in/around the bend etc. Agility. And the rider.
3. It looks nice. No wait, this is a negative. No wait! I don't know. Even through parts of the Balkans where people stop and stare i'd have got the same reaction on a GS or anything else. Mostly I'd be happier with a less shouty looking bike purely from a "I hope nobody notices my bike... and nicks it" paranoia standpoint. But also the fricking orange wheels look horrific after 10 miles let alone 4,000. But it does take a nice photo, when I give it my phone.
4. It practicality nice. I think it even beats the GS for this, though I was still in K-shock with that bike and never tried to actually store stuff on it. With the KTM I have a little towel and visor cleaner in the right fairing cubby, and another towel in the left one (there's a USB in there too if your phone is small enough). Under the rear seat i have an air compressor and two varieties of puncture repair kit. And the KTM toolkit (lots in there).
5. Range. Unfortunately in Europe I was just stopping when I got to 100km or less and didn't pay much attention, but it regularly started full saying 400km range, which is 248 miles. I've had 240 miles in the UK before, though i'm sure in the main OG'23 part of my trip I got less given our pace. I think I recall a conversation with Martin where we determined mine used a bit less than the K, though that may have been a dream. However, on my boring race back home across Italy and France, on one day I literally sat at 100kph (60mph) for the whole day and achieved 62mpg indicated, where the following day I sat at 130kph (80mph) and achieved 52mpg indicated. I like numbers.
----------------------------------
Ok that's my attempt at pigeonholing the good and bad. I suppose I should also add that having given it a fairly detailed inspection yesterday, it appears to have all its engine/fork/swingarm paint. I popped into Alton BMW on my way back from the channel tunnel last week, and one of their guys commented "they show their age don't they these KTMs," to which I replied "I've just done 4,000 miles and literally got off the tunnel 2 hours ago!" I probably could have said "hey let's not forget we're in the world where paint doesn't stick." So that's nice. The only part with a bit of paint coming off is the mid-pipe heat shield thing. As that's probably a 50GBP part or strip-and-paintable it's acceptable to me. Oh, though the OEM rearset ankle guardy type bits are starting to lose their black finish. That's a bit more annoying and noticeable. And I notice more chips on the orange wheels every time I look. Thanks to the Croatian tyre place for adding to that :/.
As I sat in my room-with-a-window on the ferry from Greece to Italy I found myself looking at GSAs on the BMW used-approved site. Although in the last few days i've also been reading up on the DesertX, the Norden 901 Expedition, and how to convince a cat to poop. So nothing makes sense in this world.
Oh, photos!
Bit of rain. The one time on the OG trip. I did have a 16 hour rain day from Bosnia to Montenegro though. I think the KTM looks awesome in this photo.
(https://i.ibb.co/CvPggpZ/20230623-101946.jpg)
Though I think Martin's K looks equally awesome in this shot.
(https://i.ibb.co/3mrVMgt/20230623-101954.jpg)
Dolomites somewhere.
(https://i.ibb.co/0JgLDrr/20230623-130936.jpg)
Slovenia.
(https://i.ibb.co/P1Mj260/20230624-150133.jpg)
Croatia!
(https://i.ibb.co/9pWhnv6/20230627-193908.jpg)
Albania!
(https://i.ibb.co/N2N1Sh6/20230705-101415.jpg)
-
A nice update Matt. Thanks. It's a shame when, what are ultimately only minor niggles, begin to become the main focus of a bike. It sounds to me like the battery is possibly not up to the job. It may be worth looking to see if there is another battery that would fit that offers more CCA. I suspect that would address a number of the frustrations associated with starting/stalling. Also check that the battery connections are tight. I had an issue with mine that turned out to be a battery connection that I'd not done up tight enough.
I think there is a well know fix via the replacement of the clutch slave cylinder. Not something you should have to do, but not a major issue either.
However, thoughts of a GSA are a real worry! I suggest a call to the local GP to arrange counselling is needed! ;)
-
Though I think Martin's K looks equally awesome in this shot.
(https://i.ibb.co/3mrVMgt/20230623-101954.jpg)
Thats RTs K, can't you tell by all the carbon? And the handbag sized tankbag
-
That is a good report Matt, I had most of the same problems including the clutch slave cylinder going a week before our trip to Austria, that made me change to the GS1200 before our next big run out and now its the GSA1250, Had the 1300s and others and nothing comes close to the enjoyment of riding long distances on the GS1250. 8) ;D ;D ;D
-
If my bike ended up on the back of a tow truck two things would happen, first I would get it fixed next it would be up for sale.
I need a bike I can have total faith in, but that's just me, other points of view are available.
-
Though I think Martin's K looks equally awesome in this shot.
(https://i.ibb.co/3mrVMgt/20230623-101954.jpg)
Thats RTs K, can't you tell by all the carbon? And the handbag sized tankbag
Two a penny these Motorsports - common as muck.
And that's the Birkin bag of tank bags I'll have you know.
-
If my bike ended up on the back of a tow truck two things would happen, first I would get it fixed next it would be up for sale.
I need a bike I can have total faith in, but that's just me, other points of view are available.
I'm mostly with you there, Rae. Things do go wrong, but when it's so far from home, it would definitely colour my opinion too, although I can imagine something similarly innocuous could happen to a K too. It doesn't take much to immobilise a modern motorbike - switchgear goes faulty in a much hotter country for example, and so on.
The other thing that happens, and it's mostly in the mind IMHO, is that you get one problem and you live with it. But get a second problem, and that's it - that bike is on borrowed time. You grumble, you fix, you sell.
Of course the next owner doesn't have that mental baggage (Birkin or otherwise - see above :azn:), and their faith is solid in their newly acquired bike. And they're probably right. And so it goes on.
-
If my bike ended up on the back of a tow truck two things would happen, first I would get it fixed next it would be up for sale.
I need a bike I can have total faith in, but that's just me, other points of view are available.
I'm mostly with you there, Rae. Things do go wrong, but when it's so far from home, it would definitely colour my opinion too, although I can imagine something similarly innocuous could happen to a K too. It doesn't take much to immobilise a modern motorbike - switchgear goes faulty in a much hotter country for example, and so on.
The other thing that happens, and it's mostly in the mind IMHO, is that you get one problem and you live with it. But get a second problem, and that's it - that bike is on borrowed time. You grumble, you fix, you sell.
Of course the next owner doesn't have that mental baggage (Birkin or otherwise - see above :azn:), and their faith is solid in their newly acquired bike. And they're probably right. And so it goes on.
I'm not sure its quite as black and white for me, or for any long term K1?00R/S/GT owner for that matter.
I think a lot of if depends on what has failed, what impact it has and why it's failed. If the issues with Matts KTM regarding starting, warning lights etc. can be addressed by an uprated battery then that would not be a major issue for me. Likewise, replacement of the clutch slave cylinder, a known weakness on those bikes, as long as it's not hugely expensive.
Compared to switch gear, radiators, flaking paint, short life ball joints, hot start issues, and a few more, the issues with Matts KTM seem pretty minor.
-
If my bike ended up on the back of a tow truck two things would happen, first I would get it fixed next it would be up for sale.
I need a bike I can have total faith in, but that's just me, other points of view are available.
Don't run an old Aprilia then. My Tuono has done the Ride of shame twice on the back of a tow truck, and once broke down on a track day with the same basic issue (charging), although always manifesting in slightly different ways. I take it as part of owning an Italian bike, and just have to take the rough with the smooth. I still love it, can't imagine parting with it, and did 10 day holiday in Wales on it last year, but my breakdown cover is very good :D. I also live in hope that the last upgrade has sorted it for good, it is the hope that gets you in the end.
-
Don't run an old Aprilia then.
I don't :thumbsupgood:
I want a bike that goes and stops when it's supposed to, and I have one ;D
-
Don't run an old Aprilia then.
I don't :thumbsupgood:
I want a bike that goes and stops when it's supposed to, and I have one ;D
Aha you ride a Japanese bike so your high expectation are most likely always met :D. As the Macedonian mechanic told me, "you should buy Japanese!"
Next: Sorry Rich, Martin, I think because I have another shot of Martin near that bike I went to auto pilot.
David: Shush, I need excuses to buy not objective sensible reasons to stay :P
Tom: please carry on for the same reason as above :D
Bike update: I left it on charge for an hour or so and it was back to normal. I then rode it 10 or so miles and started and stopped a couple of times, all ok. We'll see. Is it possible the water ingress caused a brief short? Or would I have heard sizzling?
@David: I've not heard uprated battery suggested as a solution before to the gremlins, so i'm assuming (danger danger) that it isn't as easy as that. I may or may not do some googlefu with the appropriate words ;).
Oh yeah. It needs its 18k valve clearance service. £719. Maybe slightly less when they remember they did an annual service 2 months ago.
-
Matt just part ex and put the £719 towards the new bike, I am looking at the new R1300GSA later this year.
-
My uprated battery suggestion was nothing more than a guess. That said, the reason I suggested it is that I have known of situations where the starter draw on the battery is enough, particularly on a slightly older battery, to lower the voltage to the point where the ECU starts getting confusing signals from the various sensors. I had something similar which turned out was the positive connection to the battery had not been done up tightly enough. Half a turn of a screwdriver solved the problem. Modern high compression engines, particularly a big twin, will need the battery to be in tip top condition to turn them over quickly while still giving a decent voltage to the rest of the bike. The more CCAs you batter can muster, the better the chances of that happening.
As for a replacement bike ... you liked your K1300S, so what you want is probably the spiritual successor to the K1300S that is reliable. If only such a thing existed .... :D
PS I'm about to place my order for my next bike, to be registered in spring 2024. Guess what I'm ordering??? ;)
-
Did I miss something? Why the piccie of the bike on the back of a truck. What happened?
-
... I've not heard uprated battery suggested as a solution before ...
So many of the KTM niggles are down to low battery voltage. I was talking to a KTM old timer when I first got mine and it left me stranded one day, his advice was:
- Turn it on
- Count to 10 to let it boot up and then start the bike
- Never leave the ignition on or adjust suspension etc without the engine running
My 2019 Super Adventure, and now my new one have had Anti-Gravity Lithium batteries fitted. Stupid price, but works for me. They tend to sit at a slightly higher voltage than lead acid, and I had it tested in front of me at 410 cranking amps while the standard on is marked at 220. Starts great everytime. And the Anti-Gravity (Restart) also has some great electronics built in, if it drops below a certain level it turns itself "off" until you push a button on it to turn it back on, and then it has enough power for a couple of starts - so you are unlikely to be left stranded with a flat battery again.
There are all sorts of Pros and Cons for them, but I have not had an electrical error since following the guide and fitting the Lithium battery.
-
Hey Belco. Sounds good!
I just popped back to this thread to list my ongoing/previous issues for future reference mostly by me if/when I get rid of it and forget why:
1. Ongoing. Oil temp sensor is under reading. The dealer has seen and acknowledged but 'can't' replace it even under warranty because 'we need an error code and it isn't showing one'. So presumably the mother ship thinks a micro climate follows me around.
2. Previous. Ongoing. Oil leak. Front of engine where some cables exit via what looks like a lump of silicone. They fixed that but now when sufficiently dirty a damp patch shows up again.
3. Ongoing. Clutch system getting airy. Needed recovery in Albania.
4. Previous. The day it refused to even turn the screen on. Luckily I can remove the seat with the key on this model and get to tools. On the new SAS at least, it's a button, only active when that screen is on.
I think that's it for actual real issues.
Things I don't like/want to resolve with next bike:
A. The stupid ass luggage. Not only is it too small (ignoring cavernous uggo top box with its own key) but the locking mechanism is such that if stuff is squashed in a bit and the lid is "under pressure" it prevents the hooks from disengaging and so you can't open the things. Without smacking them and using the vibration to hopefully release it. Oh and as they heat up in the... heat, they get more difficult to close. And wtf decided to just glue on those KTM soft metal badges that catch on trousers or anything and bend away: great work you pretend Austrian.
B. The battery thing. Yeah maybe something else will solve it, but none of my previous bikes have been so gitty. And the recent rando voltage drop was worrying. Also leaving KTM it was very hesitant to start. And that was after riding an hour up there then it sitting for 1.5 hours. An almost 3 year old battery that lives in a dry garage and is almost constantly on a tender or wtf that actually maintains.
C. Long motorway trips are uncomfortable for me. Maybe mostly my dodgy shoulder, but I also want better wind protection. For quiet mostly. Mine is pretty decent but not quite there. I have a stupid Puig with spoiler.
D. Stupid flipping orange wheels clean yourselves you idiots, I hate your face!
I rode the 23 1290 SAS a couple of days ago. Felt nice, less aggressive posture obviously which made it feel less wizzy wizzy, which was fine as it was still stupid quick. Engine was much more flexible at low rpm than mine. I could be in 4th at 30 and 6th at 60 and accelerate without it trying to shake itself out of the frame. The Mitas tyres... well, I'd swap them immediately. The bike only had 7 miles on, and 60 when I finished, but I managed to have a few scary moments. I've had new tyres before :/. The semi active suspension has moved on and now has an auto mode (which I think is probably similar to the GS auto mode it's had for years) which adjusts on the fly. So whilst it also has a crap ton of fork and spring stuff to adjust on the fly, auto actually made it smooth when going down slow country lanes, and right when flinging it along a roads. Impressed.
I then tried to try a GSA low but failed to find one. Need to sort that out soon before I forget the SAS feelings.
The End!
-
Oh bonnet de douche I forgot this bit:
Subjective things I like:
1. The noise. My 20 plate with a short Pipe Werx (black, that hasn't corroded) can sounds lovely (baffle in). Although I did complain to Martin as we came down the millionth pass that the 'burble-burble-burble' was getting tiresome! But overall, it makes me smile and laugh when I open the throttle. Even pulling away in first gear the V sound is satisfying. (The 23 SAS was so quiet it had lost all its aural character as stock. I think it gained yet another cat just before the end can, in some bulbous bit of pipe) Cushty.
2. The torque. It never ends really. It makes exiting corners very satisfying. Lovely jubbly.
3. I can make this one go round corners. I think it's mostly a function of the bars. I found the GS equally if not more easy to get on its side. In fact I remember being worried when I'd had the KTM for a few weeks that I'd gone too far back to K1300S ergo. I was no good at making the K go round corners/be agile. This was and is purely a me issue. Give me wide bars and I'll keep up with you. The KTM feels great when flinging round corners, loading up the suspension. Cosmic!
4. I think it looks nice. But then when I caught the K at the right angle on the trip I still thought/think that looks incredible. And yes! I think the 1250GS and especially the Adventure look awesome too! Pot pourri!
Oh wait, I remembered something objectively crap about the KTM: The nav. "Ok so we made a nice big TFT screen, let's pay that homeless guy to make the navigation app and then charge people a monthly subscription. Import GPX files? Sod that, surely nobody on a KTM wants an adventure, they're just going from A to B right? What, the BMW App allows GPX import? And logs fun stuff like where you've been, and lean angles? Nah, old man tech! We'll just make it occasionally not work. Because young people don't like technology... yeah." Fools.
5. As David mentioned about his bike, this similarly has a lot of under seats storage. I have a compressor, two puncture repair kits, the very complete ktm toolkit under the rear seat. Then the two fairing cubbyholes up front have visor cleaner and two cloths. No taking rear fairing panels off to strap a puncture repair kit to the subframe here! This bike has an alarm too, so it's not like i've cheated to get space. The 23 plate SAS has slightly less space from initial observations. But then in adv sector an external toolbox becomes acceptable, bolted to the pannier rails. Bain-marie!
6. The paint is largely staying on the bike. The only place it isn't is on the exhaust heat shield. A black painted bit of curved metal that has a bit of peeling. But the engine, you know, the heavy bit near the front, still has all its paint! Even the bit that gets smacked by whatever comes off the front wheel. (Oh and that rads are either side so don't get splattered) The swingarm is also fine, though there's no... what was the word... mating surface where the paint etc just ends in a raw cut. I've also yet to notice any fairing/cowling paint chips. The orange wheels, yes, whoever fitted my tyre in Croatia took a nice 6 inch bit of paint off :/. And there are a few of what appear to be stone chips on the rear wheel. Chateauneuf de pape!
-
I have to agree Matt, the sound is wonderful. Likewise, I found the SD1290GT much easier to chuck around with quick and easy changes of direction compared to the K1300S. Although, I think the front end geometry combined with the shorter wheelbase has as much to do with that as the width of the bars. Roger found the H2 SX (similar bar width to the K1300S) MUCH easier to chuck around than his previous K1300S and he was no slouch on that.
-
Hey Belco. Sounds good!
1. Ongoing. Oil temp sensor is under reading. The dealer has seen and acknowledged but 'can't' replace it even under warranty because 'we need an error code and it isn't showing one'. So presumably the mother ship thinks a micro climate follows me around.
The diagnostic system will not be clever enough to indicate that a temperature sensor is not reading correctly therefore it will never put up a fault code for this problem.
-
Yep, my thoughts too. Disappointing.
-
WTF thinks you can only fix something if the bike throws up a fault code? What happens when your fault code indicator stops working or your engine falls out? Where is the fault code then?
-
See this is the stuff making me edge towards the flipping GSA! And my KTM dealer - who said the above - is rated as one of the better ones.
-
See this is the stuff making me edge towards the flipping GSA! And my KTM dealer - who said the above - is rated as one of the better ones.
Oh Matt! Things can't be that bad, can they?
I was looking at the GSA price and, by the time to add on all the extras most people will want (doesn't include the seed drill, the plough or the harrow!!! ;) ) then the cost is pretty comparable with the H2 SX SE Performance Tourer.
-
Is it?! I have a GSA on the cobfigurator and am just shy of 21k. There's not much possible to add then. Luggage say a grand more.
I thought the H2 funktopus version was 26+k.
It's easy enough go get another 1,700 off that GSA price by playing the "yeah sure HP but I'll settle it after a month" game.
The 1290sas is still slightly tempting as that's about 16. 3k after not even negotiating.
In reality I should just get mine serviced and fixed and them be quiet for 6 months.
-
I went through the GSA configurator and added the things I thought I'd want and got yo about £24.5k. It would have been easy to add things like one of the billet kits and flash pain jobs to get it over £26k before you looked at things like
filtering blockers pannier extenders and other luggage.
I know it's not "apples with apples" compared to the H2 SX but I was looking at comparing bikes with "all the bells and whistles" as that's the version that is being comment on (price wise) on my bike thread.
I've yet to ride a GS/GSA that didn't make me yawn so configuring one is probably not something I'd be doing, thus I've probably made some questionable choices.
As you say, you're probably best to get the KTM sorted and take it from there. :winkthumbs:
-
Shut up David. You 'know' he wants the H2 SX SE supermaggiore tourer thingy. Just nudge him a little more... :evil: (no apologies for the little devil emoji this time)
-
Hi welcome to my MySpace page!!111
Yesterday I met up with a guy from my Wales off road course thing. He was on a KTM too and I was bemoaning my issues. Anyway, let's go for a ride. Press the Ready to Obey Speed Limits button and the dash boots up and... SUSPENSION appears in red. I think on the 4th cycle of turning it off and on again it cleared. This is a relatively rare error I've had maybe once before.
Bit annoying and made all the GSs we saw at Loomies look even more enticing.
specced up oops (https://my.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/sgsi6xqy)
-
You missed the £215 seat height reduction:
Seat Height Reduction
£ 215.00
The combination of lowered suspension with shorter spring elements and a low seat results in a seat height of only 840 mm (standard: 890 mm). This means that even smaller riders can enjoy improved stability and have better control over their machine when manoeuvring.
Product details
Reduced seat height.
Improved ground accessibility.
Easier handling when stationary.
The centre and side stands are also shorter.
Only in conjunction with Dynamic ESA .
Bizarrely, it looks almost reasonable value with that massive list of included items.
But my god it's a fat beast from head on if you play with the 360 degress view. The tank is almost was wide as the pots.
Don't forget to claw a little back (about a grand?) from them with this option:
BMW UK Service Inclusive 5 years/30k miles. £1,090.00
Oooh, no luggage. Ouch, look at the price of that. Hmm, maybe that's the price differential to the H2 SX SE?
-
Ah I thought I'd added that. Did you? I assume everyone with this link has write access as it's there now :D.
Yeah luggage from whomever will be around a grand. But then the plastic fantastic crap on my ktm was about half that.
Ah I wondered about the service pack. The shorter one is what I'd consider just because I've built a reputation of frequently changing and I can't trust myself yet!
-
Carbon BST’s we’re a couple of grand
DNA air filter was 650 quid getting it into the UK was a story on its own.
Power Commander + Dyno run by Road and Race in Meriden .
Rearset £250
Wings end can £300.
Handguards £150
KTM aftermarket clutch/f brake lever £200
Rear rack was a must every gets…no matter which bike packed in either 50l soft back or tank bag.
If it was my only bike would I use all the time ? Nope but it isn’t so I’m more than happy to wheel it out on occasion and boy does it go well.
-
Ah I thought I'd added that. Did you? I assume everyone with this link has write access as it's there now :D.
Ah, maybe I made a mistake. Seems selected now and price is the same. Good job.
Ah I wondered about the service pack. The shorter one is what I'd consider just because I've built a reputation of frequently changing and I can't trust myself yet!
Either is good, and you can pass the service package on to the next owner - "I've bought 18k/30k miles of genuine BMW servicing upfront, including parts, and the remaining services are all in the price to you, fine sir."
Probably doesn't work so well on a part-ex back to BMW, but it would to another dealer - when you buy that Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello next year for example...
-
Oh, and a love letter to the beast - not that you need it - complete with a few references to their Welsh off-road course that I think you took:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2rNcZ-z67o
TLDR: he's going to buy one but he might hang on until he see what the R1300GS is like. Just like 10,000 other riders.
-
Well a quick update on this. I tried the 1290 SAS twice, and both times got back on mine and felt more at home (maybe a bad implicit analogy there). I preferred the more sporty balance on mine, it felt more aggressive and eager to be thrown around. This dissuaded me from being arsed to try the GS again. After a couple of years on this, and this year making the most of it, I'm realising that's the side of sport touring I want to lean towards.
So, 18k service (valves) was just done, and I had them fit the Oberon slave cylinder and enable the Track Pack. On my ride back (man, a lot of the roads on that route are terrible condition) I realised I was too tired to start fiddling, so I've yet to try the new mode variables (throttle, suspension, TC, anti-wheelie all faff'able). Oh yeah, and a new battery too. And a replacement KTM logo for my pannier as they get bent off when you catch them. Except they gave me the wrong one.
There we are then, I'm aiming to carry on for the foreseeable after my brief wobble. It makes sense, this is an awesome bike. Even its newer version doesn't interest me as there's no change to suspension yet (the SAS has it, the GT doesn't) and so I'd just get the new TFT with it's fricking animation between pressing Menu and getting the Menu. I could rant for hours about this UX choice. Maybe I should write a frigging post on LinkedIn about how even I can see what a rubbish UX is.
I had a 790 Adventure as a courtesy bike. Bullet points being:
- 90 something hp is too slow
- quickshifter finnicky and didn't always do the second change up
- that idiotic animation UX on the TFT
- comfortable suspension (not electronically adjustable)
- that hole in the windscreen makes odd noises
Booo!
(https://i.ibb.co/vmWffDp/20230913-160704.jpg)
Yaaay
(https://i.ibb.co/mtqCL2n/20230913-175033.jpg)
-
Yours also looks better. A little bonus.
-
It's always good to look at possible alternatives but even better when it reinforces the original choice. Well done! :winkthumbs:
The SD1290GT is a brilliant bike and IMHO the second best "do it all" (on tarmac) bike you can get! I'm sure you'll have many more happy miles together, especially in the French Pyrenees. ;)
-
Thanks chaps. Yes you're right of course. It's easy to get carried away and overshoot perfect. As I slowly work through my trip diary and publish it here it's a useful reminder that the trip was more than those painful boring last few days blasting up autoroutes. When I got home those few days had seared into my brain, and the other 3,000 odd miles of it being perfect seemed to disappear for a while!
And really, it was fine for that ride back up through Europe too, it was just boring and my shoulder made it worse. Indeed, the last bit after getting off the tunnel I had awesome fun following in the footsteps (more or less, I believe) of Richard and Martin.
-
She's sprung a leak below the waterline captain!
Or more accurately, from somewhere at the front of the engine, near the oil filler spout/cap. Maybe the tiny leak from last year that's got worse, unsure.
Discovery story: I booked a room down Devon way to get myself oot and aboot as I've not ridden properly in ages. Upon booting up to return I noticed oil on my left boot. And then a messy engine area. Bugger. Guy at my KTM was most surprised, saying (paraphrasing) "that's surprising, the 1290s don't usually leak". I hope he then looked at my customer record to see this is my second leak :/.
In better news I tried out the Track Pack on the way back. I can confirm the 'Track' mode for throttle is another level of hilarious/aggressive. I finally felt the benefits of anti-wheelie, though I'm nowhere near turning that feature off! I also have yet to fiddle with the 9-stage traction control, as it was 10c and not the driest of roads. Oh, and Launch Control. Yeah i'm not sure how eager I am to try that one!
Now, the customer experience next Monday will be key to keeping my brain out of Bahnstormer. I've already been reminded courtesy bikes aren't for overnight, so if the bike is stranded there, I'll... be camping in the field opposite.
-
This morning I rode up to Premier KTM to get the leaky bike looked at. When I arrived I took these two snaps and thought "rocker cover gasket" or whatever the cool/correct kids call it.
(https://i.ibb.co/ZJGgqtZ/20240205-094921.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/L5Nb34P/20240205-094927.jpg)
Half hour or so later the guy comes over and confirms this. Apparently it was spitting under revs too. The main good news though is that he immediately accepted that as they were the last ones to mess with it for the 18k (I've done maybe 400 miles since), it's their problem. So they're sorting it tomorrow and I have their old 790 Duke sat in the garage.
Incidentally, since the new battery I had put in at that service the bike has yet to show me any yellow or red warning/failure messages. And the clutch is still working after the Oberon slave replacement.
-
Good that they accepted responsibility.
Saves you having to buy an R1300 Gee Ess, which wouldn't be nearly as much fun.
-
Good that they accepted responsibility.
Saves you having to buy an R1300 Gee Ess, which wouldn't be nearly as much fun.
:download: Well said! I agree 100%
;) ... and it's nice they've accepted responsibility!!!! ;D
-
Thank you gentlemen. And yes I agree. I was sat upstairs bemoaning their approach to coffee (a kettle) vs BMW, so was relieved I didn't have to fight for... the right.
Speaking of R1300GS,i just had an email re my Portugal off road trip... It's on the new.1300GS yaaay! What a (off) road test I shall have!
-
Betcha buy one. Betcha, betcha!
-
There in Portugal?
-
Well I have been looking for somewhere to emigrate to!
-
There in Portugal?
Well, I believe they sell them off at a decent discount after they have been thrashed used for instructional purposes.
-
There in Portugal?
D'Oh! Typo!
That should have read:
Where in Portugal?
-
Aha I did wonder! Faro is where we're going!:)
-
Aha I did wonder! Faro is where we're going!:)
A lovely part of the world. I'll be an hour from Faro, very near Lagos, next week. :thumbsupgood:
-
Sheesh, it's been over 3 months since my last oil leak! So far i'm a dry boy; i'm a happy boy.
Ok what else happened. I swapped out the emergency Battlax T32R from Croatia last summer (4,160 miles, maybe 500 left), along with the front Roadtec 01 (6,700 miles, maybe 1,000 left) for a pair of Michelin Road 6.
I then went to Wales with Brian and fell in love... with the tyres! I'm sure it's also my riding company, my tenure with the bike etc but with this pair of tyres I had/have as much confidence as I've ever had. I must say though the T32R did me pretty well and lasted as long as the Roadtec before it. So it's probably all in my head.
Next. I prodded the chain a few times in Wales and noticed it sticking. With OG '24 coming up I bought a new chain and two sprockets, before even considering I could pay for someone else to do it. Learning! Pain in the bottom learning. Due to collective tolerances adding up I couldn't get the engine sprocket off because the swing arm just obstructed it. So I had to knock out one side of the swing arm pivot in order to waggle it past.
I'd also taken off the cat to give it a clean. That was a mistake and it took a ratchet strap (compressing suspension), a Brian, and a poking stick to persuade it to go back on. A single locating pin (2nd has sheared at some point) plus those tight tolerances again. I was very close to doing a decat simply to avoid ever having to think about that thing again.
Whilst the rear wheel was off I brought it inside and gave it several coats of some annoying ceramic spray thing. The sprayer part had broken so it was most frustrating what with its warnings about if you get it onto your hands you'll never get dirty hands again, or something. I've done a few hundred miles since so I need to see if all the crap just wipes off. Maybe I'll try that later today.
(https://i.ibb.co/2g0t9X6/20240425-121608.jpg)
Oh yes, I also finally re-built my BarButtons thing with my reverse engineered PCB plus modified case. Essentially it now has cable tie channels in the back so I have it wrapped to the bars and a top one around the mirror stalk to prevent rotation. It's also now in PETG so should last several years in the wild versus PLA which goes brittle and warps over time when outdoors. It's only in the weird transparent grey because that's all I had and I refuse to buy more filament.
(https://i.ibb.co/nrC1x4L/20240501-110508.jpg)
A shiny wheel. I've come to the conclusion my favourite wheel finish is whatever we have on the K1300S Motorsport. No 'paint' to get dirty, it hides a bit of muck pretty well, and you never noticed a thousand little sodding chips in the finish. Anyone want to swap? :D
(https://i.ibb.co/6WnY2WQ/20240507-122457.jpg)
A dirty cat
(https://i.ibb.co/n3phCbF/20240507-135034.jpg)
A somewhat cleaner cat
(https://i.ibb.co/VTLf0L1/20240508-203749.jpg)
A deer. Not a native. I had Suella chasing after it all afternoon. Nightmare.
(https://i.ibb.co/sP7B36D/20240509-093426.jpg)
A bit fo wear but not a lot. Don't ask me wtf I did to get that horrific staining on it.
(https://i.ibb.co/TWw148T/20240509-105803.jpg)
I like it when tools I bought years ago come in handy occasionally. Though doing the sodding rivet thing needed a lot of effort!
(https://i.ibb.co/NTvX5VP/20240509-105808.jpg)
New sprocket on! I avoided denting the frame paint, just about. I spent about half hour trying to get the old one off before reverting to Google. It seems about 1/3rd of people say "it came off easy!" And 2/3rds have a confluence of tolerance and "It hits the swing arm when trying to bring it forward." Well done KTM.
(https://i.ibb.co/wgMnfYJ/20240510-092101.jpg)
Done!
Test ride, re-adjust tension. Big ride. Re-adjust tension. Another big ride, and it seems to have settled in now.
Then damn it to heck I checked my front pads and so this weekend I will be mostly eating replacing brake pads. SBS 901HS, for when I look back in two years and have forgotten.
-
I now realise why you had such a problem with the golden rivet on the chain.
You were using a micrometer to peen the end of the rivet? Nice, really nice :)
-
hahaha :D ok I forgot to photograph the little Oxford chain tool thingy. That thing was a bit annoying but i'm doing my best to forget about it for another 20,000 miles!
Oh, I just ordered a tiny can of spray lube as now I fitted the chain I want to keep it nice during the trip.
-
I think David has the right idea, a Scott Oiler.
Get the lube in there when the chain is hot, open and working, not 3 days/weeks/years later when you 'remember' to do it and it is cold, contracted and probably filthy.
The set up takes some getting right, but once you have it dialled in, it is a case of set and forget unless you have acdc in which case it will keep you abused for hours.
-
Apart from filling the reservoir, the eScottOiler is pretty much 'fire and forget'!
-
Ah see, there's the flaw. 'Someone' has to remember something. :)
How much oil does the set up use David? I no longer have a chain bike and the oiler wouldn't work well for off-road machines, but I'm sure it is the way to go. I remember back in the day when they first became available, there was a lot of oil being flung all over the place because folks would just put any old tosh in there despite there being a proprietary formulation which most folks ignored.
-
There are different size reservoir options. I've got the smaller one. I'd guess about 150-200ml. I fill it about every 1500ish miles although it won't get refilled on the Old Gits trip so I don't have to carry a bottle of oil. It will start full and I do carry a spray can of chain lube. (it's usable by others should it be needed were Scottoiler oil may not be.)
There is fling on the wheel etc. but it's less than there used to be on my old VTR1000F or Aprilia Futura when I just used spray can lubrication. It's also easier to clean off.
The control unit allows you to set the drip rate in seconds per drip (I normally set between 90 and 120) and the speed for cut off so that it's not dripping onto a chain travelling at really high speed where it likely will just get flung off.
As said previously, my last chain and sprockets, on a bike with nearly 220bhp at the wheel and 110lbft, lasted just over 30k miles of brisk, but not hooligan, riding. Personally, I don't think that's bad.
-
I agree. I think the mileage on that chain was phenomenal and I'm sure I remember you saying you didn't need to adjust it between services and although the in-service oiling won't necessarily affect chain adjustment, it will most certainly affect chain and particularly sprocket life.
I remember a mate had an early Scottoiler when the adjustments were all manual and he was forever phaffing around with it and claimed it was more trouble than it was worth. It seems as though the digital age has reduced all that phaffing to a minimum amount of set up.
With all the buggering around that Matt had getting the drive sprocket off the KTM, if it were me I would have a Scottoiler on there in a flash even at the price of the eScottoiler, hint hint!
-
Stop encouraging me to stimulate the economy damn it! You should be wanting me to get a job and pay taxes :p.
The last chain lasted more or less 20,000 miles, including my abuse through all the OG until Croatia where it got its only lubrication. As I also don't really expect to do another 20k on it (pick emigrate or get tempted elsewhere), the cost benefit ain't ending in a purchase. For now. I think it's 2-300 for the fancy one David has.
This year I'm just bringing a tiny spray wax can thing with me :). If I was commuting or otherwise earning I'd look more.
-
So what's the chance of you getting another shaftie? Because if you sell your bike you keep your Scottoiler. Simples!
-
FSM knows!
Yesterday I completed changing the front pads (rears have 2mm, fyi future-me) which went splendidly, and after a quick run out to bed them in somewhat, I am immediately liking them a lot. They give more confidence than the OEM brembo pads, although I assume it's like tyres and new are always going to feel better than old/dead.
Hopefully I've nothing else to spend on it for a while now.
I did read someone altered the angle of the screen to vastly improve airflow and thus noise at speed. So if we get more dry days I'll experiment altering the screen spacers top and bottom to see if it helps. I also considered 3D printing strakes or vortex generators but not sure I care enough right now.
-
Go in the car... ::)
-
Go in the car... ::)
Blame the GS for having spoiled me for a quiet cockpit area! It's only on the commute down there where it's a bit annoying. Mostly it's just something to keep faffing with. We all enjoy that! :)
-
About time for an update then!
We're about five thousand miles more into my ownership, having done a lovely OG24 trip to the Pyrenees, and a good old Welsh ramble.
The new Road 6 did me precisely 5,545 miles and it was actually properly done for. I am chuffed with that given some of the effort I put into it on the trip.
Little else of note happened, other than me loving it still, and Track Mode being hilarious. The brakes are fine, and the clutch I am paranoid about bit I think it's fine.
It's going into KTM for its 4th service, 26k miles in a week or so.
(https://i.ibb.co/GHzDLWp/20240606-130459.jpg)
Fricking awesome Europe
(https://i.ibb.co/Jqyr3cT/20240903-143643.jpg)
Flipping delightful Wales
-
That is one good looking bike* Matt! :thumbsupgood:
* Parked with a SD1290GT and a K1300S MotorSport! :D
-
Lovely photos. But who's the fat bloke?
And good mileage. Maybe they're just as reliable as BMWs (damning with faint praise, etc).
When my K1300S is tired out (at 50k?) I'll try one out,. There will be a 1390GT by then I guess. Like it needs extra horses!
-
Why are you paranoid about the clutch?
Lovely photos, and 26k miles suggests you are getting full use out of it. I watched one going round Castle Combe a few mo ths ago, and it indeed looked hilarious, picking up the front wheel over the bumps more than anything else out there.
Very tempting
-
David: hah! Three good looking bikes!
Richard: I hope so. If there aren't any more gotchyas... And yeah, 1390R is out and GT in a few months. The only thing I'd want it for is the assumed better low rpm behaviour. Although even the 23 plate 1290SAS solved that.
Jase: Ah the/a weak point on the 1290 family is the clutch slave cylinder. And occasionally the master. Back a page or so you'll read about my slave being trouble in Albania and being replaced with an Oberon. Now I just worry the prime will go hehe.
And yeah, I loved riding the K1300 on Brands Hatch but I'd like to take the KTM around the 'ring one day!
Oh also Bri, related to six months ago post, I put a 5mm spacer on the bottom screen fixings and it did nothing, I moved it to the top the other day and it's made it quieter :D.
-
Have you got the radio and the air-con working yet? I know the heated seat and backrest is going to take a bit of work... :D
-
And what about the microwave ;D
-
Have you got the radio and the air-con working yet? I know the heated seat and backrest is going to take a bit of work... :D
You take the mickey, but all those are available on a K1600 GTL!
Well, the backrest is for the pillion, and the air con is those flippy
-out things in the fairing to direct air onto you, but hey.
There are downsides though, I've heard:
(https://5.imimg.com/data5/TI/LM/MY-4421462/round-1-ton-ci-weight-500x500.jpg)
-
Well, another year of fun on the KTM! I had our usual Welsh trips, and then of course OG24 where I really enjoyed the bike, its hilarious power, and my increasing ability to remember how to go round corners.
Unfortunately part of what brought me to this thread today was searching the forum for "R1300GS"!
The cause being a dry heim joint. Which is that bushy bearing bit connecting the shock to the swing arm. It's squeaking like a bugger. So off I went to source the parts. Which don't exist in any UK warehouse. And apparently only exist in the manufacturer imaginary warehouse, which is unsurprisingly empty after the factory being shut for a year, and then closing again just now due to no parts.
I've spent a frustrating few days trying to track down two parts, mailing shops that show "In Stock!" to find that in stock means "we trust KTM to have it in stock in Austria... and we ignore that they're about to go bankrupt".
I 'think' I've got one of the parts ordered now from some random shop but i am by no means confident of this, plus only enough for the bottom were in stock (I was going to do top and bottom, why not indeed). The other part... not yet!
I do really like this bike, even with the occasional random warning/error on the screen - which actually, hasn't happened since some time late last year. But I am beginning to think perhaps a 1390 GT is not going to be its replacement. I struggle to see how the parts availability will improve in the near to medium term given their cashflow and reputational damage. And a new model - or maybe BMW has changed my expectations hey - is surely going to have the odd recall/sneaky update to parts required.
And so here we are, me searching for R1300GS reviews (even though I spent a week on one!), S1000XR reviews, trying to find any Multistradas that exist within 100 miles, and so on and so on! I did like the look of the new R1300RS but will have to wait until i can sit on one and compare the ergo. I want to avoid going towards the K ergos and stick at the GT (with bar back) ergo, which is almost a GS ergo I think.
I don't think anything offers the same thing as the KTM. Which is pretty obvious I suppose. Nothing offers the same as almost any bike! I feel my bike gives me:
- Almost the GS relaxed trundling about
- About equal to GS agility
- About as much comfort as my idiot body can appreciate
- An insane engine when not trundling
- A hilariously aggressive throttle response in track mode
- A great suspension setup when hammering it and in 'Sport' suspension mode
I know the GS covers the first three points, the S1000XR probably covers the next three. Although I do think the new R1300GS does have firmer suspension in whatever mode, but it's never going to be insane or scarily aggressive throttle response. I think the S1000XR does have a fancier idiot mode for track stuff, so perhaps addresses the insane parts I enjoy.
I think I need to actually plan a test route to ride, then ride it with my bike, and those two bikes. What with them costing so much these days it seems I should put in more effort than just a quick ride down to stupid ass Loomies and back.
Or, you know maybe I get hold of these fricking parts, repair it and ride it for another year.
-
TLDR:
The last line is the correct answer.
Until:
a) those keen boys have bought and then p-exed the new models, or
b) demo bikes have surfaced in 6 months time
They test and find the snags, you get the fixed machine and the good price.
-
I'm watching closely to see which way you jump Matt. While I've not tried the 1300 boxer in any form, the "on paper" stats suggest it will still struggle to deliver any of the "performance related" requirements in the way the KTM can. My 1250 is OK, but definitely not anything special and I've nod heard anything to suggest that the 1300 is that much better.
The XR will be better but the lack of "cubes" will mean you'll have to work it a lot harder and you'll not get that combination of relaxed but ballistically fast progress that make long runs less demanding or tiering.
There has been talk in the Kawasaki world of a Versys with the H2 SX engine. I think that would tick all of the boxes but I've not seen it yet.
-
I've had a boxer 1300 for a day, thought it was well down on performance after K1300S. Comfy though.
-
TLDR:
The last line is the correct answer.
Until:
a) those keen boys have bought and then p-exed the new models, or
b) demo bikes have surfaced in 6 months time
They test and find the snags, you get the fixed machine and the good price.
You are of course correct!
I'm watching closely to see which way you jump Matt. While I've not tried the 1300 boxer in any form, the "on paper" stats suggest it will still struggle to deliver any of the "performance related" requirements in the way the KTM can. My 1250 is OK, but definitely not anything special and I've nod heard anything to suggest that the 1300 is that much better.
The XR will be better but the lack of "cubes" will mean you'll have to work it a lot harder and you'll not get that combination of relaxed but ballistically fast progress that make long runs less demanding or tiering.
There has been talk in the Kawasaki world of a Versys with the H2 SX engine. I think that would tick all of the boxes but I've not seen it yet.
I enjoyed the R1300GS on road during my Portugal offroad trip, I was throwing it into corners even on those tyres with ease. However it doesn't have the legs exiting it and it'd be gobbled up in short order by the KTM or the K1300. And now fun riding makes up 75%+ of my bike miles... if I test ride one I need Martin to come with me so we can see :D. I'd also miss the noise.
Re the XR yes, I want to see how that feels. My KTM is obviously a bit dead below 3.5k, and the XR is dead still a bit further up, I read. And obviously MPG goes down, which would be fine with a bigger tank, but it might need sub 200 mile fuel stops. Which I suppose isn't that big of a deal in general.
I recall years ago on a maybe gen 1 XR I rode home from either Maidenhead of Alton BMW and disliked it. Then when I got the call to say my K was finished I rode back about twice as fast and loved it. I'm hoping the gen whatever it is now is better at keeping me entertained at normo speeds too. We'll see!
Aha Kawasaki! I asked my internet-enabled AI to see if there was any news about a supercharged slightly more adv. style Kawasaki but it failed. I'd like to see that though!
There's also a Suzuki S1000somethingsomething-GX now, but after adding the optional brembos and grips etc it isn't far off an XR. Plus I'm a tart and have certain brands I perhaps irrationally won't buy again.
-
After taking out the 1300GS for a good run through Wales, I took it back and had the 1250 GS ADV remapped after removing the cat, this is now going to do me for another two years, more power and torque but the main differance is the smooth take off, after removing the EURO 5 compliant gas blocking program. :laugh:
-
Matt has had a gas blocking problem for years.
And unless I get lost in transit, his shock bearings are being repaired Monday* so that takes care of his fun for the next year or so.
*PS Hopefully this is not foreshadowing
-
Damn it I didn't want to risk mentioning it too soon :D
@Tom: Ah that's a good idea! How much noisier does a GS get with no cat?
Oh that reminds me that I love love love my quickshifter! Though I did come from a 1250GS and the KTM won be over as I changed from 1st to 2nd without a jolt. Up or down in any gear I get a 90% smooth change, regardless of slow ass or making progress full load changes. I wonder what angle between my V and the boxer 180 degrees it becomes impossible to make a smooth shift! Although I still maintain the GS smoothness of shift can be massively impacted by a toot tight camchain. But anyway! They say the XR has a great quickshift, and indeed the RR I had was smooth too, but also boring below a million mph.
But yes, with any luck I'll be back on the road in a few days without a squeak! Two massive euro trips without any issues and I'll have a winter of discontent to look at options :).
-
@Tom: Ah that's a good idea! How much noisier does a GS get with no cat?
Hi Matt
Its not bad at all, we did four runs on the Dyno, one with the Akro race can, one with a modified standard can and one with the original can on the bike, all with the exhaust flap still connected.
The long and short of it all was the max power with the Akro race can was only 0.5 BHP more than with the standard can fitted, with this the noise differance was very dramatic, the Akro nearly made your ears bleed while in the workshop where as the standard can was only marginaly louder than a standard bike, so the final run was tuned with no CAT, Flap still connected and the standard exhaust can, concentrating on the correct fuel to air ratio thoughout the final run.
A NOTE:- the standard output of the 1250 is 107 > 112 at the rear wheel, mine is now 130.26 BHP at the rear tyre.
-
Bodis decat pipe,02 decat plug,Wings end can,PC5 with a dyno run at Road and Race at Meriden.
Dyno run showed 154hp,got some weight off the bike with lithium battery and carbon BST’s it hop’s along quite well.
-
Bodis decat pipe,02 decat plug,Wings end can,PC5 with a dyno run at Road and Race at Meriden.
Dyno run showed 154hp,got some weight off the bike with lithium battery and carbon BST’s it hop’s along quite well.
That must have cost some money Chris.
-
Update to my suspension squeak: We fixed it. Courtesy of Brian reassuring me I could do it, and then turning up and helping do it :D.
This is what came out of the shock end bits:
(https://i.ibb.co/wFKjZm84/20250511-121740.jpg)
The bottom ones being obvious and looking horrid. I managed to dig up 2 new bearings but only one set of the metal bushes. So we re-used the top bushes and gasket things, which cleaned up alright. The All Balls aftermarket kit I was told would fit (sku 29-5059) had the wrong size bushes and completely wrong looking gaskets so that went back.
Briefly, the biggest faff was both repeatedly finding more bits I had to remove (highlights being the tank (a mental milestone for me) and the sodding cat (a pain in the arse to refit)) and then just getting those little metal pretend circlips out from each side of each end of the shock.
It went back together all fine but I was definitely glad of a second pair of hands to get the tank back on, both due to the few rubber bits that kept falling off, and because I'd somehow got 20L of fuel in there to make it more unwieldy.
Now I just need to remember to compressed air blast the stupid pit in the swingarm where the shock mounts every 5 miles to stop it clogging up again.
Pre cleaning view:
(https://i.ibb.co/SjqqTxS/20250510-120752.jpg)
As for replacement: I rode the bike to check nothing would fall off, and remembered I love it. So I'll wait for the next thing to fail and go through this all over again :D
-
Whilst the extra pair of hands helped, the biggest thing, literally, was my exceedingly large and heavy Record mobile vise which for some inexplicable reason lives on the floor of my garage. The fact that we really needed yet another set of hands to hold the bloody vise still only made the job more interesting.
And please do remember, before we spend yet another half day rolling around the floor under the bike (easier for you than me) trying to perform the impossible task of re-installing the cat, that both last time and this time we only succeeded after using a tie-down strap to haul the rear carrier down to the wheel, so giving us just enough room under the swing arm.
-
End of 2025 Update! We're on ~36,000 miles now (~6,000 on that Road 6 rear!) and due another valve clearance check and service when I can bring myself to call the dealer. I'm expecting ~£1,200 quid. Excluding whatever else it might need that I have forgotten. Definitely i'll be asking for clutch fluid flush!
I thought I'd start by referencing my update (https://eurokclub.bike/index.php?topic=4816.msg63130#msg63130) after my first OG trip in July 2023 with regard to any issues. This year it's done the usual UK stuff - although I have/had a job so less Welsh rambling - plus two European trips. One to Vosges and one to Provence. About 6k total, so both on that Road 6.
1. Oil temp sensor still not working. Don't care anymore. I just removed it from items that display.
2. Oil leaks: None at the moment!
3. Clutch! Had spongey lever syndrome and when we eventually bled the master a bit of solid matter came out. Maybe some plastic from the old slave got in the system somewhere. Dunno. Also a floaty bit in the reservoir. Anyway, clutch lever fine for the subsequent ~1,500 miles.
4. Battery issues/dead bike issues. None since. Just the one "General Failure" red alert one day during OG25 which disappeared without stopping.
Moans I had/have:
A. Luggage: I fixed this for OG25 by not taking the panniers and just using my Kriega 30 plus larger tank bag. I still had all my tools bar a flipping 6mm wrench needed for the master clutch bleed nipple. So I'll add that to the under seat kit (don't let me forget!).
B. Battery as mentioned above.
C. Long motorway comfort. I think my stupid shoulder issue has got less noticeable this year so it's not been such a pain. I also removed my 25/25 bar-back things and have been faffing with the windscreen angles. In any case, I'm losing the will to keep faffing with it and it's not top of my list.
D. Orange wheels. Yeah I did do some home ceramic thing on the rear, no idea if it helped. It would only make it easier to clean, not keep it clean, so mehh. I just ride it!
Ok so awesome things:
1. Noise. Yep still makes me laugh, and Track Pack 'Track' mode changes that noise a bit too, under fairly wide open throttle. And I still love just the simple gentle moving off in 1st gear V noises it makes.
2. Torque. Haaa! Man alive. One of the days I accidentally left it in 'Rain' mode, which drops 30-40hp and however much torque. Very noticeable and surprised me a couple of times when my overtakes took more effort. Though I've probably relied less on the torque aspect this year as my corner speeds/approach have increased/improved. Which leads us nicely to:
3. Going round corners. Oh sheesh. I must say that this year's OG trip i've moved on again and feel so much more confident. It's not just tyres as I had Road 6 last year. Anyone following me who knows me sees a pretty big change in how I get round corners. I'm still - in my subjective opinion - keeping my sight lines, stopping distances etc, but I feel so much happier flopping the bike onto its side and getting round any and all corners. I even briefly got pretty good at hairpins whilst chasing down (and failing) the crazy Austrian guy on his Husqy. Until the rear got a bit slippy. Not sure if this is my actually overheating the rear, or being ham-fisted with the throttle. We'll see what tyre I turn up on next year :D.
4. Looks. I still think it looks hilarious.
Whilst it's true that I dragged Martin to Bahnstormer on our way back, and stared at the M1000XR (and its S1000XR mate), I'm clear now I don't want to go that way. Whilst at 9/10ths it's probably going to be hilarious, it sounds from internets and common sense that it's going to be much less fun/more boring at anything below. Also I love my bike/bike format even more than ever.
I am a bit disappointed that I have to wait until 2027 (ref a KTM announcement i can't be arsed to find again) for the 1390GT to enter production, and that I have to keep mine alive for at least 6-12 months after that so they can work out the early-adopter issues. But provided it gets a clean bill of health with its pending service, I've got no real concerns above and beyond paranoia about it making another 10-20k miles. I might get someone else to replace the chain/sprockets next time mind you.
OK that's about it for my 2025 summary! I feel more confident than ever with this bike, and am looking forward to more fun miles next year. It's nice to not really be lusting after any other bike!
(https://i.ibb.co/1Y3sKH1G/20250912-103259.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/vxDsxsrN/CLA-3530.jpg)
Oh! A last point for potential debate: I removed the SW-Motech bar-back things before the OG25 trip, and so if I understand physics and astrology this means it put more weight over the front. Whilst I want to put my improved skills down to purely human impacts - i.e. me and the people I ride with, every ride being a lesson - I wonder what impact people with real brains see this change having on agility/turn-in etc.
-
Nice write up Matt. You certainly appeared to be having lots of fun on the Old Gits trip and the bike appeared to be doing really well, even allowing for the clutch fun.
Here's a couple of additional pictures for you.
(https://thumbsnap.com/i/A7566LdN.jpg)
(https://thumbsnap.com/i/WwRJRNsR.jpg)
-
Thanks for the write up, and your thoughts pretty closely mirror my own. OG25 was make or break in my mind, as I hadn't truly got confident on the KTM. Suffice to say, that I absolutely loved it, and it is now a keeper. Noise, torque, cornering I completely agree, plus my wheels are black, so don't show the mess off the chain anything like as clearly. Wish I could get 6k miles out of tyres, my Angel GT rear is ruined after 4k. I found the comfort really good, last year on the K1300S I was struggling towards the end of the trip, but on the SDGT I was fine. Cruise control helps with this, allowing me to move around more, and generally be a bit more relaxed.
One of the biggest improvements for me was adjusting the bar position, to get much more weight over the front end. From the previous owner, the bars were pretty much as far back as they could be. I've moved them so they are pretty much as far forward and I found that doing this made the front much more communicative, and therefore gave me the confidence to push it harder. Sounds like you are finding the same.
On luggage, I really like the standard panniers. They are a little snug, but I managed to get all I needed for OG into them with relative ease. I was alarmed when I first packed them to find I also couldn't open them, but found just leaning lightly against the lid, unloads the latch, and they open easily. Once I sorted this out, I had no issues, including no problems with heat. Mine have the inner bags, which before I used them, I thought were pointless, but OG definitely showed how useful they are.
Battery, yep, mine is the same, as it's getting colder, I'm getting more and more random errors. MTC failure at the weekend, fixed by turning it off and on again, plus a management light that won't clear. Frustrating since it always starts, but modern electronics are really sensitive, my Jag is even worse.
Oil temp sensor, also the same, mine is about 15 degrees down, based on what it reads when starting first thing in the morning. Slightly annoying as it has a much lower rev limit until it's up to temp, but now I've got used to it, not worth fixing, even if KTM can.
-
Ah we are fairly aligned! I do recommend trying the Road 6 tyres. I also got rubbish mileage until I tried these. Though I also got mayhe 1k more this year (used them last year too) which is perhaps a result of my change in approach to corners. Or maybe different usage. 1 big euro trip last year and then UK riding, versus 2 big euro trips this year and little UK.
I may faff with the bar position more. Good to hear you found the same, I've definitely felt more confident about that front wheel I reckon. More worried about the rear now ;D
Can't wait for the next trip. It's pretty hard to beat Southern Europe!
-
Nice write up Matt. You certainly appeared to be having lots of fun on the Old Gits trip and the bike appeared to be doing really well, even allowing for the clutch fun.
Here's a couple of additional pictures for you.
(https://thumbsnap.com/i/A7566LdN.jpg)
(https://thumbsnap.com/i/WwRJRNsR.jpg)
Thanks for these!
-
There has been talk in the Kawasaki world of a Versys with the H2 SX engine. I think that would tick all of the boxes but I've not seen it yet.
You were right, David. A Bimota Kawasaki:
https://www.bimotauk.co.uk/models/tesi-h2-tera
The box not ticked is affordability, although you can definitely see where they spent the money.
Quite nice in a weird way. Would need some Mich Road 6s fitting though.
-
35k and only minor irritations (that become large when you're in another country, admittedly) is about par for K bikes too, so I think you've done well out of it.
I probably need to try one some time.