2008-now Kawasaki 1400GTR
£5000-£13,839 153bhp 160mph (est) 305kg (kerb) 1352cc inline four
“Tooled-up tourer for the sporty gent”
This is a tough one. I rode the traction-free (’08/’09) and traction-controlled (2010 to date) 1400GTRS on their launches, and reviewed them four times – twice in the company of my esteemed colleague. And twice he and I agreed: the equivalent BMW K1200 or 1300 is better. Can’t dispute it; it’s in print. The Kawasaki is half big sportsbike, all howling performance, and half grand tourer, all gadgets and weight. Each stops it excelling at either – too sporty to be luxuriant, too fat to be sporty. It’s top-heavy, needs lots of bar pressure to turn, and fights back all the way round the corner. And it’s expensive: £11,000 a decade ago, which is £14,000 today – roughly the asking for a current GTR.
So how can I argue the toss? Because, mon frère, three things: First, everyone knows road tests are an artificial bubble detached from reality and the GTR is, really, a big sports tourer and should be judged as such. Second, as a used bike, it costs a fraction of the BMW, both to buy and run – wait till those Duolever scissor joints wear out and the ESA suspension gives up. Third, the latest 2015 1400GTR (the last; it’s not Euro4), with improvements to steering and fairing, is excellent. And you never tested that bike, did you? But I have. It’s smoother, faster, sportier and funkier than a K1300GT and, if I had the choice, I’d rather have the Kwack. Er, just.