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New To Me '09 K1300GT

8K views 51 replies 14 participants last post by  ogada 
#1 ·
Hello All,



I have had my wonderful 2005 R1200RT for going on 12 years. Since i bought it, it has racked up 84,000 miles on the clock. Since my K1200R Sport is now sitting at Motorado in Denver for sale at a great price, I have pulled the trigger on a 2009 K1300GT with 34,000 miles on the clock that is sitting in a BMW car showroom in St. Louis for an extremely attractive (get this thing out of here because we are car dealers) price. I simply couldn't pass it up. I did my homework with the VIN and checked the majority of the dealers that were listed in BMW's system. Most of the work was done at Gateway and it looks like all is well.



I have loved my RT for many years, and can't bring myself to part with it now. I am sure that at some point, it will be moving down the road. But, I am looking forward to getting this new to me machine this week (after the snow finishes).



Since all the recalls are done, and the firmware is basically up to date, it would be nice to know about the following add-ons that will make the bike more mine. Perhaps some seasoned owners of this bike can help me with which versions of the following add-on are the best and most economical to get and any information that you would find pertinent:



Bar Risers

Frame sliders (or engine guards - which ever works best) - First priority

bag protection - First Priority

Highway Pegs

Peg Lowering



I have the majority of these items on my RT. So, it seems reasonable that I may need some or all. Also, two more long shot questions:


1) The color of this GT is candy apple red. Can someone tell me if the color is similar to the '05-'06 Piedmont Red on the RT? This may sound silly, but I was thinking about starting out by installing my RT side cases that have war scars on the GT until I get use to it, just in case the bike has a tip over. The GT cases are spotless.


2) Any owners of the GT that have installed iridium spark plugs? If so, do you know the part number for the K1300?


Any additional advise would be helpful.



thanks
 
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#2 ·
First of all, we have the same story. I started with a 2005 RT and put 109,000 on it before it broke a u-joint on the transmission side. I bought my 2009 K13GT with 10,000 on the clock. It is also candy apple red (not the same as the Piedmont). As far as add-ons, I did bar risers, Sargent heated front and rear seats, lowering pegs, highway pegs, Motolights and Hyperlights. Did not add frame sliders because you have to drill the fairing. As far as highway pegs, the only person that makes them is a guy in New Mexico (Estrada Design Ventures - roto pegs) and he only makes them in limited runs. The plugs can be ordered from Beemerboneyard.
 

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#4 ·
Um, lemme get this straight.... you haven't bought the bike yet (but you've done your homework, which is good) and you're already buying farkles? Maybe you should ride it first. A Kbike is not an Rbike, not by a long shot.

Having done said homework, you know that the 2010 models incorporated a number of fixes the 09 models needed.

How much you gonna pay, anyway, so we can all be jealous?
 
#5 · (Edited)
I did buy the bike. It is being picked up in St.Louis today for delivery tomorrow evening (or thurs. am) in Denver (depending on the weather). When I said I did homework. I meant checking out the history of the bike itself and what had been done to it, since the auto dealer that sold it to me didn't have a clue except for the paperwork that they had, and the internet manager really isn't a motorcycle enthusiast.

My first choice was a '10 as most would expect. Even though the bike is an '09, the cost and condition of the bike (I was provided with a video walk around of the bike that gave me a good idea about it. It has the premium package) made it too good of a deal to pass up.

While similar models were selling locally for around 7,000.00, the dealer offered it to me for 4,000.00 plus a 199.00, document prep service fee (basically a markup). They simply didn't want it in their showroom.

I don't know about you, but based on what I have found, that represented a very attractive offer. So, I took them up on it. After the 4,200.00, and 500.00 for transport (inside a carrier), the actual cost was 4,700.00 plus tax and tag.

With regard to farkles, I am mainly interested in items that are going to protect the bike in case of mishap, and also add to my long distance comfort. Since I have already taken a k1300gt on a half day ride, I was pretty convinced about the items that would prove to be beneficial to my comfort. The iridium plugs are for the purpose of extending the mileage interval of replacement mostly. I have them on my RT, and it was a great choice to make. Since the bike already has 34300 miles on the odo, that 60000 km service will be coming up soon. So, just planning ahead.

With my 61 year old body, and the surgeries that I have had lately, I know what items need to be addressed for me. I would only buy what I need of course. Hopefully this answers your question.
 
#10 ·
I have had these highway pegs since Ken started making them 5 or 6 years ago. Love them and they are better protection for the bike when it is dumped.
My only problem, recently, is that the screw holding the peg to the arm fell out on my right side. I have written ken for a replacement or exact size with no response in 2 weeks. I guess, i will have to do a trial and error trying different screws and bolts to see what fits. It is hard to check the other side unless I can get the bike raised up.

Love the bike since I got it new, replacing the 2006 model. It is more nimble than it looks. i took it to the tail of the dragon 3 years ago. And I am 82 and still doing about 8K a year in the NorthEast:smile
 
#11 ·
Larry, this is what Ken sent me back in July when I thought my peg was loose:

"I could replace the internal parts for you if needed. You can double check to see if the bolt is loose, but it has thread locker in it so it should not back out. It's an Allen head bolt, if it's loose, you can remove it, do not disassemble the peg, apply some blue thread lock on the bolt and tighten it back up till it bottoms out. Then tighten it just a bit more, 1/16th of a turn. Do not overtighten it, you could damage the internal threads. Or if you want to wait till the riding season is over, send it to me over the Winter and I will take care of it for you".
 
#15 ·
The V-stream windshield doesn't help ( I have one in the closet, went back to stock). I went to the K-bike because I wanted more power, a smoother engine, ESA and heated seats. When the RT broke the driveshaft, I felt it was time to move up to a newer bike. I rode a 2018 RT after I had my bike for a year and the power just wasn't there.
 
#16 ·
Congrats on the "new to you" K13GT!

I bought an 08' K12GT last year in Central CA.
It had 13,700 miles on it, a fair amount of extras, and I paid $5750 for it. I did a fly-n-ride from Northwest CO.
I've since put about 16,000 more on it and am really enjoying it.
I too added a Verholen peg lowering kit and bar risers. I could use a taller windshield, taller saddle, and I'm planning on getting some of those highway pegs too.

I'm afraid that mine is tucked away for the winter as it has turned cold and snowy up here.

RD
 
#17 ·
I'm just up the road in Boulder and I have an '09 K1300GT with about 17k miles. I also used to have an R1200RT. I prefer riding the K13, over the RT.

The most significant modification I have done is to add the AeroFlow screen and their side deflector thingys. The wind protection is now very comparable to the RT in my opinion. I can look over the screen with good wind protection.

More recently, I added a Power Commander 5 to improve the fueling at around 3k RPM. It was a bit of a chore to install, but I do like the improvement.

In general, I like the bike a lot.
cheers
Doug
 
#18 ·
Well,the bike arrived this evening at about 8:00pm. I am totally pleased with the condition. Started her up and she ran fine. The Tires have tread left on them so I am happy. The battery seemed like it needed the battery tender, but as cold as it was and dark as it was, I didn't even try to locate the battery. It took 3 of us to roll it from the trailer into the garage precariously. It is in fantastic shape and I am very pleased to have it. I haven't really examined it super closely, but it looks great. The windshield does have some slight scraping at the top right corner, so I may choose to replace it anyway.

Thanks all for your comments and I will let you know how things go.
 
#20 ·
Yep.. Figured that out when I had a chance to take a closer look in the light. Pulled open the door and "SURPRISE" and Odyssey PC680 battery. That is my personal choice. Hooked up the tender, and all is good. Just ordered some new rear brake pads. The existing pads look original. But, they are very thin.
 
#21 ·
K13

I snagged an '09 K13GT back in June with <10K on the meter, and its a great, smooth, monster. I had to have all the factory recalls done (original owner hadn't done anything).
Added Verholen peg lowers, bar riser, and went back to the stock (adjustable seat) for my height. I almost traded it in on a '16 R1200RS, but after test ride, the boxer was juts too rattley and rough compared to the K bike. And I've had a couple of boxers, but the comparison isn't fair. The larger V-stream went in place of the stock screen, and it's a little better - I'm 6'3" so my head is almost always in the wind.
The Corbin seat + backrest is FS in the classifieds if anyone is interested.
If BMW makes a sportier K1600 like this - under 600lbs, less barcalounger-more Sport Touring - it would be a monster.
But in the meantime, the K13 is an amazing sport tourer, whether strafing the NTX horse country or rolling 2-up to Fayetteville.
 

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#23 ·
Add an extension to the rear brake that is lowered the same amount the pegs are lowered so you do not burn out the rear brakes/ pistons. On the shift side just add a spacer to lower the shifter peg so it is easier to shift and you do not need to add an extension ( which make it difficult to shift with a larger boot. Drill the side panels for the R&G sliders. A great kit with a hole center part to make the installation foolproof. Now add stompgrip clear volcano side panels for knee grip. 3m plastic for the side bags at the top when the boot goes over the seat. Enjoy the power !!!!!
 
#24 ·
I bought an extra brake pedal and took it to work where the machine shop actually heated it and bent it about an inch lower to match my lowering pegs. I didn't want to change the adjustment for the brake assembly because if you get it wrong, you run the risk of the brakes locking up on the disc. The shift assembly is easy to adjust by itself to accommodate large boots. No spacers needed.
 

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#25 ·
Well, the paperwork finally came in from St. Louis and I got my plate and registration yesterday. Not as bad as I thought it would be. So, my first ride was nice. It was brief but smooth. This baby has plenty of power and I can't complain about it for sure. I'm very pleased so far.

I could live without the service warnings though. Will a GS-911 reset those? Will the older ones work or do you have to get a newer generation?
 
#28 ·
rglassma, excellent price, gives you room to make any updates.

IIRC the clutch was the main issue between 2009 and 2010 models, but there were other issues as well. The clutch, I've read, has gone through some ten different iterations of various bits.

Supposedly (per the PO) I have a Barnett clutch, but it knocks horribly going from N to 1, and it's real tough to find N from 1 unless rolling. I start in 1 with a strong grip on the clutch lever. I think I have a clutch replacement in my future.
 
#29 ·
A little over 38,000 miles on mine and the clutch is fine. I usually start the bike in first so I don't have to slam it in gear or let it warm a bit so the RPM's can drop to around 1,100 before I try to put it in gear.
 
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