K1200 vs R1150R

[mannyhabib]

I owned an R1100R sold it and then bought an R1150R and am happy with my machine, however I have been flirting with the K's, I want to buy a K1200R for my next bike but am hesitant. I don't know if the operating cost will be higher or what the maintenance bills are going to be like. My experience with the R's is that they are donkeys, slow and only require regular oil changes, a pat once a while works too. If it's not the bike I should be buying then I'd go for the R1200 GS. I travel allot, commute daily from spring till end of October and tour. Reason for going to K is ...
1. Speed, I just need more ponies!
2. I feel the R1150R has limits when I ride it hard.
3. On long distances 3,000 miles and up will the K be as good?
4. Mid life crisis is making me do this.

Thanks for any advise.

[JCsman]

I don't know if the operating cost will be higher...

1. Speed,
2. I ride it hard.

Well....if you include traffic citations as an "operating cost", and consider your points #1 and #2, I'd say the K1200R's operating costs will, indeed be higher.

[dragonmojo]

1. Speed, I just need more ponies!
2. I feel the R1150R has limits when I ride it hard.
3. On long distances 3,000 miles and up will the K be as good?
4. Mid life crisis is making me do this.

1. There's a big difference between "need" and "want".
2. Define "limits" and "ride it hard", both are rather subjective. I've dusted K bikes with my Rockster; I get to choose the roads.
3. Water-cooled engine and newer technology, we are hoping that the K will live a longer carefree life. And hold up well across long distances. Time will tell.
4. Haha, that's the best argument for wanting anything!

[DJ Downunder]

I say go for it...I would probably do the same if I could.

Just take one for a long test ride and see what you think.

DJ

[Ves]

1. For street riding nobody needs more ponies. You may want more, but you sure don't need them. Let's be honest. When is the last time you wound your bike out in every gear? And if you do that a lot see item 2.
2. If you're riding that hard on the street you need to get off the street. Have you considered track days to get it out of your system.
3. Don't know. The K is probably the best blend of horsepower and comfort and handling on the market. There are a few bikes with more horespower but they don't handle as well or are not as comfortable. Plenty of bikes that are more comfortable but don't handle as well and don't have the horsepower. Plenty that handle and have the horsepower but aren't as comfortable.
4. Welcome to the club. You should keep your R for sane days and go buy yourself a used crotch rocket for insane days. Take some of the money you save and go do track days.

[VintageDirt]

I don't usually give advice and that's because I'm obviously no genius. But it seems to me, if you think you need it and you can afford it...go for it. What's the worst that could happen? You waste some money? Pfffft, it ain't gonna get buried with you.

[big papa]

Try them all if you can afford it. I traded my Rockster for a K1200R. I love everything about it. Next Fall I am goint to get a RT or GT.
1. IT'S FAST, YOU NEVER GIVE A SECOND THOUGHT TO PASSING ANYONE AT ALMOST ANY SPEED.
3. MY BODY HURTS ABOUT THE SAME AFTER LONG RIDES ON THE KR THAT I DID ON THE ROCK
4. I TURN 40 THIS WEEK.

[Brownw3]

[quote="mannyhabib"]I1. Speed, I just need more ponies!
2. I feel the R1150R has limits when I ride it hard.
3. On long distances 3,000 miles and up will the K be as good?
4. Mid life crisis is making me do this.

Thanks for any advise.[/quote]

1. Have you ridden a K1200R? There is fast and there is ridiculous. This bike is superbad. Notify your local law enforcement and insurance companies and see if they can put together a payment plan.
2. What kind of limits? Krikey! This is my first supermodern beemer (rode old GSs and Airheads) Its powerful enough to get you into trouble in any state or nation.
3. The K1200R will cripple you if you're tall or sumthin if you ride it long distance. They did solve this by creating the K1200GT. My recommendation if you're feeling a power shortage for touring.
4. The K1200R is not a good midlife crisis bike. 2nd gear is fast... you just can't roll around on it looking fast, if you click into third gear and roll hard on the throttle you can get the air sucked out of your lungs. I'm 42, 6'2, not in ideal physical condition. remember a bike that goes 0-60 in 2.6 seconds is a whole lotta bike, I mean a whole lotta bike. Hold on.

My advice. Get an RT or a GT if you want a tourer, get the K1200R if you want something terrifyingly raw and quick.

[dwayne]

R1150R is a great bike, but the K1200, and my new ride the K1200S is a whole other kind of riding. Power, smooth, and at least on the K1200S in second gear you can go from 40 K/hr to 180 K/hr...why the other gears The point is that the K1200 series is absurdly powerful, smooth and you can't beat the Duolever front end. As for comfort, the K1200S was voted best sport touring bike by Ride Magazine http://www.bmwk1200s.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7449 , and ranked 2nd best bike overall the categories. Do you NEED a K1200, no...do you WANT a K1200 YES!



Other then destroying my R1150R I would have gotten rid of it anyway because of the absurd oil checking ritual, which bugged me to drink. It's because of that I stayed away from the R12R, R12GS and any other BMW 2-cylinder for my next ride.

Also, the K12R is an attention getter, nothing else on the road even looks half as good, IMHO.

[dwayne]

I1. Speed, I just need more ponies!
2. I feel the R1150R has limits when I ride it hard.
3. On long distances 3,000 miles and up will the K be as good?
4. Mid life crisis is making me do this.

Thanks for any advise.

1. Have you ridden a K1200R? There is fast and there is ridiculous. This bike is superbad. Notify your local law enforcement and insurance companies and see if they can put together a payment plan.
2. What kind of limits? Krikey! This is my first supermodern beemer (rode old GSs and Airheads) Its powerful enough to get you into trouble in any state or nation.
3. The K1200R will cripple you if you're tall or sumthin if you ride it long distance. They did solve this by creating the K1200GT. My recommendation if you're feeling a power shortage for touring.
4. The K1200R is not a good midlife crisis bike. 2nd gear is fast... you just can't roll around on it looking fast, if you click into third gear and roll hard on the throttle you can get the air sucked out of your lungs. I'm 42, 6'2, not in ideal physical condition. remember a bike that goes 0-60 in 2.6 seconds ...

2.8 actually, the BMW mini movie is wrong.

[Bry]

pfft..

The ONLY point worth merit in this K12R discussion is...

Milla Jojovich rode one...

nothing else matters....

*stares at desktop wallpaper...

[1150929]

I know it's a matter of taste...but nothing uglier IMO than a K12R.

The K12's might be amoung the best all rounders if your're looking for arm stretching performance in your daily package. Judging it as a performance bike first, there are better options out there.

[MartinW]

FWIW I've twice test ridden the KS: one time for about 30 minutes, the second time for about 3 hours. I'm assuming that the performance and character is 'similar' to the KR. What struck me was the smooth power delivery, the amount of power and how easy it was to get off my RR and feel at home on it. The bike also felt lighter even though they weight pretty much the same.

Downside: my wrists ached a little after 3 hours riding - should be less of a problem on the KR I think.

Did I buy one? No. Why not? My local BMW dealer couldn't even be bothered to give me a trade-in price for my low mileage, immaculate RR and didn't even bother to give a post-ride follow-up call. I also spoke to a couple of KS riders - both complained about gearbox problems and one has since traded his KS for a R1200GS.

Don't know if there is a gearbox issue on the KR or not.

Come the April/May time I shall be hankering after one again.

For me it's definitely a mid-life crisis!

[SLEDGE]

Nice bike Big Papa!

[mannyhabib]

Thanks!!! For all the info, my younger years were spent in inner city traffic when I owned a Honda 70 (nice bike!). Now I am in mid-life and think I am young and strong; the same feeling pro-athletes go through when they make a comeback. I have never ridden a K and feel the urge, the dealers here are snobs. Next spring I may take a trip to Chicago where I hear the dealers are good people. I always wear a full helmet and road warriors think I am a young fool the way I ride-they hardly know the bald-fat ugly guy. The need for more ponies comes when I weave in and out of traffic. I commute 60 miles a day on a motorcycle (R1150R) where I feel I need immediate response-passing that speeding guy in his tan mini-van. I don't get as much of with my aging R. On long distances I ride with another biker who owns a radar detector and likes to ride at 100 mph+ whenever he can, that’s where I feel my R has its limits.

One speeding ticket so far, insurance is still low. I want to keep my R, once it's paid off I think I'll buy the K. Mid-life is taking its toll, my father is 84 and has downgraded to a Vespa.

[two wheel tango]

I want to keep my R, once it's paid off I think I'll buy the K. Mid-life is taking its toll, my father is 84 and has downgraded to a Vespa.

I know this old fart

The writings on the wall, Manny.... keep the R and start saving for the Vespa, its all downhill from where you're at...

[Damo]

Pretty much the only time I post on this forum is when this topic comes up. I traded my Rockster for a K1200R 12 mths ago and I cannot stress enough how happy I am with the change. The Rockster was undeniably a solid all round good quality ride. The K12R is all that plus POWER. I'm just over 6ft and I find the riding position more comfortable.

Two days ago my K12R was serviced and I arranged for a R1200R as a loan bike for the day. I was very curious as it has had great reviews and I sometimes get a bit nostalgic about my previous Rockster. The R1200R had a smooth gearbox and was easy to throw from side to side, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was riding an underpowered tractor. Not only that but windblast was terrible and my arse was killing me from sitting so upright. Also, it felt a bit nervous above 160 kmh, whereas at that speed on the K, she is rock solid and whispering "what are you waiting for?"

[MartinW]

Damo, good post. Slightly off-topic, but do you know if the K1200R shares the same gearbox as the S?

[dwayne]

Damo, good post. Slightly off-topic, but do you know if the K1200R shares the same gearbox as the S?

No, it doesn't.

[Damo]

Thanks Martin. I'm no tech-head, but I imagine the gearboxes are very similar, or at least my local BMW dealer and all the posts on the K bike forums lead me to think so. I know of one difference, being that the gearing of the R is slightly shorter than the S, designed for harder acceleration but lower overall top speed. Personally, 260+ kmh suits me just fine, particularly if I can get there quicker!