30th Anniversary Edition BMW K1300S Announced for EICMA

BMW announced it will mark the 30th anniversary of its K series with a special edition K1300S. The 2013 BMW K1300S “30 Jahre K-Modelle” will be presented at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan, Italy in a couple of weeks’ time.

Though perhaps not as popular as BMW‘s R series boxer models, the K series served as a platform for a number of technologies that were either new for BMW or new for the motorcycle industry.

The K 100 was introduced in 1983 as BMW’s first liquid-cooled Inline-Four motorcycle, following the pattern of the popular Japanese models of the time. To separate it from the Japanese competition, BMW arranged the K100’s 987cc engine longitudinally, with the cylinders lying horizontally. The K100 was also one of the first production motorcycles equipped with electronic fuel injection.

Later innovations introduced on a K series model include ABS (1988), four-valve technology (1988), Duolever front suspension (2004), Electronic Suspension Adjustment I (2004), Electronic Suspension Adjustment II (2008), and adaptive headlights (2010).

The special edition “30 Jahre K-Modelle” adds a number of features to the BMW K1300S. Upgrades include the HP shift assist and footrests, tire pressure monitor, traction control, ESA II, an Akrapovic exhaust, heated grip, on-board computer, tinted windshield and an Alpine White and Sapphire Black Metallic with Racing Red paint scheme. The anniversary model is otherwise standard with a 1293cc liquid-cooled engine claiming 173hp and 103 ft-lb., Duolever front suspension, single-sided swingarm, twin disc brakes with four-piston calipers and, like all BMW models, ABS.