ButtonMoon
Registered user
Got to Cannon BMW in Braintree at 9:10 yesterday morning, filled in the required paper work and by 9:20 I was ready to test ride the K1600GT. Sitting on the bike, it’s lower than I expected having been used to the GSA and now a KTM990 AVD, the bike isn’t as heavy as I’d thought, having read somewhere that it was too heavy, in fact given the engine size it’s very manageable. One thing I did notice was how far over to the left it leans when the side stand is down, took a mental note to be mindful when parking the bike that position wasn’t going to cause a problem (which I forgot about later, but then it wasn’t too heavy).
Started the bike, very nice sound, not too loud just a nice grumble, no vibration at all. Set riding mode to Road, ESA to normal and off I went, very very slowly. Cannon is situated and the bottom of a very steep bank in the middle of an industrial estate with many other businesses around it with the usual cars, vans, trucks and people, with this in mind I look a slow ride to the top of the bank to the junction and turn left. I’d decided to see how manoeuvrable the bike was at low speeds, again I’d read somewhere that the K1600GT had poor handleability in slow moving traffic. I found this not to be the case at all, even a walking speed the bike was easily manageable, and this was later proven on the M11, Maldon and Colchester negotiating the slow traffic.
I made my way gingerly to the A120 heading towards the M11, I’d decided to put the bike on the bigger roads for a while also just to see what the wind protection was like. On the A120 I glided at around 70 MPH, the ride was smooth and easy, I’m in sixth gear and there’s tons of throttle left, when I open it up in sixth, the bike still pulls away fast but very smooth, a nice safe comfortable ride. I come off the A120 at the services and onto the M11 heading North. There’s three sets of lights at this round about and again the bike curves round at very low speed in traffic with ease, stopping at the lights and putting down my left leg, I feel no real weight of the bike, the balance of the bike seems to be right, there’s no feeling that you need to ready yourself to haul the bike up when the lights change.
I’m now on the slip road on to the M11, I’m in third gear and was the first away from the lights (not racing, just was), the slip road is clear and looking over my shoulder the M11 is surprisingly clear also, I open the throttle and take off like a rocket, into fourth, again more power, I look at my speed and think, if I don’t watch myself this could be me winning the DVLA lottery (if you get 12 points or more you win a push bike). I correct my speed and again I’m in sixth gear cruising ago at a little over 70 MPH. I’ve been riding the bike now for about 40 to 60 minutes and I was thinking, this is going to be a short test ride as this bike is so comfortable it going to be boring, then after the power and acceleration I’d just experiences I’m now thinking that there may be more to this bike than first impression suggest.
Started the bike, very nice sound, not too loud just a nice grumble, no vibration at all. Set riding mode to Road, ESA to normal and off I went, very very slowly. Cannon is situated and the bottom of a very steep bank in the middle of an industrial estate with many other businesses around it with the usual cars, vans, trucks and people, with this in mind I look a slow ride to the top of the bank to the junction and turn left. I’d decided to see how manoeuvrable the bike was at low speeds, again I’d read somewhere that the K1600GT had poor handleability in slow moving traffic. I found this not to be the case at all, even a walking speed the bike was easily manageable, and this was later proven on the M11, Maldon and Colchester negotiating the slow traffic.
I made my way gingerly to the A120 heading towards the M11, I’d decided to put the bike on the bigger roads for a while also just to see what the wind protection was like. On the A120 I glided at around 70 MPH, the ride was smooth and easy, I’m in sixth gear and there’s tons of throttle left, when I open it up in sixth, the bike still pulls away fast but very smooth, a nice safe comfortable ride. I come off the A120 at the services and onto the M11 heading North. There’s three sets of lights at this round about and again the bike curves round at very low speed in traffic with ease, stopping at the lights and putting down my left leg, I feel no real weight of the bike, the balance of the bike seems to be right, there’s no feeling that you need to ready yourself to haul the bike up when the lights change.
I’m now on the slip road on to the M11, I’m in third gear and was the first away from the lights (not racing, just was), the slip road is clear and looking over my shoulder the M11 is surprisingly clear also, I open the throttle and take off like a rocket, into fourth, again more power, I look at my speed and think, if I don’t watch myself this could be me winning the DVLA lottery (if you get 12 points or more you win a push bike). I correct my speed and again I’m in sixth gear cruising ago at a little over 70 MPH. I’ve been riding the bike now for about 40 to 60 minutes and I was thinking, this is going to be a short test ride as this bike is so comfortable it going to be boring, then after the power and acceleration I’d just experiences I’m now thinking that there may be more to this bike than first impression suggest.
