Oops.. I got back on my 1150

[DJ Downunder]

S...sister
W...wife
M...mother
B...brother
O...oldman

Gees I don't know either...

DJ

[riceburner]

She
Who
Must
Be
Obeyed.

[LesKoh]

Ta ta Daaaaaa!!! Full marks to to Riceburner!! Though collyers does have a few that are pretty interesting

Cheers guys.

[Britnheaven]

Mmmmm,

I had a KR on order - was lusting after it - loved the looks and 'fit' for my 6 foot frame...

Well I test rode 1 - well actually 2 - 1 in the UK (business trip) and the other here in the Bay area.

Ballistically fast - smoooth as butter - handfulls of grunt - and great ergonomics.

But....(you knew this was coming) it didnt feel as 'flickable' in tight turns as my old R bike so I felt really dissapointed. Maybe it was just my lack of confidence on a new ride - maybe its the long wheelbase - but the turn ins seemed slower.

Last week I test rode a Triumph Speed Triple (a buddy just bought one) and it felt half the size of the KR and much more agile. Its all personal taste I know but the KR left me feeling a bit dissapointed..

I may now be buying a big KTM twin instead (am I allowed to say that here?) to add to my GS.



I ought to say that an esteemed member of this board (no names...but he lives in AZ...) had arranged to get me a great deal on the KR (sincere thanks) but its not to be..



Bob

[DJ Downunder]

Hey Bob...what a bummer...I could just see you on the beast.

A big KTM...which one...one of these maybe?

DJ

[Britnheaven]

Yuppers!

Mad - yup!
Fast - YUP!
Sexy - oooh err - YUP!

[camfarm]

I've watched this thread and had nothing to add or say. I'll be riding again every day this week and have the op to take each bike on then same course, back to back days.

I'll take the Roadster to HMSP this weekend and wring it out.

But, my thoughts are empty.

[Lance1150]

I get it. I understand what COH said, it was pretty clear.

And I think there is a better and a worst, you can make that call.

If you take things like accelleration, handling, comfort as your criteria then you can say the Roadster is 'worse' than the K bikes at all that stuff.

Of course they are different bikes, of course we all know they will act differently in these areas... and, of course, we can say one does the above better than the other.

I like my Roadster sooooooo much that I feel the pain of this post, suddenly realizing how primative it is.

I want the K1200R BADLY, and may get one next year, and have always thought that I'd never sell the Roadster, but this post reminds us that we often do move on, and say goodbye to the past.

But, I've still got my R75/7 and won't sell it, and I imagine I'd keep my Roadster if I got the K bike... but, like my R75/7, it would probably be there as a 'collectable' and not get ridden much.

Sad.

[scottybooj]

So you K-R guys are saying that the with the direction BMW has gone has made the new K-R feel more.....Japanese? that's what it sounds like.

i'll keep my antiquated R for now. i bought the thing cause it used an engine layout that was decades old. if the K-R was a boxer, i'd be salivating even more!

[mbohn]

I get exactly the same feeling switching back and forth between my R11R and my K12RS. Except the R is still a lot of fun and no way would I get rid of it. Don't be too hasty selling your R. You may find it still has a place.

[CupOHemlock]

I'm holding on. I won't even think of selling before mid-Spring at the earliest.

I still love the bike.

COH (Rich)

[elmosisu]

I took a test ride a couple of months ago on the KR, and enjoyed my "15 minutes of fame" as I think that it was the only one in Seattle at that time. smooth, comfortable, deceptively fast, I'm 6'3" and 250+ and it fit me quite well.

My Rock is still in my garage, however, simple because of the fact that I feel the the R259 engine is more user friendly in a "real world" situation. I can blast up to 100mph maybe 1 second slower than th KR, and that, my friends, is enough for any riding that I do, Including, embarassing "squidly boys" in the curvys. The KR just starts "coming on" when we are in dangerous teritory, regarding life ,limb and expensive tickets, while the handling seems only slightly different than the R1150r chassis ( preperly set up , of course)

also..........................I couldn't afford the ne K bike (doh)

[captainK]

I took a test ride on the K1200R when I was shopping around for my Rockster. The ride was great, the bikes were well run in as they'd just come back from the press launch, and the bike was much nimbler than I thought (I think the wheelbase looks longer than it really is because of the laid-down engine).

Actually, the KR is not bad value down here -- about 25% more than a Rockster, so if you can afford the Rock you can afford the KR, and your money buys you a heap of cutting edge technology. I love the look of it, to me it's an extension of the "adventurous" styling that started with the Rockster.

But one big thing convinced me not to buy one. 21st Century Australia makes Stalinist Russia look like a hotbed of freedom and tolerance -- on a road system that is policed to within an inch of its life, my licence would have lasted about 10 minutes with 163 horsepower under my butt! With 85 hp in a low-revving twin the Boxter really doesn't pose much of a risk to life, limb or licence.

Captain K.

[fnfalman]

I've never liked inline four engines and that's a personal thing. The KR was quite a visual machine and I was very excited for BMW to come out with a bike that goes as fast as it looks (love my Rock but it ain't too fast - another 40-hp and she'd be sweet). However when I had the chance to test ride it, I chose something else. Still can't dig the I4 engine. It's too "refined" for my taste.

Not to mention that they need to get that front suspension sorted out. Just like the various magazines reported, it wanders at slow speed, and that's annoying as hell on congested California streets and highways.

It turns in much easier than the old R1150R, but you still can feel the ponderous weight.

I think that for BMW people who wants power, performance and weirdness from the Roundel boys, the KS and KR would be the ticket. As for me, I'm glad that the boxer twin is still around. I like its solid and predictable handling. I have to work it much harder in order to carve through the corners, but it also comes with the satisfaction of working up a good ride. I guess I finally understood why guys prefer older Porsches with the happy tail swing over the modern Porsches which are faster, bolder and generate more grips in the corner.

BTW, the bike that I favored over the KR was and is the Aprilia Tuono. Power, speed, and handling that no 530-lbs bike can match.

[Kevin Markwell]

fnfalman,

Let me start by saying that I'm not disagreeing with you. There sure are differences between the KR and RR (which I'm assuming is pretty close to the Rock, although I could be wrong on that). I'm just trying to clarify impressions or better define terms we use.

What do you or the mags mean by front end wandering? Does it matter what setting the ESC is on? I've never been a racer but I've been very impressed by the smoothness and stability of the KR in a high speed turn, including ones on less than perfect roads. Often when I think I am riding at an adrenaline producing speed I come out of the turn slightly disappointed because it was less of a task for the bike than I had anticipated. The problem with going any faster though, is that if anything untoward were to happen things would be going too fast for me to do anything about it - so I don't.

I know exactly what you mean about preferring something a little less rock stable. I have the same issues with my four wheel drive Audi S4. I can't drive it fast enough on normal roads to challenge it's limits. If it were to break loose at the speeds that would take it would be an ugly scene. The confidence it inspires is very nice, but it is less involving than it could be. My old Honda S-2000 on the other hand could be a barrel of fun at any speed. When I left for work early enough most days when no neighbors were awake I would break the rear end loose and drift around the turn at the end of the cul de sac. Tires were obviously a big issue with that car but it was fun on every drive.

The other issue is what you mean by "turn in". I have the distinct impression that the RR falls into turns quicker than the KR. I'm getting better with the KR, but it seems to be less flickable, especially at slower speeds.

Bottom line for me is both have something unique to offer.

I definitely agree with you that the Tuono is an enticing motorcycle. It was my dream bike, but I wasn't in a position to buy, then the KR came out and I was hooked. I'm happy, but would still like to ride the Tuono.

Kevin

[camfarm]

Have had a series of back to back rides on KR and RR with nearly same conditions for weather, temp, road condition and loads.

Still not articulate enough to say clearly how much I like both bikes or why.

Roadster is very stable, feels solid, planted and steady. Goes into any turn exactly as I ask it to but always under my control.

Beast is light and very flicky to me. Feels like it would get away in a millisecond if I let it. Goes into turns with only a thought and a fling. Seems it can always do more than I ask and is only waiting for me to exploit it.

More later.

[yukon42]

I've never liked inline four engines and that's a personal thing. The KR was quite a visual machine and I was very excited for BMW to come out with a bike that goes as fast as it looks (love my Rock but it ain't too fast - another 40-hp and she'd be sweet). However when I had the chance to test ride it, I chose something else. Still can't dig the I4 engine. It's too "refined" for my taste.

Not to mention that they need to get that front suspension sorted out. Just like the various magazines reported, it wanders at slow speed, and that's annoying as hell on congested California streets and highways.

It turns in much easier than the old R1150R, but you still can feel the ponderous weight.

I think that for BMW people who wants power, performance and weirdness from the Roundel boys, the KS and KR would be the ticket. As for me, I'm glad that the boxer twin is still around. I like its solid and predictable handling. I have to work it much harder in order to carve through the corners, but it also comes with the satisfaction of working up a good ride. I guess I finally understood why guys prefer older Porsches with the happy tail swing over the modern Porsches which are faster, bolder and generate more grips in the corner.

BTW, the bike that I favored over the KR was and is the Aprilia Tuono. Power, speed, and handling that no 530-lbs bike can match.

I've ridden the Tuono and the K1200R. Comparing the two is similar to comparing apples to oranges as the Tuono is a V twin and obviously the KR is an I4. I did like the Tuono, but I've grown weary of the V2 engine and it's limitations.

Even though they are apples & oranges, lets see what a comparison looks like:

....................Tuono:...................................... K1200R:
Dry weight- ..416 lbs...................................... 465 lbs
hp -..............130 @ 9500rpm.............................163 @ 10,250rpm
torque - .......74.5 lbft @ 7250rpm.....................93.6 lbft @ 8250rpm
wheel base....55.7 inches.................................62.2 inches

I'll let specs speak for themselves. The most significant spec is the difference in torque. The KR puts out a whooping 19.1 more lb ft of torque than the Tuono.

As for the "wandering" steering, I have found it a NONE problem. I can negotiate slowly between lanes (lane splitting) past lines of cages without any difficulty what-so-ever to go to the head of the line at a stop light. The wandering issue is a result of the steering damper, not front end design.

Some people just can't cope with high technology; just look at all the Harley faithful. I opted to go with the technology and bought a K1200R.