REVIEW: K1300S Ongoing Long-Termer - Visual Aid

[TJSupercool]

Went riding with a friend today, who just picked up his RR, fully loaded with all BMW HP Carbon parts, Radar and new Remus canister.
To view larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S99.jpg

Hot DAMN!
That`s NICE!
The RR is an AWESOME bike, perhaps the best looking, and performing one, in it`s class this year!
Still; my heart beats faster for the K1300S!

[SHIVA]

Thanks! The K13S is really a special bike...

[SHIVA]

By the way, those of you who read in my review that I swapped the OE accessory cable that has 5amp limit with the police cable that has no such limit, but an inline fuse, the part number provided was wrong. This is the correct part number.

Police accessory cable.
65 14 2 153 835

[SHIVA]

I THINK I AM FINALLY DONE CUSTOMIZING

Sargent Cycle now makes color-matched LOM (Lava Orange Metallic) Storage Pods for our K bikes. I ordered one for my K13 with a custom made saddle to match. Of course you can order the storage pod in any K bike color. But doesn't it look amazing in LOM?

The saddle is custom as I was being very specific in how I wanted it formed and trimmed and the good people of Sargent did a great job as always.

I think for now, I am done. The bike is ready for its close up Mr. DeMille.

To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S110.jpg


To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S107.jpg


To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S111.jpg


To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S112.jpg

[Bernardo]

I THINK I AM FINALLY DONE CUSTOMIZING

Sure?, I don't think so, always you can find another bit to load...

My sincere congratulations, I think your bike is by far the best bike with better care and delicate accessories...

[JHB1984]

what about break/clutch levers ... are they still OEM ?

[SHIVA]

I think I am done for now for real I like the lever's OE, I may consider a swap in the future, maybe by the summer or the fall. There is always next winter projects too....

I love this new seat. It's custom formed, and the saddle stitching is a very nice touch.

[SHIVA]

Before / After Pics:

To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S73.jpg

To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S110.jpg




To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S97.jpg

To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/K13S107.jpg

[JHB1984]

it realy looks fantastic congrats

[kerch57]

She looks great and I really like the orange stitching gives that finaltouch to a great seat.

[geroni]

WOW! It looks amazing! I just looove your bike! (and mine)

Now I'm about to get a Sargent myself - but still not sure if it should be lava or carbon - but I'm tending to lava - looks bamboocha!


hmmm... where can I find images of Sargent Seats with Storage Pod on the K1300R? I know there were some - but couldnt find it by now


hmmm2... tried some (cheap) photoshopping:




looks cool to me

[SHIVA]

Thanks very much guys!

[Eka]

That KR looks so nice with that photoshop saddle and box. Awesome.

Does Sargent do it for K1300R also? Is K1200R and K1300R also the same?

[JHB1984]

http://www.sargentcycle.co.uk/acatalog/sargent_bmw_k1200_r_motorcycle_seat.html

[SHIVA]

the frame and specially the rear end of the 12s/13s and 12r/13r are the same. which is good since these sargent seats will fit any model year, you just can't fit a r seat on the s.

[4-stroker]

The seat and pod do look great on the K1300S. Thanks for sharing the images. Perhaps in the future I will get myself the seat.

[kerch57]

The R looks great with a pod. Friend has one. And a sargeant seat is the only way to go in my opinion.

[AnteF]

I took care of the inspection, but haven't had a chance to take pics of the new rear LED turn singals. However, I am adding more Ilmberger carbon parts this weekend.

Next on the agenda is to swap the two small pieces above and below the headlight to carbon fiber. The one below shows no screws and the replacement only comes with double sided adhesive tape. I haven't looked at it closely, but it's a very small piece and if it's not screwed on at the bottom to the headlight assembly, I'd guess that I'd need to pry it off and replace with CF

Has anyone done this yet?

I have just bought this two front carbon pieces from Ilmberger. Are both the original pieces still under the carbon ones? You dont even remove the top (bigger) plastic piece? Just sticking both carbon items on to the existing plastic pieces? Does it really work in the long run?

[SHIVA]

Hi, they seem to work fine. I have them for a few thousands miles now.

[AnteF]

Hi, they seem to work fine. I have them for a few thousands miles now.

Thanks Shiva. Both pieces are placed on top of the existing pieces? I need to wash my bike before this operation.

[SHIVA]

yes they are, it's pretty straight forward. wash, before using double sided tape would be nice. make sure not to use wax in that area before sticking the items. to be extra sure you can use alcohol swab on the plastic to insure good adhesion.

[SHIVA]

BACK ON THE ORANGE POWER

I got Nandi (my custom K12RS) back exactly 1 month ago from being in storage for a year and having done some fixes including a rebuilt final drive. Since I got Nandi back in the beginning of July, I loved riding it so much that I decided to give the K13S a bit of a break after 10,800 miles (17,000 km) so, she was Geza covered and was put on a BMW battery charger.

After exactly one month I am back on the K13S and what a difference compare to the K12RS. As superior as the K1300S is to the K1200RS in almost every aspect (performance, cornering, agility, looks), there are things about the K12RS that I still love. It's good to take a break from your normal ride and try something else, because when you get back on it, you have new appreciation for it.

K1300S
The K1300S feels extremely nimble and flickable. The bike is much more responsive and has seemingly endless torque available from idle. The K1300S feels like a genuine high-power sport bike. The suspension is taught and the bike is planted on the highway (A roads). The ergos are sporty yet less aggressive than the S1000RR. This is a genuine big bore sport bike. Sounds good too...

K1200RS
Although this bike is known as a great cross country runner, it makes a superb long distance commuter as well. Of course if your commute is only a few miles and involves riding in major cities K12RS is overkill, but if you do need to commute on a mix of city and highway, then the K12RS can shine. It's hyper smooth, or better yet glass smooth. There aren't enough "OOO's" in Smoooooooooth to describe the K12RS. The smoothness of the KRS isn't a byproduct of some weird engineering lab incident, its by design. The K12RS' engine is not a stress member and is totally isolated from the frame and the rider. So, no matter what gear you're in, you do not feel any buzz or vibration and this is ah so sweet if you use it for daily commute.

To see larger: http://bmwsuperbikes.com/Images/Nandi_shoot.jpg


It Feels like a Muscle Bike
It has massive torque and pulls in any gear. It feels like a muscle bike. 20 MPH in 4th? no problem. Redlining in 1st in traffic, no problem. And once you get the RPM above 6K the bike gets very fast. However, it never makes you forget its weight, even though is can carve corners beautifully once you get used to handling a bike of this size (630 lbs) and wheelbase (62") [it's similar to the K1300GT].

My K12RS still gets looks and thumbs up from drivers. No one believes when I tell them that the bike is now 11 years old with 75,000 miles... I have to say, black in beautiful!

The Time Machine
Switching between the K12RS and K1300S is like being in a time machine and playing around with the date indicator (1990s.... 2010s.... 1990s.... 2010s... ) The K12RS is like a BMW 850 CSI, totally unique, a top player when new, and still get looks. The K1300S in LOM (Lava Orange) is like a Lamborghini Murcielago Superleggera and makes Ferrari drivers jealous and of course everyone wants to race you....



Ah, it's good to have choices....

[SHIVA]

In order to make the differences between the K1200RS and the K1300S more clear I have put together a visual aid: let me know what you think and what other type of images I could add to this...

[kerch57]

Man Shiva thats 1 bad ass looking RS love black bikes and that black dress is hot also.

[sundog]

haha, awesome visual aid ! THats quite some effort you've gone to, to get your point across.
I guess you nailed it !
both superb bikes, much like both the cars, both the cats, and both the girls.