1300 GSA v 1150 GSA

[Doris]

Getting heavier though when they went water cooled

A caricature of the original concept

I was out on my 1150 Adv yesterday and it’s still a brilliant bike

As is the 1150 vs the R80….

 

[Asturcon]

Getting heavier though when they went water cooled

A caricature of the original concept

I was out on my 1150 Adv yesterday and it’s still a brilliant bike

Actually not the case between 1150 GSA to the next iteration, the 1200 GSA.

It's a bit of a banal argument, this. As I said, if it were down to a (forced) choice between the two on a RTW trip, common sense might dictate you take the simpler analogue bike, especially with no support. But in reality you would not choose to take either, what you would do is buy a Yamaha Teneré 700 or similar. Even a 2003 XT would be a better choice.

If you were doing a Charlie & Ewan and BMW were supporting you, you would take the newer version all day long. If you were to take Charlie & Ewan's bike on the same trip they did now, the bikes would probably break down long before a new 1300GSA. And I know I have changed my tune on this, but I've had time to think about it a bit more.

There is a romantic notion attached to the 1150, and the twin-cam, and I get it; it's probably very nice for a Sunday ride, or an EU jaunt on day-release from the Home to see the memorials, in the same way any classic vehicle might be to an enthusiast. However, to say it is "better" because it's simpler, is utter hogwash because that is a very subjective view.

I would certainly not have the same enthusiasm for my tours on an 1150 (or TC) that I do on my super-stable, super comfortable, powerful new ABS & TC bike. And it seems most owners share my viewpoint because a quick search reveals that much less than half of the 2200 1150s registered in the UK are actually taxed.