.......Anyone agree?

[hibee]

In short........returning to biking after 2 years away with a badly broken shoulder.......previously owned 3 GS's and I am very hesitant to change. I've ridden a significant of miles without the need for fuel maps, electronic suspension etc, as I tend to trust my right hand..........people, dealers are telling me that the TE version is a must for resale value etc however I am not convinced. This one will probably be a keeper and I am sure the bike is as good without the bells and whistles.......really like to save the three grand as well.................thoughts please.

Many thanks

PS.....I know if it's a keeper I shouldn't bother however if I had a pound for everyone who told me this, I'd be a rich man........!

 

[Schtum]

I'm on my fifth GS - a 2013 TE. My son's on his second GS - a 2014 TE. I think we'd both agree that the TE is the way to go, particularly for the Dynamic ESA. I suspect that part of the reason that your local dealer (Motorrad Central?) are suggesting the TE is that there may well be very few bikes of standard spec in the system. That was certainly the case this time last year when I was selling BMW's through in the West. Only an extra three grand? What about the luggage and the Akrapovič can and.....?

 

[RedRick Esq.]

My opinion for what it's worth

My old TC had no traction control or ESA just heated grips and ABS it was a great bike and like you my traction was in my right hand and i never had a big problem ( spun the wheel a few times when on the gas too early but no big deal) The suspension was shit and replaced with Wilburs which made it a good sorted bike.

I now have a GSA LC te and the difference is remarkable !
The suspension IMO is just lovely the semi active thingy stuff seems to work very well ( some on here will disagree) The traction control for me is a hoot as it allows you to be a little bit more enthusiastic than without safe in the knowlege that whilst it is working it sorts out any little indescretions. The modes available are also worth the money, normal road mode for easy life or the full hooligan dynamic. it is brilliant I never bother with the softy conmfort setting unless on a motorway. Rain mode takes some of the worry out of wet and greasy roads and agin works well.

So for me the TE is worth the extra and will of course be a more desirable second hand bike if it isnt a keeper.

Even Engineer has now moved up to bells and whistles and his bike as he regularly told everyone was the best in the world and just perfect !

So my advice would be to bite the bullet and get the bells and whistles

 

[DING-DONG]

Being a lightweight (non tosser size) i always felt the ESA on the WC a little hard for myself, where the non ESA on my tc is plush and when needed i just wind the pre-load up.

 

[LBL]

Im pretty sure those with a TE will say its worth it, gotta have it.....and the non TE boys will say the opposite.

For me....... i was told by the dealer i had to have a TE but i said no thanks, i ordered a basic bike with the extras i wanted, heated grips, spot lights, led indicators, and TPS, i have owned a fully specked GSA but for me there was no point, i put it in a mode and rode it, i dont need 5 riding modes or 5 suspension settings. i have road and rain mode and i turn the preload knob when im 2 up. simples. Any speedy rider who needs these settings would surely be on a more suitable bike anyway.

I got the dealer to chuck in a sat nav bar and cradle because i didnt want the twirly knob as it made the indicators too far to reach, dark screen etc all for under 14k, the way i see it is when and if i trade it in the dealer will still want my bike and the depreciation will be less.

Just my opinion of course and if its a keeper it wont matter anyaway and you can spend a bit of extra cash to get it how you like it

 

[Gix]

For what it's worth, on my TE I use the ESA adjustment regularly when travelling two up, the modes make a difference depending on the mood and weather. I've used the cruise control to see how it worked and on a couple of occassions, the Nav 5 even less than the cruise control. I'm sure it will come in handy when touring though.

TBH I can't really tell a difference between the semi active suspension and the ride on my old air cooled GS, maybe choose the extras that work for you and see the difference in price.

 

[Stevie4scoops]

I bought a two month old TE with bells & whistles last year for £11,500 so if we're looking to buy now I'd keep a look out for a used 15 TE model because they've sorted the heated grips & gearbox.

 

[Engineer]

I had the basic 2013 LC because I prefer to keep things simple, I put 22,000 miles on and loved it - I decided to change it and my dealer persuaded me to go for the 2015 TE. I have not regretted it and the Dynamic suspension is definitely worth having. I think that the whole thing about basic bikes being harder to sell and not holding their value is a bit of a myth really as I have never had a problem trading in my bike for a reasonable figure.

My slight concern about the TE is that if things go wrong with the suspension or LED headlight it will be more expensive to repair than the base model - So after two years it is important to have an extended warranty that covers these things or trade it in for another new one

 

[roamer]

I have a basic 2015 gs, with heated grips and led indicators,
In standard trim it doesn't handle any worse than a friends TE,
Bmw don't sell the nav bar , hornig do a stainless one that looks neat,
I found th trade in price favourable, less vat to lose on as 3 k less
I am not saying one is better, it's a personal choice on the gadgets,
I put the extra into ohlins, which is based on previous gsa running white power,
Good luck with the shopping,,

 

[zoltan]

I had the basic 2013 LC because I prefer to keep things simple, I put 22,000 miles on and loved it - I decided to change it and my dealer persuaded me to go for the 2015 TE. I have not regretted it and the Dynamic suspension is definitely worth having. I think that the whole thing about basic bikes being harder to sell and not holding their value is a bit of a myth really as I have never had a problem trading in my bike for a reasonable figure.

My slight concern about the TE is that if things go wrong with the suspension or LED headlight it will be more expensive to repair than the base model - So after two years it is important to have an extended warranty that covers these things or trade it in for another new one

When my ESA went ( damper was leaking ) on the RT, the extended warranty covered the replacement . If the bike is over 18000 miles the ESA is not covered . At the time a new ESA and a new handelbar control was £1200 plus labor . Would be worth finding out if the new ESA can be serviced and what is the cost to replace if you want to replace out of warranty . Personally I went for the standard GS LC with H/G & cruise control .

 

[Engineer]

When my ESA went ( damper was leaking ) on the RT, the extended warranty covered the replacement . If the bike is over 18000 miles the ESA is not covered . At the time a new ESA and a new handelbar control was £1200 plus labor . Would be worth finding out if the new ESA can be serviced and what is the cost to replace if you want to replace out of warranty . Personally I went for the standard GS LC with H/G & cruise control .

I have always gone for the base model with heated grips for exactly those reasons - I got slagged off for saying that the base model was the best choice, but hey-ho everyone wants and needs are different.

I got a good deal on my new TE and a good trade in on my base LC with heated grips so I thought I'd see what this new fangled suspension and LED headlight stuff was really like. The other factor in my decision to move up from the base model was that I intend to keep the new bike for only 2 years so the warranty issue thing will not affect me. Let's see if the trade in value is proportionally better for this bike in 2 years

 

[Tricky]

TE every time.

Both my LCs have been the higher spec including my current GSA and have been worth it.

If you get a basic model your only going to spend your time wishing you had gone for all the toys and waste even more time on here trying to justify to yourself why you didn't.

 

[rattler]

TE every time.

Both my LCs have been the higher spec including my current GSA and have been worth it.

If you get a basic model your only going to spend your time wishing you had gone for all the toys and waste even more time on here trying to justify to yourself why you didn't.

+1 agree

 

[Clifton]

..........people, dealers are telling me that the TE version is a must for resale value etc however I am not convinced. This one will probably be a keeper and I am sure the bike is as good without the bells and whistles.......really like to save the three grand as well.................thoughts please.

Obviously resale is a non issue if you keep the bike. In fact if I were looking to buy a used 2015 GS ten years from now I believe I might prefer one w/o ESA? My 14 GSA has ESA and I'm not all that impressed with it as "normal" is too harsh for most of the roads so I just leave it on "soft". After playing with the different throttle maps I found the standard "Road" setting preferable so that's where it stays. For the same money I'd prefer a more basic GS with a nice set of top load bags like Holan's, a better seat, and maybe another farkle or two, over a fully optioned GS.

 

[Sooty09]

My LC is basic with heated grips.
I do feel there is a bit of surge from the rear drive shaft, could be from the suspension, adjusting the manual damper makes a difference but needs constant fiddling depending on road conditions. I have ridden a few demo bikes with auto suspension and this surging was not as noticeable, perhaps the basic rear suspension is a bit too budget.
I sometimes wish I had opted for ESA. I don't miss any of the other toys.

 

[DING-DONG]

.
I sometimes wish I had opted for a bike with a CHAIN I don't miss any of the other toys.

Fixed it