ilkleymoron
Registered user
that's why i went for a gsa and not a tiger 1200 gt explore too many niggly issues
1250 GSA - Still a wise move?
- Thread starter GSMarky
- Start date
Nice one, looking at them side by side there. I'd take the GSA all day long. The rugged appeal and visible presence is a large part of the reason I got a GS.
For some they want silky looks and lightweight. Fair enough for me the braun and husky appearance is more stark and stands out.
+1 Exactly what I think too.
The unfortunate thing is that when you look at these two in that pic, the 1250GSA looks a much more menacing bike and we all know it is very utilitarian, which is/was its appeal. The fortunate thing is, I got my 1250GSA (tall version, always on the high suspension setting), because it is big and has presence, but still manages to squeeze through gaps.
It will be interesting to see if the R1300GS/A maintains the lead with this iteration when compared to the competition, whereas if it was an iteration of R1250 with updated tech (radar) and backlit controls I am confident it would have.
Making the decision to put brake lights on the indicators etc, just shows they really are not listening.
Seriously, an assisted centre stand? Jeez
Don't forget the photo was taken with a wide angle lens and because the 1300 is further away (look at the front wheels) it looks smaller than it actually is. It will still be smaller than the mighty GSA, but not by as much as it appears in the photo
I recently owned the 1250 GS for 3 years so am very familiar with the bike. I opted for the GS over the GSA then and kind of wanted the extra protection and presence at times, so for me the physical size/protection is important. Extended range nice for ‘popping’ to see my folks which is a 300 mile ish round trip also welcome.
I didn’t like the GS13 rear end and lack of back light at all or the indies in the hand guards, or the plastic tank trim either. It went OK but was no quicker for me on short shifting road work.
I did pick up quite a bit of noise from the yoke area - is there a fix?
I didn’t like the GS13 rear end and lack of back light at all or the indies in the hand guards, or the plastic tank trim either. It went OK but was no quicker for me on short shifting road work.
I did pick up quite a bit of noise from the yoke area - is there a fix?
True, but side to side there was quite a difference as you’d expect. My mate is 6’3” and made the 13 look like it was an 850..Don't forget the photo was taken with a wide angle lens and because the 1300 is further away (look at the front wheels) it looks smaller than it actually is. It will still be smaller than the mighty GSA, but not by as much as it appears in the photo
I have more pics & will post
You are correct sir! It would have been better if they were at least level, will wait for the pics from the other post. I really think I should take some pics on a R1300 - being 6ft6 it would be an interesting side by side.....one of the main reasons I chose the GSA was its size, but I am a lazy twat.....but possibly for this community I will take a test ride and compare it with my bike.Don't forget the photo was taken with a wide angle lens and because the 1300 is further away (look at the front wheels) it looks smaller than it actually is. It will still be smaller than the mighty GSA, but not by as much as it appears in the photo
Ta, the road presence of the GSA and to a lesser extent the 1200/1250 GS has always been a selling point, something I realised the importance of when I had a 1200R as a loan bike while my GS was being serviced a few years ago after experiencing loads of SMIDSYs on the R in a single day. I'm off to RS land shortly so hopefully with my aux lights and the twin DRLs the Mr Magoo brigade will see me.
NeilCol
Registered user
From the pictures it is clear even with the GSA being nearer that it is a much more imposing bike.
But I considered it to be the case compared to the 1250 GS and was the main reason I opted for a GSA over the GS recently….as well as it being better value in my opinion with it having the bigger tank but the same price when a GS was the same Soec as a GSA.
However, though I don’t really like the look of the 1300 it’s not really a good
Comparison as I believe the 1300 is being marketed towards a wider market. I had a 1200GS before having come from a CBR 600…wouldn’t even look at a 1200GSA back then due to its size, it just seemed far too big for me.
However after 9 years on the 1200GS it didn’t seem much of a step up in size so was a no brainier this time.
So I believe with the 1300 they are tempting folk in from your smaller bikes who may previously been put off by the size.
It’s obviously much lighter looking as well as actually being lighter so may tempt more ladies into it as well rather than them not looking beyond the 800cc sized bikes around.
My missus opted for a tiger 900 rally and wouldn’t even entertain or look at a 1250GS last year as it felt too big and had never managed to get near to being able to even move my 1200 never mind get it upright off the side stand. She’s 5/7 but little over 9st. She may however look very differently at the new 1300.
Will be interesting to see what the GSA replacement looks like, if it loses that huge girth and aggressive look they really will be missing a trick. A GSA doesn’t need to be smaller or significantly lighter. It doesn’t need a centre stand assistance (compared to the tiger 900 it’s a doddle to get on the Centre stand) or any other pointless assistance, just the engine and ride improving (nowt wrong with the current imho but improvement should always be the aim).
May not be what BMW want I know, they want to get us current owners chopping in for the latest model by making it interesting and thought to be so much better we can’t resist. But I don’t see me being interested until I feel mine is getting tatty or about ti get expensive to fix
But I considered it to be the case compared to the 1250 GS and was the main reason I opted for a GSA over the GS recently….as well as it being better value in my opinion with it having the bigger tank but the same price when a GS was the same Soec as a GSA.
However, though I don’t really like the look of the 1300 it’s not really a good
Comparison as I believe the 1300 is being marketed towards a wider market. I had a 1200GS before having come from a CBR 600…wouldn’t even look at a 1200GSA back then due to its size, it just seemed far too big for me.
However after 9 years on the 1200GS it didn’t seem much of a step up in size so was a no brainier this time.
So I believe with the 1300 they are tempting folk in from your smaller bikes who may previously been put off by the size.
It’s obviously much lighter looking as well as actually being lighter so may tempt more ladies into it as well rather than them not looking beyond the 800cc sized bikes around.
My missus opted for a tiger 900 rally and wouldn’t even entertain or look at a 1250GS last year as it felt too big and had never managed to get near to being able to even move my 1200 never mind get it upright off the side stand. She’s 5/7 but little over 9st. She may however look very differently at the new 1300.
Will be interesting to see what the GSA replacement looks like, if it loses that huge girth and aggressive look they really will be missing a trick. A GSA doesn’t need to be smaller or significantly lighter. It doesn’t need a centre stand assistance (compared to the tiger 900 it’s a doddle to get on the Centre stand) or any other pointless assistance, just the engine and ride improving (nowt wrong with the current imho but improvement should always be the aim).
May not be what BMW want I know, they want to get us current owners chopping in for the latest model by making it interesting and thought to be so much better we can’t resist. But I don’t see me being interested until I feel mine is getting tatty or about ti get expensive to fix
I wanted to try the 1300 motor just in case it was a must have & my mate came along too, so that's how we had them both out together. I had a 1250GS for 3 years and at times wanted more weather protection, a longer range & less knee bend (or a taller seat height). Not once did I want more power or noise from the Akra.
GSA for me if I can find the deal..
GSA for me if I can find the deal..
Thanks GSMarky for the pictures, the 13 is in the colours I prefer.
Seeing it side by side with a 1250GSA does nothing to tempt me away from mine.
Seeing it side by side with a 1250GSA does nothing to tempt me away from mine.
There was a black TE GS13 in the showroom with the electric screen, winglets and cast wheels. I think that would be a better proposition over this one with virtually no weather protection whatsoever. It also had the aux lights neatly positioned up high in the shrouds.
Overall the lack of bulk is significant and the ruggedness & road presence of the outgoing GSA is a winner for me... So is the big tank...
Overall the lack of bulk is significant and the ruggedness & road presence of the outgoing GSA is a winner for me... So is the big tank...
I've just had a play (not for the first time
) on the configurator and it let me add the lekky screen, centre stand, ride heoght thingy and radar to the trophy so if that's correct you can spec more or less what you want with each colour option. This may (or may not if the configurator is set up wrong) that we can choose whatever we want so maybe, just maybe they've gone away from the way they did thingsvwith the RS where if you wanted a certain spec e.g. the SE for the RS you could only have that in a certain colour and vice versa. After all the panels are all the same just diffent colours so hopefully common sense has prevailed at last so we can spec what we want throughout the model range.NeilCol
Registered user
Your conclusion seems the same as mine.
I’d ridden numerous others while having the 2011GS. 1250RT, 1250RS and the GS, and while the RT did seem to be the most appealing due to its storage (liked the central locking boxes), size and wind protection it felt and looked like an old blokes bike and I just wasn’t ready for that.
so I kept the old GS until I finally rode a GSA and that was the one…held off to get a look at the 1300 but once a deal was put together it had to be done.
I’d ridden numerous others while having the 2011GS. 1250RT, 1250RS and the GS, and while the RT did seem to be the most appealing due to its storage (liked the central locking boxes), size and wind protection it felt and looked like an old blokes bike and I just wasn’t ready for that.
so I kept the old GS until I finally rode a GSA and that was the one…held off to get a look at the 1300 but once a deal was put together it had to be done.
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