Do NOT test ride a GS

Yup, that's right, if you have never ridden a GS before, whatever happens, do NOT test ride a GS.

Now I know that this advice goes totally contrary to what fellow Tossers advise and, for that matter, goes against common sense as well. I mean what sort of blithering idiot buys a bloody expensive bit of kit like a GS without first reassuring themselves that they like and enjoy the experience.

Well this blithering idiot for one. Here is why.

I have ridden motorbikes for over 30 years, each one getting faster, lairier and more manic than the last...........actually, the last was a 2008 GTX1300Hayabusa..........more manic than that wee beastie is hard to find, I am sure you all agree.

But creeping senility, arthritis and general can't-be-fagged to scream around the national road system made me consider changing. :rob

Now like everyone, I saw and enjoyed Euan and Charlie's escapades and it got me a thinkin' and a wonderin'.

So I sloped off to have a look around a new GSA at the dealership and liked what I saw. I also have to admit to being well suited to the GSA in particular because I am 6ft 3in and have a 34in inside leg. But there is no question that anyone can ride a GS if not the GSA, even if your femur is on the stunted side. :augie

Of course the dealer offered me a test ride and I turned it down. You see I knew that I was not going to enjoy the experience comong from the sports bike world. The two worlds are just totally different, so much so that you have to use other criteria when judging whether or not to buy.

There was no way that I could appreciate the subtleties the GS experience without days of hands-on riding, and there was no way that was on offer from the dealer.

So it became an intellectual excercise and the choice was made.

And I am just so delighted that I took my own advice because when I picked up the GSA and rode it the 40 miles back home, I just disliked it and the whole experience left me cold. How could I compare this strange sit-up-and-beg riding experience and the asthmatic engine with the Hayabuse and still say that I had made the right choice.

Well one month later and I am besotted with the bloody thing. I consistently ride on routes that used to take me longer on the Suzuki and I am relaxed, comfortable and HAVING FUN. I don't need to dress like a power-ranger and nobody cares if I just bimble along enjoying the MP3 tunes being piped to my helmet.

Yup, as I said, whatever you do, DON'T TEST RIDE A GS. Just go for it.......you will never regret it for one minute and will revel in its versatility and sheer fun. :JB

I need some help here please...

We are in the process of starting a Touring company where we will be taking people across Southern Africa with BMW 1200 GS and 800 GS (clients choice). We will be doing some serious off road riding as you can imagine, but my problem is this...

I currently have a Suzuki Hayabusa and I absolutely love the thing and I ride her quite hard. I have been riding since I was 4 and grew up on a farm with plenty of off road bikes. However, I've been in the UK for 18 years now and have always had sport bikes (R1s, Fireblade, Blackbirds, etc.). I want to start spending more time on the GS bikes to start getting used to them, so have been spending the last week researching other riders comments on the subject.

I use my Hayabusa to commute to work with every day (25 miles) into Wimbledon and obviously getting out of here in the afternoons/evenings does require some filtering.

Am I doing the right thing??? so confused
 
I need some help here please...

We are in the process of starting a Touring company where we will be taking people across Southern Africa with BMW 1200 GS and 800 GS (clients choice). We will be doing some serious off road riding as you can imagine, but my problem is this...

I currently have a Suzuki Hayabusa and I absolutely love the thing and I ride her quite hard. I have been riding since I was 4 and grew up on a farm with plenty of off road bikes. However, I've been in the UK for 18 years now and have always had sport bikes (R1s, Fireblade, Blackbirds, etc.). I want to start spending more time on the GS bikes to start getting used to them, so have been spending the last week researching other riders comments on the subject.

I use my Hayabusa to commute to work with every day (25 miles) into Wimbledon and obviously getting out of here in the afternoons/evenings does require some filtering.

Am I doing the right thing??? so confused

I commute into and out of London on a GSA WC with panniers. Not a problem filtering as other vehicles tend to get out of your way on a GSA.
 
Dont test ride a GS.

I too had never ridden a GS, 5'5'' is a little on the stunted side I thought. However I had previously owned an R1200ST and really liked it but, I wanted a more relaxed riding position due to many years of injuries so, I bought a Tiger 800 and loved it for three years then, earlier this year, I went abroad with two mates and their GS's. Well, late in June I went to Pidcocks in Long Eaton and signed my life away for a factory lowered Triple Black. I picked it up last Thursday and I'm boring the crap out of anyone who'll listen, and some that wont, about how great it is. I truly cannot believe just how good this bike is, how the hell do BM make it feel half the weight of the Triumph? even though there's no more than 2kg between the two of them, the GS loaded and fuelled is actually a good deal heavier but, just doesn't feel so. Brilliant piece of engineering and a sheer pleasure to ride, roll on the next European adventure.
 
Thinking of buying one

Firstly, I'm a newbie, and I've just made the mistake of testing a 1200 GS. Yes, I bloody loved it. I was very surprised by how smooth it was (I rode an air cooled one a few years ago), the handling was superb, in fact, everything was excellent. So i'm very tempted to swap my Triumph Explorer. What I'm looking for is some reassurance on reliability. I have read elsewhere of problems with paint flaking off engines and frames, and of mechanical failures. So, if I buy a new GS, will it be reliable? I would appreciate real life experiences from you chaps on here. I hope it's good news Thanks in anticipation.
 
48000 miles

:clapI bought my first gs in 2011 twin cam put 18000 miles on it not one problem , in 13 i got a water cooled kept it two years gear box was not great. No problems in 15 I got another which was brilliant another 18000 miles not a fault if you buy used get a late build 14 model the heated grips work and it has the heavier crankhttp://www.ukgser.com/forums/images/smilies/clap.gif
 
I took out a factory lowered GSA today - I was previously convinced due to my height anything more than the 800GS would be my limit. However after a good ride out today the plan has changed! As per my post in the newbie section.

They have a un-reged factory lowered Triple black - Pretty close to a deal, as per my post, since that post i've had a call back offering a little more "assistance" to do the deal.

Monday could be the day.....
 
Im taking the 5th......

Got to love the GS. I have just bought my 5th, a 2016 GS adventure. the down side is I've got another 9 days before I get home from work, when I do eventually get home there is my new bike sat waiting for me. Im counting every day/hour/minute/second...tick tock......:thumb2:rolleyes:
 
Firstly, I'm a newbie, and I've just made the mistake of testing a 1200 GS. Yes, I bloody loved it. I was very surprised by how smooth it was (I rode an air cooled one a few years ago), the handling was superb, in fact, everything was excellent. So i'm very tempted to swap my Triumph Explorer. What I'm looking for is some reassurance on reliability. I have read elsewhere of problems with paint flaking off engines and frames, and of mechanical failures. So, if I buy a new GS, will it be reliable? I would appreciate real life experiences from you chaps on here. I hope it's good news Thanks in anticipation.

Mine's 18 months old and I've had no problems with it. There have been/are corrosion issues being reported to BMW under warranty with the common fix being to change the engine/gearbox and FD FOC but that doesn't effect reliability. Mine has a crud catcher, fender extender and rear hugger to help protect it and I use FS365 too. Don't forget for ever disgruntled rider there will be the silent majority who have no problems across any make/model, but there are tossers on here who are repeat buyers which says something. The GSA/GS also outsells everything else in the large capacity section so on a pro rata basis there's always going to be more complaints about them, whether they are any less reliable than any other bike is anyone's guess. I'll be buying another next time round :beerjug:
 
Mine's 18 months old and I've had no problems with it. There have been/are corrosion issues being reported to BMW under warranty with the common fix being to change the engine/gearbox and FD FOC but that doesn't effect reliability. Mine has a crud catcher, fender extender and rear hugger to help protect it and I use FS365 too. Don't forget for ever disgruntled rider there will be the silent majority who have no problems across any make/model, but there are tossers on here who are repeat buyers which says something. The GSA/GS also outsells everything else in the large capacity section so on a pro rata basis there's always going to be more complaints about them, whether they are any less reliable than any other bike is anyone's guess. I'll be buying another next time round :beerjug:

Well said. :thumb
 
Hi All,

I'm not biker for too long. I was at the age of 15 dirt bike rider, had terrible crash and stopped riding for 14 years, didn't even sat on bike after.
Always had GS in my mind 1150 then almighty R1200GS but never thought I'll have one. 1,5 years ago my mate took me to Motorcycle Live and that was a trigger.
Licence in 3 months, will Gs be good first bike? Didn't know so bought F800S, 6 months later during service my F BMW Cooper let me have a ride. Dream came true:)
3 weeks ago bought my first GS oilhead. Happiest man in the world since.

Shouldn't test ride GS:)

don't do it just buy it
 
I have never driven a BMW motorcycle, I have never ever even sat on one...

Coming from a trouble free Ducati Multistrada DVT...but with that bike I always find myself (47 yo) riding that you should not do...always 50 kph over the speed limits, wheelies etc. Time to settle down a bit, I need my licens and life is good.

When touring in europe I see only GS and GSA, I mean all these riders cant be wrong.

Soon I will know what the hype is all about. PXed my Multistrada to a brand spanking new 2018 GS rallye with everything and some more except sport suspension and knobbys.

So I really followed this advice, didnt I?

Pick up next week :)
 
It was both amusing and reassuring to read some of these comments this morning! I just purchased Ian's (fire3500) 2009 R1200GS SE and rode it nearly 3 hours in strong winds and freezing temperatures in the dark having never ridden a GS before. I'm also not the tallest or broadest bloke in the world. It was intimidating at first. I felt like an absolute beginner! Very different to the v-twin cruiser I've been used to the past 5 years or the Honda hornet the few years before that. I actually felt like CBT day one as I set off and no doubt Ian feared for my safety as I bumbled down the road. But...it only took a few minutes and things got better and after a few more mins I was comfortable and giving it a bit more on the throttle. I can tell already there's a lot this bike is capable of and I'm looking forward to exploring on it!
 
It was both amusing and reassuring to read some of these comments this morning! I just purchased Ian's (fire3500) 2009 R1200GS SE and rode it nearly 3 hours in strong winds and freezing temperatures in the dark having never ridden a GS before. I'm also not the tallest or broadest bloke in the world. It was intimidating at first. I felt like an absolute beginner! Very different to the v-twin cruiser I've been used to the past 5 years or the Honda hornet the few years before that. I actually felt like CBT day one as I set off and no doubt Ian feared for my safety as I bumbled down the road. But...it only took a few minutes and things got better and after a few more mins I was comfortable and giving it a bit more on the throttle. I can tell already there's a lot this bike is capable of and I'm looking forward to exploring on it!

Welcome to the gang. Enjoy your new bike. For the vertically challenged like me check out the method for aiming for the righthand food peg rather than the floor when getting on and remember they bounce quite well DAMHIKT:D

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