The power of the Dark Side

[mark5lam]

I've got a fever for the Dark-Side.

I've always been an admirer of the K series bikes. Last weekend a friend of mine (yes I have a friend) and I swapped bikes for a couple of hours. I rode his new K1200S and he rode my R1200GS. He loved my GS but then again; who doesn’t love the R12GS?

It’s the K1200S I’m here to talk about today. Overall opinion: WOW! Now I’ve ridden all kinds of bikes including the K1200GT but this was my first run on the K12S. At first the bike felt quite awkward. I wasn’t feeling as though I was going to enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It felt front-end heavy and took some work to make it go where I wanted it to go. Once I settled in however it started to feel natural and I quickly became accustomed to the feel.

 

The first part of the ride was slab at about 80mph. Rock steady with no wind buffeting at all. The faring provides very smooth airflow over and around my 5’8” frame. Suspension soaks up the bumps and tracks down the road like it’s on a rail. 80mph feels more like 40mph. The power is intoxicating! Roll on the throttle in just about any gear and what ever was in front of you is now behind. After a year and a half on the GS it’s hard to describe just how powerful the KS is. More than anyone will ever need.

 

Off the highway and onto a tight twisty road. Again the bike took some getting used to. Not nearly as nimble or athletic as the GS. I found myself falling into each turn too soon followed by slight over-corrections to get back in line. Again just a matter of shaking off the GS rider in me. The KS is a bit more work in the tight stuff but nothing I didn’t enjoy.

 

Off to the mountain sweepers. Forget it,.. this bike was built for this and it shows! Awesome, awesome, awesome! Once I relaxed, it became a matter of thinking what I wanted to do and it happened. I road the KS through the sweepers faster than I ever ride my GS on this kind of road yet it didn’t feel as fast. The bike just glides along the road smooth and solid in a way that inspires confidence. Lean over into a turn, get your line, gently apply power and feel it pull you out of the turn like a rocket. Warning: Once you are comfortable on the K1200S and you find the right road, you will go fast so be prepared for what’s around the next bend!

 

I also had the chance to open it up a bit on a long stretch of strait road. The road was grassland on each side and visibility was clear for a little over 3 miles. If there was going to be a time to see a little of what this thing will do, this was it. Riding 200 yards behind my GS at 60mph, I poured on the power in 4th gear, blasted by the GS, speed shifted into 5th, glanced down a second to two later and the needle was at 150 and climbing. I was running out of clear road quickly so I rolled off and back down to reality. WOW! My old Ninja 900 didn’t even come close to that.

 

I wanted to ride that bike all day. Funny thing is, when I got back on my GS it felt very strange to me. The two bikes are Sooooo different! Not to worry, within a few miles my GS was part of me again and we enjoyed the remainder of the day together.

 

Bottom line, the K1200S is a fantastic machine. Almost every system on the bike and the way it performs I would rate as fantastic. There are some minor gripes mostly geared to stuff that's correctable for a price. i.e. silly oversized muffler, and no center stand included on a 18K bike. The bikes many praises out shine any of the minor complaints I have at this time.

Motor and power: Fantastic. ESA: I like it a lot!, Faring and aerodynamics: excellent., Suspension and brakes: Awesome. Transmission: A lot of bike mags complain about this but I thought it was fine. What else can I say. The bike is great, I like it a lot and I must have one some day soon!!!

 

[Corkus]

...it’s hard to describe just how powerful the KS is. More than anyone will ever need.

 

That sounds like the exact right amount of power to me.

 

...a second to two later and the needle was at 150 and climbing.

 

Wow, on your first ride too. I guess some riders will do that. I wouldn't, but I get my kicks too, so I'm not criticizing. I just think it is a bit sensational to do that on your first ride. It's also socially unacceptable but I like that part .

 

Great write up. I enjoyed it very much. I'll have to ride one of those bad boys.

[BawdyMonk]

I'm still on honeymoon with my KGT, but they gave me the keys to a K1200R while they fitted the bar risers, what followed was 2+ hours of biggest (legal) adrenaline rush I've ever had

Briefly: I really haven't ever ridden a bike like it, I can't believe that a street bike with that much power can be so easy and comfortable to ride, especially as I spent an hour going from one part of Nicosia to another. It's as good a commute bikes as you're ever going to get.

Having said that I also find it hard to believe that BMW can make a bike that sounds so good, I almost felt like I was back on a Kawasaki gpz900 from 20 years ago, a real bikers bike.

It handles like a dream, I'd love to take it through the mountains, it's not only very stable, but very flickable as well.

On the highway, I only managed 250kmh (about 155mph) due to traffic, but there seemed to be lots left, the fly screen seems to do it's job as there's a LOT less buffeting than I'd expected.

The Electronic Suspension Adjustment is not the gimmick I thought it was, when on Comfort the bike seemed to iron a lot of the road wrinkles for me, putting it on Sport was like screwing the bike down on the road (but not the front wheel at traffic lights ), I never used the Normal setting, but it must be somewhere between . Thankfully, I never used the ABS either, but the brakes are typical BMW, excellent.

 

Minus points? those cheap and nasty platic brake and clutch fluid reservoirs on the handlebars, I'd like a bigger back tyre on it, the 180/50 ZR 17 seemed a bit feeble when parked next to my mates Blackbird

 

 

I don't need to think about the next bike

[mark5lam]

Wow, on your first ride too. I guess some riders will do that. I wouldn't, but I get my kicks too, so I'm not criticizing. I just think it is a bit sensational to do that on your first ride. It's also socially unacceptable but I like that part .

Don’t’ get me wrong. I don’t condone that particular action. In retrospect, 150mph on a public road (even for a second or two) is always asking for trouble.

 

Hypocrisy aside and for what it’s worth, it was calculated madness. It wasn’t as if I just had Demons in my head saying GO FAST! I’ve had experience with powerful bikes, the BMW is rock solid, the road was clean, the area deserted, and I had clear visibility for miles.

 

Suppose I could try to justify it any way I want but the bottom line is, I was “seduced by the Dark Side.” I was “more machine than man, twisted and evil.” It was quite a rush but please folks, don’t try this at home.

[mark5lam]

I'd like a bigger back tyre on it, the 180/50 ZR 17 seemed a bit feeble when parked next to my mates Blackbird

The K1200R can also be purchased with the same wheels that come on the K1200S. That will give you a 190 out back.

[TMH]

I've got a fever for the Dark-Side.

 

Must....resist.....dark.....side.....

 

Oops, too late. It only took one rather short ride on a K-GT which blew it for me. Now I just had to justify the purchase with the SO.

 

So I took the RT-P in for service, and came home on the GT. "Hun, they didn't have any loaner bikes, and I really didn't feel like walking home, so... Hey, do you want to go out for dinner? And look, it has a back seat for you to ride."

 

Fortunately it has worked so far!

 

Tom

[mark5lam]

Now I just had to justify the purchase with the SO.

It's been my experience that you can never justify this stuff to the SO. They just don't understand "THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE"

So I took the RT-P in for service, and came home on the GT. "Hun, they didn't have any loaner bikes, and I really didn't feel like walking home, so... Hey, do you want to go out for dinner? And look, it has a back seat for you to ride."

That's funny Sounds like a page from my impulsive play book.

[Fasterpill]

2003 K1200GT (bought 10/1/05)