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BMW
are on the move. In fact, they are rapidly
encroaching on our turf. That is, infiltrating the
performance world. WSBK racing on the soon
to be released S 1000 RR, cleaning up in the WEC on the
HP2 Sport and now giving performance buff's two seriously
spec'd options for tearing up the tarmac in the K 1300 S
and R. Who would've thought it.
Before you yawn and turn the page - listen to me. If you
are a Hayabusa or Blackbird fan, the K 1300 S will rock your
world too. If you love the B-King, Speed Triple or Monster
S4R, FZ1s, Brutale's or Z1000s then the K 1300 R is going
to completely blow your mind. So keep reading.
WHAT'S NEW
In short, everything. So stick to reading all about that in
the separate technical breakouts. BMW have revised the
K 1300s from front to back. More than a simple capacity
hike, the engine is internally brand new and so is the
management system - which is much more refined. The
chassis is lighter, sharper, more stable and the suspension
is now compliant. Styling is improved beyond belief and the
bike even sounds tough now. It's amazing.
Before I delve into the experience of riding these things,
I'll just remind you that the K 1200 S and R, as good as they
were, never really impacted or impressed the sportsbike,
hyperbike or performance nakedbike worlds. When the
bikes were released they had the numbers on paper but
without the performance on tap. Fuel management was
woeful and the suspension was not up to the opposition
either. Over the years BMW refined and improved the bikes,
however, the S came last in our Hyperbike comparo in 2007
and the R came second to the B-King in our 2008 comparo
of the two muscle nakeds.
BMW needed to fix this bike. And a rebore was never
going to do it. They needed to completely revise the bike -
and they have. For 2009, the comparo's are going to be a
much closer battle. Ze Germans are here!
The tech breakouts will teach you all about this technology. But on the street,
it is the riding experience that highlights these features.
We had what must have been the ultimate test loop for any bike. Freeway,
twisties, rain, heat, wind, grippy conditions, slick conditions and even some dirt.
Something that really stood out was how an almost identical-spec bike can
become so much more of a radical machine once the 'bars are moved and
fairings ditched.
The S was smooth, refined, comfy and slick on the road. The R was
completely pointless but at the same time, it was the most fun I've had on two
wheels in a long time.
With no fairing and a really upright riding position, the R is probably the fastest
accelerating non-turbo bike I've ridden (we'll have to do a B-King head-to-head)
and just makes any situation a laugh. Sustained speeds are difficult, comfort is
not great, but if you want to get off your chosen bike in hysterics every time you
ride then this is your bike. Quickshifter. Intake roar. Massive power. Total idiot
factor. We want one badly here at Rapid HQ! I'm not going to make any excuses for BMW by focussing on safety or userfriendly features or matching riding gear or heated slippers. This is a revhead's machine.
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mode is OK most of the time and the Sport mode is harsh on all but smooth roads. The problem I had with the bike is the way the rear packs down and
does not recover over a series of bumps - so you really cop a hard whack in the
backside after about the third bump. The front reacts harshly to sharp bumps,
which could be a high-speed damping issue. Either way I personally prefer the
ride of a conventional set-up. |
ENGINE
The K 1300 S and R feature BMW's ESA
(Electronic Suspension Adjustment) system, where
not just the springs and dampers may be
adjusted electronically at the touch of a
button - but now also the spring rate.
The front suspension features the
Duolever launched in 2004 but now
possesses a new longitudinal arm
made of lightweight forged alloy.
This reduces unsprung mass by
approximately one-kilogram,
with 115mm of spring travel
available.
The rear suspension
uses BMW's proven lightweight
Paralever with a wheel load distribution
of 50/50. This enables the rider to lean
the motorcycle over in a bend by more than
50-degrees (measured geometrically) thanks to the
overall configuration of the suspension and engine.
The overall weight of the main frame is a mere
11.5-kilograms. The engine is bolted firmly to the frame
at six points and acts as a stressed member.
The Paralever swingarm is made of a high-strength cast aluminium
alloy and was redesigned for the K 1300 S in order to make an
allowance for the change in dimensions, resulting in the upgraded
ESA II system around the rear strut.
The final drive housing is tailored to the inner contour of the
angle drive, avoiding even the slightest waste of space. The new
10-spoke rims give the front wheel excellent radial stability and
take up a high wheel load. At the same time, the front wheel takes
up the main load exerted by high circumferential forces (when
applying the brakes).
The K 1300 S features the EVO brake system, already well known
from the previous models. The brake lines on the EVO brake system
are clad in steel for extra protection, with the rotors measuring
320mm up front and 265mm at the rear.
The upper section of the fairing is 18mm slimmer and therefore
even more sporting than before.. |
ELECTRONICS There's more electronic rider aids than you can poke a stick at on
the K 1300 series.
ESA II lets the rider adjust the spring base and rate as well as the
compression and rebound damping on the rear wheel. On the front
wheel, adjustment is limited to rebound damping.
To make this control function as simple as possible, the rider only
has to enter the current load condition - solo, solo with luggage,
or passenger with luggage. Adjustment of the appropriate spring
base and spring rate is then automatic, with the system adjusting
the individual values to one another.
The rider may also choose the Comfort, Normal or Sports
mode, electronic management then applying this data to determine
the appropriate damping rates in accordance with the optimum
parameters saved in the Central Vehicle Electronics (CVE).
In all, this allows no less than nine different adjustment variants
on the new K 1300 S.
The K 1300 S comes as an option with ASC (Automatic Stability
Control) fitted at the factory. ASC prevents the rear wheel from
spinning when accelerating and thus losing lateral stability.
By comparing the speed of the front and rear wheels with the
help of the ABS sensors, the electronic control unit determines
when the rear wheel is spinning, with the engine management
retarding the ignition and intervening in the fuel injection process
to reduce engine power accordingly. |
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CHASSIS & STYLING
The crankshaft of the K 1300 S is made from forged
heat-treated steel and comes with eight counterweights
as well as an offset angle of 180-degrees, traditional at
BMW in order to ensure consistent firing intervals.
The bore has been enlarged by one mm, while the
stroke has been lengthened by 5.3mm to give 64.3 x
80mm figures and an overall 136cc capacity increase
over the K 1200 S, now at 1293cc. |
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Both the main and connecting rod journals measure
38mm in diameter.
The intake camshaft angle and the valve timing
as well as the stroke of the outlet valves have been
modified, with the outlet valve springs being re-set
from the ground up.The conrods are extra-light, forged heat-treated
steel components and measure 119mm in length.
Newly developed lightweight box-type pistons
measure 80mm in diameter and house two slender
piston rings.
Together with the bolts and rings, piston weight is
a mere 287-grams.
The balance shafts turn twice as fast as the
crankshaft. To minimise any noise or sound waves
generated in the process, the balance weights are
connected to the balance shafts by means of elastomer
units.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Please visit motorcycles.bmw.com.au or your local BMW dealer for the full info on the accessories and options available
for the K 1300 Series.
2009 BMW K 1300 S & K 1300 R
motorcycles.bmw.com.au
Prices + ORC: K 1300 S $25,750 ($28,625 as tested) K 1300 R $22,700 ($27,835 as tested) Warranty: Two-years/
unlimited km Colours: Light Grey Metallic, Lava Orange Metallic, Graphite Grey Metallic/Light Grey Metallic/Magma Red
Claimed Power: 127kW[175hp]@9250rpm Claimed Torque: 140Nm[103ft-lbs]@8250rpm Claimed Dry Weight:
228kg (S), 217kg (R) Fuel Capacity: 19L, 4L reserve Engine: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve, inline, four-cylinder,
four-stroke Bore x Stroke: 80 x 64.3mm Displacement: 1293cc Compression Ratio: 13.0:1 Fuel Delivery: EFI,
Digital Motor Electronics with Integrated Knock Control (BMS-K) Ignition: Digital Lubrication: Dry sump Exhaust:
Four-into-one with three-way catalytic converter Gearbox: Six-speed, cassette style Ratios: 1 2.398, 1.871, 1.525, 1.296,
1.143, 1.015 Final Ratio: 2.82:1 (S) 2.91:1 (R) Final drive: Shaft Clutch: Wet, multi-plate, hydraulically operated
Frame Type: Aluminium bridge frame, load-bearing engine, cast aluminium single-sided swingarm with Paralever
Wheelbase: 1585mm Rake: 39.6-degrees Trail: 104mm Front suspension: BMW Duolever, central spring strut Rear
suspension: Monoshock, ESA optional Front brakes: Semi-integral ABS, dual 320mm rotors, four-piston calipers Rear
brake: Semi-integral ABS, single 265mm rotor, twin-piston caliper Front wheel: 3.50 x 17in cast alloy Rear wheel: 6.00 x
17in (S), 5.50 x 17 (R) cast alloy Front tyre: Continental 120/70 - 17 Rear tyre: Continental 190/55 - 17 (S), 180/55
- 17 (R) Seat height: 820mm Overall height (without mirrors): 1221mm (S), 1095mm (R) Overall width (with
mirrors): 905mm (S), 856mm (R) Overall length: 2182mm (S), 2228mm (R) Instruments: CAN-bus system with
BMW Info-Flatscreen containing coolant, time, gear, speedometer, odometer, tachometer, ESA, ASC, fuel level, reserve and
average consumption, high beam, indicators, neutral, trip meters, average speed (K and S feature different layouts) |
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