that beautiful k1200...that wide eyed newbie

[floydsdoc]

Reged: Jul 08 2007

Posts: 2

Loc: Ct Re: Oh boy, k1200 or not? [Re: floydsdoc]

#888682 - Sun Jul 08 2007 07:40 PM Edit Reply Quote Quick Reply

 

 

 

Wow what a resource...you all are great...yes i would be conservative...i clearly have tons of respect for this bike..but given what i would presume to be your beemer predisposition, your honesty humbles me and will probably turn the tide to picking up my deposit check and saying not yet, maybe next year....other beemer considerations??? f800st?? as a newbie bike?? the triumph 1050 tiger?? Veestrom 650??? Ducati multistrada??? Motoguzzi breva 1100??? I hope 'm not offending the beemer populace as i hope to be among you when the time is right...your reflections make me think this k1200 is too much of a missile for my skill set...thanks for your honesty and wisdom

rke

[bmurphypdx]

Your post tells me you have a good attitude which is as important as riding skills (both are important). My experience is 1500 miles on an F650CS and then I went to an R1200ST. The first few weeks on the R1200ST were challenging and I was appropriately (I believe) cautious. Now with 5700 miles on the R1200ST in 3 months, I am still cautious but feel very comfortable on this bike. Despite this comfort level on the R1200, I would not ride a K1200 today. I went riding with a couple of K bikes last week and know that is not something I would/should not do quite yet. Just my $.02

[KingBiscuit]

A friend of mine has a 650 VStrom and really loves it. He's been riding for about 3 years now, I think. He's now thinking about moving up to a K1200GS, but he really loves his Strom.

 

I'm sticking with my original recommendation, take a look at an R1150R. You won't regret it.

 

Dan

[GrafSpee]

Most people here don't care what you ride, more like how you ride. I would assume that most here would rather hang out with a cool guy on a Suzuki than a douche on a BMW.

 

Yeah, the website is BMW sport touring, but there's so much good stuff out there in the industry, it's a shame to stick to only one thing and not sample the others. Hopefully you'll be able to sort out your priorities and what bike will fit you best with fewest compromises.

 

I seriously think that a second-hand V-strom 650 or F650 of some sort would be solid choices for re-entry bikes, as well as the new F800ST, but there are so many other good choices like Kawasaki's ZR7S and newer Z750S, Honda's VFR800 lines, as well as Suzuki's Bandits and Yamaha's FZs. You've got some tough work to do, but it should be sweet in the end

[tallman]

Here's a 650 CS w/ABS and topcase.

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/machine/details.asp?ID=743

Lightweight, ABS, usually doesn't get major damage if you fall over, maybe turn signal.

Not a powerful as the new belt drive twins, but more than enough to get around on while getting great mpg.

Oh, and it has ABS.

[keithb]

I would not limit yourself either. Sample as many products/bikes as you can. Half the fun will be determining the differences between them. Good luck and enjoy the process.

[pedro cerveza]

Now for the dissenting opinion…

There are a few things that make a K1200 (which model S, R or LT?) a bad first bike. Chief amongst those is that it’s crazy fast. It’s also expensive and expensive to repair WHEN you drop it. On an R bike with head protectors a sometimes the only thing that gets damaged it your ego. The K bikes don’t have the same protection.

My K1200S is much easier to ride then my RT. It’s lighter, has a lower center of gravity and (to me) seems like it has a lower seat. If you can restrain yourself from cracking the throttle and have the good sense not to override your skills the K is worth a look.

[Tim Yip]

There are plenty of great, 'first bikes' out there; you've named a few.

 

Light weight and a low(er) saddle make getting used to riding much easier. Sure, there are lots of folks out there who have started on biggies, such as K1200LT, full-dress Harleys, but that's not the easiest or most pleasurable way to get into motorcycling.

 

If you like BMWs, the F650 series single cylinder is really a superb bike.

 

The Suzuki DL-650 V-Strom is excellent; it has a nice upright riding position that gives your upper body lots of leverage making it easier to control the bike at slow speeds. (Riding a motorcycle fast is easy; anybody can do it. Controlling a motorcycle at very low speeds is much more difficult and requires a lot of skill. As a new rider, you'll be spending much more time at low speeds, so lighter and smaller is better.)

 

I don't know of anybody who owns one and says they hate it. In fact, some magazine journalists have said they prefer the 650 to the 1000.

 

Tiger 1050 and Multistrada(s) are both excellent, but tall and expensive (if that matters.) I took a Tiger 1050 for a 1,000 km demo ride two weeks ago and loved it. But even with the low saddle, I was on my tip toes (I'm 5'8").

 

The Breva V1100 is also excellent, and actually might be a good choice if you MUST have a large bore bike. It has a relatively low saddle, fairly upright riding position and a very tractable engine that doesn't need a lot of revs to get going.

 

Another good choice (if you're willing to wait) is the Kawasaki 650 Versys. We already have it in Canada for 2007 and the U.S. is supposed to get it for '08. Consider the Versys to be a mini-Multistrada.

 

In the end, I would highly recommend a smaller bike for your first one. Any of these 650s are superb. Ride it for one season, and if you really want more power, sell it and move on. But the smaller bike will definitely make your first riding season a more enjoyable one rather than trying to cope with the intimidating heft of a big bore BMW.

 

Good luck!