Next bike to replace K75s

I picked up a used 1988 K75s in 1992 and rode it for 4 years. I had all the issues with upper body pain due to leaning over but I was trying to commute to work on it at slow rush hour speeds so never enjoyed the supposed 'body lift' at higher speeds that was supposed to be happening to relieve the pressure on the wrists and arms. I sold it an bought a used 1994 K1100LT and this bike was very nice except my knees hit the fairing cramping my space. At 5'10" this seemed like it should not be happening. I had the K1100LT from 1996 until 2004 and sold it to buy a 1999 Harley Ultra Classic. No issues with ergos or space on that bike and I still have it. However, in 2008 I jumped back in and bought a 2005 R1200GS and started down the modification route with all sorts of stuff but I could not make that bike work for me. Sorry GS owners, but coming from the K bikes it seemed to lack torque, gearing was short, revved too high on the highway, was tall and top heavy, and the fuel use was astronomical for a bike...may just as well take a car! So in 2011 I sold the R1200GS and bought a 2006 K1200GT and that is what my fleet looks like today; a 1999 Harley Ultra Classic and 2006 K1200GT.

How does the K1200GT compare to the K75s? It has been a long time since I rode the K75s but the K1200GT is fantastic. Yes it has a bunch of issues with valvetrain and such but the ergonomics are good, I can flat foot it at stops with the seat in the high position, it has the saddlebags and trunk, flies smoothly, and it has the most intoxicating growl at highway speeds on an accel. What a rush!

I do not think I will ever go K1600GT so there is no longer an upgrade path past the K1200GT for me unless I take a baby step to a K1300GT. I may some day consider a newer R1200RT though, we shall see.

Going to test ride a F800GT tomorrow

Thanks for all the feed back. I am going to test ride a F800GT tomorrow. I will report back.

F800GT and F800ST

The dealer let me ride a new F800GT and a 2009 F800ST.

F800GT
Defiantly enough power for my type of riding. The K75s had 15 less HP and it was fine.
Stalled the bike the first time I took off. It takes a lot of gas to get going in 1st compared to the K75s.
Handles great. Very easy to move around.
Like the ability to change the ride from comfort, normal and sport on the fly.
Too much fairing for me. Reminds me of the R80RT I rode for many years.
The upright seating was comfortable but it just did not feel right to me.
Noticed a little heat but not bad for a 95 degree day.

F800ST
Even with 5 less HP it has enough power.
Handles great. Very easy to move around.
The ergonomics with a little more lean forward worked better for me.
I preferred the slimmer fairing on this bike and the wind effect on me was about the same.
Noticed the need for more gas to start out in 1st here too.
Noticed a little heat but again not bad for a 95 degree day.
This bike has a lowering kit so the seat was too low for me.
The bike had around 32000 miles. I was hoping for something with less miles.
I could live with the color (Tan) but would prefer a blue one.

Looking for a blue 2012 F800ST now

Wow, so much here I need to jump in. I have a 2013 F8GT with 11K on it. I consider it barely broken in. I've also owned two K75S's (they *are* a nice bike).
Edit: I'm 5' 11", if that enters into the fitment equation. And peg lowers also help me on my RT and R bikes....

DavidMTX said:

The dealer let me ride a new F800GT and a 2009 F800ST.
F800GT
Defiantly enough power for my type of riding. The K75s had 15 less HP and it was fine.
Stalled the bike the first time I took off. It takes a lot of gas to get going in 1st compared to the K75s.

Click to expand...

Was that a demo F800GT you rode? How many miles did the K75 have on it? Not exactly a one-to-one comparison IMO. When my F800GT had 200 miles on it I also managed to stall it. Uhmmm, not my finest moment... My excuse: The bike was new, I was new to the bike, doo doo happens.

DavidMTX said:

The dealer let me ride a new F800GT and a 2009 F800ST.
Handles great. Very easy to move around.
Like the ability to change the ride from comfort, normal and sport on the fly.
Too much fairing for me. Reminds me of the R80RT I rode for many years.

Click to expand...

"Too much fairing"??? We can not be riding the same bike. The GT has barely the same fairing as my old K75S had... Seriously, it can not be compared to an R80RT.

DavidMTX said:

The upright seating was comfortable but it just did not feel right to me.
Noticed a little heat but not bad for a 95 degree day.

Click to expand...

"Upright seating"??? We are not talking about the same bike. I needed to add 20mm bar risers and a peg lowering kit to handle even short days on the F800GT. And we won't talk about the BMW stock seat.

I tried the F800ST before I bought the GT and that bike was painful right from the showroom floor. I had great hope the GT ergonomic changes would do it. They didn't.

You are correct. Comparing the GT fairing to a R80RT was being overly dramatic.
I have long arms so that may have something to do with my view of seating upright.
The GT had about 300 miles. There was a lot I liked about it. It is a beautiful looking bike.
Both bikes can sneak up on you related to speed. I looked down and was going 60 when I thought it was more like 45.
I was really expecting to be impressed enough with the GT to say it was my next bike but the demo ride did not turn out that way.
I rode the ST last and it just seem right.
I wanted to ride a R1200RS but they did not have one and said they were hard to keep in stock. I am not sure I ride enough to justify the price anyway.

I also "stalled" my FGT 3 times in the first 500 miles early this year after 25 yrs riding experience, mostly HD's. Glad I'm not the only one. I too am 5'11" and added 20mm risers for comfort but I have low tolerance for weight in wrists. I just now have 1,500 miles and bike is feeling much more broken in and shifts a lot smoother. I felt at first I had too much coverage coming from no windshield but after risers, it's nearly perfect, head in wind, no buffeting and great protection for a little rain. Perfect commuter bike for me for daily use


Ps. Time will tell on lowering pegs and stock seat for me at moment

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F800ST in my garage

Thank you all for the input selecting a new bike. Saturday my wife and I drove 280 miles to Katy Texas to look at a Blue 2012 F800ST with 16000 miles. I ended up buying it and riding it home. I look forward to building a long relationship with this light weight motorcycle.