FJR vs K1600 ?

[FJR2011]

Over the course of a couple of weeks we put 3k miles on a K1600GT in California and Oregon which gave us a pretty good road test.
We did extremely twisty coastal and mountainous roads, we did flat valley 'get there' speeds and a lot of non-pavement roads. Overall, just on riding performance we would give the K1600 a grade of C. We have put 115,000 miles on FJRs and would give them a grade of B+.

The saddlebag space was essentially the same as the FJR, we used our FJR bag liners in the BMW bags and they were a perfect fit. The passenger seat didn't feel like it had the same room as the FJR. The stock seats sucked. Really sucked. I didn't prefer the spacing of the lower transmission gears but huge torque made up for a lot of that. After a few hours of whipping that tank around extreme corners with a lot of vertical grade change the weight and size of the bike became a liability, it started to become tiring work in the hot weather. I did lot of shifting of the 6 speed transmission. The K1300 we rode earlier had the clutch 100% engaged when the lever was 0.100" off the handlebar, the K1600 didn't have the clutch engage until the last 0.100" of lever travel, though this may be unique to these bikes and some maintenance would fix the issue. I ground up the right peg feeler. I ground up the left peg feeler. We went for a ride through the mountains with Bugnatr and ground both peg feelers and the center stand too. Similar speeds through the corners on the FJR would not have had as much metal removal but to be fair, my FJR had an aftermarket suspension. Gas mileage wasn't inspired but the roads, gradient changes and my sport oriented riding didn't help.

Pillion gave the electronic suspension two thumbs up, so much that we now own a '15 FJR ES. The TPMS was nice to have, especially since we made almost the entire trip with a big nail in the rear tire. The engine made huge torque but didn't seem to hustle the bike much quicker than my '04 FJR. I got used to the pages of selectable dash menus pretty quickly. I learned to like the selectable modes like Tour and Sport. Then there were those silly little plastic pop-out air flow wings to divert air. Once the temps got over 100° I figured what the heck and popped 'em out. Boy howdy! The wind whistled up my crotch, under my coat inflating it like a balloon and shot the air into the chin opening of my helmet causing it to try to lift the helmet off. If I could find a way to make them work on my FJR they would have already been there. There isn't much else positive that stood out or was significantly better than our FJR for half the bucks. BTW the K1600 only had about 40k miles and we were comparing it to a 100k mile FJR.

I tried to love the K1600 but never managed much more than a neutral view. Pillion just said NO to both the K1300 and the K1600. If someone were to offer to just give me either a FJR or a K1600, in the end I'd probably would choose the FJR and without hesitation I'd choose a Gen III and higher FJR over the Beemer.

Thnaks for the feedback

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Comfort and ergo wise, the RTW and K bikes are head and shoulders above. But when it comes to service availability, parts availability, and company support, the FJR and Yamaha are far ahead. For LD touring, I had to make several mods just to get the FJR close in terms of comfort. But I got it close. Wouldn't trade the FJR for anything. But if Yamaha made the RTW or K bike, I'd be on one of them.....

 

[radiummadman]

screw the german's "belief" that their shit is the greatest. The japs got all that figured out long ago, go FJR.

 

[hppants]

It's kind of like asking "Which beer is the best?" Or my buddy's assessment of the women he has been with.....

"Even the worst was still pretty darn good!!"

(OK - that was tongue in cheek)

My point is.... it depends.

I think you have to really decide what your priorities are in a motorcycle. Equally important is what you are willing to give up. Like anything else, unicorns do not exist and some compromise is inevitable.

Obviously you have had a bad seat experience. If that is your primary issue with the FJR, pitch the covered plywood and try a custom seat. It's far less expensive than buying a new bike, and perhaps a member close by can let you try out their seat for a long weekend ride. Depending on your other ergonomic concerns, the aftermarket may be of help, but let's call a spade a spade. If you are looking for BMW RT (not GT)interstate ride comfort out of the FJR, I don't think that is possible.

I made my concessions with the FJR years ago when I decided that to ride like I want to ride, a sport touring bike (with its additional 200 pounds) was a necessity. Your challenges should be much less harsh, but in the end, you should buy and ride the bike you like. It's far too dangerous to do otherwise.

That said, if I had no other choice, I'd still ride a motorized donkey to camp in the mountains, as opposed to staying home.

It's all about the journey.... I get it. But there is no adventure from the Lazy-boy recliner. None at all.....

 

[Mr_Canoehead]

And now for the dissenting opinion:

I have a friend with a "Job 1" 2011 K16GTL - he ordered it when they were announced and waited a year for the first one in town. No issues from day 1, runs like a top, only been back to the dealer for service - no unscheduled repairs. I was surprised since a new bike with all that tech should have been a nightmare.

He rides it hard and does long days. His only complaint is that it is heavy to move around the garage.

His wife loves the passenger accommodation - but their last bike was a Ducati ST3S, so perhaps the expectations were a bit lower than most pillions.

I like my FJR but I liked the K13GT, too. The K16 seems to be an excellent bike and is a much better ride than a 'wing, which is its real competitor, IMO. Taking the topbox off and calling it a K16GT doesn't really make it a competitor the FJR. BMW has that covered with the RT.

 

[Bounce]

That said, I can understand the wanderlust of wanting something different.

Farkling isn't just bikes. It's genetics.

I have a 2012 Les Paul Traditional Pro II guitar that, in itself is wonderful... but farkle we must. Replaced the pickups with a pair of Wolfetone Dr. Vintage (Wolfe is out of Washington and can wind him some pickups). Replaced the nut with a custom-cut bone nut. Replaced the OEM capacitors with paper-in-oil after markets. Had one of the best luthiers in the area not only do all this but give Gibson's much-lauded setup a tweak and rewire the pots to 50s wiring. End result was great.

I have a Marshall DSL40C combo amp that I've rolled through various types of tubes until setting on a combo of pre and primary amp tubes, clipped a capacitor that made the amp too fizzy and bright, swapped in a Celestion 12" 16 ohm 75watt Creamback speaker. All of that worked well but I am now busting it out into a mini-stack (separate head and 2x12 speaker cabinet. I have the 2 cabinets in hand with the tolex and hardware inbound. My brother brought his heat gun over today so stand back.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Definitely the K1600...not even close.

 

[DocFJR]

The BMW seems a great bike, but I like that the FJR is so easy and relatively inexpensive for the owner to maintain. My 2006 I bought new never had a single issue in nine years and a lot of miles, and I only paid once for a valve check (within specs) at 30K miles. I'm hoping my 2014 is equally capable. I'm not sure the Beemer would be so easy on my wallet, even if I could afford the initial cost. If I were to consider one, it would have to be new with as long a warranty as possible.

Still, if money isn't an issue, the 1600 is cool! More bikes in the garage beats fewer all day long.

 

[Fairlaner]

i bought a K1600 in January with 2000 miles on it, (18K, cheaper than Steves 16 for) the only issue so far is a broken spring one the shifter....i prefer my RT for around town but the K1600 rocks on longer rides....

Don't get me wrong i loved my FJR's but there is something about the 1600...

and yes i and still alive....

R

 

[eflyguy]

Imagine a FJR1600....

 

[FreakyFastFreddie]

Imagine a FJR1600....

I predict a complete redesign of the FJR and it being a 1600 in the year 2020! It will also reach the $20K mark!

 

[John d]

If a FJR1600 is made it should be renamed FJRSP (FJR Super Pig). It's just not for me.

For me it's better to keep the same style with less weight, less cc's, better handling, and just a bit more power.

 

[DezzertRider]

On occasion I get the bug for a different ride. Not interested in the K1600 - too big and heavy. I do like the 1200 RT and it is really comfortable out of the box. It is even lighter than the FJR. I just can't justify the $23K price tag.

 

[HotRodZilla]

This bike will do close to 160mph with bags on. It's faster than many other things out there and has power to spare, while getting from 40 to 50mpg. Why would anyone want the weight of a 1600cc engine added to it? The reason the K1600 isn't faster than an FJR is because of weight. Throwing around a bike that big gets tiring quick. I'll keep mine just like it is.

As to the OP, I'll echo what's been said about the seat. Spend the money on a proper seat. You may save yourself thousands. If you really want to go to the Beemer, have at it. It's your money and your ride. Do what makes YOU happy.

 

[eflyguy]

(I meant for the same weight.. figure mamayamaha could squeeze another 300cc out of a lighter engine..)

 

[Sharif]

I like the K16 a lot. Lots of torque, I like the adaptive headlight, and it sounds fantastic. That said, it's a big, complicated motorcycle. I preferred the K13 - lighter and more fun for me.

The FJR is easy to live with and does everything I need it to do.

How about this? An FJR with the powertrain from the K13, but with FJR reliability and ease of service? Too much to ask? I'll stick with what I have, for now.

Ride what makes you happy.

 

[Panotaker]

My wife bought a BMW car. Nice car, but when it broke, it was expensive to get fixed, so she traded it in for a Lexus. Still a nice car, but it doesn't break down as much, and it's not as expensive to fix when it does. My FJR is like her Lexus.

 

[Mr_Canoehead]

I like the K16 a lot. Lots of torque, I like the adaptive headlight, and it sounds fantastic. That said, it's a big, complicated motorcycle. I preferred the K13 - lighter and more fun for me.
How about this? An FJR with the powertrain from the K13, but with FJR reliability and ease of service? Too much to ask?

The K13GT felt a lot like the FJR but with shorter gearing. I rented one with 50k miles on it and it ran great (at least until the shifter fell apart, fixed with some nuts and bolts from autozone). The horror stories about cam chain tensioners and imploding gearboxes was enough to dissuade me from buying one, however.

The service procedures are also nightmarish on all the slant K bikes. At the BMW rally last year, Paul Glaves asked the room if anyone had tackled the valve adjust on a K16 themselves. There were about 250 people in the room and not one hand went up. Paul said that he wouldn't do it - and this guy is pretty much the BMW service guru.

 

[Pterodactyl]

With all the BMWs I've owned I've never had a major maintenance failure. Over a 100K on R1200 series bikes. Both were never in a dealership except for recalls. While I believe BMWs have had more maintenance issues then they should, I also think that the issues they've had have been blown out of proportion. BMW has also been pretty good in standing behind their bikes, even when they've had a systemic flaw. Three year warranty is standard and they have extended warranties on some of the problem areas. For example, the warranty on the fuel strip on my R1200R was extended to 12 years... mine never failed. Spousal Unit did have a stator fail on her F800GS, but was quickly replaced under warranty. But I haven't completely consumed the BMW Kool-Aid, my two rides now are the FJR and a Super Tenere. The water cooled RT or RS do look good.

 

[Spud]

Of course a BMW v FJR will turn into a bash session against BMW on an FJR forum.....

That being said I'm a big fan of BMW. I would never own one b/c of $$$ and lack of a dealership here, but in my opinion they've driven the market forward more than any manufacturer in the last 10-15 years. Japanese brands don't seem to care as much about innovation, w/o BMW maybe we'd still be choosing between the ST1300, Councours 1000 or the FJ 1200. If you think that's an exaggeration look at bikes like the Suzuki DR 650, KLR 650 etc. They're happy to churn out the same thing for decades. BMW developed a lot of the new gadgetry now on the new FJR, I'm happy the Japanese copy them, make it reliable and cheap.