Oh my eyes!

This weekend I saw the ugliest motorcycle I have ever seen.

I was innocently walking along the harbour when I encountered a ketchup-
red abomination which on closer inspection turned out to be something
called a BMW K1. I have obviously led a sheltered life as this was my
first sighting. Is this the most hideous bike ever made? Did they go to
night-school to learn ugly?

 

Awful, aren't they. Worst of all, they look slightly better with a
matching sidecar. Just imagine!

 

Don't care if they're challenging to look at. I still want one.

 

I went through a phase of quite fancying one bu tthey were about as
within my reach as the Moon.

I saw one at Snetterton - on the track actually at a club race
meeting, not just practice.

It actually did OK, considering: sort of low mid-field. There was one
moment when I swear everyone around me went "Oooh!" as it twitched
mightily and "Aaah!" as it recovered.

 

I rode one once. A thoroughly unpleasant experience.

 

[BMW K1s]

Oh. What was wrong? I did sit on one once and the riding position was
a stretch, but that's the limit of my experience.

 

Er...

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:-einsmfyTmF2yM:http://www.sidecar.freeuk.com/k1.jpg&t=1

 

K1s are nice. Mine was blue and yellow.

 

I had one for 2 years. The only problems I really found were that it
didn't have much of a turning circle and f-all carry space for luggage.

 

You've obviously never seen a Ducati Paso...

Oh I'm allowed ! I owned one...

 

I thought you could bodge on the standard BMW Integral panniers?

 

I recall wanting one about 20 years ago.

I think the SR1000 is a much better option these days. I am very very
tempted.

 

Friends did a "BMW day" racetrack test and nearly fainted when at the end
the instructor said "and excuse us for BMW not allowing to setup the demo
bikes in the 'sport' mode".

 

I had one for twenty minutes. The shaft made the back end go up and down
in response to the throttle in a most disturbing manner.
The engine was gutless, the suspension too soft, the handling dubious,
the riding position more tourer than sportsbike, and it was very heavy.
And it was uglier than the Paso I also rode that day.

 

snip>

It was an old K series BMW so what were you comparing it against? My
old K100RS was everything you've mentioned above but it was great for
loading up with a heap of luggage and riding across Europe at 100mph
but I'm sure that's what it was designed to do.

I agree they were pig fucking ugly but I'm not sure they were worse
than a Paso.

 

Assume you mean S1000RR?

I still wish that I could afford one, the test I did was just awesome.

I wasnt allowed to put it in Slick mode, but had in Race for the
majority of the time, and it was simply barking.

Its a far far better bike than I am a rider, but I cant see me wanting
for anything more, but it was gonna be about 15K under finance, and I
simply couldnt justify that.

--
Gavin.

Moto Guzzi California Aquila Nera
Suzuki GSXR600K1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gavin_wilby
Blog: http://www.eekafreek.com

 

[of BMW K1]

Try riding a Guzzi Quota: long travel soft suspension plus shaft drive
without a parallelogram linkage.

That sounds like most bikes I've ever owned.

This surprisies me, having sat on one once.

*cough* Back in the days after I lusted after the K1, I really
disliked fully faired bikes; half-faired were my thing. But I did
really like the Paso styling. Was tempted once or twice but fear of
that era's Ducati reliability (or lack thereof) plus the thought of
how easy it would be to ding those acres of plastic put me off.

 

Yeah - that's the one. Excuse my late night drunken posting.

But it really does look like a sweet thing without the normal BMW
clunky (to me) aesthetics and heaps of grunt.

Hmmm. Might have to go and talk to the bank manager.

It's either going to be that or another second hand Hayabusa to save
my coin.

Decisions, decisions.

 

I understand heaps of grunt is exactly what it doesn't have, all the
power being at the top end, 600 style.

Wouldn't say no to one though.