Justin rode the 2009 BMW K1300S back to the office from the press intro he attended last week, and I took her for a spin last night to get an idea of what the new bike had to offer....
I don't know what i was expecting to be honest. The only big BMW motorcycles I've ridden have been from the luxury-touring line, so to hop on this bike that's claiming 175 HP and comes standard with a quickshifter I was unsure.
There's definitely plenty of power, that's for certain. I didn't care for the analog speedo however. With this much oomph I like to be able to see just how badly I'm breaking the posted speed limit at a quick glance. Otherwise, the ride was more comfortable than sporty, and over the same stretches of road that I ride the Kawasaki ZX-10R each day the BMW K1300S felt considerably...different. Obviously a performance comparison to a 2009 ZX-10R isn't fair, so I won't go there.
I can say that the 2009 BMW K1300S has more power than most people will need and is more comfortable on long hauls than a full on sportbike. Would it hold its own against a Hayabusa? No, but side by side with something like a Yamaha FJR1300 or a Kawasaki Concours (both Supersport Tourers) this bike would be ace!
Check back for Justin's full report on the 2009 BMW K1300S...