1150gs or 1150gsa

[LBL]

Hi all,

Please forgive my ignorance as a 1200 owner i am blissfully unaware of the differances as stated above.

I have found myself helping a mate search for an 1150 and after just missing out on a GSA today, could anybody give me a brief bit of info on the differance between the two models, ive noticed some gsa's dont have full bars or extra lighting etc and is it just better to get a kitted gs.

I realise seat height is one differance but just wanted some quick answers as im going to look at a gs with him tomorrow.

Thanks in advance

 

[sproggy]

GSA - taller, heavier, vibrates more, less stable on the motorway, uncomfortable one-piece seat, uncomfortable for a pillion too. Extra lighting if fitted will be non-standard.

Standard GS - much better

They are different bikes - if your mate doesn't know which one he wants he should decide before he buys one and realises it's not what he thought it would be. You'll get people saying the GS is better and others saying the GSA is better but that's just their (and my) personal opinion. They're both good bikes but generally speaking everyone will find that one suits their needs better than the other.

I thought about buying a GSA and lowering it and taking off all the heavy crap....er....sorry, 'genuine accessories', but realised that what I wanted was the standard bike with the only Adv part worth having - the screen. Cheaper too.

Tell him to buy the one he wants. They're both better than a 1200

 

[D6]

gs is geared for motorways better(i think), 1st gear is taller also.
tank is smaller but still huge, if u aint goin offroad, buy the gs

 

[Butchersdog]

All as the above. I bought a GS and stuck the 31L tank on, the best part of the Adv I think

Will run it into the ground and then take all the bits off, the good ones, and do it all again.

 

[LBL]

thanks

Cheers guys

i have owned a gs and gsa ................ but of the 1200 variety

 

[oblertone]

GSA has ...

... Lower 1st gear, 'overdrive' 6th, bigger (30l) tank, taller suspension and most have crash-bars; I think that's about it.

They (GSA's) are significantly taller, add in the larger tank and unless you're very lucky you will drop it at zero mph, hence the crash-bars. Therefore if your 'friend' is less than about 5'10" I wouldn't recommend the GSA. Once moving, they are remarkably stable, and few bikes have a greater road 'presence'.

For what it's worth I don't think they vibrate any more than any other boxer, although the original crash-bars do snap at the welds and cause an extra vibration. Headguards are the answer

 

[Deleted member CB]

... Lower 1st gear, 'overdrive' 6th, bigger (30l) tank, taller suspension and most have crash-bars; I think that's about it.

Lower 1st, big tank, crash bars, not fitted standard on a 1150ADV all years, some years these things were an option.

Taller suspension & bench seat, yes they all have one piece seats & taller suspension (unless lowered by a short arse)

This question comes round quite often, the answers are usually a bit hit & miss, what about a sticky with a 1150ADV differences? With "always has (across the years)", & "might have as an option".

As far as I know the other definite bits (not options) as well as seat & tall suspension are a beak guard, different decals, screen, anodized wheels, forks, rocker covers.
Sump guard heavier alloy?
Handle bar padding?

Anybody care to add as to what was always standard on a 1150ADV.

 

[MikeP]

Trouble is, the spec changed. Some options became standard.

 

[Deleted member CB]

Trouble is, the spec changed. Some options became standard.

That would mean they were not standard across all the years!


What do ALL 1150ADVs have extra as standard over a normal 1150GS?

Bench seat
Taller suspension
Bigger screen
Different graphics
Anodized forks, wheels, rocker covers
Beak guard/extender
Higher output alternator?
Handlebar padding?
Heavier sump guard?

 

[(RIP) Bobble]

Having owned both, I prefer my std 1150 (with large tank etc)

But that's just me...

 

[judge]

What do ALL 1150ADVs have extra as standard?

Bench seat, extended beak, bigger screen, taller suspension - that's it (could be an uprated alternator as well )

 

[King Rat]

You have all missed the most vital ingredient that comes as standard with 1150 Adventure, and none at all with the 1200 Adventure.....................
















Street cred, or kudos.
To be fair, there can be few more iconic bikes than the 1150 Adv in silver - that film of two lads off on their Big Trip started a new cult. (Yes, I spelled it correctly! Not an Anglo Saxon adjective.)They put the bike firmly on th emap all around the world, but it was already an aspirational machine long before they got their mitts on them - the sales brochure for the 1150 Adventure was a work of art in itself. The guys at BMW knew they had something special, have you ever known another manufacturer to produce a seperate brochure of such high production value as BMW did for the 1150 Adventure? It was a panoramic, gate fold brochure - for the one bike, not even for the GS family, there was another brochure for the standard GS. When I saw that brochure when it first came out I wanted one, but I might just have well have wanted a trip to Mars. They were a phenomenal price - thankfully, time took its toll and they became more affordable (especially when some people bought them and found they didn't like/couldn't get on with them)

If your mate hasn't always wanted an Adventure, then he is probably better on a standard GS. It is still a very capable machine and probably better suited to everyday riding (and this is from an Adv owner and someone who coveted one forover 3 years before I came across someone with more money than sense that couldn't get their feet on the ground).

 

[MikeP]

That would mean they were not standard across all the years!


What do ALL 1150ADVs have extra as standard?

Extra?

Wrong approach.

Different.

One piece bench seat and different rear carrier/grab-rail. Taller suspension. Dark anodised wheel rims. Braided brake & clutch hoses. Higher output 600W alternator and 12v/19Ah battery. Bigger (non-adjustable) screen. Bigger bash plate. Plastic protector on the beak.

When the Adventure was launched, a 30 litre tank was an option, later the standard tank became an option and the 30 litre one standard. Engine protection bars that extended backwards above the cylinders and across to the sub-frame (option, later made standard).

The Adventure never had the 'overdrive' sixth gear (that was deleted from the GS at about the same time). A low 'enduro' first gear remained a customer option to the end of production.

Remote jump-start posts became standard.

Optional ECU code plug for "safe use of lower octane fuels".

Other items that remained options were the soft as putty fog-lamps, the Adventure luggage system and the 'cattle grid' headlamp protector.

Twin Spark models certainly should have had most of the options as standard but much of it was made standard for the UK market from early-on.

Black engine and gearbox finish was an option throughout the model life.

Two colour options: 764 = White Aluminium metallic and red/grey seat. 716 Night black (non-metallic) and mandarin/black seat. The seat could also be specified all black as an option.

The last models were all 'SE' finished in white and blue, all with silver engine/gearbox. These were produced in answer to a demand from those who found even the 'primer' ones too butch and wanted something much more overtly camp (the proper, black ones, give them nightmares).

 

[Marathon Biker]

To alter the GS to the GSA Spec suspension, is it just a case of swapping out the coil overs (shocks) or do they have different swing arms, pivots, fork legs, etc?

I'm 6'1" and can adequately 'paddle' the GS with it's seat in the high position, so would like to increase suspension travel and then lower the seat back to it's lowest position.

Cheers, MB

 

[MikeP]

To alter the GS to the GSA Spec suspension, is it just a case of swapping out the coil overs (shocks) or do they have different swing arms, pivots, fork legs, etc?

Swing arm is the same but I believe that the shaft itself is slightly different (longer splines to avoid the shaft and FD parting company if the full, additional, suspension range is used).

I'm not certain if all Adventures have different splines but my 04 model has one wider spline to ensure correct UJ phasing. I've never split the shaft on a non-Adventure but reading write-ups about the need to correctly phase the UJ's makes me think that not all bikes had this (that might just be me misreading though).

Fork legs are the same.

Side and main-stands are longer/taller to deal with the extra suspension height.

 

[davegs]

Adventure

... Lower 1st gear, 'overdrive' 6th, bigger (30l) tank, taller suspension and most have crash-bars; I think that's about it.

They (GSA's) are significantly taller, add in the larger tank and unless you're very lucky you will drop it at zero mph, hence the crash-bars. Therefore if your 'friend' is less than about 5'10" I wouldn't recommend the GSA. Once moving, they are remarkably stable, and few bikes have a greater road 'presence'.

For what it's worth I don't think they vibrate any more than any other boxer, although the original crash-bars do snap at the welds and cause an extra vibration. Headguards are the answer

The lower first gear was an option and NOT a standard fitting.

 

[Keith Chapman]

Bench seat, extended beak, bigger screen, taller suspension - that's it (could be an uprated alternator as well )

The 1150GS screen is adjustable, the 1150GSA screen is not.