2009 Bmw K1300s Orange on 2040-motos

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.

There is no getting away from the fact that the BMW K1300S is a big bike – with a 228kg dry weight, it is never going to be a race-designed lightweight. However, the clever Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA II) system does a great job of hiding that weight. The suspension has nine potential settings to cover solo riding, pillion and both settings with luggage. It works brilliantly. The slightly numb front end is better than it was previously thanks to lighter Duolever components. Just be sure to avoid the Continental Sport Attack tyres fitted to some – they are not up to the best rubber.

Spec up a BMW K1300S with all of the options BMW has to offer and it’s going to be an expensive machine. There are some must-haves though and the ESA II at £617 is one of them as it offers a great deal of adjustment and takes the guesswork out of suspension adjustment. ABS is another one. After that there are some lovely choices. Heated grips, hard luggage, Akrapovic exhaust, onboard computer and a quickshifter. Most are worth a look although we would give the quickshifter a miss as although it works just fine, it seems out of place on a bike like this. Compare and buy producys for the BMW K1300S in the MCN Shop.