Hi all, new member from Ireland.
I’m 51, turning 52 shortly, and I’m looking at getting back into motorcycling after many years away. I rode when I was younger but never went through the full licence process at the time, so I’ll be starting properly and doing the full Category A route.
Realistically I’m probably around two years away from buying the bike I actually want, so I’m doing plenty of research beforehand rather than buying first and learning afterwards. The long-term plan is mainly two-up touring around Ireland and Europe with my partner, Steff, plus panniers/top box and normal touring luggage.
I’m not looking for advice on what learner bike to buy just yet — I’m trying to understand what ownership of the bikes I’m interested in is actually like once they’re 8–15 years old and have decent mileage on them.
At the moment my shortlist is headed by the Yamaha Super Ténéré, with the BMW R1200GS/GSA a very close second. If I go BMW, I’m particularly interested in roughly 2015–17 liquid-cooled R1200GS/GSA models, preferably standard height and ideally without Dynamic ESA. I’m happier with manually adjustable suspension and fewer very expensive electronic components.
My biggest question is long-term reliability, particularly the cardan/driveshaft and final drive. I know BMW introduced inspection/service measures and replacement schedules on these bikes, so I’d really like to hear from owners who have actually accumulated serious mileage.
What mileage did your original shaft reach? Has BMW replaced yours under the campaign? Have you needed another since? Any final-drive bearing or gearbox issues?
More generally, once these bikes get into the 80,000–150,000 km range, what genuinely expensive failures have you experienced beyond normal servicing and consumables?
Rider + passenger will be roughly 150 kg before riding gear and luggage, so I’m also interested in how the GS/GSA behaves properly loaded two-up over long distances.
If you were heading off tomorrow on a 3,000–5,000 km European trip, would you trust your bike without hesitation?
Looking forward to learning a bit from people who’ve actually lived with them.
I’m 51, turning 52 shortly, and I’m looking at getting back into motorcycling after many years away. I rode when I was younger but never went through the full licence process at the time, so I’ll be starting properly and doing the full Category A route.
Realistically I’m probably around two years away from buying the bike I actually want, so I’m doing plenty of research beforehand rather than buying first and learning afterwards. The long-term plan is mainly two-up touring around Ireland and Europe with my partner, Steff, plus panniers/top box and normal touring luggage.
I’m not looking for advice on what learner bike to buy just yet — I’m trying to understand what ownership of the bikes I’m interested in is actually like once they’re 8–15 years old and have decent mileage on them.
At the moment my shortlist is headed by the Yamaha Super Ténéré, with the BMW R1200GS/GSA a very close second. If I go BMW, I’m particularly interested in roughly 2015–17 liquid-cooled R1200GS/GSA models, preferably standard height and ideally without Dynamic ESA. I’m happier with manually adjustable suspension and fewer very expensive electronic components.
My biggest question is long-term reliability, particularly the cardan/driveshaft and final drive. I know BMW introduced inspection/service measures and replacement schedules on these bikes, so I’d really like to hear from owners who have actually accumulated serious mileage.
What mileage did your original shaft reach? Has BMW replaced yours under the campaign? Have you needed another since? Any final-drive bearing or gearbox issues?
More generally, once these bikes get into the 80,000–150,000 km range, what genuinely expensive failures have you experienced beyond normal servicing and consumables?
Rider + passenger will be roughly 150 kg before riding gear and luggage, so I’m also interested in how the GS/GSA behaves properly loaded two-up over long distances.
If you were heading off tomorrow on a 3,000–5,000 km European trip, would you trust your bike without hesitation?
Looking forward to learning a bit from people who’ve actually lived with them.
