Rider Power - 1200GS poor showing

Colin O

Guest
Just picked up Ride magazine in ASDA while waiting for wife to do the shopping. I don't usually buy bike mags now but this one has the annual Rider Power results so I parted with £3.50.

Turning to the Top Trailies section fully expecting to see our pride and joy in top spot, as it turned out it's languishing in 6th place , behind

1st Honda Varadero (2003 on, the older version is in 10th)
2nd BMW R1100GS
3rd R1150GS Adventure
4th R1150GS
5th Suzuki V Strom

(No sign of the KTM 950 at all!)

Studying the ratings, the 1200GS apparently doesn't handle as well as the 1150GS or 1100GS and only the same as the Adventure. Perhaps I should have kept my old 1150GS? There again, having experience with both bikes I should know ....

It seems also that dependant on which BMW you have, you get different dealer back up, with 3 stars for the 1200GS, 5 for the 1150GS, 4 for the Adventure and 1 star for the 1100GS. Another BMW, the F650, gets 3 stars. Does this mean if you have an 1100GS the dealer doesn't want to know you, yet he will welcome 1150GS owners with open arms?

For equipment, the 1200GS gets 3 stars, less than the Honda's and V Strom's 4, neither of which even come with a centrestand as standard.

Overall, in all categories of bikes, the 1200GS comes 42nd with 85%. In comparison, Buell (S/X/M Models) come 11th with 89%.

Never mind, I'm just glad I haven't got an XJ600S Diversion, which comes 213th (bottom!).

Now, I wonder how much I will get for my bike against a new Fireblade (1st with 100%)?
 
And.........

I am sure I read somewhere that Tony Blair would be a great Prime Minister.

Can't believe every thing in print !

BUT DO YOU LIKE YOUR 1200 ?
 
When I filled in the Ride power survey , cant remember when it was but the 1200 was just in the showrooms, so no one would have had much experiance of it, maybe it will do better next year.

Pete A :beerjug: :beer: :beerjug:
 
Bear in mind, also, that this survey is in no way statistically relevant.

It does not comprise of reports from a random sample of owners, rather from those readers who could be arsed to fill in the form. And it's well known that 'complainers' report more often than 'satisfieds'. Of course, you also have to include those folk who just can't help filling-in forms and sending them off. Goodness, some of them even put down pure rubbish simply to blur the results!!!

Just think back to anything that you've bought/paid for. If the service was good and as expected you simply accepted it and moved on. If things went wrong, you complained.

So perhaps what we're seeing is the 'least bad' rather than the 'best'.
 
Who cares what they write , its what the bike does for you is important.

I loved my GS1150 , but I myself prefer the 1200 for handling , style and reduced weight.

Now someone may say the same about their own bike , may it be a 1100 , 1150 or ADV.

The press will always blow hot & cold

Any bike is better than no bike!!!!!!!!!!!

:nono
 
Colin O said:
... Does this mean if you have an 1100GS the dealer doesn't want to know you, yet he will welcome 1150GS owners with open arms?...
NO, it means the survey is a load of crap!
 
Re: Re: Rider Power - 1200GS poor showing

JayGee said:
NO, it means the survey is a load of crap!

Sorry JayGee you're wrong. In my experience, once the model is out of production and/or the bikes are over 3 years old, the dealers are just not interested. Just look at the bikes and cars they stock 2nd hand.
 
Judging from the responses to my thread on 1K impressions, it seems that we care more about

What other people think of our bikes

How old the average GS rider is

Whether the 1200 is better / worse than the 1100/1150/adv

What accessory to fit next

THAN WE DO ABOUT RIDING THE THINGS:(
 
Capsize said:
Judging from the responses to my thread on 1K impressions, it seems that we care more about

What other people think of our bikes

How old the average GS rider is

Whether the 1200 is better / worse than the 1100/1150/adv

What accessory to fit next

THAN WE DO ABOUT RIDING THE THINGS:(

Possibly but more likely that these are just the things we like talking about when we're not riding. To be honest I've learnt quite a lot of good stuff from this forum.
 
Re: Re: Re: Rider Power - 1200GS poor showing

Howard Millichap said:
Sorry JayGee you're wrong. In my experience, once the model is out of production and/or the bikes are over 3 years old, the dealers are just not interested. Just look at the bikes and cars they stock 2nd hand.


I own a 8 year old 1100GS and get top service from my local dealer. Motorad Central :thumb
 
Capsize said:
Judging from the responses to my thread on 1K impressions, it seems that we care more about

What other people think of our bikes

How old the average GS rider is

Whether the 1200 is better / worse than the 1100/1150/adv

What accessory to fit next

THAN WE DO ABOUT RIDING THE THINGS:(

Taking a wild guess, you posted in the 1200GS section.
 
Having picked up previous Ride readers surveys the one think you have to remember is that this is what the owners think of their bikes and not necessarily what is factual. Ride alwasy remarks on how a poor showing of a bike could be related to the fact that the bike may not be the model for that owner. For example people who switched from a pure sportbike to the R1100S and who were subsequently dissatisfied with the performance.
Also new bikes tend to do poorly, although that's not the case with the CBR1RR. Last year my 600RR was down in the standings despite every mag raving about it. The consensus from Bike was the lack of reviews from owners.
 
Jaygee - Me too, I now know the average age of a GS rider.

David - Yes; but there must be some that get ridden surely.

Joker - Ahhhh! that's how I felt up to a week or so ago. Its worth the wait, just make sure you don't want to actually ride it.

At least the comments were taken in the spirit that they were mean't i.e. lighthearted and were not flamed out of hand.
 
We're riders, articles are written by writers. Doesn't matter what the writers write only what the riders choose to ride.
 
I think that you will find that the ratings are based on the number of replies therefore the lack of numbers goes against the 1200.

Having had 2 1150's and 1 ADV and now the 1200 the 1200 wins hands down on everything except road presence coz it doesn't scare black cabs the way the ADV did.
 
Capsize said:
Joker - Ahhhh! that's how I felt up to a week or so ago. Its worth the wait, just make sure you don't want to actually ride it.

But, but but... :confused: I do want to ride it... I was offered a ZX-10R tonight to play with, but I said that I probably don't want to play with that bike coz my own GS might be ready for delivery tonight...
 


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