Thanks for all the comments!

I'm really looking forward to some good one-on-one time this weekend. I'll definitely be taking advantage of the heated grips tomorrow at 7:30am on my way to Scotts. Sposed to be below 50. brrr...

Cool ride Will. Don't forget about us when you're hanging out on the german bike boards. Can't wait to see it!

Well folks, I've gotta say that I think I'm in love. 800 miles over 5 days has been a great way to get the feel for what this bike can do. I've been looking for two bikes to add to the stable; one for touring and one for speed. The K1200S looks to be the perfect mix for me.

Before the HC trip, my impression of the K12S was that it was a souped up touring bike. With the touring bags and GPS it's easy to get that idea. The roads down south helped me realize that this "brick" is WAAY more than that.

0-60 in 2.8
167 HP @ 10,250
96 lb-ft @ 8,250

This thing is Fast!!! Mind numbingly fast. I was on the throttle a LOT and it never felt squirrely to me. At 550 lbs it definitely wasn't as flickable as the ducs I've rode, but the added weight and the longer wheelbase lent itself to a "controlled confidence" that those 167 horses weren't stampeding out of control. The power band is pretty deceptive. Up to about 7,500 rpm, the power is good but not face melting. Let it frolic in the realm of 7,500 to 11,000 rpm, or "f*ck-yeah land" as I like to call it, and the party is ON!

And now for my next favorite quality. The brakes!!  WOW!    Some of you might have witnessed my "rapid deceleration test" at the Motorcycle Museum on Sunday after chasing down Jesus. I'd been testing the capabilities of the bike all weekend and knew the ABS brakes were good, but this was the first "real world" challenge I'd tried. Traveling back up 187, the entrance came up on me a lot quicker than I was expecting. I had the option to blow off the entrance and turn around up the road (ahem... Jesus  ), but the conditions were right (i.e., no traffic, straight & level road) to try a more efficient method. The servo assisted hydraulics provided an extremely tactile sense of where I was in the braking range, again lending a sense of "controlled confidence". My initial "oh-shit" reaction soon subsided to more of a "cool, I've got this" feeling.

I was pretty surprised at how it handled in the twisties. With the added weight and longer wheel base, I was expecting it to be more sluggish in the corners. (At 62 inches, it's a half foot longer and almost 200 lbs heavier than the 848/1098). I found that I had to put a lot more "body english" into it to get the response I wanted. On Monday afternoon, we realized that my rear tire was shredded so I decided to take it easy for the last 60 miles. I became more complacent in my normal aggressive weight shifting and settled into a touring comfort zone that almost bit me when I found a decreasing radius turn willing to gobble me up. What's the lesson? Don't let your guard down on this bike when there are twisties about.

So all the rhetoric in the world can do nothing to describe a visceral emotion. The best you can do is examine the ripples that lead to behavior. I can't stop thinking about the beemer. I took a 3 hour lunch to get the rear tire replaced. I spent half my work day on the web reading about it. I can't wait to ride it again. I've got an S2R waiting for me at AMS and for the first time in a year I'm not in a rush to get her back.

But yet I still think of my Duc as a "she", where I can only think of the brick as an "it". Interesting....

Excellent write up Will and a very sweet bike! 

The bike looks fantastic in person. Did you notice the shaft drive at all?

Quote from: dallas2r on October 29, 2008, 12:32:48 AM

But yet I still think of my Duc as a "she", where I can only think of the brick as an "it". Interesting....

I've already confessed my envy !  My GS is called "Miles" ( black, cool, & that's all it needed when I got it ).  Beemers are guys because they have a shaft drive !!    

Glad you are enjoying it Will ! It is a top shelf machine for sure - whatever you call "it"!

Will,

Glad you like the new sled! Nothing like long, heavy, 160+hp "touring" bikes. Really looks nice, like that blue color too. Sounds like the "drove it only on Sunday to church by an elderly person" vehicles are really out there!! Enjoy!!

Quote from: dallas2r on October 29, 2008, 12:32:48 AM
I can't stop thinking about the beemer. I took a 3 hour lunch to get the rear tire replaced. I spent half my work day on the web reading about it. I can't wait to ride it again.

I bet Malyn is jealous... 

Quote from: Slag on October 29, 2008, 03:22:03 AM
Did you notice the shaft drive at all?

Didn't even notice it at all.

I found the source of the oil dribbledge.





This is looking down on the reservoir that's under the seat.




Still don't know why the tire went bad. 



Here's a little video.

Quote from: dallas2r on October 29, 2008, 07:51:35 AM
Still don't know why the tire went bad. 

This seems strangely familiar...

Too many 100+ MPH runs? 

Lower than optimum tire pressure?

Older than realized tire? 

Will - I know you already got new tires but just a heads-up that there has been a quiet recall on some Metzlers made in Brazil (Tourance EXPs) - the sho nuff German made are ok !  You may have put something else on there but I would feel really bad if I failed to mention this and something unhappy happened !!

The localized burn through looks like old tire meets hot stop on really rough pavement !  The ABS allows the front tire to roll more so you keep some steering but almost halts the roll of the rear since the weight is off it  in a hot stop.  Those German engineers are good - but they don't do pretty like Italians  !

Curious as to what the production date is on that tire?

Quote from: cdc on October 29, 2008, 08:45:03 AM
Too many 100+ MPH runs? 

Lower than optimum tire pressure?

Older than realized tire? 

Bingo!

Quote from: Cyclone on October 29, 2008, 09:32:31 AM
Will - I know you already got new tires but just a heads-up that there has been a quiet recall on some Metzlers made in Brazil (Tourance EXPs) - the sho nuff German made are ok !  You may have put something else on there but I would feel really bad if I failed to mention this and something unhappy happened !!

The localized burn through looks like old tire meets hot stop on really rough pavement !  The ABS allows the front tire to roll more so you keep some steering but almost halts the roll of the rear since the weight is off it  in a hot stop.  Those German engineers are good - but they don't do pretty like Italians  !

Thanks for the info Donald. I actually went with the Pirrelli Diablo Strada.