I've just stumbled on this forum while Googling so jumped in. I don't know how I ended up with an S1000RR as I'm a longtime BMW rider (since 1988) and have never ridden a Japanese super bike, and never considered one. I graduated through K75S, K100RS, K1100RS, K1200S and K1300S - notice a trend?
I used to ride bikes all over Scotland in my job, being paid expenses to do so, but after my Yamaha XZ550S wore out in less than 25 000 miles (in 18 months) in 1988 I moved on to BMWs, which basically don't wear out. However now I am old, and retired, and don't have to ride in rain, hail, fog, ice and snow - so my mileage has dropped drastically. While the K1300S is a great bike, and the most powerful and best handling BMW I've had, it's still built for miles and A roads.
I had a test ride on the original S1000RR last year and, if the ride had lasted an hour, I'd have bought one. Unfortunately it lasted two hours and by the second hour my knees were hurting, so I decided I was too old for it. I did a bit of research and found that Attack Performance rear sets adjust down as well as up and my opinion started to change. Then I got a phone call asking if I was interested in one of the last old models which they were selling off at under £10K, but it was the day before I was due to go to Singapore to play hockey for my country (at Over 60 level, let it be said). I said I was interested and to phone me again after I got back if they had one left, but they didn't. By that time it was winter (what is it now???) and the moment passed.
Then I heard about the new model ... and the heated grips. I must have chosen the right moment because the showroom was full of S1000RRs - including a yellow old model pre-registered with only a few miles on the clock. I booked a test ride on the new one and the old one as I fancied a back to back test but in the end I didn't bother with the yellow peril after testing the new model. Whether the riding position is slightly different or my knees are suddenly more flexible, I had no knee pain with this one. I used the old model as a bargaining counter (making it clear that if I didn't get a good deal I would go for the cheaper option) and managed to negotiate a good price for the K13S against a new model, which had to be red and white as I'm an Aberdeen fan. Why I had a Lava Orange K13S is a bit of a mystery as I found myself being congratulated by Dundee United fans when parking up in Dundee.
OK, now I've done just over 1000 miles and have re-found the desire to go out and have a blast, even with the virtual certainty of rain and the need to clean the bike every time I go out. I did a non-recreational run to Glasgow and back yesterday with my hockey stick bag on my back and my kit in a Lomo waterproof bag strapped on the rear seat - no problem though the headwind on the way there kept making the stick bag slip round. The temperature was 10C on the way down and it felt colder in the rain, so on with the heated grips in July - perfect.
It took quite a few miles to start getting used to a different style of riding and I'm still not using much of the performance, but after the running in limiter came off, I'm certainly enjoying the way it takes off when the revs rise. I find the riding position suits me very well, though my neck muscles are still adapting to the new angle of my head. I'd prefer the pegs to be slightly lower and notice that the backs of my knees feel cramped when I wear my leathers (BMW Pro-Race), but not my fabric suit which has less material at the back of the knees. With the weather the way it is, I've hardly been able to wear my leathers since I bought the bike anyway.
The bike is a total indulgence and I don't have the riding skill or the clean licence to do it justice but I love it!
I used to ride bikes all over Scotland in my job, being paid expenses to do so, but after my Yamaha XZ550S wore out in less than 25 000 miles (in 18 months) in 1988 I moved on to BMWs, which basically don't wear out. However now I am old, and retired, and don't have to ride in rain, hail, fog, ice and snow - so my mileage has dropped drastically. While the K1300S is a great bike, and the most powerful and best handling BMW I've had, it's still built for miles and A roads.
I had a test ride on the original S1000RR last year and, if the ride had lasted an hour, I'd have bought one. Unfortunately it lasted two hours and by the second hour my knees were hurting, so I decided I was too old for it. I did a bit of research and found that Attack Performance rear sets adjust down as well as up and my opinion started to change. Then I got a phone call asking if I was interested in one of the last old models which they were selling off at under £10K, but it was the day before I was due to go to Singapore to play hockey for my country (at Over 60 level, let it be said). I said I was interested and to phone me again after I got back if they had one left, but they didn't. By that time it was winter (what is it now???) and the moment passed.
Then I heard about the new model ... and the heated grips. I must have chosen the right moment because the showroom was full of S1000RRs - including a yellow old model pre-registered with only a few miles on the clock. I booked a test ride on the new one and the old one as I fancied a back to back test but in the end I didn't bother with the yellow peril after testing the new model. Whether the riding position is slightly different or my knees are suddenly more flexible, I had no knee pain with this one. I used the old model as a bargaining counter (making it clear that if I didn't get a good deal I would go for the cheaper option) and managed to negotiate a good price for the K13S against a new model, which had to be red and white as I'm an Aberdeen fan. Why I had a Lava Orange K13S is a bit of a mystery as I found myself being congratulated by Dundee United fans when parking up in Dundee.
OK, now I've done just over 1000 miles and have re-found the desire to go out and have a blast, even with the virtual certainty of rain and the need to clean the bike every time I go out. I did a non-recreational run to Glasgow and back yesterday with my hockey stick bag on my back and my kit in a Lomo waterproof bag strapped on the rear seat - no problem though the headwind on the way there kept making the stick bag slip round. The temperature was 10C on the way down and it felt colder in the rain, so on with the heated grips in July - perfect.
It took quite a few miles to start getting used to a different style of riding and I'm still not using much of the performance, but after the running in limiter came off, I'm certainly enjoying the way it takes off when the revs rise. I find the riding position suits me very well, though my neck muscles are still adapting to the new angle of my head. I'd prefer the pegs to be slightly lower and notice that the backs of my knees feel cramped when I wear my leathers (BMW Pro-Race), but not my fabric suit which has less material at the back of the knees. With the weather the way it is, I've hardly been able to wear my leathers since I bought the bike anyway.
The bike is a total indulgence and I don't have the riding skill or the clean licence to do it justice but I love it!
