The K1300 was a good bike, but BMW made the right move going to a new platform with the K16GT. I liked my K13GT overall, but the engine was a bit buzzy compared to my C14, and it was geared too short for interstate work in my opinion. I can't think of anything that my K13 objectively did better than my C14, but I do think that my C14 is superior to the K13GT overall especially in the category of engine/trans, and of course value. The K16 moved the needle in the sport touring segment in a way the K13 could not. More refined, more unique, more features better 2 up bike. The only downside compared to the K13GT is low speed handling, added size and weight. The latter two really are not noticed at all once the K16GT is above 20-30 mph.
About the only thing I preferred about my K13 vs my K16 was the smaller size. A 7/8 scale K16 would really punch the ticket for me. Otherwise, the K16GT just simply does everything better than the K13GT based on my experience.
What makes it easier for BMW is that they pretty much own the sport touring space, and occupy the higher end of the price point in the segment. Lots of K13's got traded in when the K16GT came out....including mine.
My only digs on my K16GT are the size, weight and cost. Just can't justify $25K for a motorcycle as I size up college tuition and retirement lol!
I purchased a new K1300 GT EE in February 2011, it replaced a C14 that I had. The K1300 had a great engine, was very comfy and being the EE (Exclusive Edition model) was extremely well equipped, it preceded the introduction of the K16 and was a 'run out model', however it came complete with a notchy gear change, some other issues which I cannot/prefer not to recall and worst of all it cut out completely whilst I was making a right turn whilst exiting a biker meeting, this was both embarrassing and costly for me.
The supplying dealer refused to acknowledge any fault of the bike and said That BMW UK had never heard of this issue before (I had not accidentally hit the kill switch BTW).
It wasn't long after having the repairs completed at my expense, that BMW UK accepted that others had experienced a similar problem and repaired faulty kill switches.
So much for BMW legendary reliability and customer care.......pah........never again will I darken their doorstep
Throttle-by-wire is the wave of the future in modern vehicles these days and I am amazed that Kawasaki has not invested the R&D to convert the C14 and other models with this technology.
Full command of the throttle by virtue of an ECU driven servo makes it much easier to comply with EPA and Euro emission standards
as well as refining the entire rideability of the motorcycle.
As mentioned, cruise control is merely a few lines of code + a $5.00 switch away.
BMW has converted almost exclusively to TBW as well as including cruise on almost every model as well. Yamaha has seen the light as of the 2013 FJR and Tenere and the results speak for themselves.
Both Honda (ST1300) and Kawasaki would reap great benefits by converting to TBW, it would certainly get everyone's attention.
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Nope. Not on the C14 it doesn't. The computer already has full control over CLOSING the throttle, which is all that is needed for any emissions/noise/MPG restrictions.
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With all due respect, that is not quite correct Max; while the ECU does have control over the secondary butterflies on the C-14, it is not even close to complete control because the secondary butterflies are far smaller than the throttle body bores, unlike the primary throttle plates. To put it simply, the ECU just cannot 'choke' the air down on a C-14 nearly enough to have complete control.
Maxtog, not sure what you mean by this:
"But they are not going to spend tons of money to change already working models- that is not like a fairing swap or do-dad add.... it requires a whole new ECU, a new throttle body system, programming, testing, EPA review, etc, etc."
This is exactly what Yamaha did for the Gen III FJR, completely re-engineered the EFI and ECU.
As I indicated, this technology is the wave of the future and Kawasaki needs to invest in the R&D to incorporate TBW on the C14 or continue to lose market share to those that do.
All of this in an effort to put people with less than optimal riding skills on bikes with more power than these riders can handle, with computers that will keep them from ever experiencing the potential power of the bike they spent all that money on, due to the potential power it has... where do I sign up?!?!
What ever happened to learning how to ride, buying bikes that match your skill set, getting a new bike once your skills improve, having respect for the capabilities of the bike you bought, and finally... having some throttle control so a computer doesn't have to do it for you?
The article in the link that was posted above stated one of the benefits of RBW was giving people the ability to buy a bike that is beyond their skill set, start in the lower performance settings and advance as their skill set improves. Am I the only one that sees something wrong with that idea?
The dealer showed me the eco mode when I bought it. He pushed and held the "flash to pass" button and pointed to the "Eco" on the screen. I reached up, turned it right back off and told him "yeah... I won't be needing that function".
Yeah they have had (or are having?) their problems certainly. And some of them were (are?) disastrous, such as that cute final drive flame- out failure that BMW balked at covering, addressing in any way or even 'fessing up about. But I was really just discussing the bike as it pertains to actually riding and behavior..... at least when it behaves itself. :-)
For those reasons and other, I am pretty much confined to Japanese bikes, and always have been. At this time, I think the only other brand (non- Japanese) I would even consider might be a KTM but that is not very likely either.
The person who owned the BMW that I rode had a bunch of BMW's and also more than a couple of incidents with their 'legendary reliability'. One time, he was riding a brand new K1200GT home when it just died..... ON THE HIGHWAY (!!) in Boston. He left it on the side of the road, made other arrangements to go home rather than back to the dealer, and then called them up an told them where they could find 'their' bike, assuming it was still there and they even wanted it back. That actually worked out fine but then again, he bought a lot of bikes from them and so was well outside the range of the dealer's usual customer.
Brian
Brian
Good to see you hanging around Dan! That's all I have to add to this conversation so carry on.