Am I too confident?

[solarider]

So, that's a no then?!

Suffice to say that no decision will be taken without a thorough test ride, and without first booking some additional training.

Right now I am trying to narrow down the window shopping list a bit, and have ruled quite a few bikes out just by virtue of their size when I have been to sit on them in the dealership.

I feel pretty sure that my window shopping short list will quickly get considerably shorter once I have been well and truly brought down to earth on the test rides in terms of the gap between my skills and the capability of the larger bikes.

I still keep coming back to the 1200 GS because of its physical size. Everything except the Hypermotard and Multistrada have felt too cramped so far (and I have been to sit on a lot!).

So the current short list to test ride:

BMW 1200GS (1st choice by a long way. Size feels right, but I have yet to try and handle the thing whilst moving!)
BMW 800GS (despite the piece of granite that BMW seem to have pout where the seat should be!)
Ducati Hypermotard (nice fit, but probably far too demanding for me, and likely to get me into trouble)
Triumph Sprint (but it's a bit stretched out and sporty for my liking)
Honda Deauville (maybe when I get my pension!)
Yamaha XJ (the sensible 1st bike choice, but a bit cramped)

I just can't quite get the GS out of my head, but everything could change when we get to the test ride stage. I probably posted a bit prematurely really, but I wanted some advice on the shortlist, and there have been many useful comments thanks very much.

 

[andyshooter]

bite the bullet and get one I passed 18 months ago I had a fazer 600 and a vfr 800 and now got a R1200 GS with all the toys on and love it, Its a machine it does what you tell it to do.

 

[elevensies]

Honda Deauville (maybe when I get my pension!)

very capable little bike the honda, but your right about the pension thing


what about the 650 dakar

taller bike, and very very desirable, and superb ride, and capable of distance touring.

do you want me to find one for you

 

[cheesysalesman]

Dive In

I'm no hairy arsed, big gutted GS man and boy type but did go large after DAS. I had not ridden a bike since 1983 (Suzuki RM80) and did a DAS course in Brackley in October 2008. In November that year I was the proud owner of an 04 GS. Don't ride like a loon, take my time and always assume that everyone's not seen me. You'll find that car drivers (and vans) give you a lot of respect - think it's its the Ewen and Charlie affect!

If you do take the plunge and like the the view from the big beast, you'll get the bug.

Ive spent two years getting used to it and have now up gunned to a 06 GSA and relish every mile. Get as much gear for it as you can justify and you'll never have enough! Perhaps it's wise to opt for a lesser, lighter bike, but as someone mentioned further up the post, any bike will kill you if you drive outside your limits. I get most stressed in the wet or the odd time that you get a side wind from no where!

Take the plunge - whats the worst that could happen.

 

[elevensies]

here, this is what they look like, and what they can do... brilliant bikes

 

[Coolcarbon]

The Throttle works' Both Ways' regardless of what bike you eventually choose to ride...

 

[elevensies]

and before you ask, yes i had one a few yrs ago, bought new, did 27 thousand miles, and only thing i needed was a new battery.

and i have had lots of boxer engine bikes, i currently have a 1200gs adventure, and an r60 airhead boxer.

i prefer the old r60 over the 1200.. everyday of the week. its the first bike out the garage, and the least pampered.

there you have it. if its pose value get a 1200.

if its riding you want, to learn, to enjoy and to pose, get a dakar

 

[original_concept]

Load of old tosh.

I went from a 125 to a R1100S, all this crap about power etc etc.

I found the whole thing a doddle, the smoother, torquier (sp) ride, ABS brakes made it a breeze, I was filtering down the M25 in the rain, in the black of a winter evening's rush hour within 30mins of leaving the showroom.

The biggest problem I had switching was the extra weight of the R1100S compared to a 125 race bike - As you're far bigger than I this won't be a problem for you!

I've never dropped a bike as much as the R1100S, but those cylinders mean all is well

Do some test rides and do what you want. Forget all the get a 800/650...zzzzz.... get the bike you want.

 

[snerkler]

By the sounds of it you have much more experience than I did when I did my CBT and Direct Access. I had about 30 mins experience on an enduro that's it. I was extremely nervous before taking my CBT, and even more so stepping up to a 'big bike', the ER-5. I found that within the few days of doing the direct access I had 'conquered' the ER-5, but didn't fel ready for a 1000cc so went for a 600 Fazer. I kept this for all of 3 months before I outgrew it and bought a Sprint St 1050. Now after reading loads of advice of how scary litre bikes are, and how you need loads of experience I was sh**ing myself before taking the Sprint for a test ride. But I have to say that I needen't have worried. AS long as you're aware there's extra power there and you're sensible I personally haven't found them any harder to ride than a 600 (except maybe my K6 Gixxer thou which was an absolute monster).

What I'm getting at is that you could go for a 600, but in a few months time may want something bigger and then will have wasted money like I had. SO if you're confident enough go for the 1200 and just be very careful

 

[stevec]

The power and torque on a GS1200

is fairly docile and extremely easy to dose and you have take a large handful of throttle before you find the real power.

What makes a bike difficult or easy to ride is height (not a problem for you), riding position (not a problem on the 1200 GS), weight (a problem with any bike weighing >160kg), clutch (very progressive on a 1200 GS), fueling (accurate and progressive on a 1200 GS), power band (very broad on the GS) and fatigue (neither vibration nor riding position are fatigue inducing on a 1200 GS)

Riding any bike in traffic requires skill and care and the more you develop both, the safer you are. In terms of traffic, the 1200 GS has an ideal riding position, docile throttle response, good clutch and easy steering manners.

In short its probably almost an ideal bike for a bloke of your size looking for an allrounder.

 

[Martin]

If you buy a 650, you'll wish you had bought the 1200

If you buy a 1200, you won't wish you had bought the 650!

If I were you, I would get the 1200, join your local I.A.M. group, and enjoy riding.

 

[Packer]

If you are sensible the 1200GS will be as well.

If you want something cheaper as an intermediate step look at a Kawasaki Versys. Fairly tall, similar riding position, 650 twin. Probably slimmer so easier to filter though no weight advantage over the 1200GS. £6,000 list price new. Several people at my local I.A.M. have them and love them. Enough performance to be a do-it-all if you aren't in too much of a hurry. Apparently good for 110mph+.

For regular commuting the fuel efficiency of the BMW 650 single such as the Dakar will be a bonus. In a recent road report from Colebatch his 650 was using 14 litres of fuel compared with a Yam 650 using 17 litres for the same trip. OK it was tough off-roading but highlights the efficiency of the BMW/Rotax engine. In heavy traffic with lots of stop and start the 1200GS will only manage about 30-40mpg. The difference could be £20-£30 per week on your fuel bill and fuel isn't going to get any cheaper!

 

[everywherevirtually]

I went from an 125 Varadero to an F800GS. When in for servicing they gave me the 1200GS and 1200R as loan bikes. I'm a shorty at 5' 7" but it is about confidence without being over confident.

If you can flat foot the 1200 I say go for it. Everyone has an opinion on their own experience but everyone is a different shape or size and has different confidence levels. You will have the physical presence to handle the bike but the cautious attitude of a new rider on a new bike so I think that's a good start.

You will drop it so make sure it has handguards so you don't snap the clutch or brake lever ends off

Good luck and maybe we'll see you on the road soon.

what about the 650 dakar. Taller bike, and very very desirable, and superb ride, and capable of distance touring.

do you want me to find one for you

here, this is what they look like, and what they can do... brilliant bikes

if its riding you want, to learn, to enjoy and to pose, get a dakar

Are you on commission?

 

[Giles]

There is only one sensible answer to this, but its not want you want to hear. I know .... I know ... you're itching to get the 1200. And if you did get it, took it sensibly, maybe took some further training, would you get on alright and learn to be competent and safe? yeah sure, You probably would.
But is that enough? Do you want to just ride a bike, or do you want to be a really good biker? is getting from A to B safely the limit of your horizons? Or do you want more?

This is what you probably don't want to hear! Good motorcyclists have learned their craft from the bottom up. Riding on small (cc) light indifferent bikes has its advantages. Getting bored and flippant with a bike is actually where you start to learn!

I'm quite into mountain biking, but i've only been into it for three years or so. I spoiled myself and got a really good +£2,000 full Suss bike early on. Can I get the best out of it? Course not! Is it better than me? By a mile. Would the right way round to have been to buy a hard tail first, learn to bunny hop, learn to lift the front, manual properly, ride in flats etc etc? Yes. It would have made me a better mountain biker. Am I happy with the Marin MountVision - you bet - I love it. Do I wish I was a better mountain biker and that I could float over roots and tree stumps like some of the good guys I ride with. Jeez, yes!!! I'm so envious of their skills - they make it look sooooo easy.

And so it is with Motorbikes. When I feel envious about my push biking pals skills and how smooth and quick they are through the woods, or where ever, I remind myself that I have what they have on motorbikes. Because .... i did my apprenticeship.

So, if you can be bothered, get a smaller less able bike (doesn't have to be physically small - get a trail bike or the like ...) and learn to ride it. Learn to use your body weight, Do you lean into the corner, or are you going to push the bike down into the corner underneath you? What about weighting the pegs? inside peg? outside peg? learn to counter steer - pull the bars? push the bars? How about push your leading bar into the corner against your opposite peg? What about braking hard and changing down? What about slow speed control - can you start on full lock from stationary and go into continuous circles with a piece of paper trapped between the steering lock?

You won't learn that easily on a brand new, to you, 1200, just like I never learned to be trick with my fancy 2k mountain bike.

Its your choice

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

.......................


So, if you can be bothered, get a smaller less able bike (doesn't have to be physically small - get a trail bike or the like ...) and learn to ride it. Learn to use your body weight, Do you lean into the corner, or are you going to push the bike down into the corner underneath you? What about weighting the pegs? inside peg? outside peg? learn to counter steer - pull the bars? push the bars? How about push your leading bar into the corner against your opposite peg? What about braking hard and changing down? What about slow speed control - can you start on full lock from stationary and go into continuous circles with a piece of paper trapped between the steering lock?

................

Feck me, I've been riding all sorts and sizes of bikes for 34 years and I can't do half of that

Andres

 

[(RIP) Ewan]

Go for it if it feels right

Hi Solarider,

I passed my test about 18 months ago with much less experience than you, having done only CBT, 2 days DAS then the test.

The day after I passed my test I went to test ride some bikes - Suzuki DL650, Honda Transalp, Honda Deauville - and ended up buying a Honda XL1000V Varadero as my first big bike (couldn't afford a GS!), 24 hours after passing. A week later it had an extra thousand miles on it, and a week after that I rode it to Turkey.

I did a day of 1-to-1 training with the instructor that I had for the DAS before setting off on my trip, to get some tips on riding the bigger bike and better roadcraft, instead of just passing the test which the DAS concentrated on, and while a day isn't much it was incredibly useful. Recommended if you do make the leap from a small to big bike in one go.

I found the Varadero the easiest and most comfortable bike to ride, for me (6'5", 105kg), easier than the transalp, deauville or v-strom, easier than the 500 I rode for the DAS and MUCH easier to ride than the 125.

Like the GS boxer, the Varadero twin is tuned for low and midrange grunt not searing top end, so you don't have to wring it's neck, and it isn't a twitchy ride like a sports 600 would be. It might be a big bike, but the GS is comfortable, stable, forgiving, and if the size and weight suit you (which they probably will) then you may well find it easier and therefore safer to ride than a 600. Just don't try to ride with the throttle at the stop like you probably have to on a 125!

As long as you treat the bike with respect and make a conscious effort to be aware of you limitations and ride within them, you should be fine. Go for it!

PS, My next bike was a Tiger 1050 - awesome bike, lighter and nimbler than a 1200GS (IMHO ) with a cracking engine and a hoot to ride. Might be worth testing one of them as well?

 

[snerkler]

There is only one sensible answer to this, but its not want you want to hear. I know .... I know ... you're itching to get the 1200. And if you did get it, took it sensibly, maybe took some further training, would you get on alright and learn to be competent and safe? yeah sure, You probably would.
But is that enough? Do you want to just ride a bike, or do you want to be a really good biker? is getting from A to B safely the limit of your horizons? Or do you want more?

This is what you probably don't want to hear! Good motorcyclists have learned their craft from the bottom up. Riding on small (cc) light indifferent bikes has its advantages. Getting bored and flippant with a bike is actually where you start to learn!

I'm quite into mountain biking, but i've only been into it for three years or so. I spoiled myself and got a really good +£2,000 full Suss bike early on. Can I get the best out of it? Course not! Is it better than me? By a mile. Would the right way round to have been to buy a hard tail first, learn to bunny hop, learn to lift the front, manual properly, ride in flats etc etc? Yes. It would have made me a better mountain biker. Am I happy with the Marin MountVision - you bet - I love it. Do I wish I was a better mountain biker and that I could float over roots and tree stumps like some of the good guys I ride with. Jeez, yes!!! I'm so envious of their skills - they make it look sooooo easy.

And so it is with Motorbikes. When I feel envious about my push biking pals skills and how smooth and quick they are through the woods, or where ever, I remind myself that I have what they have on motorbikes. Because .... i did my apprenticeship.

So, if you can be bothered, get a smaller less able bike (doesn't have to be physically small - get a trail bike or the like ...) and learn to ride it. Learn to use your body weight, Do you lean into the corner, or are you going to push the bike down into the corner underneath you? What about weighting the pegs? inside peg? outside peg? learn to counter steer - pull the bars? push the bars? How about push your leading bar into the corner against your opposite peg? What about braking hard and changing down? What about slow speed control - can you start on full lock from stationary and go into continuous circles with a piece of paper trapped between the steering lock?

You won't learn that easily on a brand new, to you, 1200, just like I never learned to be trick with my fancy 2k mountain bike.

Its your choice

I'm sorry but I personally disagree with this. I don't think the size of the engine of a bike is the be all and end all of how easy a bike is to handle etc. I think the GS is an ideal tool for learning the 'tricks' you mention, counter-steering etc. it has nice wide bars and a great view.
Many newbies start on 600 sportsbikes which are much faster than a GS, much more flighty, less maneouvreable etc, so not as easy to practice counter steer, and more likely to spit you off if you get the throttle wrong.
I know this is an extreme example but gets the point across. I think the GS is more suitable than a lot of bikes for newbies, and to learn riding techniques.

 

[solarider]

Thanks all. Some really sound, and conflicting advice, but it's just what I was after to weight up the pros and cons. So, here's the plan:

Pass my DAS (hopefully first time next weekend, fingers crossed).
Take copious amounts of advanced lessons on the riding school's 650 GS.
Stick to the 125 in the meantime (hopefully a matter of a few weeks) and test ride the 650, 800 and 1200 GS
Take the plunge straight to a 1200 GS and take it steady once I feel ready and if I don't surprise myself and actually prefer the 800 or 650.

I do understand those advising me to start small and work up, but the weight of the 1200 doesn't put me off, and I feel composed enough to control my right hand.

Plus financially I don't want the hassle and depreciation of buying and selling bikes, as I know that if I buy something smaller, I'll want to change within a year. It's not a purely financial decision as I value my safety and ability above all else, but it is certainly an influencial factor.

 

[Bem]

Hmmm. Been looking at this with interest - we are all entitled to our views after all.
Many years ago I had a female customer (6ft tall, blonde, but I can tell you no more details as I did not look) who wanted me to teach her to ride her boyfriends bike, and no amount of reasonable discussion altered her view - I am usually of the "ride it small and move up progressively" persuasion.
Reluctantly I picked up her boyfriends bike and met up with her, and after a very short time she was able to ride the bike, demonstrating good control and coordination. We then ventured out on to the roads and spent some time looking at road skills, including the all-important throttle control and brake variety, as well as the slows speed manouvres.
Bike? V Max.
Point? If its what you really want, and are prepared to approach it seriously then go for it, finding a good giude before you start.
And welcome to the madhouse.

 

[Giles]

I'm sorry but I personally disagree with this. I don't think the size of the engine of a bike is the be all and end all of how easy a bike is to handle etc. I think the GS is an ideal tool for learning the 'tricks' you mention, counter-steering etc. it has nice wide bars and a great view.
Many newbies start on 600 sportsbikes which are much faster than a GS, much more flighty, less maneouvreable etc, so not as easy to practice counter steer, and more likely to spit you off if you get the throttle wrong.
I know this is an extreme example but gets the point across. I think the GS is more suitable than a lot of bikes for newbies, and to learn riding techniques.

Its not about the speed - that is something you can control. Its about weight, maneuverability, flickability, walking pace on a 1200 twin v walking pace on a CB500 .....
Which (as a brand new rider) would you rather take across the Alps, (ok extreme example i know ....) tackle wet hairpins in the snowline, take a pillion for the first time ... a flicky little 600 in line 4 like a little Fazer or a heavy, tall 1200 twin. Bet yer won't be flicking that about two up ....