1150 GSA newbie questions

[pnewman]

Hi guys,

Looking at getting a 1150 GSA , Couple of questions if you dont mind

I have looked at two 2003 GSA's and both seem different in respect of the alternator/ drive body colour - 1 is black and the other is Silver , any relevance ?

1 has a black seat, 1 has a black and red seat ? , is it an options thing

I was looking as the where i can mount my zumo 500 and how to take power to it, on my 1200 gsa i used the canbus power take off, obviously the 1150 GSA wont have this , does it have a power take off anywhere behind the dash or is it a case of cutting in the 12 volt switched feed.... ?

What should i be looking for , i.e corrosion , wear , common faults..

Any other recommendations would be great ...

Or should i just stick to my Tenere xt660z

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

get a small power adaptor from the tinternet for a couple of quid, buy a car power adaptor and cut the car plug end off, wire that into the smaller plug, plug it in to the accessory socket beside the dials, plug in the accessory!

or is that not what you asked and i have just been incredibly patronsing?

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

check the paralever and final drive bearing slack (see million other posts on here about that one!)
Have a good look listen over of the servo and ABS operation/condition (not easy) - mine failed and was replaced - mucho spondooleees
If you havent ridden one before, they feel like they have been cut in half and welded back together with rubber glue so dont worry if it feels a bit funny (not to mention the almost total lack of feel at the front end due to the suspension type! That was very strange when i took my first ride i can tell you) - dont worry about the numb front, you get used to it and learn just to TRUST that it isnt about to wash away - a day off road on it will teach you more than you could ever pick up in years on the road about its handling in my opinion.

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

last post!

my GSA 2003 has a grey and red seat, black front engine casing cover (inc alternator cover)

 

[robc]

I've got my Zumo wired direct to the battery using the wiring provided by Garmin. Never had any flat batteries caused by this. I run the power and the StarCom1 cabling under the tank. Some wires are too long but I stuffed them into the handlebar pad Safe and sound.

The Zumo itself is mounted to the handlebar using the kit provided.

Regards

Rob C

 

[pnewman]

gsa

Thanks Michael

i had a 1200 GSA and sold it and have rode on and off road with that (big beast too heavy to keep picking up , my tenere and my dakar too,

Haven't rode the 1150 gsa , reason for looking at 1150 gsa is that i cannot justify 8-9 k for a bike, but for around £4.5 k i can get a 1150 gsa, and pocket the other 5k i have left over from the sale of my 2009 GSA

I think on the two bikes i have seen , the gearbox casing ? , the bit with the secondary power socket on the side one is black and one is silver too ?

Will do some checks , i know on one of the bikes the servo abs has been removed as if failed previously so non abs brakes now.

Cheers

Paul

last post!

my GSA 2003 has a grey and red seat, black front engine casing cover (inc alternator cover)

 

[pnewman]

Thanks Rob

I've got my Zumo wired direct to the battery using the wiring provided by Garmin. Never had any flat batteries caused by this. I run the power and the StarCom1 cabling under the tank. Some wires are too long but I stuffed them into the handlebar pad Safe and sound.

The Zumo itself is mounted to the handlebar using the kit provided.

Regards

Rob C

 

[MikeP]

I have looked at two 2003 GSA's and both seem different in respect of the alternator/ drive body colour - 1 is black and the other is Silver , any relevance ?

Black engine and gearbox was a customer option.

1 has a black seat, 1 has a black and red seat ? , is it an options thing

The "Aluminium white" (silver) bikes standard seat colour was grey and red (the one you are looking at may be old and dirty or recovered). All black was an option for both the Sliver and the Black bikes.

I was looking as the where i can mount my zumo 500 and how to take power to it, on my 1200 gsa i used the canbus power take off, obviously the 1150 GSA wont have this , does it have a power take off anywhere behind the dash or is it a case of cutting in the 12 volt switched feed.... ?

If it's a genuine Adventure, then like your 1200 it has a specifically designed take-off but only for the BMW power lead that comes with BMW badged Garmin units. It is piggy-backed onto the beak-mounted auxiliary socket. The auxiliary socket remains live on these bikes with the ignition off so you can use this to power your Zumo.

What should i be looking for , i.e corrosion , wear , common faults..

Fork lowers and ball-joint/fork brace are badly finished. The former collects lots of stone chips, the coating on the latter peels back from the edges as the ali oxidises. That's most obvious corrosion, less obvious, the rear sub-frame can be seriously manky under the rear carrier/seat frame. The wishbone arm is badly finished underneath and corrosion will work away unseen eventually peeling the powder coat. On the wishbone, where the lower shock is mounted, the depression in the pan can allow corrosion to start around the weld.

As mentioned, common faults with the rear-end are the final-drive failure and the paralever thrust bearings. Neither are costly or difficult to sort-out.

Any other recommendations would be great ...

Low first gear was an option on the Adv. Worth having as the standard first-gear is stupidly tall resulting in much more clutch slipping in dawdling traffic but difficult to know that a bike has it without reference to the original specifications (or riding one against the other, as long as you know that one has the 'Enduro' box).

Some will say to avoid Servo-ABS. It is overly-complicated and the earlier versions (roughly pre-twin-spark models) is a bit more abrupt in operation than the last version (identified by the BMW as opposed to Brembo name on the callipers) but many have had no problems with the system, plus it's easy and inexpensive to junk it when, or if it does have problems.

Twin-Spark bikes seem less prone to surging but the downside is a few quid more for servicing and the occasional coil-pack failure.

What extras it has will depend upon taste or use. Few are unadorned with panniers and extra lights. If the bling is not to your taste don't worry, it is almost certain to appeal to someone else and there are plenty of buyers.

Good luck finding the right bike for you.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Black engine and gearbox was a customer option.

The "Aluminium white" (silver) bikes standard seat colour was grey and red (the one you are looking at may be old and dirty or recovered). All black was an option for both the Sliver and the Black bikes.

If it's a genuine Adventure, then like your 1200 it has a specifically designed take-off but only for the BMW power lead that comes with BMW badged Garmin units. It is piggy-backed onto the beak-mounted auxiliary socket. The auxiliary socket remains live on these bikes with the ignition off so you can use this to power your Zumo.

Fork lowers and ball-joint/fork brace are badly finished. The former collects lots of stone chips, the coating on the latter peels back from the edges as the ali oxidises. That's most obvious corrosion, less obvious, the rear sub-frame can be seriously manky under the rear carrier/seat frame. The wishbone arm is badly finished underneath and corrosion will work away unseen eventually peeling the powder coat. On the wishbone, where the lower shock is mounted, the depression in the pan can allow corrosion to start around the weld.

As mentioned, common faults with the rear-end are the final-drive failure and the paralever thrust bearings. Neither are costly or difficult to sort-out.

Low first gear was an option on the Adv. Worth having as the standard first-gear is stupidly tall resulting in much more clutch slipping in dawdling traffic but difficult to know that a bike has it without reference to the original specifications (or riding one against the other, as long as you know that one has the 'Enduro' box).

Some will say to avoid Servo-ABS. It is overly-complicated and the earlier versions (roughly pre-twin-spark models) is a bit more abrupt in operation than the last version (identified by the BMW as opposed to Brembo name on the callipers) but many have had no problems with the system, plus it's easy and inexpensive to junk it when, or if it does have problems.

Twin-Spark bikes seem less prone to surging but the downside is a few quid more for servicing and the occasional coil-pack failure.

What extras it has will depend upon taste or use. Few are unadorned with panniers and extra lights. If the bling is not to your taste don't worry, it is almost certain to appeal to someone else and there are plenty of buyers.

Good luck finding the right bike for you.

Sound advice

 

[pnewman]

Thanks Mike P for some great info and explanation...

 

[plrb]

Black / Silver

Black ones faster, paint is lighter and more streamlined. Honest