750 miles in: 10/7/2011
Well, I’ve just completed a two day turn-around trip of around 400 miles, from home in Devon to Sussex and back, with a little bit of riding around at the other end. The weather was great to start with but turned out to be bloody awful. I rode the return leg in torrential rain. Not the first time I’ve ridden in such weather, but it was pretty bad. My ‘gear’ doesn’t normally leak and my boots have never let water in before, but between Chichester and the New Forest I rode in some of the worst weather I’ve ever experienced. The rain and spray on the motorway reduced visibilty and my speed dramatically. This effectively cancelled out the benefits of having a fairing and screen as the rain just saturated me because it wasn’t being defelected away. By the time I reached Ringwood my feet were wet, I could literally pour water out of my gloves and my outer high-viz jacket had been completely soaked through, through the three layers of my normally waterproof all-season bike jacket to my long sleeved sweatshirt underneath. Not pleasant. Not pleasant at all. But the bike didn’t miss a beat!
Before setting off from home I had adjusted the rear suspension setting to a point mid-way between ‘soft’ and ‘medium’. This setting works well for me. It is comfortable, soaks up the bumps and is not so hard that the back end feels like it jumps around as it had before.
I got hold of the specific K1200RS mounting rack for my Givi Maxia top box. It took a couple of hours to fit it properly to the bike. I removed the rear side under-seat fairings so that I could access the necessary fitting bolts and so that I didn’t scratch the paintwork. My only disappointment was that I had to remove the ‘sexy’ looking little BMW rack in order to put the Givi rack in place. Having said that though, the Givi rack is purpose made and it does fit well and doesn’t look out of place on the bike. I have found that having the top box on the back makes day-to-day carrying of anything so easy. I can easily pop into the supermarket and pick up several days shopping just as easily as packing an overnight bag or two. The big box is also large enough for two full face helmets and waterproofs, gloves and the like, which mean you don’t have to lug all that stuff around the shops! It also gives the better half her confidence to sit on the pillion seat and relax.
On my journey back to Sussex I found the throttle a little slow to respond at times, as described before. I am wondering if the cables just need lubricating. A job I will do soon.
The engine is mainly smooth and powerful under acceleration but I found that coming ‘off throttle’ then back on again could sometimes produce a momentary lapse or hesitation. I don’t know if this may be down to the possibility of a sticky throttle cable or whether this is an inherent trait of the power take up. No matter.
When I’m doing the cables I will check the air filter to make sure no little nasties have crawled up and made a nest while the previous owner wasn’t using the bike, just in case. That could be a possible reason for the hesitation. I’ve seen that before; a mouse had used the air box on an FJR1300 as a nesting place!
Fuel consumption on this longer journey was around 46mpg. I found that from full to reserve warning light coming on was approximately 150 miles, giving a tank range of about 180 miles. I think that on even longer trips this can be improved on. I would anticipate that a 200 mile tank range would be possible.
I found the seat to be extremely comfortable, the heated grips work extremely well, particularly with the handle bar muffs fitted. But, even they didn’t keep out the rain that I experienced on this trip!
Due to the large handlebar mounted mirrors, which I must say work extremely well, large and clear and no vibration, I found that I had to measure and then make a small hole in the correct position on the top of each muff, in order to pass the thread of the mirror stems through. The mirrors then securely keep them in place, however they still need some attention. I found on this higher speed journey that the wind pressure forces the ‘muffs’ back towards the clutch and brake levers.
I had this problem once before. It was solved easily by securing the outer edge of the muffs using the screws that held the handlebar end weights in place. The K1200RS doesn’t have end weights but I see no reason why they can’t be fitted. I will do some research. In the mean time I just have to extend my fingers inside the muffs and push them away from the levers!
I realise that they look awful, but looks in cold weather are a mere insignificance compared to warm hands! I will be removing them in the Spring, as I do every year.
The bike is still heavy to move around particularly at slower speeds. I have read somewhere on one of the websites that increasing the front tyre pressure to around 42psi gets rid of this problem and dramatically increases steering response. I shall experiment with the pressures over the next few rides.
I do very much like the way this bike so effortlessly accelerates. Overtaking is so easy! The lower screen position is good for town work. I found that the high position was better for the longer, faster roads.
I will need to check the brake pads for wear as I found that on a couple of occasions the front brake seemed a little slow to ‘bite’ and then when it did, it ‘grabs’ hard, making smooth progressive braking a little, er, interesting. The pads look okay, but I need to get them out for a closer inspection and check that they are moving freely in the callipers and that the pistons aren’t binding.
The low centre of gravity allows for sure footed handling, even in the wet. I had to remind myself on a couple of occasions that the roads were very wet as the bike is very confidence inspiring around the bends. The Metzeler Roadtec Z6 tyres seem well suited on the bike.
I put the bike up on its main stand and decided that I would drain just an egg cup full of engine oil as checking the level was not easy to see through the sight glass. Removing just a tiny bit of oil makes seeing the level so much easier.
So far, so good. Still liking and enjoying.