1200RT 2014 versus GS 2014

[roamer]

Your concern over the wet weather riding on the rt may be the same on a different bike, wet isn't as slippery as it might look,
I used to do a lot of euro touring on vfr and 600 sports bikes, winter and summer, i have the gs for more comfort being older , having tried a rt its a plush capable bike ,
you have a great bike, maybe slip some good wet performing tyres on and see how you feel before binning a lot of cash on a gs deal,
Out of interest where in france are you,
Roamer

 

[Spencert231]

I am waiting to get a few more miles on it when the weather picks up and I will be swapping to Pirelli Angels GT, but will research that closer to the change over and if I still have the bike I live in the Cherente dept 16.

 

[Reggie P]

I prefer the vario panniers and topbox for my needs, I think that they are beautifully made, have very user friendly locks and handles, the whole system works very well, and because they don't need the additional scaffolding to fasten them to the bike, they fit more snug, thus making the bike less wide which is very useful when filtering, plus you can use the vario mechanism to wind them even narrower if preferred. If I'm touring one-up I only require the reduced width setting which keeps the bike quite trim. However, if you prefer the rugged look, stick with the ali boxes.

What wise words! You don't get many enthusiasts for the vario panniers on these forums . I love them for the reasons you mention. The U.K. Roads are chokka ( blame immigration ! That's a joke Stolzy) so the ability to filter (lane-splitting) is so import for me. The vario's , so long as you keep them spotlessly clean and invest in the proper bmw liners are fantastic.

 

[batman1]

Cheers Stuart,
Actually you don't need to keep them that spotless, unlike the bare aluminium boxes normally fitted to the GSA which mark-up after the first 5 minute shower, the vario's come 'anodized' as standard which makes them pretty impervious to corrosion. Mine are 3 years old now on their 3rd bike, and still look like new, you just need to remember to have them expanded when you wash the bike to keep the inner sleeve clear of crud.

 

[r1happy]

+1 for Varios. I get by with a topbox most of the time including weekend trips away to Scotland.
The only time I need more luggage capacity is when going to France/Spain. Then the Varios work brilliantly with inner bags and you can still filter easily. Added benefit is being able to take off the scaffolding that came as standard with the GSA, and makes the bike look loads better.

 

[Troppo]

Agreed. The varios are great.

 

[batman1]

Pleased to know I'm not alone!