Bmw K1300s
BMW K1300S
ROUNDUP
More power, more technology, more exciting
JOHN BURNS
HANG AROUND LONG ENOUGH, and it's amazing the things you'll see. Not only is it astounding to ride a BMW with a normal turnsignal switch, it's a nearly out-of-body experience to ride one with 175 horsepower and a quick-shifter, for God's sake.
That's right, you can hold the K1300S's throttle all the way to the stop while you feed it the next gear and engage Warp Drive: A sensor on the linkage cuts ignition and injection for a perfectly smooth moonshot every time. In fact, it works great at any rpm or throttle opening, so feel freeto use it bimbling through town, too, or use the clutch as usual if you prefer~
The "Electronic Shift Assistant" is actually a $450 option, but nobody else offers such a thing on their stocker at any price, and the K 1300S isn't really even a track bike; it's more Hayabusa class Roadburner. In any case, between the quick-shifter and the turn signals and the fact there's a new BMW Superbike headed down the pipe (see sidebar), BMW is driving home the point once again that things are different now. No longer content to sell motorcycles to the converted, BMW is unabashedly after the other guys' customers.
According to BMW'S new VP of Motorcycles in the USA, a hard-bitten racer from the car side named Pieter de Waal, the bike division is headed in a more pragmatic direction now, one that listens to its customers and addresses complaints-and the new 1 300s are a prime example of that philosophy. Fueling issues on the K1200GT were addressed with all-new mapping, a new push/pull throttle cable system, etc. Driveline harshness was dealt with using a two-stage cush-drive type system in the driveshaft and a bunch of gearbox upgrades (including undercut dogs). And if anybody was complaining about not enough power, 1mm-bigger bores, a 5.3mm-longer stroke and new combustion chambers result in a bunch more torque and horsepower for both the S and GT models. Now at 1293cc. the KI300S is more than 7.4 foot-pounds torquier all the way from 2000 to 8000 rpm, BMW says with 80 percent of peak torque already online at just 3500 rpm. The S-bike's 103 foot-pounds happens at 8250 rpm, and your 175 horsies are all saddled up by 9250 rpm-1000 rpm earlier than before. (The GT is rated at 160 hp and 99 foot-pounds.)
Both bikes are silky-smooth rocketships, and it doesn't take too much deserted two-lane to get the K1300S hurtling along at 10,500 rpm in top cog, with more to come. At those speeds, firmed-up suspension has the S feeling rock-solid, a sensation no doubt aided by a wheelbase nearly 4 inches longer than a Hayabusa's. Optional EiSA II (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) lets the rider select Comfort. Normal or Sport niodes on the fly. and a tricky new system -that removes a coil or two from -play provides pushbutton spring-rate adjustment at the rear. What good is having lots of suspension adjustment, BMW asks, if the rider doesn't know how to (or take time to) adjust it? Now you just push a button, and the bike takes care of the rest. On the pretty firm S, frankly, it's tough to tell much difference toggling between Comfort, Normal and Sport. On the GT, which is more softly sprung and will carry bags and a passenger, the differences are more discernible and useful.
Other electronic trickery includes a new ASC (Anti Spin Control) system, which uses the standard-equipment ABS sensors to keep you from throwing gravel at the other kids in parking lots. You can switch it off if you want-or just not check the $400 option in the first place.
a~j~ÔÔ~T~'ith ABS and a power socket, will sell for $15,250; $250 more adds heated grips, and from there you can go for all the other options or not. As for me, I wouldn't be able to live without the $450 Gear Shift Assistant. The base Ki 300GT goes for $18,800, but on this one you'll want the Premium package, which includes ESA II, heated grips and seat, cruise control, Xenon lights and everything else you need to travel in serious mach schneli BMW style, along with a premium price tag-$22,245. Is it $8000 better than the Kawasaki Concours 14? We're about to find out
