Finally.. my K-R is once again a beast

CupOHemlock · Post by **CupOHemlock** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:03 am

The latest 7.0 CIP update from BMW has fixed the following noisome items on my bike:

Loss of HP across all torque bands
Occasional loss of power in steep turns.. yeah.. it is scary
Horrendous vibration around 6k (no, really.. it is barely noticeable now)

The bike is 10x more fun to ride. Now if only I could get the brakes to quiet down a bit more.

COH (Rich)

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:32 pm

Rich...glad they got it sorted for you now...just wondering..is this the first chip replacment..or has there been others?

DJ

Kevin Markwell · Post by **Kevin Markwell** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:33 pm

Rich,

The exact same thing has been happening to me since my 6000 mile tune. I thought I was somehow coming off the throttle on steep turns. I've been compensating with extra throttle, but you are right that it is not a comfortable feeling. The backfiring has been pretty bad as well. I have been getting better milage though, which is weird. Did Morton's do your service?

Kevin

CupOHemlock · Post by **CupOHemlock** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:08 pm

DJ: This is the second update. I am pretty sure 6.0 was the last one and it was done around March of this year.

Kevin: Yes, Morton's took great care of me as usual.

I am most astonished at the reduction in vibration. I think I had an extra bad case of the shakes compared to other k-Rs though.

I recommend the update if you have any of the problems we have discussed.

COH (Rich)

Post by **Ed K** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:40 pm

Rich,

How about the trannie... I keep reading on K sites about it being clunky from 1-3... especially at lower RPM.

What has been your experience?

Thanks,

Post by **red baron** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:26 am

Yes this is correct and some times in higher rpm the shift from 1 to 2 to 3 can be smooth but generally speaking it is typically BMW clunky. From 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 it is very smooth.
Red Baron.

CupOHemlock · Post by **CupOHemlock** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:26 pm

Tranny is still clunky in 1-3. I'm guessing those gears get so much of a pounding that whatever they do to make em last 150k miles makes it necessary. I have decided to live with the clunk now that I got the performance back!

COH (Rich)

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:06 pm

I also noticed the difference in the first three gears..they go clunk,clunk,clunk...the other three go snick,snick,snick.

I found using only two fingers on the clutch and only half pulling the clutch helped..rather than fully pulling the clutch in.

DJ

Post by **Ed K** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:12 pm

DJ, What are your other impression of the KR? Thanks,

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:33 am

Ed K

The clunky first three gears was noticable..but I think you could get used to it..well I could..and I found it much better with smooth shifts with only two fingers on the clutch lever and so only half pulling the lever..it's only the slow..coasting..type change that you notice the slight clunk..the last three gears and silky smoothe..snick,snick.snick.

The bike has sooooo much power...for me it's like driving a Formula One car on the road..it's seems a waste for 99% of the time..but when you do take the risk and rev it out..OMG..it's like a time warp..I'm sure my watch slowed down when I put it into the party zone..7-8,000 rpm..and it revs to about 12,000.

My RR has about 68hp I think..this beast has about 168hp..that's one hell of an increase..one good thing is that it has sooo much torque that it's very hard to lug the engine..and you could just about ride it in one gear if you wanted to...slow down for towns..speed up to overtake..all with out changing gear because of the huge rev range in each gear.

I liked the bars..seat..peg possition..but the seat is sooo slippery..it might be my new daks..but even when stopped and off the bike..I'd put my glove on the seat//and they'd slip off..I'd put my sunnies on the seat..and they'd slip off..it could be that I'm just used to the RR seat and its grippy texture.

I did a fair bit of pillioning..and this is a bad seat for the pilion..really bad..I even found myself sliding from one cheek to the other because it felt so hard..but compared to the tall RR seat anything would feel hard..the RR seat is so spongie.

The bike feels long in the corners..it seems to want to fall over rather than turn..compaired to the RR...but it still carves a turn very well..slower U turns are a bit more tricky..actually I like the long feel..maybe because I'm 6'4"..I like the reach to the bars..I didn't like the lever position and controles..I would need to tip them down a little..I found it hard to usethe indicaters..exspecially the cancel button..I'm glad it has self canceling indicaters..and I love the way the instruments light up when it gets dark.

I also love the fuel and temp gauge..it's a slight pain that when you turn the key..you have to wait for it to do it's checking thing before you press the start button..but when you touch the start button it springs into life..and spins up much easier than the RR.

To wards the end of the two days I was getting very smooth on it..and starting to really feel comfortable..it's a great bike..but..do you need that much power...I like the way with the RR you can ring its neck and not get in too much trouble..with the KR you always have to hold back and be very careful.

Tire wear..fuel ecconamy..speeding fines..I'm sure it would be an expensive bike..but still..if I could afford it..I would have one for sure.

btw..I talked to the big boss of BMW Australia at Phillip Island..he said there was a new color coming next year..didn't say what..also that there is a new version on the blue and white striped K1200S..he said it's not as straight with the lines..maybe a bit like the lines on the Nemo R1200S (just my guess).

DJ

Post by **Ed K** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:50 pm

Thanks DJ... appeciate taking the time to post the ride report... I only had 30 - 45 minutes on a KR... not enough time!