Advice for prospective new GS owner

[Deleted account 251212001]

Hi All first post so excuse the lack of knowledge here.

I'm seriously toying with the idea of a GS Adventure, based on needing to slow down a bit on the straights but wanting a bike that I can throw around, plus the idea of a do-it all bke appeals as I do a fair bit of two up travel and touring - anyway test ride on saturday for half a day to try it out. Aside from that I also think the bike looks fantastic.

Question is, what should I be going for spec and age wise for 9-10K budget, ASC, ABS, ATC, pack this and that....I'd definately like to get panniers (which are best the bmw ones?) but are the suspension and performance extras worth having as coming from a jap sports bike I currently have none of these! Would I be better getting a newer model year will less extras/options?

Do these options really make a difference or are they just more to go wrong?!

Any opinions on the above would be a great help.

 

[haydw]

When you go for a test ride for half a day don't worry if you don't fall in love with a GSA straight away. If you haven't ridden a GS before and are used to japanese stuff it will feel vibey, top heavy and lot slower.

Given a couple of weeks when you learn how to use it properly I promise you will never go back...

Welcome by the way....

 

[red1]

Only thing worth having is ABS, all the rest is just "boys toys" stuff - and mega expensive to repair if it goes wrong.

Best part of £2,000 for the front ESA shock. Which you could replace with a standard shock - so why bother in the first place.

You should get a low mileage 07/57 model, non-servo brakes, with ABS and full luggage for well within your budget.

Plenty of GSA's with low miles around just make sure you give the back wheel a good shake!

 

[cheap'n'cheerful]

Hi there best piece of advice I can give is suscribe as you can pick up some cracking bikes through this site
Cheers C'n'C

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Got to disagree with red1 on ESA.

IMHO: Worthwhile: Heated grips (pretty well standard anyway), ABS, ESA (especially if your loadings regularly change which it sounds as if they do). Extra power socket.

Absolutely no need but interesting/useful: On board computer and Tyre pressure monitors

Panniers are great. Consider a top box as well. Holds a surprising amount and, though it looks awful on its own, quite useful when you don't want the width*/extra fuel consumption of the panniers. *more in the mind than reality.

Waste of time: ASC (but if you go for the other options, it'll probably have it anyway). Alarm.

All in my own opinion of course.

 

[GS TRV]

Only thing worth having is ABS, all the rest is just "boys toys" stuff - and mega expensive to repair if it goes wrong.

Best part of £2,000 for the front ESA shock. Which you could replace with a standard shock - so why bother in the first place.

You should get a low mileage 07/57 model, non-servo brakes, with ABS and full luggage for well within your budget.

Plenty of GSA's with low miles around just make sure you give the back wheel a good shake!

wot he said

 

[Davel]

Just thought but, if you're trying a GSA why not try a GS too.

Unless you are travelling bigger distances between fuel stops, you may find the GS more suitable for everyday stuff.

Oh, just a word of warning, you may not slow down very much with either bike!

Hi by the way!

 

[Robbo1200ADV]

Just thought but, if you're trying a GSA why not try a GS too.

Unless you are travelling bigger distances between fuel stops, you may find the GS more suitable for everyday stuff.

Oh, just a word of warning, you may not slow down very much with either bike!

Hi by the way!

Or If you can find one a GS1200SE Which is sort of between a GS and GSA in that it has spoked wheels and is a bit taller than a GS ,but not as bulky as a GSA .I had one for a year and really liked it ,but traded it for a 30YR GSA because I'm going round the world at the weekend

 

[Tuono1961]

. I'm going round the world at the weekend

I'm impressed

Circumference of the earth - 25,000 miles

Hours in a weekend - 48

Average speed - 520mph

 

[andyclift]

Absolutely no need but interesting/useful: On board computer and Tyre pressure monitors

Agree with the computer - until BMW sort out the fuel gauge. Mine has had 4 and I still get an estimated range of 400 miles when I know I have only half a tank of fuel.

Tyre pressure monitors not essential but, from experience, the warning of a slow puncture is great BEFORE you drop into a bend.

 

[red1]

Got to disagree with red1 on ESA.

ESA (especially if your loadings regularly change which it sounds as if they do).

Remember, unless you get a late model GSA with ESA II the settings on the original ESA have no bearing on the loading of the bike.

ie: If you set ESA for pillion and luggage each of the Comfort, Normal and Sport settings with a load of a 75kg rider + 70kg pillion + 20kg luggage will be the same setting as 150kg rider + 100kg pillion + 50kg luggage which is pretty pointless but a novelty I suppose.

 

[mrpc]

Hiya

I got my first GS a few months ago after a GSX1400 for a few years. As posted above it took a couple of weeks settling with the GS and learning it I cant believe it took so long to get one! No going back for me now. BTW I changed for all the same reasons as yourself... did slow me down (a bit) on straight roads, I think I move quicker round twisties now, definitely FEEL heaps better.

My one bit of advice would be not to worry about the strange noises, they sound like that!

Get ABS if you can....

Happy travels

 

[Ragnar]

My two-pennyworth...

Look for an '07 or later bike - non-servo brakes.
'08 or later if you like the slightly revised styling.

ABS & Heated grips are well worth it, even if just for resale value later as that's what everyone seems to look for. Heated grips really are a god-send if you use the bike in all weathers.

On board computer - Didn't want it but it came with my bike. I've actually found it useful and would go for it again. Adds a few toys like fuel consumption/range remaining (which I've always found to be fairly accurate) but the most important one for me is the oil level warning (I don't check the oil level as much as I ought to).

ASC - I hate it and would definitely look for a bike that DIDN'T have it. Stops me from spinning up the rear wheel and wheelies.

ESA - Tried it out on a demo bike once and I though it was a fun toy to play with, but not for me. I ride solo mostly and if I add some weight to the bike I just crank the rear preload up on the adjuster and deal with any other handling effects.

Tyre pressure monitors - Couldn't comment as my GSA has spoked wheels. I know they were plagued with issues to start with, but that's probably been sorted. I can usually tell if my tyre pressures are wrong through the handling of the bike.

My shopping list is Heated grips, ABS and computer. Nothing else. As you can see from other's replies though, opinions vary.

David.

 

[Captain Beaky]

I'll agree with previous post.

Bear in mind, that at £10k, you are on the money for a nearly new 2010 model. I was quoted £11,500 for a brand new red GS with everything back in June from Cotswold Motorrad and Bath Road BMW in Bristol. Do your hunting, and you might find that you are closer to a 2010 model than you think...

A non servo ABS bike - with heated grips is a minimum starting point for me (ABS saved my life more than once - and heated grips help with carpal tunnel syndrome!)

ESC etc etc are all very useful extras - although I do wonder about the longevity of the ESA - and how much it would cost to replace in 5 years time when it's worn out (it must have a similar lifespan as normal shocks)...

The GSA is very tall - and can be very top heavy when that massive fuel tank is full - worth considering if your inside leg is on the shorter side - as are low seat options.

As for panniers, I've found the large touratech type ones very wide in traffic - if you do a lot of traffic work (as I do) then it's worth considering the BMW vario panniers for narrowness and flexibility.

These are marmite bikes - love or hate.
After any rice-burner, it will feel like a too-tall washing machine filled with bolts. But give it a chance - throw it at some twisties, spend some time at 70 on the motorway, get used to short-shifting neatly through the gears (instead of chasing the redline) and you will understand what we like about them.

I find them most satisfying, as you don't feel obliged to see three figure speeds - yet you get from A to B just as quickly - if not more quickly than a sportsbike. 2 years ago I went from Stroud to Tongue in 10 hours dead. average 62mph - including fuel and food stops - mostly in the rain. And I was taking my time!
But you can still hoon around on it. Everyone who'se tried mine gets off it and says "I now understand where you are coming from" - even a dyed in the wool trackday man who tried it on a ride out was mightily impressed, and wanted to ride it back!

 

[tommygun]

Just the other day I went down to the store, I put 48 cans of beer into one panier, two bags of charcoal into the other, and filled the top-box with meat. I can strap my golf clubs across the back with the panniers on. Its my daily commuter on a 70 mile roundtrip, and with the bigger tank it lasts me the whole week before I have to refuel. It is a beast but filtering for me right now is a doddle and one of my favourite bits of the commute. On the weekend we go two up down to the coast and manage to fit everything we need in both panniers.

I still lust after a sportsbike but no ther bike has been able to offer me everything that the GS does.

Oh..and welcome to the fold.

 

[Pip_UK]

Hi SiRich & welcome!

I have a 1200GS, and am very happy with the BMW Vario panniers & topbox (these are the expandable ones tailor-made for the 1200 GSs) They're waterproof, practical (locks can be set to your ignition key) and fit very snug to the bike.

However IMHO the aluminium luggage suits the hardcore overland looks of the 1200Adv better, and a large proportion of the Advs I see have these.

Although I love my 'standard' 1200GS, I'm always impressed by the way a parked-up Adventure makes me ogle, and ideas of long trips immediately start forming. They are very charismatic bikes, and I think this is part of the reason why people like to personalise them so much, in which respect the extent of enfarklement you indulge in is limited only by your wallet. Although I would say that fore me, the ABS and heated grips are the only must-haves, with the trip computer being a very nice-to-have.

1200GSs are great pillion bikes, thanks to the anti-dive telelever front suspension, abundant low-down torque, roomy passenger accommodation, and very sweet handling, steering & braking, even fully loaded.

On a final note, one of the reasons the GS is fun as well as practical is precisely because is isn't ridiculously powerful - you can give it a satisfyingly thorough ragging on a twisty country road without feeling like you're about to break the sound barrier.

Enjoy your test ride and hope you feel the GS magic.
-Pip

 

[tonkatoy]

Ask youself why you're getting it and what do you want to do with it ?

If it's purely looking like a 2 wheeled Chelsea tractor then just get whichever one you like the look of and don't worry about the rest of the stuff

If you're going round the world 1 up and on your own then get the simplest one you can find, maybe even an 1100 with carbs

If you're mostly going to be on the blacktop and will sometimes be going touring, and sometimes 2 up then ESA makes sense to me (I've got it on my 08 GSA)

ABS is common sense although it doesn't defeat the laws of physics so it won't stop you falling off. Ditto ASC - and you tend to get these two as a pair. btw, on the GSA they can both be turned off if you want to do wheelies, rear wheel drifts etc

TPC saved me a load of hassle when it spotted that I had a puncture in a TKC80 (knobbly) while off-road.

heated grips - nearly standard

panniers - plastic adjustable - ok, but not as tough (or repairable) as ally ones if you bin it (which will happen if you ride off road much). And don't get stuck on having to have the BMW ones, there are plenty of alternatives, incl some good s/h bargains on here.

after that - there is so much stuff you can bolt onto these things that you have a huge choice of what it does / looks like anyway.

obvious add-ons for me are some sort of splash protection for the rear shock (Mud Sling or similar), and crash protection for the rocker covers (I've got add-on bars which bolt on to the GSA std bars and take the hit if you drop it).

Good luck, and enjoy. Most of us do

 

[Deleted account 251212001]

Many thanks for all the replies you certainly seem like a friendly bunch.

I'm hearing I think that the electronics are useful but not essential and could be a pricey thing to fix at a later date.

From the sound of it as long as its got heated grips and panniers (and possibly abs) I think that is probably enough for me.

I'm 6'2 so the adventure may fit me better.

If I can spend a little bit less all well and good because the more I think about it 9 grand upwards is getting top end money for me - though I'd really like to get an 08 plate onwards as thats a bit newer than what I ride now.

I'll let you know what I thought of the test ride if anyones interested.

 

[Dawg]

Hi,
I've had my GSA for a couple of weeks now and love it. I'm used to a 2007 RT, when I chose the GSA I went for the newer engine over the other toys. I have to say that I have had ABS on other bikes and I would not miss not having it in the slightest.
The up-shot is I managed to find a 2010 GSA without ABS, ASC and ESA.
I was then able to afford the 2010 engine but still have heated grips LED's fogs and cases.
In my opinion, loose the toys and go for the engine, what a peach...

 

[Deleted account 251212001]

Well I went out on the adventure twin cam with all the toys for a few hours today covering about 120 miles on the demo bike and I've gotta say I though it was fantastic. The way you can chuck it into corners is unreal, the bike corners on rails even on shitty surfaces - the roads werent great and the suface was damp in places but I felt invincible, in fact it turned me into a bit of a hooligan braking late and getting back early on the gas at full throttle (punches out of the corners with real purpose), even getting the occassional head shake from the bars - in fact I could easily see me binning it the way it made me want to ride!

Heated grips were great first experience for me no chills and the temp was 12 degrees, the fuel range meter told me 35 miles were left just as it ran out of fuel (fortunately at the petrol station) which wasnt a great selling point.

ASC - one up I couldnt tell an difference between normal and sport modes so I just left in normal in the end.

At one point I wasnt sure if the coppers were behind me so I just looked over my shoulder, try doing that on a sportbike.

Bike gets to 110mph very quickly after that starts tailing off sharpish, but I didnt feel the need for more even though my current bike has been dynoed at 175bhp.

Only slight negative was comfort for me personally - I have a recent-ish shoulder ligament injury from mountain biking that Im waiting for physio on, and have a few aches this evening now, strangely I can get away pain free on a sports bike. This is a sticking point at the moment.

I definately want to get one - dilema is whether to go new or used ,used being my preference to keep under my budget but the latest twin cam engine performed great, though I have nothing to compare against. This could be expensive - need to do the sales pitch of my life to the missus!