28] RIDER TEST

Keeper Cruiser

When the Boulevard runs across

the state, there's the Suzuki C50T.

34] ON THE ROAD

The Ride

What’s three miles long, has

254,674cc and 11,405

horsepower?

w

42] SPECIAL SECTION

42] Rider Test: Big Guns

Earthbound on tire BMW

K1200GT vs. Yamaha FJR1300A

48] Rider Test Addendum:

Automatics for the People

50] Inside Look: Spandau Ballet

52] A Second Opinion

54] BUYERS GUIDE

The Great Communicators

Six ways to play “Can you hear

me now?”

62] GOIN’ FOR IT

The Salt

A heart- and record-breaking

week at Bonneville.

on the cover: White fences and white-

walls—the 2007 Suzuki Boulevard C50T poses

at the foot of the Santa Monica in California.

Photo by Kevin Wing.

VISIT US ON OUR WEB SITE:

www.ridennagazine.com

Daily News & Rumors • New

Models • Gear • Tech Info • Events

Rallies & Race Reports

Records were made J

to be broken.... K—J

departments

8] ONE-TRACK MIND

The Breakup

10] RESPONSE

18] KICKSTARTS

New for ’07 BMWs, Ducatis

22] RIDING AROUND

All in Black and White

24] ROAD TALES

Great Day in the Morning

68] FAVORITE RIDE

Medicine Lake Loop

70] TECH Q&A Blammo

78] NEW & COOL

79] ADVERTISER INDEX

80] RIDER SHOPPER

75 Gear: Wolfman Expedition Luggage

/ 6 Gear: APE Cam Chain Tensioner

As any reader understands, the test rider has got to be objec-

tive in his evaluation of a motorcycle, to judge that motorcycle

on the basis of the market for which it is intended, not allow-

ing his or her biases to show. As I am an avowed advocate of

sport touring, I am entirely capable of dedicated objectivity,

and loved prepping for this comparo of the BMW K1200GT

and Yamaha FJR1300A with a couple of thousand miles on-

board each bike. But since it is a comparo, I also get to be

pleasantly subjective in my estimation of the various individual

functions of each.

These are two stupendously powerful and great-handling

sport-touring motorcycles, either of which any enthusiast

should be glad to have in his

or her garage. We did not

include others for this test

such as the Honda ST1300

because they have not changed

in a while, and this new pair

is currently at the top of the

power and performance heap

and deserve a focused game

of one-on-one. Kawasaki's 2008 Concours 14 was

not yet available for testing.

Both of these bikes are new for 2006, and there is

no difference in the 2007 versions other than colors.

Their similarities are clear, right down to both the

K1200GT and FJR1300A sporting the same tires,

Bridgestone Battlax BT020s, a 180/55-17 at the rear,

120/70-17 on the front. Both have the same type of

DOHC, liquid-cooled, transverse in-line four with EFI

and DOHC, 16-valve cylinder heads, and counterbal-

ancers to minimize vibration. Both have a wheelbase of

close to 61 inches. Both have a curb weight of about

670 pounds; these are big boys, and if one tips over in

a parking lot, the picker-upper will know.

Of course the differences are quite fundamental as

well. One is price, but we’ll deal

with that later. The most appar-

ent difference is the aesthetic,

and this is where subjectivity

comes in. The GT's fairing may

have been "aerodynamically

optimized,” but I like the looks

of the FJR’s better. Perhaps the

GT is sharper at slicing through

the air at 150 mph, but since I

rarely indulge in such extreme

behavior I prefer the more angu-

i

lar, more revealing FJR version. The GT is too enclosed to suit me,

whereas the FJR allows a small glimpse of the interior, the engine.

And I like the two middling-sized mufflers on the FJR, as opposed

to the single big canister on the GT.

For drivetrains, the FJR has a 1,298cc engine, with cylinder

bores of 79mm and a stroke of 66.2mm. The fuel injection oper-

ates through four 42mm throttle bodies, the compression ratio is

10.8:1, and the factory claims 141 horsepower at the crankshaft.

The more realistic rear-wheel reading is 125.1, with 89.5 Ib-ft of

torque. Exhaust runs through catalytic converters in order to keep

the Greenies happy. I did feel a very minor buzz in the handlebars

at high rpm, but it's nothing I would complain about.

The GT has 1,157cc, with a bore and stroke of 79 and 59mm.

Its BMS-K fuel injection system uses four 46mm throttle bodies,

with the compression ratio a hefty 13:1. While the company specs

boast of 152 horsepower at 9,500 rpm, the rear wheel only sees

131.3 of them, and 84 Ib-ft of torque. The factory has retuned the

GT engine a touch from the sporting K1200S version, dropping a

few ponies while increasing the torque slightly, more in line with...