I bought my k1100rs at the first of this month. It's a '93 with 80k miles.
Yesterday, I had an opportunity for an epiphany. I was readying my previous ride, a 1981 Yamaha 850 triple, for listing on Craigslist. As part of the process, I had occasion to ride it around the block.
Even though it's been not quite a month since I last rode the Yamaha, the differences between the two bikes are striking.
Engine - The K's engine could easily be a gas turbine - it's that smooth. Throttle response is very unturbinelike though - no spool up time. As is MPG. The Yamaha's engine feels almost like a Harley in comparison. The triple has never been the smoothest bike made but I was very surprised by the difference.
Brakes - The K gives me superb braking, linear feel. The Yamaha feels wooden with an on/off feel - the brakes are either there or they're not.
Handling - The K wins again. Except for low speed parking lot handling, the K inspires confidence the Yamaha never did. At low speeds, the K is a a bit of a handful.
MPG - The K by far. The best I ever saw from the Yamaha was 35 mpg. I've approached 50 mpg on the K several times.
Ease of maintenance - I'll call this one a tie simply because of the need to remove the plastic to get to things on the K.
Wind protection - The Yamaha wins here because of the Slipstreamer windshield installed on it. The lack of wind protection is one of the only areas where the K is deficient. Yeah, I realize it's a sport bike and all that, but that's just me. I'm going to be installing either a Parabellum or Aeroflow before cold weather, though.
Thanks Chums!
Charlie
