K 75s and K1200r sport

[stephen]

I have a 1988 K 75s. It is not a sport bike, but I would not hesitate to take off cross country on it. I have read 2 reviews calling it the best motorcycle ever made, granted people have different views on what makes a great ride. I expect they were talking reliability. I talked to a guy who claimed to have a K 75s with 360,000 miles on it. It was still running.

I just helped my son purchase a K 1200r sport. It is amazing! The suspension is unbelievable. He was on the freeway the other day and needed to get away from a couple of cars. He dropped into 5th gear and punched it. He looked down and was going 125 MPH. He said he thought he was going 85 MPH. The suspension has 3 settings that can be adjusted in motion. In the soft setting on the freeway, you do not feel any bumps.

Update 1: We just returned from 2 days of riding. The K1200r Sport got appx. 43MPG running at an average speed of 87MPH. My F800ST got 57 MPG. We went through 15 miles of high speed turns. On the F800, I felt a little un-nerved at 75MPH. The K1200 tracked effortlessly at 100MPH in the sport suspension setting.

The seat on the K1200 was harsh. I am an older man, I would need to add handlbar risers ($200 from Helibar) as a comfort issue. I felt the wind screen on the K1200 was far superior to the F800.

I would not want to do a tremendous amount of 25MPH on the K1200. The K1200 has an after market carbon fiber exhaust which lightens the bike significantly, so it is not really about weight. It is about 50 lbs. heavier than the F800. It just does not want to go 25MPH, you are in 1st gear. A common complaint from super bike owners , both Japanese and European, is that they are way too fast for around town, 25 MPH out here.

I would not call the K1200r Sport the ultimate super-bike. I would not even call it a super-bike. The Aprilia's and Ducati's have comparable horse power and are lighter with shorter wheel bases. The new Aprilia Tuono has been called the best road bike ever made. I would expect 22MPG (from an Aprilia dealer in Berkeley, CA.) running one through it's paces. Probably the same with a Ducati. The K1200 would be an excellent choice for long range high speed travel.

Gas not being a consideration, I feel the K1200 would be a lot more fun to ride than the F 800. Again, this assumes that it can be set up to be comfortable. I really like my F800. Most of my riding is urban or <200 mile trips. But for performance, the K1200 is way more bike.

Stephen

[silver970]

Stephen I have set my K1300R up with Sargent seat, Vario Spoiler on the windscreen, and Throttle Meister and it is indeed comfortable for any length of ride. Mileage is good even when using the ample power and with a good helmet, the wind noise is minimal with the rider sitting in the bike rather than on it.
When I ride with my brother in law and he is on the F bike, we run the same speeds neck and neck and our consumtion is always within 10% of one another. The old 8 vs 4 cylinder arguement, or 4 vs 2 in this case.
I have not had trouble with city riding but the F bike is much more suited to this with its lighter handling charateristics. Much like going from my wife's jeep to my diesel truck, the difference in handling is evident but after a few minutes the adjustments are made and it is not noticable anymore.
All around the K bikes are excellent and if spending time on open roads and any freeways, the K bike is much more at home and provides greater levels of comfort and refinement than the F bike does IMO.
I chose the F800R to get back into riding after a long time away from bikes and it was brilliant in every regard. When I found myself wanting more, the K bike was the answer and I feel it represents the top tier of naked/sport touring hybrids.

[stephen]

Just returned from 2 days on the K75s. I had to ride 4 miles up a dirt road that was having gravel laid down. There were a couple of spots where the gravel was 4 inches or so deep and had not been graded. Off to the side, I was looking over the tops of 100 plus foot pines that were 10-15 feet away. I didn't bring enough underwear.

stephen

[stephen]

Just had the seat on the K1200 R sport re-upholstered. Very pleased with the result. Larry at "San Leandro Auto Upholstery" charged $100. He added 1/2 inch of foam and used a vinyl fabric that Corbin has used forever. The phone number for bay area members is 510-483-7841.

Stephen