Wouldn't it be a dull world if we all agreed.. The GS/GSA are for good reasons best selling bikes in many countries for some years now, so as you say BMW are good engineers for sure. I chose the 1250GSA over the 1300GS when I bought & will probably change to the 1300 GSA when I feel the need to throw my money away - again....Because I am new to the forum and yet an avid reader, and because I have extensively ridden my mate Hadrian's 1300 (Yes, Hadrian, like the wall), I feel like I need to add a little more to the controversy. So to speak, because it is all just a matter of personal taste, in the end. Quick digression: some people ride Kawasaki Zs. Or Suzuki Bandits. To me, these are the worst possible motorcycles and yet they love them. Matter of taste...
So, the 1300. I know Boxerlust gets a lot of bashing here, mainly due to his long unpolished texts and strong opinions, but I must say I agree with most of his points regarding the 1300. I understand the disappointment. I reaaaally wanted to love the 1300 and buy one. But everytime I ride it, I find it bland. It just isn't fun like my 1250 is. My 1250 feels wild, compared to it. It pops, it bangs, it crackles... just the noise it makes with its 10 years old Akrapovic collected from an old LC is probably enough for me to not want to ride the 1300.
My mate Hadrian's 1300 is a Trophy with every option available. The one thing that struck me the most when I first rode it was the suspension. Whatever setting I choose, it is too soft. Softer than my 1250 RT which I already find too soft. And that is very strange, to me. Because BMW have chosen to make the 1300 snappier, "lighter", more efficient, sportier, etc... Soft suspensions are not compatible with sportier. Maybe that is because it is the Trophy version, to be honest. I haven't ridden the standard one.
Then, the gear box. It whines like my old 1150 RT. And I cannot stand gearbox whine. That is very personal, of course, but to me it matters a lot.
And lastly, the gearing. I wonder why BMW shortened 1st and 2nd gears and then lengthened 4th, 5th and 6th. They are engineers, and very good ones, and I am not. But the 1st and 2nd gears of the 1250 are already very short, in my opinion. Making them even shorter makes pulling from a stop quite strange, almost. I can see why longer high gears is good, though. My RT does 250 kmh when my GS only does 230 kmh, and this was achieved with just a longer final transmission. And it is nice! It is very nice on motorways for long hauls. But I cannot help feeling they could have done that on the 1300 without shortening 1st and 2nd. I know it helps in the dirt to have shorter first gears, but A: I do dirt with my 1250 and 1st and 2nd gears never felt too long, and B: as we all know, a GS rarely actually is used for enduro.
So, all in all, I am very disappointed. I wanted to love this series, but in its current condition, I really dislike it. I would rather have a Multistrada V4s (which the Hadrian I mentioned above ended up buying), and that is a lot for me to say, because I generally dislike Ducatis.
Now I feel like I will have to wait another 10 years for the next generation, hoping it will be to my liking. But I will be old, by then!
Anyway, I think the reason Boxerlust rants in such a passionate way about the 1300 is the same. Disappointment! Nobody goes to such an extent to talk about something they do not care about.
I sympathize, Boxerlust haha! Let's hope they will refine it in a way that suits your tastes and mine.
PS: Sorry the post is very long. It is just for the fun of debating. In no way am I declaring that I am right in any way, I am just describing my own feelings and personal tastes. Just like FIKA, I will be buying 1250s for now
..but...
having had a Ducati SFV4S, the equivalent multistrada will be on my shopping list too. Either way I need to prepare myself that it's going to be a good £30k ish in a couple of years.
But remember there are no pockets in coffins!
