2010 BMW K1300S vs Honda VFR1200F Shootout - The sportbikes of sport-tourers! 

Instablaster.

If you won it then don't complain. You can sell it and make nett money.

Theres several of these k1300 k1200 motorcycles for sale, and high mileage too. Seen one just now 80,000 miles but then again low asking price. Looking for a comparable to a gsxs1000f because the deal didn't happen for me. Got a 2013 Stryker and its a keeper, want to have something sporty but not a Supersport

Stingercam21 Same bike, I found one of the latest models, 2005 with only 10k miles, couldnt be happier, 164 hp of power but with Honda QA and reliability. Perfect ergos, not an issue. The perfect bike.

Lol I've been thinking the same thing. I wouldn't mind the VFR but the lack of top end is weird. I love how it looks but the blackbird gives you better top end, more power and inline sound. Ugh so torn!

Is that so? A regular maintenance on my R1200GS was about 220€. A regular maintenance on my friends FJR was around 300€. Parts? I don't know, never had any issues, never had to buy parts.. And the K1300S may have had some electronic "failures", but a bike that had it's maintenance at an official shop should be flawless by now. And Honda-reliabilty is just a myth nowadays.. They were rock-solid and reliable back in the days. Now, not so much anymore. Just check the call-back-statistics for Honda for the last 10 years. Lots of serious problems that really may harm the rider. Not to mention, that your comparison of an used XX and a new K1300S is just useless. However, have fun with your XX and always keep the shiny side up.

ROFL what trash are you talking? Honda's reliability is still at the top of the list. Please post actual links to "call-back-statistics". If you mean recalls that still means honda has repaired the issue for no cost to the owner. My 2012CBR 1000 hasn't missed a beat in years and still costs less to do normal maintenance on, than an average S1000. Either post actual evidence or get out with that bullshit.

Nice entrance, vidurc. Exceptional manners. www.adac.de/infotestrat/motorrad-roller/technik-zubehoer/rueckrufe/ Yeah, the manufacturer paid for it. Doesn't help much when they did not recall the bike fast enough and your fork broke while you were riding. So how about you post any "evidence". All you do is basically trash talking, too. I could talk about personal experiences with BMW, too (in terms of failure, it would be a very short talk, though). But what does that say about reliablity of the whole brand? Nothing. Houndreds of thousands of bikes sold, so one single experience is worth nothing. PS: How much was a normal service (incl. oil) for your blade at the Honda dealer?

To be fair, the Honda's transmission definitely is not a BMW knockoff-it doesn't blow up like every single 05 and 06 K model. And used K1200 and 1300s are rare because of the tranny issues.

It does do 95mph in second and he is right its smooth to easy to hit the limiter goes through the gears like a crosser

Same here, great on a straight-ish road but went to the Black forrest and had to man handle it round the bends like an old Blackbird. Now have the K1300S and wow does this bike perform and handle like a 600 in the bends and smooth power delivery combined with the intoxicating quick shifter! off to the Pyrenees in a few weeks, cant wait.

@@markariewilliams enjoy your holiday! With 3 kids I am waiting a few years before I take it from Ireland to the Alps! I still love it!

thepassionofthegoose But Bimmers bikes have LOTS of problems. Nothing mach Honda reliability and Quality, not even the germans.

That's just plain wrong. In our family, we had a lot of different BMW-bikes over the last decades. None of those bikes EVER had any problems. And Honda has this reliability-myth from back in the days. Today, Hondas are no more reliable than any other brand. In fact, I doubt that Hondas are even as reliable as other brands. Just check for what reasons Honda had to call back lots of models to the shop: broken frames, broken forks, leaking gas-pipes and burning engines, stalling & locking engines in corners.. Those are very serious issues and they affect a whole lot of models during the last 10 years.

BFD15i Was not my experience with a 2012 s1000rr, two recalls and finally sold it. I have friends with lost of problems with gs 1200. From my experience, Suzukis was the best! never ever a problem.

Well. Me, my father, my brother in law, his father and my mother all ride bikes. My dad rode Hondas for like 20 years and then switched to BMW and kept it that way. We never had any problems, with all kinds of models (R1150GS & RT, K1200R & GT, K1300GT, R1200GS & RT &R [air-cooled], F800GT, R1200GS LC..) and multiple of them. Houndreds of thousands kilometres. No problems at all. Regular maintenance and good treatment, that's it. (same goes for the previous Hondas, though) Early S1RR are known for having some problems. But imho, it depends a lot on the rider and the treatment the bike gets. However, personal experiences are not really meaningful, but there are statistics that list official manufacturer-recalls for cars and bikes. As for bikes and for Germany, Honda has more recalls than BMW. And for more serious problems. I don't want to hate on any brand here. I just want to point out, that one has to look twice and should not generalize. Hondas are not as reliable as they used to be, BMWs are not as unreliable as people want them to be. ;)

BFD15i Dont forguet broken forks on gs 650's..

BMW is for rich people. Love to spend their money on repair their Beemer. No wonder Made in German so falling these days.

IntlExec Iceland Incorrect. Honda is the reason the V4 is as known as it is. Ride one you'll understand.

+IntlExec Iceland Another level of attachment like an abusive relationship. Machines are supposed to work. A well engineered bike works well. BMW's are not built to last. I'd rather have a machine that tirelessly works to get me everywhere than one that spends it's life in a dealership.

What's an oil bag? I had a K1200R.

@@mcplutt OK, Harley talk is "oil bag", but BMW talk is upper oil tank, which is right under the driver's seat.

+petearchie61 My own opinion, americans don't seem to like bikes that split roles too much. A chopper is a chopper, a tourer is a tourer, an adv is an adv, and a squidmobile is a gixxer. Supersport tourers like the Blackbird, K1300, and VFR1200 (not the concours; despite Kawasaki's labelling its just a fast sport-tourer) I guess confuse americans, and with their striking looks (First thing that comes to mind when I think of a K13S is cyclops :P) often get labelled as ugly because they try and balance literbike and ST styling. The only supersport tourers that don't get confused seem to be the ZX14 (ZZR14) and busa, mainly because they make 200 hp and will put 1/4 mile times down that will confuse most evuhh -drivers- tools.

Since I posted this question I talked to a salesperson a Honda dealership, he told me a combination of a lot people didn't like the look and actually liked the vfr800 better and price. just how true that is I don't know. I actually like the looks of the vfr800 better but If I'm not mistaken I believe it carries a 15g price tag. combine the looks of the vfr800 with the size and power of the vfr1200 and it might have done better. although it still would be hard to justify paying 15g for a 800 or 1200cc bike when Kawasaki zx14 abs (at least here) is the same price.

petearchie61 I justify it as follows: I really like the VFR's looks, a combination of not really being into supersports and finding one headlight low one high infuriating; I can deal with it being expensive if it's low-maintenance, well built, and refined; and the ZX14, at least in the US, is for people who only ever go wide open at the strip and are too terrified t ever ride it quick on public roads. And its gas mileage and service intervals are ridiculous. VFR should be cheaper in the long run, especially with such an established fanbase telling you what's good and what's crap whereas ZX owners are more concerned with which turbos will make the most boost before the engine blows

petearchie61 was an edit but was big enough I decided to make it its own. I treat this like a forum lol :D F800GT premium tips over a reasonably-built VFR just by adding bags, up to 19 with everything (which is effing GS money!!!!!), I put everything on a VFR and it came out 16.2. Throw "touring" around and immediately price goes up, I can live with that if i'm getting a bike I can run to 50,000mi or more without getting tired of it or complaining of sore back or bringing it in every 1500mi. Besides, matching saddlebags on a busa or ZX cost way more than they should, despite looking dope as hell

+hvymtal so this takes me back to my question why was the vfr1200f not a more popular bike. I have only seen one in my area and it was a trade in at the dealership where I bought my bike, I believe that was 2014. It was at a BMW dealership so what ever it was traded on wasn't any less expensive. It makes me wonder why Honda would go back to the vfr800 and price it just as much. and now that bike isn't really selling any better and again this is just in my area. But the 1200f is hard to find as well. Now that I'm ready for a second bike I would actually like to see that one, they are hard to find. I looked on cycle trader and there are only 2 that were listed within 500 miles of me. I'm pretty sure one of the listing just wasn't taken down. I don't think anyone expects that someone is going to pay over 16g for a 3 year old 1200cc bike.

Sport Tourer

Magnificum Imperium Mmm More like a Super Sport. ST 1300, FJR 1300, Kawi GTR 1400 are Sport Tourers.

lol. The ST1300 and GTR1400 sport-tourer? You got to be kidding. Bikes like the K1300S and the VFR are the true sports tourers. The VFR literally invented the class of sports touring, but a ~350kg fullsize-tourer like the GTR or ST don't have anything sporty in their DNA.

Yes.

Honda is a brilliant bike but the stock seat is junk and the screen is a little low and im only 5'9"

Well, I went to the BMW dealer to look at a couple of nice used K1300's and came away surprised & more impressed by the VFR1200 trade in they had - BMW cannot match the paint finish on the Honda, and it looks better in the metal. Riding position is very similar but the VFR feels a touch more natural, and the screen looks like it will be more useful. I'm yet to ride either but I'm tending towards the VFR at the moment

Candleman Smith I understand your point of view, it is a fact that BMW is constantly with recalls, I've had five recalls on my bike. There are also other brands doing the same only with less frequency and visibility. But it also happens as the Kawasaki Ninja from a friend who needs tuning and cleaning the carburetor every year. For me there should have been a recall to change this situation. However, what I can say is that the five exchanges of parts, because none was broke, but just in case and leaves me refreshed because I know that bmw is always attentive to that. Yet we see, the Internet, lots of videos and records where the most used bikes for long trips around the world are BMW, for some reason. All brands have their good and their problems, but one thing is certain, the quality is in sight so you sit on top of a BMW .

+Candleman Smith I read somewhere that BMW is very strict on pricing and paying their vendors that supply electrical equipment resulting in poor quality in recent years.

+1compaqedr8 that is true

ROFL you are insaaaaane :-D

jstoner6 you need to ride one 24k no problems don't criticize the brand if you've never owned one or Road on one

I have had the K1200GT for a long while and after that experience, I see the blue badge and ruuuuuun...

My 2010 k1300s is running solid 30k miles in just regular maintenance brakes, oil, fluids... problem is people buy these and don't bother maintaining the right service intervals... it's not expensive to do your self..

@@gentlemansbusa2985 No. There have been MANY issues with rear drive splines giving out prematurely, massive tranny issues, and other parts needing attention far sooner than most Japanese bikes. Your great luck with 1 bike means less than ZERO.

Yes it can

IntlExec Iceland LOL, you do realize that Honda's success in motorsports is unmatched. Just because they cover many markets does not diminish their more focused offerings.

Ex Honda guy here; though i like Hondas and have had SEVERAL, go ride a K13s for a comp. I have one and am very pleased and a convert!

German engineering? u mean those things that break and cost thousands 2 repare? Electrical problems over and over that they have all the trouble in the world diagnose? Engines that magicaly lose power after only a few years?You can be prowd of that bull shit all ya want.. ignorance...

BMW is shit. BMW'S director for motorcycle sport, Bernhard Gobmeier's interview below. When it comes to sheer technology, BMW is no way near Honda. www.visordown.com/motorcycle-racing-news-moto-gp/bmw-honda-and-yamaha-are-killing-motogp/20916.html

German engineering? Its overrated, I wouldn't buy the BMW even if my life depended on it, chances are, it'll break and cost the earth and a headache to mend, no thanks, you can keep that German engineering...

I almost bought a 2005 K1200. I 'm so glad I did my research first. It would have cost me a fortune.

Ricky Lee well, in 2009 a 33 years old BMW with over a half million miles (not Km, about 800,000 Km) finished the 11,000 miles in 11 days iron butt rally with success. There was also an individual that took a Goldwing for I don'tknow how many years around the world. German engineering is Germanengineering, no questions about it. Sure, there is a price to pay for it.