Of all the automobile manufacturers in the world today, only three manufacture both cars and bikes. Two are Japanese, namely Honda and Suzuki. The third and only German manufacturer is BMW. All three have their unique legacy in making automobiles, but the Germans are known to take pride in everything they do more than anyone else. And without doubt, BMW cars and bikes both boast technical prowess – more to outdo their rivals rather than to make a point. But honestly, until a few years back I was not a fan of BMW’s motorcycles. They looked weird, and that was a time when I was hardly aware of the technology they packed in. Japanese motorcycles were a far bigger attraction for me. But then my interest in motorcycles made me learn why BMW’s motorcycles are styled the way they are and how they boast of technology I dare say would take ages to reach half the way across the world to the land of the rising sun.
BMW started building motorcycles nearly a hundred years back and without doubt the greatest success for Stuttgart-based BMW Motorrad has been the boxer-engine equipped R1200GS that Shumi rode last month. At the same time, I was astride another BMW – and one that I can relate more to – the BMW K1300R. As I stood face to face with it, the first question that came to my mind was – what’s with the headlamp design? And not just the headlights, the front suspension itself appeared to belong to another planet. Plain ugly front I dare say. Discounting the quirky looking face, I must say the rest of the bike is pure brawn and raw appeal. The muscular lines on the fuel tank just cannot be missed, nor can you miss the short, flat clip-ons and protruding tank extensions underneath the bars. The muscular lines are carried onto the stepped single-piece seat, before ending in the split grab rail at the rear. The tail piece looks nice, with the rectangular set of LED stop lights and an ultra-short tail piece. The rear also shows off its large end-can (which I would definitely get rid of, and go in for an Akrapovic), and smart looking rear alloy wheel connected to a single-sided swingarm on the left side. But the best angle for viewing the K1300R has to be the front three-quarter from the right side, where the bike revels in its low stance, muscular lines, massive exposed engine and that rear wheel. What was a let-down though in the styling department were the white-faced clocks, which looked dated, and the oval rear-view mirrors.
All these details tell you one thing - this motorcycle means business. And it has role clarity – BMW wanted to make the world’s most powerful naked streetbike, and this is it. This is a 1293cc, liquid-cooled unit that pumps out 174PS at 9250rpm, while maximum torque is 140Nm at 8250rpm. The Arnold Schwarzenegger of naked motorcycles? Yes I say. The cylinders are set at a rather extreme angle of 55 degrees from the vertical. This looks a bit odd, but does help in the keeping the centre of gravity low. I thumbed the starter and the bike emitted the oh-so-familiar in-line four cylinder hum at idle. Rev the bike, and she was hinting at her lethal intentions as the sound changed to a far more ferocious rumble. I was apprehensive about the combination of the wet road and the humongous amount of power going to the rear wheel. But thankfully my apprehensions were laid to rest. This K1300R was equipped with Automatic Stability Control (ASC). This meant I could do a full-bore launch even on a wet road without bother since the electronics would not let the rear tyre lose traction. I obviously did not go ahead and do that, and was ultra-cautious as I started riding. But even at slow speeds, I could feel the electronics doing their bit in helping the bike maintain its composure, and I had no trouble in opening the throttle with confidence pretty soon. And as I did so, the loads of torque being laid onto the slippery, wet road propelled me without any glitch in an ultra-smooth fashion. The engine felt butter-smooth as well, and did not throw any tantrums even when riding at a crawling 40kmph in fourth, or fifth even. This made the motorcycle highly enjoyable even in traffic – true to the nature of naked streetbikes. Adding to the feel was the shaft drive, which gave the K1300R’s power delivery a more direct feel compared to chain-driven motorcycles.
Time to give the bike’s ABS a once over I thought, and pulled in the front brake lever carefully. The feedback from the front end was instantaneous, and the ABS felt a lot more reassuring than any other similar system that I have experienced – say like the Honda VFR1200F, or the little CBR250R. I then went faster and braked harder, and the result was the same. The ABS worked flawlessly in sync with the four piston calipers holding the 320mm discs up front time and again. At the same time, the 120/70 R 17 Metzeler Roadtec Z6 tyre at the front provided loads of grip. Without fail it allowed me to slow the bike (and with a 243kg kerb weight this is a heavy motorcycle) perfectly, giving ample feedback each time. Credit that to BMW’s electronically adjustable suspension as well. The K1300R, further, does not use conventional suspension systems at either end. The front end is a Duolever, two-arm lever that holds the front wheel at one end, and has a pivot at the other, and has far lesser travel than a set of conventional forks – thus controlling brake dive. What this does in effect is it does not let the trail change when you brake, and is a boon especially around corners as it makes the steering feel more consistent. In other words, if you were mash the front brake lever on a conventional motorcycle, you would have the front scream “We’re braking, hold on!” But on the Duolever-equipped K1300R it would be “We’re braking, okay?” The K1300R sports ‘Paralever’ suspension at the rear, the function of which is to prevent the rear suspension from getting affected by shaft drive’s torque reaction. It helps reduce squat under braking and jacking while accelerating, and is connected to a conventional monoshock.
Having understood the K1300R’s complex electronics somewhat and gotten a feel of the motorcycle, I was now ready to crack the throttle open for once. On a motorcycle sans the electronics I wouldn’t have even thought of doing this on a super-wet road, but this is what made the BMW special. As I opened the throttle wide, the bike accelerated a lot quicker than expected, given its hefty weight. Power delivery was linear and not peaky, and the amount of confidence gained courtesy the electronics was unbelievable. Before I knew it, I had crossed the 150kmph mark on the speedo. In fact hitting 200kmph on a 174PS motorcycle on a wet road in heavy rain was never this easy. Given dry, clean tarmac, I am certain the K1300R will register a sub 4-second 0-100kmph time. The ASC, ABS and electronically-adjustable suspension is no doubt a boon, and in fact a god send for inexperienced riders. This is one motorcycle that has been designed keeping in mind essential rider aids, and aims at providing riding pleasure without compromising on safety. And the fact that this is a product from the BMW stable, one can rest assured that the K1300R is built to last. The bike boasts of high fit and finish levels and is assembled in Germany and imported directly into the country, and has top-notch build quality.
But all of this also ensures the K1300R commands a hefty premium as compared to its rivals. The K1300R competes with the 156PS Ducati Streetfighter, the 130PS Honda CB1000R and 150PS Yamaha FZ1 in the country. While the FZ1 is the cheapest at Rs. 8.7 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai, the CB1000R retails at Rs. 10.2 lakh ex-showroom, Mumbai. The Streetfighter retails at Rs. 15.85 ex-showroom, Mumbai. The BMW K1300R is more expensive than all of these, and retails at Rs. 17.63 lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai including octroi. But this price does not include the electronic aids. You need to pay extra for the ESA, ASC, ABS, anti-theft alarm, an on-board computer, gear-shift assist (which works like a shift light), and LED indicators. Overall, the motorcycle feels great to ride, and makes for an extremely involving experience. It boasts of performance unheard of for a naked streetbike, which makes it highly desirable. But if BMW are looking at selling this highly-capable motorcycle in good numbers, they need to expand their reach – since currently these bikes are sold exclusively through Navnit Motors so far. Secondly, they need to work out a strategy that will allow them to lower the pricing of the bike, in a bid to have the sales figures zooming up north.
