R1150GS or not

I went for a test ride on BMW bikes on Wednesday PM.

First was an 1150RT - felt vibey and top heavy.

Second was an 1150GS - felt great and the engine was super smooth.

Third was an 1150R - felt very petite and apart from the wind effect very good. Engine also very smooth.

My own bikes a VFR 800 so getting on to something else was bound to feel different...

Everything points to the GS but why would the engine appear vibey compared to the other two? Also the difference is largely cosmetic e.g. the fairing adds no real weight - so the only thiing I have come up with is the bars giving greater control = stability.

The 1150GS and RT had ABS, 1150R didn't. I don't think I triggered the ABS but the breaking on the 1150 was well managed from just the front lever.

I wanted to like the 1150RT - maybe the riding order affected things? I tried the same circuit on the VFR (new territory) and it felt pretty good but with something missing compared to the GS.

Time to swop...

Everything points to the GS but why would the engine appear vibey compared to the other two?

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Don't you mean the RT?

Anyway, chances are the difference is down to the throttle bodies being out of balance on the RT. Easily cured with a Twin Max carb balancer.

Russ.

Couple of points that may be help, the RT is 30kg heavier than the standard GS anyway, if the 25l tank was full on the RT it would make a fair bit more difference, and feel top heavy.

My RT is a bit "vibey" at around 5500rpm but as by that time if I'm on the highway in top I'm doing in excess of 170kmh it doesn't worry me much.

The RT has fully integral ABS as standard so you can use either foot or hand or both with exactly the same effect. The GS has partially integral ABS and can be switched off.

I had a couple of VFR's and got fed up with them, but can't really fault them, whichever BMW you choose it will be a new genre of motorcycling for you, I can vouch for one thing though.. you can't keep off the bloody things!

BawdyMonk said:

My RT is a bit "vibey" at around 5500rpm but as by that time if I'm on the highway in top I'm doing in excess of 170kmh it doesn't worry me much.

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The RT was vibey at tick over. As it was the first bike I thought they would all have this - but the other two didn't. Seems like an isolated problem...

I'm surprised the dealer didn't service the problem out - is there any adjustment with fuel injection? Would a 4 year old RT have fuel injection or a carb?

I read that the 2004 GS will be water cooled - is this to control the temperature better and so improve the emissions as the bike warms up? I also read that folks are ordering 2004 bikes - however this seems unlikely because the model year starts in September. Maybe it's an American thing with the model year name being different but bikes the same?

mexican said:

I also read that folks are ordering 2004 bikes - however this seems unlikely because the model year starts in September. Maybe it's an American thing with the model year name being different but bikes the same?

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It's exactly that. The US market is now supplying "2004" twinsparks, which the rest of the world knows are 2003 models.

mexican said:

I also read that folks are ordering 2004 bikes - however this seems unlikely because the model year starts in September. Maybe it's an American thing with the model year name being different but bikes the same?

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Well, I was in Calterdon, Inverness, a couple of days ago and the salesman told me he had orders for two 2004 bikes. Even though no-one knows what they look like (or the spec.) they are willing to put their money down!

Hullo,


Having owned from new GS for just over 5 months now, (bought as Xmas present) I too was very hesitant about the purchase for months after following reasons listed-

(Please note these are only my views)

The bike is “clunky” gear box, engine rattle etc… compared to Jap product.
It’s slower than most decent sized Jap bikes and for that matter any make of bike regardless of some views expressed generally Oh my God, you reckon a GS will out run a R1 or R6 let alone a BUSA.
It’s clumsier around the CBD due to its weight and size (width).
It chews a lot of PULP,
It pulls right on heavy acceleration while stationary and feels like she is going to fall over.
Popping the wheel up is a job.
5’8 its terrible exiting from driveways if your not careful.
It’s lights suck.
The rear brake light is not as visible with Panniers on.
It’s hard to push start if battery is flat, got to have heaps of mates or good hill.
She also suffers badly from buffeting which appears incurable unless you have heaps of spare$$$$$$$$$$$$.
The windscreen is poorly designed. The designers must have been on lunch during wind tunnel testing.
The panniers make lane splitting a miracle!!!!
The rear seat latch sucks!!!!!
Add the seat sucks overall!!!!
The bike has poor anchor points to run bunges with extra baggage of odd shapes
Parts in Australia at least cost heaps and is hard to locate
The ABS is good though.
Cannot comment on its alleged great handling and speed over twisty roads, as I have not been able to out run anyone on decent Jap bike yet, sometimes struggle to out run a good car on twisties!!!!!!.
Standing start it struggles to out run a high performance car, such as WRX.
2 up it’s not bad
Off road (OH MY GOD) hang on and pray.
It uses a lot of oil (considered normal during running in)
It takes forever to warm up.
She is a pig to push around 300k with loaded panniers; every day events such as placing on center stand become MT EVERESTS of commuting.
Side stand is a bit “how’s your father”
And if you leave it on the side stand overnight it blows oil the next start??????? Wow???????
You must park it on fairly level ground no grassy patches for this beast
The BIKE IS A DOG to wash taking over an hour each week to clean her, as live on the beach and salt is problematic those spokes (OH dear).
The rims are BMW specials; therefore you cannot simply get them fixed if required.
Even changing the oil filter, requires a “special tool”
Hummmm cannot thing of too much more.

Anyway I got my short list down to BUSA, GS or K series bike. All costing around about the same! The BUSA overall is sensational fast smooth great 2up. Power to spare and generally a weapon in the right hands! The GS compared to BUSA to be quiet frank is no contest! If both were used as intended purposes road touring with baggage and 2 up I am confidant most informed riders would express view that the Busa out performs the GS in every aspect?????

My bike’s intended purpose was touring, commuting and generally going to shops, sporting events, to watch Australia whip English ass at either cricket, Rugby, tennis and just about everything else!! Hee hee. Simple every day affairs no world trip!!!!!!!!!!

After a month of tossing and turning about faults cost etc… I thought myself into a state.

The GS during test rides did not personally impress me, it felt like an over sized POSTAL DELIVERY BIKE (125cc) scooter feel. I wanted to crank it over and get knee out on those long curves however did not trust her.

I thought and thought and thought about it, read every post I could on the net, went to Mica GS site etc….

The Dealer rang and asking had I made a decision, the rep mentioned that he got his hands on a garish “Sun Yellow 03 GS” was I interested??????

He rang again and said last chance for the GS and asked me to trust his judgment about this bike.

I gave him my credit card and was reluctantly an owner of a 03 yellow duck. Big gaarrrrrry! Clunky and terribly unfashionable with Japanese bike owners.

Would I return the bike if given a chance? NEVER? Do I “luff” it to death most certainly? Is it the bestest bike I have ever owned, frankly no! However has it got heaps of class, charm and performs all that I ask it to do. Will I keep it? Yes! Will I go back to faceless Japanese production bikes NEVER.

As a matter of interest I always end up either ahead of faster bikes or just behind them because if we catch a red light with service station etc… around I simply go over the kerb and jump ahead bypassing the light all together. Don’t they get the sH@Ts

To all considering buying a GS, I too had the same feelings is the bestest, fastest, most agile the most coolest etc….

In my opinion its superior at everything, you will never own a bike that does all things well as GS. Off road (fire trails) no problems (bit scary though) Touring relaxed calm effortless riding for hours on stock standard GS most certainly. Shopping and generally boring day-to-day activities effortlessly YES!

Heaps of storage and most importantly practical performance! It may not rev the mostest may not even keep up with what ever bike you care to mention however as a daily traffic bike it etches out it own outstanding benchmarks.

Truly no bike in production currently will match the expectations that one hopes to have of a bike that claims to do all.

Please don’t compare it to other bikes! It’s the sum of all other bikes doing all matter rides well or better than even its BMW cousins.




All the best,

Steve From Oz

Hi steve, Interesting post - could you please explain the following terms (I'm not taking the piss - well, not very much)

Cheers

MikeO

Alper said:

It’s clumsier around the CBD due to its weight and size (width). What's CBD?
It chews a lot of PULP, What's Pulp?
5’8 its terrible exiting from driveways if your not careful. Is 5'8" your height?

The rear brake light is not as visible with Panniers on.Why not? - don't understand
It’s hard to push start if battery is flat, got to have heaps of mates or good hill.Bike has an electric fuel pump - if you're really flat you could push it forever...
Cannot comment on its alleged great handling and speed over twisty roads, as I have not been able to out run anyone on decent Jap bike yet, sometimes struggle to out run a good car on twisties!!!!!!.Try harder
Standing start it struggles to out run a high performance car, such as WRX.What's a WRX (I'm not up on high performance cars)

The GS compared to BUSA to be quiet frank is no contest!Agreed If both were used as intended purposes road touring with baggage and 2 up I am confidant most informed riders would express view that the Busa out performs the GS in every aspect????? Especially tyre wear

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What's CBD? (CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT) the centre of any busy city, such as London.

What's Pulp? Premium unlead fuel, riding around city etc...Stop start traffic get about 300k a week. It must be noted that if you giggle the tank around a bit should be able to crank a couple of more bars on the RID however!!!!!!!!!!

The rear brake light is not as visible with Panniers on.Why not? - don't understand.
If you ride behind a GS with full panniers the rear light fails to catch your eye until your up close. In my opinion the panniers appear to dull the light around streets that have poor lighting!
A number of people have made this point, personally did not notice this as an issue however after people mentioned I took note.

It’s hard to push start if battery is flat, got to have heaps of mates or good hill. Bike has an electric fuel pump - if you're really flat you could push it forever...
Thats my point!!!! the GS is supposed to be an "Adventure Bike" go any where etc.... What happens in the middle of no-where if the battery dies????? What to do?????????

Cannot comment on its alleged great handling and speed over twisty roads, as I have not been able to out run anyone on decent Jap bike yet, sometimes struggle to out run a good car on twisties!!!!!!.Try harder, Hummm!!!!!
I cannot out run a high performance bike! However I put it to any persons who allegedly out run a high performance street bikes such as a R6, to put forward evidence of claims!

Sir please understand, out running the local Trumpy, Bonny does not count.
I put it to any person, of the top handful of high performance Japanese road machines such as
Busa
R6/R1
FJ1300
Black Bird, VFR or a BLADE.
or for that matter even (Omg) a Duke!!!!!! Well maybe not a Duke!!!! They would break down half way!!!!

The GS & any other bike with capable riders, the GS would struggle to even keep up????? I personally have not had the pleasure of seeing my bike beat any other of substance???? Has anyone with regularity out run a "fast Jap" bike??????? Baring in mind everyone who owns a GS at sometime has one off story of this event I have not wittnessed it on regular basis for that matter on no basis have I had the pleasure of seeing such an event.

Standing start it struggles to out run a high performance car, such as WRX.What's a WRX (I'm not up on high performance cars) a WRX is a street legal turbo all wheel drive rally car produced by Subaru, also known as Impreza.

the Busa out performs the GS in every aspect????? Especially tyre wear So true!!!!!!!!!!!!

In conclusion, I "luff"my bike however its FACT that the bike has many flaws! It makes up for such flaws in overall daily performance.
The only reason I posted my account of owning a GS is that I got sick of hearing the same old (OH My God) this bike is the bestest thing since sliced bread. May be true for some. If this post helps yet another person join us GS riders all the better. However I cannot make claims that fail to be backed up with clear evidence of fact.
I read so much about how good it performs however nobody ever sat down and covered what they think is poorly designed or hard to maintain overall.
I never considered cleaning the bike such a chore until I owned one! Nobody told me that the bike's spokes have to cleaned one by one every couple of weeks to keep it looking good. Nobody told me about the "piggish" manner which is required to place her on centre stand. Nobody ever covered the detail about road grime covering your lower leg when riding in rain etc.......

Is it not good to know some of its weaker points before buying one???????? Of course these are my opinions only! Therefore please read them as just that! OPINIONS, feel free to take the piss out of my opinions. However these mentioned points all have substance and are based on my real life experiences with the GS.


All the best Happy Easter to all

Steve

And I thought there were no POOFTAS in australia.

Blimey, Steve - have an easter egg & chill out, why don't you? No-one's suggesting you can't express your opinion....

Most of my questions concerned terminology that you clearly use on a daily basis but are not in use over here (prison lingo, I expect? ). Although a very happy Adv owner, I'd agree with the vast majority of your points, but will question a couple.

Firstly, the inability to outrun rice burners. I don't ride my bike in a competitive manner, nor would I encourage anyone else to do so on the road. I certainly did not select the GS as a bike to race on. That said, I find I am regularly balked by riders of sports bikes (of all types, including those you list) on twisty roads when I am travelling at my selected pace. These bikes (or, more importantly, their riders) are not nearly as competent at cornering as I am on my GS. This may be partially due to my experience and training, but is also a reflection of the cornering ablity of the GS and the confidence it transmits to the rider. Clearly these bikes, ridden competently, are vastly more capable on most roads than the GS, but the fact is that most riders are incapable of making use of the power & handling to make decent progress. I'm sorry I can't produce video evidence or a sworn affadavit to support this, but assure you that it's true.

As regards outrunning Imprezas (thanks for explaining WRX), any car being driven fast can be difficult to pass on a twisty, but I've had no noticeable bother keeping up, as long as the driver is driving at a speed and in a manner within my comfort & safety zone - anyone can be outrun by a fool and I'm more than happy to stay away from them when I come across them.

Although I agree that there are as many gushy 'I love my GS' posts here as there are on any site devoted to a particular model of bike/car, I feel that these are more than balanced by the degree of dissatisfaction expressed over matters such as lights, screens, seat, build quality, customer service, difficulty in cleaning etc. Just read the posts. It's unreasonable to expect someone who is new to the GS and is getting used to its good side not to want to share their appreciation of it. When they overstate the case they are often told so.

To express dismay at finding your legs covered in dirt on a bike that has no leg protection seems a little OTT (that's Over The Top ), don't you think, though?

Still confused by the brake light thing - surely if a light is put into a darker place, it'll show up better - I'll take you friends' collective word for it......

The above post is also based on real life experience on a GS, by the way....

Keep smiling

MikeO

ps Visit your dealer & get advice on using the centre stand - it's really not difficult unless a) the bike is very heavily loaded or b) you are using the wrong technique.

Sorry all,


Maybe came across a bit aggressive, certainly not intentional.

The entire point of my post was to express another point of view on the GS. I know we all love the bike, good grief I bought one.

I hope did not offend you Mike!!!! If so sorry!!!!


Ciao


Steve

Alper said:

I hope did not offend you Mike!!!! If so sorry!!!!

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Absolutely not - always up for some banter with a parolee (even if you can beat us at any ball game devised by man )

MikeO

I Bought one WHY?

My last 6 bikes were Hondas,Blade and 5 VFRs, all brilliant at what they are designed for. I would go as far as thinking VFR is best bike bar none(now that will generate some comment). So why did I get a GS? Im bloody sure I cant answer that ,but what I can say is that I nearly turned round and took it back to the dealer on my way home. Still cant bother to get it out of the garage , never had that problem with Hondas. So what am I missing that everyone else seems to have enjoy? Will I get used to it or shall I cut my losses and go back to my roots. Anyone interested in Twinspark GS 300 miles? ,it wont take much to persuade me.

300 miles. How do expect to be able to even get comfortable with a new bike in that mileage? You ask what you are missing - the answer seems obvious - you're not riding it! I'd suggest you take advantage of the excellent weather and put some miles on and then form an opinion. If you can't be bothered getting it out of the garage, it suggests to me that the snag rests somewhere within you, not within what's stored in your garage....

MikeO

Re: I Bought one WHY?

rod said:

My last 6 bikes were Hondas,Blade and 5 VFRs, all brilliant at what they are designed for. I would go as far as thinking VFR is best bike bar none(now that will generate some comment). So why did I get a GS? Im bloody sure I cant answer that ,but what I can say is that I nearly turned round and took it back to the dealer on my way home. Still cant bother to get it out of the garage , never had that problem with Hondas. So what am I missing that everyone else seems to have enjoy? Will I get used to it or shall I cut my losses and go back to my roots. Anyone interested in Twinspark GS 300 miles? ,it wont take much to persuade me.

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Yep Rod, you're absolutely right. I owned a VFR for 3 months and did 3000 miles on it, mostly in France over a couple of weeks. I hated it with a passion.

Where shall I start ?

I found it to be one of the most uncomfortable bikes I'd ever ridden. Although I've read all sorts of stuff about how natural the riding position is supposed to be but the palms of my hands hurt like hell after an hour or so and the seat was pretty awful as well.

Sports/tourer ? Well I have to say that it wasn't too good as a sports bike (the GS handles better) and how can you have a tourer where your tank runs dry after 160 miles ?

Add to that the chain drive, expensive tyres, and services every 4000 miles. In the end it just doesn't cut it for me.

Rod, on the GS I suggest you persevere with it. When I bought mine I really couldn't get on with it and very nearly chopped it in after a couple of weeks but the more I rode it and got used to the handling and convinced myself that that big narrow front tyre wasn't going to slide away from me it all started to make sense.

Basically I can get from A to B faster on the GS than I ever could on the VFR. I'd bet that over 500 miles I'd arrive fresher and earlier than you on a Blade.

There's a tendency on this board to assign an almost mystical quality to the GS. It's not that good but it is by far and away the best bike I've ever owned. It'll tour, scratch, commute, poodle around the back lanes, give over 200 miles to a tank, only needs a service every 6000 miles (and you can do most of it yourself).

The drawbacks ? For some the seat, for some the screen. The standard left hand pannier is a joke. The seat height is a problem if you're vertically challenged (like me) and it's likely you could end up spending vast amounts of money on all sorts of bits.

Hang in there Rod and if you come back in 3 months and say you still hate it then I guess that just goes to show how different we all are.

Cheers

Dick

Well - I read all the comments from SteveA and also Rod.

My current bike is a VFR and it has a reputation for doing it all - trouble is it can also feel a bit bland or lack character. Its a Sport/Tourer - but there are probably better sports and better tourers out there for sure.

I still think the GS has something to offer me - I can't quite define it - excitement or different or something.

I don't want to point fingers - but I got off my bike today and noticed a hole in my (synthetic) trousers - on the inside lof the eg about level with 3/4 up on my boots. Nothing to 'burn' on my own bike - I'm just wondering if the GS may have something to do with it on the test run? Do the heads run very hot - are synthetics (not leathers) and GSs not compatable? It didn't occur to just tuck my trousers into my boots. (Its the water cooled/fairing VFR thing).

If they burn so easily - I wonder just how they would standup in a spill - time to invest in some leathers?

I followed the link to the pictures for the 2004 GS 'spy' shots - is it very likely that the next version of the GS would be water cooled - how can you tell from just one/two photos? I think the current GS looks great - not sure I want one with alloy wheels (cleaning excepted) or the thought that the design will be perfected over the next 3-4 years and at my expense if I buy one. Isn't it better to buy a 'honed/proven' product e.g. the oil/air cooled engine originated in 83?

The GS I had a ride on was the 'old' style accoriding to the dealer - new ones are twin spark - what's the benefit? Anyone compared them - dealers are not always to be completely relied on...

I Bought one WHY?

Rod
What was the test ride like
I remember having a test ride on a gs didn't like it, probably
because i'd ridden to the shop on a k1200lt and been cosseted
by a wall of plastic, then on a bike with what seemed like a postage stamp as the only protection.
About a month later i decided to sell the LT or p/x for a blade .
No one wanted to buy it and no jap dealers were interested in a p/x,
With the depreciation of the LT going down the toilet i thought i'd try a bmw dealer and p/x'd it against a GS and sell or p/x that.
18 months down the line i'm still riding the GS it took a while to get used to but i kinda like it now.

Gates

Hullo all,



Rod! Give the GS a chance! Frankly it takes sometime to build up a relationship with the bike, as mentioned earlier the sum of all its faults are forgiven in suitable fashion with experience in the saddle. Based on my knowledge if one has exchanged from a high performance Jap product to a GS the changes in riding style takes some time to kick in.

I understand that my views were considered a bit extreme (poofy) and a bit “girl’s blousey” however 300 miles are too short a distance to judge her.

My former riding consisted of accelerating hard (not speeding (much) or pushing recklessly), riding very tight and expecting the bike to perform.

It is a good point that Mike made about running costs! Tire wear and maintenance were not taken into the equation, as this was not an issue! However I expected the bike to create “rush” a “skipped heart beat” without going over board of course or risking life or limb! I could not personally create this feeling on a GS.

It could be rider age related issues, regional differences, road conditions and of course weather or another unknown variable. For $20000 AUS ridden as primary transport on all roads and weather conditions the GS fails significantly compared to more contemporary purpose built machines.

One must also take on the fact that essentially the CORE GS model has not been rebuilt over 10 years, the engine comes to mind! (Refer Mica GS site) http://www.micapeak.com/bmw/gs

Contributors on this site clearly express the views that getting off a GS1100 and onto a GS1150 as sublime! Changes are detectable but overall same bike. Possibly age of model is starting to catch her????????

She’s a FAIR PERFORMER with good resale. Maybe a classic! in the same vein as a "Bonny" kinda classic.

Give the GS a chance its sure to impress!!!! But its not a "performance" machine as defined by current purpose built bikes such as ones mentioned.

Hope everyone had a great Easter Break? As a matter of interest my bloody shoes were soaked again! Yes I know you're a pussy!!! A poofta!!!!!!

Regards,

Steve