Black Dog
Well-known member
Get A HorseI didn't see anyone mention anything about ease of maintenance. For me, the K turn-off is that you have the tear the bike apart to practically do any simple maintenance. That's expensive if you do it yourself (my time is worth something) or paying someone to do it. The more you ride, the more maintenance is required to keep it going trouble free. Just getting near the engine for plugs or valves on the K requires radiator removal vs jugs out in the wind for the R18. Same goes for simple air filter change. I looked at the many versions of K's and went with an RT before my current main touring bike. There's a lot to be said about simplicity. I'll gladly trade hyper performance for ease of ownership that includes stress-free maintenance.