Comparison Test: 2009 BMW K1300GT vs. 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14

Masters of open roads, of twisty roads, of any roads.

By Paul Dean | Photos by Brian Blades

October 2009

Photos: 2009 BMW K1300GT vs. 2009 Kawasaki Concours 14 >>

They are neither small nor light nor simple. Their wheelbases span five feet or more, and before the first drop of high octane is pumped into their oversized gas tanks, they tip the scales at close to 650 pounds. Besides their big-inch, torque-laden engines, they have large, protective fairings, spacious, quick-detach saddlebags, electrically adjustable windshields and elaborate shaft final drives. But despite their considerable size and complexity, they can make short work of any kind of road imaginable. They devour Interstates without breaking a sweat, yet they'll shred a twisty backroad almost as mercilessly a purebred sportbike. And everyday riding? Ha! They handle those simple tasks like it's their reason for being.

We're talking about the two finest sport-touring motorcycles on the planet: BMW's K1300GT and Kawasaki's Concours 14. In 2006 and '07, the K13's predecessor, the K1200GT, won Best Sport-Touring honors in CW's annual Ten Best Bikes balloting, only to have that award wrested away by the Concours in 2008. The BMW has been updated and improved for 2009 and now wields a bigger, more-powerful engine. So the question is, can it take back that title? Let's find out.

But first, you need to know that the playing field was not quite as level as we would have liked. Our Concours test-bike was the baseline model absent any optional equipment whatsoever, including ABS (available as a separate model). The K1300GT, however, not only has ABS as a standard feature, ours arrived outfitted with BMW's Premium Options package that includes heated seat and grips, cruise control, Xenon headlight, Automatic Spin Control (ASC) and second-generation Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA II). That jacked our K-bike's price tag from an already lofty $18,800 up to $22,245, while our Concours' MSRP is only $13,499—a whopping $8746 difference. We did not want such a huge equipment imbalance, but that's how the bikes were delivered, so we did our best to work around it.

For 2009, BMW gave the K-GT additional oomph by bumping the dohc inline-Four's displacement from 1157 to 1293cc. The Concours, meanwhile, remains unchanged this year, its 1352cc I-Four retaining the variable valve timing that helps it produce prodigious power over a wide rpm range. But even though the K-bike has a 59cc deficit, it spun out more horsepower (141.1) on the CW dyno than did the Concours (133.6), with the Kawi making a little more peak torque (88.7 ft.-lb. vs. 86.0).

Ah, but when you're in the seat, the BMW can feel like it makes a lot more power than the Concours. It screams up through the gears in a manner more befitting a repli-racer, bellowing a ferocious intake roar all the while, and top-gear roll-ons are nothing short of arm-straightening, watch-me-disappear spectacular.

There's a reason for that spirited thrust: The GT's overall gearing is unbelievably low for a large-displacement four-cylinder motorcycle that lists "touring" as part of its mission. At an indicated 80 mph in top gear, for example, the engine is spinning at 5000 rpm. Not only is that more like what you expect with a smaller engine, it's about 1250 revs higher than the Concours is turning at the same speed in sixth. In fact, the Beemer's top-gear ratio is almost as low as fourth gear on the Kawasaki, and all of the other gears are proportionately lower, as well.

Considering those gearing and power figures, we were surprised when both bikes produced practically dead-even quarter-mile, 0-to-60 and top-speed numbers; the Kawasaki simply goes about its program in a much more subtle, stealthier fashion. Even when you're trying to make time on a backroad, both of these sport-tourers are equal, acceleration-wise. You use the taller-geared Kawasaki's gearbox a little differently than you do the BMW's, but you get from corner to corner just as quickly.

Out on the open road, the GT's low gearing can be an annoyance. At any given speed, the 13's revs are disproportionately high, so the engine always seems busy; and as you approach 75 mph, light vibration starts showing up in the handgrips and footpegs. The gearing also makes throttle response so abrupt that maintaining a steady cruising speed often requires your constant attention—unless you use the optional cruise control, which, depending upon traffic conditions, is not always a prudent decision.

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