QUICK FANG: 2011 BMW K 1300 R

 

BMW’s march to the top of the sportsbike table has been quite remarkable. With offerings like the bike’s ultimate street sportster, the K 1300 S, and the allconquering S 1000 RR, the mob from Munich can lay claim to ownership in the ‘prestige performance’ sector. Okay, that’s not an official category, but you watch it become one in the very near future.

 

But wait, there’s more. We reckon you can add yet another category that may not appear on the official sales sheets – that of ‘sophisticated streetfighter’. Indeed, The BMW’s K 1300 R only enhances the brand’s reputation as builder of state-of-the-art sporting hardware. Want some applied mathematics? Well, the K 1300 R is the most powerful naked bike BMW has ever built, making 127kW (173hp) at 9250rpm and 140Nm (103.1ft-lb) at 8250rpm. Got the picture?

 

The bike comes with a heady arsenal of electronics. As standard you get Quick Shift, which allows clutchless changes in throttle-on situations. It’s a little lumpy around town, but, when pushing on, it’s simply wonderful, with changes slick and seamless.

 

ESA II also comes in standard trim. This allows the rider to vary the damping on the two spring struts, preload on the rear springs and the spring rate at the touch of a left ’bar-mounted button. Optional and fitted to our Quickfang bike was the Traction Pack, which entails ABS, ASC and RDC. Yes, acronyms confuse us too, so here’s an explanation:

ABS is anti-lock braking, ASC stands for Automatic Stability Control and RDC is Reifendruckontrollsystem –acronymic German for tyre Pressure Control.

 

So, the thing is very sophisticated, but the story of this bike is that engine. It’s a wailing banshee of useable crazy power when the moment is right, and a comfortable sophisticated tourer when the going demands practicality. Yes, the K hits the brief in a remarkable fashion, doffing a respectable hat as the constabulary eye it with a view to revenue-raising, as it simultaneously muffles a Bavarian-accented, maniacal laugh. And who doesn’t love an angel in public and a dynamo in bed?

 

SPEX - 2011 BMW K 1300 R