1200GS vs 1200GSA (and RT)

[GSmonkey]

Had the opportunity to test the two bikes back to back yesterday. I know its been done to death but I'd give my ovservations for reference:

Looks
I guess the GSA has it on the looks department. Certainly gives the Tonka toy look. When riding around people turned to look at me on the GSA whereas didn't really give a toss on the GS. When filtering oncomming traffic made a beeline for the gutter

Weather Protection
Well it was one of those drizzly days, so not particularly pleasant. Did a bit of dual carridgeway work (A31) then some twisties (Alton - Basingstoke). The screen on the GSA is better than the GS, but not to the degree I thought it was be. If I had to quantify it, I'd say 25% better in terms of noise, blast, buffeting etc. Leg protection however was much much better on the GSA. I didn 't feel as though I was getting the wet left leg syndrome, but I could have been imagining that. Overall my legs were nice and warm on the GSA, but not on the GS.

Riding
The steering of the GSA was definately much slower than on the GS. I didn't get to go on any slow twisties, but would guess it may be a slight handicap on those rodes. On fast twisties it felt more planted than the GS. However, it depends on whether you like the 'planted' feel. When swapping to the GS, I was much more aware that it was a more 'exciting' ride. The GS wheelied off the trottle over bumps and exiting corners when gassing hard. You didn't get that with the GS.

I was certainly aware that the GSA was taller. When you're riding along it does feel like a GS on stilts. That part of it was actually quite fun. At 5'11'' I was on the verge of not being comfortable with the standard seat. I had to reach down with my feet to find the ground rather than it just being there. I would think that it would be easy to come a cropper if getting on a slight camber. It would have been better with the standard GS seat I guess I think that the ride over bumps was slightly better on the GSA, but there wasn't a lot in it.

Performance
Simply put, the GSA felt like a GS with loaded panniers. It was certainly held back by the extra weight. Again, there's not a lot in it, but the GS had a bit more 'urgency' about it. Not enought to put me off the GSA however.

In comparison to the '04 1200GS that I used to have I noticed that the torque speed curve was much more linear. There used to be a dead spot around 4500rpm then it would surge at 5000+. This dip is no longer there (or reduced so not noticable). This make higher rpms more accessible and hence the bike now feels simply 'faster'.

I think that because of the better weather protection there is a tendancy to go a tad faster on the GSA than the GS.

Comfort
For some reason I felt that the GS seat was quite a bit more comfortable than the GSA seat. The GSA forces your legs apart due to the tank I guess, whereas your legs are a bit closer together on the GS. For this sole reason the GS was the more comfortable bike.

Other things
I kept catching my trousers on the GSA pegs. Maybe something you'd get used to, but a pain during the test ride.

I didn't fill the tank up to anywhere near its capacity, so am a bit unsure as to the effect this would have on handling.

Spoked wheels look a pain in the arse to clean

Summary
There really donesn't appear to be much in it. The GSA has the advantage of better weather protection and range, whereas the GS certainly feels 'faster' and more fun the ride round town and on the twisties. I thought that the two would be drastically different bikes but there's really nowt in it.

RT
Had a go on an RT back to back with a GS a few weeks ago. Did the rest ride in the pissing rain. You can ride around on the RT all day and stay virtually dry. The only thing that gets wet is your back due to the low pressure behind the bike. I came back off the RT test ride thinking it wasn't too bad. Got on the GS and literally within 50yrd realised I wouldn't want an RT until I was retired

 

[GrinningGSer]

Good summary GS Monkey... are you tempted to return to a GS / GSA by any chance ?

I have moved from a GS to a GSA and agree with most, but not all of what you say

I am 6' 2" 13st and find the seat of the GSA far more comfortable than the GS and also find the suspension absorbs the bumps much better with a far less jarring ride.

Weather protection also far superior especially in the leg and upper body regions although fitting winglets to my GS sorted a lot of upper body issues. I had a taller screen on my GS and the standard GSA screen seems equivalent to that. The standard GS screen was far too inefective for my height.

GSA is noticeably more planted, which is a feature of increased weight, but it is much less nimble and slower than the GS in all circumstances, which is a penalty, but not really an issue.

My GS had servo brakes and the GSA does not and in reality I cannot tell the difference and do not miss the servos

In summary I love the GSA

 

[GSmonkey]

With the screen thing, I'm only 5'11", so was never troubled so much by the standard GS screen - but the GSA screen is a definate improvement over standard.

The GSA's major downside for me was the lack of nimbleness. When swapping GSA to GS it felt like you'd just stepped onto a supermoto. My use will be 50% long tours, 50% day trips with only minor commuting, as I now have a hack for that. So the decision on GS/GSA is 50/50 for me. Money's not really an issue as cost of ownership will be similar over 3yrs or so.

As for whether I want another GS, well that depends how all the other test rides go and what the 2008 models look like. What worries me about the GS is still reliability, which ultimately is the reason I sold my 2004 model. Now I'd hope that some of the issues have been solved, but I still see quite a few nasty problems on later models on this forum. If I was to go GS route it would be with the acceptance of potential poor reliability. As I won't be using it for day-to-day transport, it won't be as much of an issue as it was with my previous model.

First of all I've got to test ride the usual suspects from Honda, Suzuki, KTM and Buell. I've decided to go the big traille route again as fat tourers are just too boring, I don't want another sportsbike at the moment and supermoto's can't tour.

The GSX-R1000 was an incredibly fun bike to ride, but it has now gone, mainly to protect my licence. It was the most challenging bike I think I've ever ridden, but possibly not the most rewarding as you can only use a small % of its capability. Suprisingly good touring machine it turned out. And yes, a well ridden litre bike goes a lot faster than a GS before anybody sticks their 2p in

 

[muppix]

The GSX-R1000 was an incredibly fun bike to ride, but it has now gone, mainly to protect my licence. It was the most challenging bike I think I've ever ridden, but possibly not the most rewarding as you can only use a small % of its capability. Suprisingly good touring machine it turned out. And yes, a well ridden litre bike goes a lot faster than a GS before anybody sticks their 2p in

I enjoyed your write-up tremendously Monkey, thanks for sharing, but am now in doubts whether to go for a GS or a GSA.

Y'see, I've got a pair of '98 1200 Bandits at the moment; a standard-ish half-faired one with Givi luggage and Ohlins all round, and a nekkid stage II streetfighter complete with Ducati back end and Lamborghini paint. The latter is staying for those "I'll just nip out for half an hour while the football's on" summer evenings, but the former will be moving on in order to make room for a capable, comfortable tourer that can handle the occasional dirt road and embarrass unsuspecting sports bike riders.

Don't get me wrong - my pipe & slippers days are a long way off yet but on the other hand if I want peg-scratching adrenaline then I'll always have the Bandit, so I'm now torn between the extra tank range and comfort of the GSA over the more responsive handling of the GS.

Dunno ... I've a test ride on a GS this Saturday at Vines, maybe I'll hold out for a go on a GSA, or even one of the 2008 models. Is there much innovation between years with these bikes by the way?

Mup.

 

[GSmonkey]

muppix - I'd ask vines for a back-to-back test with the GSA, well worth doing. The tank range, weather protection vs better handling is not an easy one to judge. I'm leaning towards a standard GS, due to performance and handling if I think BMW is the way to go for me. I did however really want the GSA (as I've already had a GS) so will probably have another go on a GSA to see if I can change my mind.

The GS is far from a pipe and slippers bike - if you give it a chance you'll see how good it handles and performs.

I don't think people are expecting much innovation between the 2007 & 2008 models. The new engine (if correct) will probably not change things much.

 

[jammyk]

made simple

i only had to ask my missus. she liked the GSA, she didnt like the GS.

Reasoning being: 10 miles on the back of the GS she felt sick.

she didnt feel remotely ill on the GSA, and also she reckoned that if i could afford it, go for the mans bike (her words not mine )

 

[GSmonkey]

....go for the mans bike (her words not mine )

...interesting logic, given that if you were bothered about image in the first place, BMW would be the last place to look for a bike

I'm comfortable with my sexulity , so its not an issue for me

 

[Gipsy]

A good and concise report from someone who has owned a Gs and doesn't need to address non essential items. Thanks very much.

 

[Ian916]

good reading, thanks.

 

[GSmonkey]

For the record, I bought the GSA in the end

 

[sarthek]

Apologies for the thread bump, but I thought I'd throw in my tuppence worth.

I currently ride a 2006 1200GS and last Saturday went for a test-ride on (and ultimately ordered) a 2008 GSA. I can safely say that I largely agree with what you said above - the handling is noticeably slower on the GSA, but that's to be expected.

I have to say though that I found the wind protection immeasurably better on the GSA than the GS. I'm about 5'11" myself and I found wherever I adjusted the screen on the standard GS I got a lot of turbulence about the top of my head. I didn't experience any of this on the GSA and that made it immensely more comfortable from the get-go. Add to that the better protection around the legs and it was by far the more pleasant bike to be on in the cold weather we had on Saturday.

The seat height is/ was a slight concern given my height. I rode one with the standard seat and it felt manageable around town although I couldn't find much traffic to get stuck in. I may end up considering a lower seat when the time comes, but we'll see how it goes.

The dealer seemed to down-play the gearbox and engine improvements for the 2008 model, which surprised me given how much better they felt to me when ridden back to back with my bike. The new engine felt stronger lower down the rev range and didn't feel nearly as vibey pulling from about 2000rpm as my bike. It's not exactly a step-change in quality, but the refinement is definitely there. The difference in feel between the two gearboxes was instantly noticeable, as far as I was concerned. The gearbox on the bike I rode was far smoother and quieter when shifting than my own bike. One surprising thing I did notice was that there was no stop at first gear on the bike I rode - you could still push the lever downwards (to no effect) with the bike in first gear. I didn't think to try sixth to see if it was the same.

I had a play with the ESA when I was out on the test ride but didn't specify it on the bike I ordered - I don't adjust my suspension that often, and when I do I find that I can usually muster the strength to turn a knurled knob.

While I think of it: I much preferred the non-servo ABS on the GSA to the servo-assisted ABS on my bike. I didn't find that it required much more pressure on the lever to pull the bike up and I just generally preferred the feel of the system. I was also pleased to see the change to an LED rear light cluster which means I'll have far less paranoia about the single rear bulb going when I'm in the middle of nowhere. It's the little things, as they say...

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Welcome to the board.

I don't adjust my suspension that often, and when I do I find that I can usually muster the strength to turn a knurled knob.

I think that misses the point. I used not to until I had ESA (on my RT). It's not the ability to adjust the preload (which is infrequent I agree - just depends on load). It's the ability to switch between Comfort, Normal and Sport (plus whatver else they've added on the GSA) on the fly without fiddling with the screw at the bottom of the shock. It means you can avoid average settings and have say a softer setting than usual for wafting along the motorway and then instantly change it to a much harder setting when back in the twisties. Its not a perfect system but it works for me.

 

[sarthek]

Thanks.

Admittedly I was only able to play with it for the hour and a bit that I had the bike for, but I couldn't feel a huge amount of difference between the sport and comfort settings on the GS (or not enough to justify the extra cost, at least). It could just be a lack of refinement on my part.

 

[TheStig]

Welocome sarthek,

So what color / options did you go for ?

I have a GSA on order from vines .. Titanium with ABS,comfort package,akrapovic end can and alloy panniers . I am still in 2 minds about ESA !! delivery in April.. Driving me mad waiting !!

 

[PAL]

GSA v RT

Just to add to the debate, it all goes to show the type of bike we ride is a very personal thing. I have just ordered a new RT instead of my current 1200 GSA, some of you will think I'm mad! I think the GSA is a great bike, but having owned an RT before buying GSA I've missed it.
The RT has great weather protection, to the point that I used it more when the weather wasn't so good, the RT handles well for a Tourer, I test rode the Honda Pan recently, and while I would admit to the engine on the Honda to be really Smooth, the handling of the RT was far better in the corners.
So its horses for courses, and my new horse will be a 1200RT.

 

[sarthek]

Mine's not coming until June unfortunately. It sounds largely similar to yours: comfort package, ABS, pannier mounts (panniers to follow) and fog lights. I was torn between the two colour options but ended up going for silver in the end.

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Just to add to the debate, it all goes to show the type of bike we ride is a very personal thing. I have just ordered a new RT instead of my current 1200 GSA, some of you will think I'm mad! I think the GSA is a great bike, but having owned an RT before buying GSA I've missed it.
The RT has great weather protection, to the point that I used it more when the weather wasn't so good, the RT handles well for a Tourer, I test rode the Honda Pan recently, and while I would admit to the engine on the Honda to be really Smooth, the handling of the RT was far better in the corners.
So its horses for courses, and my new horse will be a 1200RT.

Interesting post. I'm mulling over a change at the moment and thinking about another RT or switching to a GSA. The comment about the protection is the sort of long term thing that you can't assess on a (still to be had) test ride.

Mind you a test ride may turn it into a heart over mind decision. Or I may just keep what I've got.