100 % reliable 1300

[J biker]

Reliable or not R1300gs. What has your experience been?

Ignore recall parts and software updates, we can assume they are done, or you are booked in to be sorted. Ignore brake pad wear too…though where people are now after initial issues would be interesting.

How many peoples bikes have been reliable (bike always starts…keeps going!) ?

After reading ‘JDS’ thread on faults, I am curious to other peoples experiences, esp as I may be in the market for a nearly new 1300, (I know they are all ‘nearly’ new..!)

Having owned 3 previous gen GS, 2x1200. 1x1250. and covering around 80k combined, I never had a single problem or failure. They all got thrashed frequently too. No issues.

Keep it simple, would be my plan, fits in with not spending more than required too. So no fancy ride height gizmo, no fancy radar.
Dynamic package only. Less to wrong, less weight.
Seems a lot of issues occur with the more complicated suspension, and I just dont need the features anyway.

 

[leadfarmer]

Just the starter relay recall on mine, they swapped it at first service and now I’ve received a letter to get the new replacement model fitted

Never actually had any symptoms or starting problems though

No other problems encountered either, it’s been prefect, as I would pretty much expect from a new bike

Extremely pleased with mine

 

[Mad Paddy]

Me also
Same as leadfarmer only starter relay changed
14000kms on clock

 

[Frankh]

Reliable or not R1300gs. What has your experience been?

Ignore recall parts and software updates, we can assume they are done, or you are booked in to be sorted. Ignore brake pad wear too…though where people are now after initial issues would be interesting.

How many peoples bikes have been reliable (bike always starts…keeps going!) ?

After reading ‘JDS’ thread on faults, I am curious to other peoples experiences, esp as I may be in the market for a nearly new 1300, (I know they are all ‘nearly’ new..!)

Having owned 3 previous gen GS, 2x1200. 1x1250. and covering around 80k combined, I never had a single problem or failure. They all got thrashed frequently too. No issues.

Keep it simple, would be my plan, fits in with not spending more than required too. So no fancy ride height gizmo, no fancy radar.
Dynamic package only. Less to wrong, less weight.
Seems a lot of issues occur with the more complicated suspension, and I just dont need the features anyway.

7000 miles, just over a year old, no problems at all, apart from lack of panniers Best bike I have had and a big improvement from the 1250GS(and that was good )

 

[Smartbazza]

Delivery delayed due to getting new starter relay fitted in the factory.
Rode it home.
Went to ride it for the second time and got a red message on the dashboard so it went back to the dealer.
Took it to France for a trip. Complete failure on last day and left it in France for a month.
Got it back with new switch gear.
Rode it three more times and it broke down again.
6000 miles in less than 6months.
Rejected and replaced.

My dealer couldn’t have been better.

Barry

 

[team duvet]

Nice thread........"Postive"

Edit* was

 

[J biker]

Nice thread........"Postive"

Edit* was

Happy if it stays accurate.

1290 Superduke R. New, start of year. Run in sensibly. 1st service done. Set off on 3 day tour in Tarn area. Engine drops a valve.
KTM recovery a joke. 7-8 phone calls, then a 3 hour wait. Bike to recovery, not a KTM garage (France, holiday) me outside hotel. No space! Wife drives 3 hours to collect me.
Many phone calls chasing up, after several weeks KTM (their recovery people, therefore KTM in my view..) take bike to an actual KTM dealer.
More time passes…nearly 3 month actually. Engine rebuilt.
Epic. Actually get 3 days of outstanding riding in Southern France.
Around 4 weeks back, look at weather…its settled and warm. Lets have another few days.
Bike starts, park it outside. Load up, gear on…bike does not start. Seems like battery is too low.
No problem. Charge it…fme. Seat lock will not open….key fob falls apart in hand trying to open said lock…

So, ring KTM? No. Sort myself. But lets give it a last try. And it starts! Wtf.
So…off for a few days. Great.
On way back, probably 2 hours from hime I need fuel.
KTM branded tankbag (tanklock type) seems really stiff, but it comes off. Fuel up and blow me bloody tankbag catch is fully jammed.
If I had access to some tools, which are under the broken seat…maybe I can fix it. But I cant get it open.
Tank bag abandoned, pockets and Kriega tailpack stuffed with extra content.
Few days later fix the lock myself. Going to be quicker and less hassle than going to dealer.

Long story, no short version. I went with the R instead of the Evo, due to ‘problems’ with the Evo suspension.
This time I will be more carefull.
HOW the company responds is also very important.
The lucky thing, if you can call it that, I could not do the cannonball this year due to other commitments.
Would have been royally pissed off with a major failure just before or starting that.

So carry on with real feedback on the 1300 folks.

 

[J biker]

Delivery delayed due to getting new starter relay fitted in the factory.
Rode it home.
Went to ride it for the second time and got a red message on the dashboard so it went back to the dealer.
Took it to France for a trip. Complete failure on last day and left it in France for a month.
Got it back with new switch gear.
Rode it three more times and it broke down again.
6000 miles in less than 6months.
Rejected and replaced.

My dealer couldn’t have been better.

Barry

On the back of that, does anyone know if Approved Used’ bikes can be rejected, or is it only new (consumer law..) also, and I doubt this one, is there a way to find out if a motorcycle for sale has been previously rejected?

 

[Smartbazza]

It’s a challenge. Any approved used bike is good to go complete with a warranty and roadside assistance.

The 1300 is a great step forwards and is better than the 1250 imho. I suspect this is ironing the gremlins out.

There’s a recall on the starting issue and now a recall on the switchgear. Those are the two problems I had so any bike should now be good to go.

Barry

 

[Smartbazza]

Happy if it stays accurate.

1290 Superduke R. New, start of year. Run in sensibly. 1st service done. Set off on 3 day tour in Tarn area. Engine drops a valve.
KTM recovery a joke. 7-8 phone calls, then a 3 hour wait. Bike to recovery, not a KTM garage (France, holiday) me outside hotel. No space! Wife drives 3 hours to collect me.
Many phone calls chasing up, after several weeks KTM (their recovery people, therefore KTM in my view..) take bike to an actual KTM dealer.
More time passes…nearly 3 month actually. Engine rebuilt.
Epic. Actually get 3 days of outstanding riding in Southern France.
Around 4 weeks back, look at weather…its settled and warm. Lets have another few days.
Bike starts, park it outside. Load up, gear on…bike does not start. Seems like battery is too low.
No problem. Charge it…fme. Seat lock will not open….key fob falls apart in hand trying to open said lock…

So, ring KTM? No. Sort myself. But lets give it a last try. And it starts! Wtf.
So…off for a few days. Great.
On way back, probably 2 hours from hime I need fuel.
KTM branded tankbag (tanklock type) seems really stiff, but it comes off. Fuel up and blow me bloody tankbag catch is fully jammed.
If I had access to some tools, which are under the broken seat…maybe I can fix it. But I cant get it open.
Tank bag abandoned, pockets and Kriega tailpack stuffed with extra content.
Few days later fix the lock myself. Going to be quicker and less hassle than going to dealer.

Long story, no short version. I went with the R instead of the Evo, due to ‘problems’ with the Evo suspension.
This time I will be more carefull.
HOW the company responds is also very important.
The lucky thing, if you can call it that, I could not do the cannonball this year due to other commitments.
Would have been royally pissed off with a major failure just before or starting that.

So carry on with real feedback on the 1300 folks.

Agree 100%. I’m quoting on my own experience whereas others won’t. I still think the 1300 is a great bike.

Barry

 

[Smartbazza]

Happy if it stays accurate.

1290 Superduke R. New, start of year. Run in sensibly. 1st service done. Set off on 3 day tour in Tarn area. Engine drops a valve.
KTM recovery a joke. 7-8 phone calls, then a 3 hour wait. Bike to recovery, not a KTM garage (France, holiday) me outside hotel. No space! Wife drives 3 hours to collect me.
Many phone calls chasing up, after several weeks KTM (their recovery people, therefore KTM in my view..) take bike to an actual KTM dealer.
More time passes…nearly 3 month actually. Engine rebuilt.
Epic. Actually get 3 days of outstanding riding in Southern France.
Around 4 weeks back, look at weather…its settled and warm. Lets have another few days.
Bike starts, park it outside. Load up, gear on…bike does not start. Seems like battery is too low.
No problem. Charge it…fme. Seat lock will not open….key fob falls apart in hand trying to open said lock…

So, ring KTM? No. Sort myself. But lets give it a last try. And it starts! Wtf.
So…off for a few days. Great.
On way back, probably 2 hours from hime I need fuel.
KTM branded tankbag (tanklock type) seems really stiff, but it comes off. Fuel up and blow me bloody tankbag catch is fully jammed.
If I had access to some tools, which are under the broken seat…maybe I can fix it. But I cant get it open.
Tank bag abandoned, pockets and Kriega tailpack stuffed with extra content.
Few days later fix the lock myself. Going to be quicker and less hassle than going to dealer.

Long story, no short version. I went with the R instead of the Evo, due to ‘problems’ with the Evo suspension.
This time I will be more carefull.
HOW the company responds is also very important.
The lucky thing, if you can call it that, I could not do the cannonball this year due to other commitments.
Would have been royally pissed off with a major failure just before or starting that.

So carry on with real feedback on the 1300 folks.

Agree 100%. I’m quoting on my own experience whereas others will tell you the 13 is sh1t based on their cousins mates dog owning one. I still think the 1300 is a great bike.

 

[Tyzer]

Adaptive ride height failure,not a show stopper but annoying.Took 3 visits to the dealer to fix seems OK now.
6,000 miles and no other issues,includes some days riding hundreds of miles in torrential rain,no switchgear issues.

 

[Hut van]

my bike was registered in May and I have had it for three months, bought as an ex demo with 3k miles on it, I’ve put a further 2k on it with no issues whatsoever, so far!
Regarding rejecting bikes, previous to buying this bike I had a approved used 1250 GSA for two weeks and rejected due to corrosion, the dealer didn’t have another GSA low so offered me their demo 1300 Trophy for a good price.Result.
,

 

[Baked Bean]

I've only done about 6000 miles but it has been 100% so far. It's the 'best' bike i've ever ridden in my 50 years of riding and i enjoy biking now more than ever. That's why we do it huh

 

[Deleted account 250319001]

Reading these reviews, Is exactly why I was happy to leave collection of my GSA until March. All these little niggles will be identified, and remedied, Hopefully.
Ref - Rejecting. Is there a difference due to owning outright, Or A PCP Deal ? PCP being a rental, ???

 

[Smartbazza]

Onahi, you can reject with no real substantiation in 30days ie it breaks down one or the paints iffy. They legally then have one attempt to fix any recurring fault in the first six months.

Barry

 

[Pepsi]

Delivery delayed due to getting new starter relay fitted in the factory.
Rode it home.
Went to ride it for the second time and got a red message on the dashboard so it went back to the dealer.
Took it to France for a trip. Complete failure on last day and left it in France for a month.
Got it back with new switch gear.
Rode it three more times and it broke down again.
6000 miles in less than 6months.
Rejected and replaced.

My dealer couldn’t have been better.

Barry

When you rejected the bike after doing 6000 miles on it did the dealer deduct anything for the mileage you’d done?

 

[Smartbazza]

Yes. But a very small amount. The replacement bike was new in stock and to a much better spec than I had purchased hence my dealer was very good at dealing with this.

Barry

 

[Littledumptruck]

Are they really selling that many? So far there’s only been one turn up at my local IAM group this year. And thats been recovered at least twice that I know of. I actually think there’s more new 1250 GSAs turning up than 13s.

 

[bmsouls]

Reliable or not R1300gs. What has your experience been?

Ignore recall parts and software updates, we can assume they are done, or you are booked in to be sorted. Ignore brake pad wear too…though where people are now after initial issues would be interesting.

How many peoples bikes have been reliable (bike always starts…keeps going!) ?

After reading ‘JDS’ thread on faults, I am curious to other peoples experiences, esp as I may be in the market for a nearly new 1300, (I know they are all ‘nearly’ new..!)

Having owned 3 previous gen GS, 2x1200. 1x1250. and covering around 80k combined, I never had a single problem or failure. They all got thrashed frequently too. No issues.

Keep it simple, would be my plan, fits in with not spending more than required too. So no fancy ride height gizmo, no fancy radar.
Dynamic package only. Less to wrong, less weight.
Seems a lot of issues occur with the more complicated suspension, and I just dont need the features anyway.

Hi i had a basic 1300 no tech apart from electric screen i had no problems with it but i went back to a 1250 because of the rattley motor i couldnt cope with it