BMW K 1300s

It may look largely the same as the outgoing model but the latest version of BMW’s rocketship K1300s has had a host of small changes that add up to a much better bike all round. With a claimed 175 bhp and some seriously clever electronically-adjustable suspension, traction control and a long list of options to choose from, BMW has built a bike that can handle almost everything. And don’t forget the new K-series range now has proper indicators rather than the confusing triple switches of old.

                                                                 Engine

The motor is the biggest single area of improvement. Engineering development was handed over to the spanner magicians at Ricardo – the same firm that designed the gearbox for the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron hypercar. This is the first time BMW has worked with Ricardo on one of its bikes. The result is a claimed 175bhp from an increased 1293cc four-cylinder motor that is much smoother with bundles of power and torque. It’s one of the best big-capacity motors on the road today combining lovely refinement with a racing engine snarl when pushed. And yes, it’s very, very, very fast.

                                                 
                                                Value & Running Costs

At INR 9.7 lakhs for the stock model without ABS there is no getting away from the fact that the BMW K1300S is not a cheap bike…add in the essential ABS and the price hits INR 10.5 Lakhs. From there on in adding options obviously just adds more and more to the costs. ESA II must be on the list as it transforms the bike. BMW do a Dynamic Pack which puts ABS and ASC traction control together for INR 36,000 and saves INR 5000. So to get ABS, ASC and ESA II adds almost INR 95000 to the INR 9.7 lakhs cost. You do get a lot of bike for the money however but it’s still a lot of cash compared to the likes of a Suzuki Hayabusa.

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