Welcome to the forum Tim
I haven't got the time to read the whole thread properly now, but in case you've not noticed by now, there's a bit of a war between 1150 and 1200 owners on here (they started it

), sorry you had to find that out on your first post
Now, the fact of the matter is if you're willing and able to get a nice brand new GSA, you probably wouldn't be interested in a 4+ year old 1150 anyway, so I'd ignore most of the 1150 owners telling you not to get one

I've got a 1200GS and it's been absolutely spot on since day one.
Anyway as for optional extras... Every BM I've ridden had heated grips, seems to be the norm and they are nice in winter. You might want a nice exhaust on it, though if you fancy fitting it yourself to save some cash get it off ebay, or ask if the dealer has any lying around (mine did

).
I'm not sure what comes as standard on the GSA nowadays to be honest, but if crash bars are an optional extra, don't get the BM ones, get some hepco and becker ones. They're cheaper and much better. Try the standard seat out for a while, if it hurts, sargent seats are good (do a search here!). There's a lot of aftermarket luggage about if you don't fancy the BMW stuff, I got touratech panniers which are good.
Each BMW I've had, I've budgetted an extra £1000 or so for aftermarket stuff. It'll feel perfect on a test ride, but once you start living with it you may want to change some bits like the seat, screen, exhaust, etc.
If you've not ridden one you've gotta try it. I tryed one before I could afford it and wanted one ever since. Now I've got one I'm happy as larry
