I miss my K1300S, will I like a K1600 GT Sport?

Jeremy

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It's clearly the wrong time of year to be selling my Africa Twin so I might just look for another bike. Arsey's posts about the new Hayabusa have caught my eye and the closest I got to a comfortable rocket ship was a K1300S several years ago. I am looking at used ones of these but having watched a few videos of the K1600GT, I'm tempted.

Any sage advice appreciated.

Jeremy
 
Busa much more cramped than k1300S.
The latter was VERY roomy and sorted .
Wapping can tell you about the 1600.
What about a nice used H2 SX SE ?

Utterly ballistic . Great handling and comfort plus panniers for touring !

7a0218d1f00d5cc6e157cbbf9a214117.jpg
 
Nice thought. I think I prefer the look of the ZZR1400.
 
Go for a long test run on a 1600.
From what I’ve seen and heard, 1300s are great but they like money thrown at them,.
 
I’ve had a couple of K1600’s now, both were truly awesome bikes. The benefits are if you are buying used, you can generally pick them up very cheap. The down side if you are buying new is expect to lose approximately 50% of the cost price within the first couple of years.

As a touring bike, well, use your imagination, they tick all the boxes. Good fuel economy, servicing costs are very reasonable. Downside is they are about 100 Kgs heavier than a GS but they do have a lower seat so you can normally flat foot on them.
 
Owned a couple of K1200s, K1300S and K1600GT, all good bikes, but today, if I was looking to change it would be the Kawasaki.
 
Between the bike’s first release and today, I have owned three 1600’s and been very happy with them all, clocking up thousands of miles. Will you like one? I have never owned a K1300, or a Kawasaki but I have owned two Blackbirds and I’m not you, so I wouldn’t know. What I can do though is tell you why I like the bike:

1. It does everything I want it to do.

2. I can ride it from London to Spain, door-to-door, on motorways or on lesser D roads; it will do either and both, very easily.

3. It doesn’t need anything added to it. There is nothing needed to bolt on or hang on by way of bling.

4. It is ergonomically sound. From the whirly wheel thing on the left bar, to the throttle on the right, from the seat to the footrests, everything is in the right place.

5. It is as happy in central London as it is going up the Stelvio or zipping across the Côte d’Or.

6. The ‘hand brake’, as I call it, is excellent. The reverse gear is more than a toy.

7. Are they without fault? No.

a. First bike, pulled to the left, had the egg beater phenomenon, had the main beam switch issue, had the water pump issue. The latter two were fixed under warranty. The first two, did not trouble my life too much. The radiator cap cap was replaced under a campaign recall. The switch gear and radiator cap issue affected several bikes in the BMW range, so was not unique to the 1600 per-se.

b. Second bike, nothing.

c. Third bike, the starter motor failing to engage issue and the loss of its ECU. Both mended under warranty, the latter under the extended warranty. The electric screen developed a squeak, mended that myself.

None of them have left me stranded, though the loss of the ECU might have done. It happened at home; one minute the bike worked, the next it didn’t.

d. They eat tyres, not surprisingly, given its weight and power. I make a careful note of when I change tyres, being religious about changing front and back together at 4,500 miles.

e. Do keep the very large radiator clean. Muck builds in the lower third of the radiator’s fins. The bike will overheat if you don’t. The radiator is difficult to get to, so I just run a lot of water gently (don’t blast it) to wash everything out.

Anything else?

The bike’s weight all but vanishes on the move. Just take a bit of care. You don’t want to get it pointing in the wrong direction, as it’s a big lump to stop. Like any motorbike, just be confident on the thing.

My advice:

Borrow a test bike and take it for a long ride, preferably not a quick once up and down along Park Lane. See if you can borrow it for at least a weekend and ride it properly. By which I mean, take it out of London into the countryside and really ride it. The bike might feel odd at first but you’ll suddenly ‘Get it’ and then not look back.


PS I now own only one bike. It’s the 1600 I kept.
 
Oh, I nearly forgot. The BMW tank bag is a horrible thing. The offerings from Touratch are way better. There again, I don’t like BMW tank bags and haven’t tried any other make. Other bods may well differ in that opinion. Some won’t even own a 1600. I don’t care.
 
As a comparison.....on paper....the Kawasaki H2 SX is about 60kgs lighter than the K1600GT and puts out another 30/40 bhp.

I’ve not owned a K1600 but did have a demo for the day when they first came out.

I have owned the H2 SX SE.I’ve also owned a Busa, a K1300S etc.

The H2 was/felt quicker than any of them.The Busa was ballistic but I think the Kwak was quicker still.Not owned a Busa for more than 15 years so memory may be failing !

The big difference with the H2 is that it’s very comfortable.I only got rid of mine due to health issues,but not directly related to comfort.

The handling is very good.Much lighter and more flickable than a Busa and from memory the K1600.Great roomy riding position, cruise, heated grips etc etc.

Panniers clip on and off just like a Ninja SX so no nasty frames when not in use.

The motor is obviously the star of the show.It’s insane !! But in a good way.
It’s VERY smooth and when you wind it past about 5000 revs the boost from the supercharger comes in and shoves you gently in the arse and keep it pinned to hear the blade tips go supersonic with a tell tale whine.

You will be gobsmacked the first time you open it up.

I’m not saying it’s better than the K1600, but it has more power and is MUCH lighter .If you need a bike for two up then the K1600 would be better but other than that I’d go Kawasaki all day.

The new Busa looks nice but it apparently still has a similar riding position to the old bike,with high pegs.

I toured on my old Busa and it hurt the knees after half a day.The H2 SX is pretty much all day comfy.I did a 2000 mile tour of the alps on mine and then a 2000 mile trip to Spain/Portugal .Brilliant bike.

27846bae17c064e0c1744303383b3d02.jpg


And you could ride past Wapping at 186mph and flick him the bird !! :doris

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJdXWauBrmQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
27846bae17c064e0c1744303383b3d02.jpg


And you could ride past Wapping at 186mph and flick him the bird !! :doris

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJdXWauBrmQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Ahhhh .... Col De L'Iseran ... Rosy remembers it so well .....


<a href="https://app.photobucket.com/u/mannlamb/a/40dd65c9-5a8e-47d6-83b3-495b723cb92d/p/9e76654c-0bc4-4d03-9c97-13239338c205" target="_blank"><img src="https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/f38/mannlamb/corsica/.highres/086_zps610183b7.jpg" border="0" alt="086_zps610183b7"/></a>

<a href="https://app.photobucket.com/u/mannlamb/a/40dd65c9-5a8e-47d6-83b3-495b723cb92d/p/964effe5-b5ad-4029-b0f9-ebd3ce7f5710" target="_blank"><img src="https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/f38/mannlamb/corsica/.highres/085_zpsd83ea2d1.jpg" border="0" alt="085_zpsd83ea2d1"/></a>



(What was Steve Davies doing on your bike .... ??)
 
As a comparison.....on paper....the Kawasaki H2 SX is about 60kgs lighter than the K1600GT and puts out another 30/40 bhp.

I’ve not owned a K1600 but did have a demo for the day when they first came out.

I have owned the H2 SX SE.I’ve also owned a Busa, a K1300S etc.

The H2 was/felt quicker than any of them.The Busa was ballistic but I think the Kwak was quicker still.Not owned a Busa for more than 15 years so memory may be failing !

The big difference with the H2 is that it’s very comfortable.I only got rid of mine due to health issues,but not directly related to comfort.

The handling is very good.Much lighter and more flickable than a Busa and from memory the K1600.Great roomy riding position, cruise, heated grips etc etc.

Panniers clip on and off just like a Ninja SX so no nasty frames when not in use.

The motor is obviously the star of the show.It’s insane !! But in a good way.
It’s VERY smooth and when you wind it past about 5000 revs the boost from the supercharger comes in and shoves you gently in the arse and keep it pinned to hear the blade tips go supersonic with a tell tale whine.

You will be gobsmacked the first time you open it up.

I’m not saying it’s better than the K1600, but it has more power and is MUCH lighter .If you need a bike for two up then the K1600 would be better but other than that I’d go Kawasaki all day.

The new Busa looks nice but it apparently still has a similar riding position to the old bike,with high pegs.

I toured on my old Busa and it hurt the knees after half a day.The H2 SX is pretty much all day comfy.I did a 2000 mile tour of the alps on mine and then a 2000 mile trip to Spain/Portugal .Brilliant bike.

27846bae17c064e0c1744303383b3d02.jpg


And you could ride past Wapping at 186mph and flick him the bird !! :doris

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJdXWauBrmQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

There's also some good deals to be had on the H2 sx at the moment; like under £16000 good.
 
Amazing.... Big bike makes it to the top of Col de l’Iseran. Small bikes have made it, too.

The K’waka is a different bike to the 1600, just as the 1600 is a different bike to the Blackbird or a 1200 GS. Ride each and see which one parts you from your money fastest.
 
Amazing.... Big bike makes it to the top of Col de l’Iseran. Small bikes have made it, too.

Indeed :)

<a href="https://andressotoscastello.smugmug.com/UkGSer/n-5CFLKf/i-xVxWjfP/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-xVxWjfP/0/fe29e8a7/L/i-xVxWjfP-L.jpg" alt=""></a>

<a href="https://andressotoscastello.smugmug.com/UkGSer/n-5CFLKf/i-FVzTwZj/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-FVzTwZj/0/22c88ee2/L/i-FVzTwZj-L.jpg" alt=""></a>

Andres
 
Some have got up, with just one human power (some with panniers) let alone 150 plus horses.
 
<a href="https://gileslamb.smugmug.com/Cycle/i-gNbcCL4/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Cycle/i-gNbcCL4/1/e485b330/M/IMG_1946-M.jpg" alt=""></a>


<a href="https://gileslamb.smugmug.com/Cycle/i-n96jx8k/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Cycle/i-n96jx8k/1/7840d5c2/L/IMG_1841-L.jpg" alt=""></a>



HURRAH !!!!!
 
Amazing.... Big bike makes it to the top of Col de l’Iseran. Small bikes have made it, too.

The K’waka is a different bike to the 1600, just as the 1600 is a different bike to the Blackbird or a 1200 GS. Ride each and see which one parts you from your money fastest.

Thanks for stating the obvious, as usual :)
I only mentioned the H2 SX as the OP was looking at the new Busa.
 
Plenty of info on the forum, if you haven't been there already ......... www.k1600forum.com/forum/uk-riders/

BMW say they intend to re-introduce the K16 range next year once they have sorted Euro 5 compliance.

Wapping has covered most regular issues, indeed it was mainly the early adopters who suffered problems, as is the way with many a BMW bike sadly. They are a big expensive bike new & parts prices are eyewatering, so it's best to go with a Motorrad warranty if you value peace of mind.

They are a bit marmite IMHO, so a fulsome test ride is essential (when permitted) - super smooth engine, but some riders find the package just a tad too big/heavy.
 


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