Any Londoners with a tourer?

[gorillaonabik...]

So am now commuting out to Maidenhead from zone 1 which is a 50 mile per day round trip. Also do occasional weekends to Switzerland and France.

Thinking of a used BMW K1300GT but the issue is owning a bike of size in London as filtering, parking etc... will now become a little more challenging. My filtering style could be described as... slow. I tend to pull over to let most people past and am usually surprised when another biker is filtering more slowly than me.

Current bike is a 249kg (when dry) Honda CB1300 so don't think I will be stepping up too much to 250kgs dry.

So all you London types riding heavy metal - what do you think? Is this an incredibly stupid idea? Do you own something similar and what is your opinion? Is this going to be ridiculously inconvenient in London to the point I should reconsider?
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FZR400 (blown engine), ZXR750 (blown engine), ZX6R (accident), CBR600 which had engine issues after which I learned to change gear..., CBR900, CBR924 (stolen), CB600, CB1300 (everything blew up), BMW K1300GT (written off, hit from rear while stationary), Bandit 1250 for a couple of months, Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (nicked) and somewhere in there, I wrote off a Ducati 748 at Cadwell.

[c_dug]

Big bikes can be ridden quickly in London, you've only got to follow one of those taxi bikes to see that!

My dad rides a 1300gt daily through the centre of town, and I see lots of people on RT's too, based on that I think you'll be fine.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[gorillaonabik...]

[hellkat]

I used to have an old-style XJ900 (i.e., non-Diversion style) that was a bit of a tank, got through traffic just fine on it, even two-up.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[chickenstrip]

No, not stupid exactly. Not the best bikes in the world for London traffic but they do the job. I manage just fine on my Fazer 1000 in traffic, it kills motorways in comfort, and you can still have fun on it when the roads get more interesting. If I wanted something just for riding in heavy traffic, then I'd go for something smaller and lighter, but not absolutely necessary.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[TheSmiler]

Just make sure its got a good cooling system I've been through centre of london a few times now on my old k100. The only problem I get sometimes is that it gets really hot. Also depending on luggage capabilities filtering is fun and interesting.
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[Shaft]

[Undinist]

I've got a K11LT and live in London - I love it. I'm an ex courier and filter courier-style, no probs. There are some gaps I can't get through, so I have to maintain a decent average speed by ignoring all the rules of the road. Parking's not a problem because my number plate is velcro-mounted.

[gorillaonabik...]

[gorillaonabik...]

[hellkat]

[.....]

I ride a Kawasaki 1400GTR into London for my commute, not central but zone 2 or 3. It's obviously not as nimble as a smaller bike or scooter but the preceding 30 miles of motorway are far more pleasant on the bigger bike. It's not too bad in traffic, the mirrors are surprisingly low and go under most cars.

I did look at the 1300GT when bike shopping but heard bad things about reliability.

[Undinist]

[M.C]

Hated having a CBF1000 for a couple of months, utterly stupid bike for London. Too big, too heavy.

[Serendipity]

[M.C]

[gorillaonabik...]

[arthurmo]

I take a Triumph explorer into London most weeks from Worcestershire. It's a big heavy bike but I can still filter it's the height of the handlebars which cause the most problem as they seem to be level with every van and 4x4. I used to take the Thruxton when I lived in London and this was a lot easier as it was lower down. Apart from the new A40 joy killers cameras it's still way faster than car.
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ducati mutleystrada
Triumph Thruxton old and knackered just like the owner

[gorillaonabik...]

Just put a deposit down on the Beemer. Let's see what happens.
____________________
FZR400 (blown engine), ZXR750 (blown engine), ZX6R (accident), CBR600 which had engine issues after which I learned to change gear..., CBR900, CBR924 (stolen), CB600, CB1300 (everything blew up), BMW K1300GT (written off, hit from rear while stationary), Bandit 1250 for a couple of months, Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (nicked) and somewhere in there, I wrote off a Ducati 748 at Cadwell.

[.....]

[Undinist]

Or an exploding gearbox which will pollute the entire engine with little bits of metal. (Happened to my R1150GS)

[gorillaonabik...]

Just bought it. Once it's serviced, will pick it up and go into the sunset. Love my first ride and will probably end up somewhere stupid. Last time I bought a bike, I ended up in Cardiff. Only issue is I picked it up in London...
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FZR400 (blown engine), ZXR750 (blown engine), ZX6R (accident), CBR600 which had engine issues after which I learned to change gear..., CBR900, CBR924 (stolen), CB600, CB1300 (everything blew up), BMW K1300GT (written off, hit from rear while stationary), Bandit 1250 for a couple of months, Triumph Sprint ST 1050 (nicked) and somewhere in there, I wrote off a Ducati 748 at Cadwell.

[gorillaonabik...]