A day on the Africa Twin.........

The Nutty GSER said:
That depends what you want from a road bike. I've ridden plenty of crap road bikes in the past, the AT is comfortable on all types of road. The GSA is my choice for the ultimate all rounder, but the AT would certainly make a good second bike.
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I agree - not a second bike for me but if you already have something sporty and want something more 'adventure looking' then an AT is something worth trying. The GS/GSA is also my choice for ultimate all rounder - I am on my 4th GS because there is nothing else that does all I want a bike to do.
 
Engineer said:
I agree - not a second bike for me but if you already have something sporty and want something more 'adventure looking' then an AT is something worth trying. The GS/GSA is also my choice for ultimate all rounder - I am on my 4th GS because there is nothing else that does all I want a bike to do.
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Funny that I did not get another GS because it did not do all i wanted it to do
You just have to accept the fact we all have different opinons...End of
 
Engineer said:
I would disagree that it is a very good road bike - a good one yes, but there are many more aspects to a road bike - with the ATs off-road bias one would expect it to 'soak up' pot holes as an absolute minimum requirement, it would be useless off-road if it didn't! I have ridden an AT on the road and it is ok but it is not a general purpose all road bike like the GS.
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You really are like a dog with a bone aren't you :) Speak to anyone who actually rides off road and they will assure you that the AT is not an off road bike and nor is the GS. They are both too big and too heavy especially for mere mortals .

Capable of leaving tarmac? - yes , and are there some amazing videos of both bikes doing pretty amazing things off road in the hands of extremely talented off road riders who, mostly , don't actually own the bikes they are punishing. Ask them if they would prefer to be riding a KTM690 or something smaller then would say Hell YES ! However, they are both most definitely road bikes and very good road bikes at that.

You said it in your later post . The GS is the better all rounder for YOU . That does not make it the better all rounder for everybody.

Also why did you say "adventure looking" instead of an adventure bike . If, like you suggest , it has more of an off road bias than a GS then it's surely a better adventure bike than the GS and therefore not just adventure "looking" ? Many BMW fans looking for a true Adventure bike lament the fact that they can't buy something like an XChallenge just as many KTM riders wish they could buy a KTM690 Adventure. The big bikes are just getting too big. Witness all the GS owners saying that an R9T it way too small , not it's not , it's a proper sized motorcycle.:thumb
 
Just read the Bike, Bike of the Year article - only just seen it as I have been holidaying in the Picos on the most awesome bike of the last two decades, the GS of course ;).

The reason the GS wasn't in the article is that The Bike of the Year is only for new bikes - doh!
 
Rushy said:
You really are like a dog with a bone aren't you :) Speak to anyone who actually rides off road and they will assure you that the AT is not an off road bike and nor is the GS. They are both too big and too heavy especially for mere mortals .

Capable of leaving tarmac? - yes , and are there some amazing videos of both bikes doing pretty amazing things off road in the hands of extremely talented off road riders who, mostly , don't actually own the bikes they are punishing. Ask them if they would prefer to be riding a KTM690 or something smaller then would say Hell YES ! However, they are both most definitely road bikes and very good road bikes at that.

You said it in your later post . The GS is the better all rounder for YOU . That does not make it the better all rounder for everybody.

Also why did you say "adventure looking" instead of an adventure bike . If, like you suggest , it has more of an off road bias than a GS then it's surely a better adventure bike than the GS and therefore not just adventure "looking" ? Many BMW fans looking for a true Adventure bike lament the fact that they can't buy something like an XChallenge just as many KTM riders wish they could buy a KTM690 Adventure. The big bikes are just getting too big. Witness all the GS owners saying that an R9T it way too small , not it's not , it's a proper sized motorcycle.:thumb
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The GS is the best all rounder for the greatest number of people obviously - just look at the how many have been sold, it couldn't be clearer.
 
Garry H said:
Funny that I did not get another GS because it did not do all i wanted it to do
You just have to accept the fact we all have different opinons...End of
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I agree entirely we all want a bike for different reasons but just look at the sales of the GS compared to the rest .......End of ;)
 
:duno:nenau:nenau:augie:augie:confused::confused:
Arsey said:
I've had bikes for 36 years and my DCT version is one of the very finest road bikes I've ever ridden.
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:confused: :nenau

I'm sorry anyone who says they are road bikes are deluded .

They are most definitely trail bikes . Nothing nothing less
 
WOW Well done Nutty a honest report and a honest opinion from someone who has actually taken the time to ride the bike not just read the reports and put there own spin on it,

I wonder sometimes if the Africa twin had a BMW badge on it and it was called a 1000GS how the opinions of some of the Dickensians like Engineer would differ ?? of course there have been loads of GSs sold, Jesus ive had 16 of them and still got my 1150GSA SE they have been around since the doodlebug it dont make them the best bike ever the best selling car ever is the Toyota Corolla selling 37.5 million units and thats a chunk of crap !!

Still Loving mine

Rob
 
Adventure Boy said:
WOW Well done Nutty a honest report and a honest opinion from someone who has actually taken the time to ride the bike not just read the reports and put there own spin on it,

I wonder sometimes if the Africa twin had a BMW badge on it and it was called a 1000GS how the opinions of some of the Dickensians like Engineer would differ ?? of course there have been loads of GSs sold, Jesus ive had 16 of them and still got my 1150GSA SE they have been around since the doodlebug it dont make them the best bike ever the best selling car ever is the Toyota Corolla selling 37.5 million units and thats a chunk of crap !!

Still Loving mine

Rob
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Bikes are very much not like cars. For the vast majority of the car buying markets, cars are a necessity. Little is known and few interested in the details aside from reliability. Bear in mind there are huge car markets in less developed countries. Where a low tech basic box that wont break is more important than anything else.

Large capacity Bikes, to the vast majority of the bike buying market, are a "toy" not a tool, and also come from developed markets.

A corolla and a GS are as chalk and cheese as it gets. imho....

... Which makes the GS sales records all the more impressive.

And another thing: I read not too long ago (albeit in a Greek bike mag- take it as you wish) that to this day, globally speaking, bikes under 200cc sell (or exist I cannot remember) in a ratio of more than 10:1 to all larger sizes put together... I.e. Tool vs toy...
 
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jetjock said:
:duno:nenau:nenau:augie:augie:confused::confused:

:confused: :nenau

I'm sorry anyone who says they are road bikes are deluded .

They are most definitely trail bikes . Nothing nothing less
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A Serow is a trail bike , a WR250f is a trail bike , a DRZ400 is a trail bike but to use your lovely turn of phrase only the truly deluded think a 100bhp 1000cc parallel twin weighing 240kgs is a trail bike not a road bike :blast
 
Engineer said:
I agree entirely we all want a bike for different reasons but just look at the sales of the GS compared to the rest .......End of ;)
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End of ? How old are you ....16?

You keep on trying to justify your dismissive attitude towards what is undoubtedly a very good bike by continually quoting how great the GS is mainly based on its sales success. Being the most popular bike doesn't actually mean it's the best bike for all those that bought it. It's the bike that most people wanted to own, many of them would probably have more fun on something smaller.

In a recent post you said you saw far more 12 GSs on your holiday . Quelle surprise , a bike that's been available for 10yrs has sold more units than a bike that's been available for 6mths and for the past 2mths you haven't been able to get one. My local dealer said any orders from the last 8wks won't come through until next year now.

Now , whilst that GS sales success is definitely down to BMW producing a hugely capable and very desirable machine with a brand behind it that people want to buy into that does not automatically make it so vastly superior to the Honda AT as to make ithe Honda as shit as you keep trying to suggest. Many of the AT owners have been GS riders who now want to try something different, with different handling characteristics and engine dynamics and something that arguably offers better value too. Inferior? In your mind clearly but perhaps it offers something better for some and then again not for others.

You enjoy your bike and let others enjoy theirs . It's beyond me why you keep posting your drivel in the Honda threads when you clearly have no interest in actually owning anything other than a GS :nenau:confused:
 
Rushy said:
A Serow is a trail bike , a WR250f is a trail bike , a DRZ400 is a trail bike but to use your lovely turn of phrase only the truly deluded think a 100bhp 1000cc parallel twin weighing 240kgs is a trail bike not a road bike :blast
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Oh ffs !!

The WR and DRZ are off road bikes .

The AT is a trail bike .

The S1000rr is a road bike

:blast
 
Personally I don't care what it's called, personally I don't care how you think it ranks against another.... I am interested in well referenced views

'in this situation it performed like this which was diffrent to my experience on so and so bike in a similar situation'

What I'm really not interested in are posts which start or finish with a 'I'm wise because' or a smart arsed pop at another poster to help justify your opinion by attempting to discredit another's.

And unless it's obvious piss taking then I'm certainly not keen on the views of those who act as though they are the elected spokesperson
 
Adventure Boy said:
WOW Well done Nutty a honest report and a honest opinion from someone who has actually taken the time to ride the bike not just read the reports and put there own spin on it,

I wonder sometimes if the Africa twin had a BMW badge on it and it was called a 1000GS how the opinions of some of the Dickensians like Engineer would differ ?? of course there have been loads of GSs sold, Jesus ive had 16 of them and still got my 1150GSA SE they have been around since the doodlebug it dont make them the best bike ever the best selling car ever is the Toyota Corolla selling 37.5 million units and thats a chunk of crap !!

Still Loving mine

Rob
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BMW already have a competitor to the Africa Twin, the 800GS - the AT is a better bike than the 800GS.
 
Personally, I've always thought the F800GS (and similar) is the natural competitor to the AT. I can understand the bike press always lumping the biggest bikes in their market sector together, doesn't always make that decision correct. As I said somewhere else, the AT is a return to the big trailie rather than the overly complicated uber adv bikes.

If Yamaha had made a 1 ltr trailie more akin to this than the 1200 lump, that would have got more interest from me a few years back.
 

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Davy F said:
WOW !!! You've actually said something that many might actually agree with....:eek: :thumb2 :D
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Well it actually more comparable to the 800GS isn't it?, 21" skinny front wheel, relatively skinny rear tyre too, chain drive etc..etc, the design bias of the AT is not the same as the 1200GS/A.
 
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