Anyone else gone from a Supermoto to a GS?

[Taipan]

Hi All
New guy here. I'm looking for some advice/opinions. I currently ride a KTM lc4 Supermoto. It's my daily hack and I love it. I ride into London on it each day. The 30-mile journey is about half A-road and the other half through London rush hour traffic.
Whatever bikes I have had, K100RS 16v, Hornet 900 etc I always come back to a Supermoto as I find bigger bikes just too heavy and hard work to lug about in heavy traffic. But its quite likely I'll be moving further out and the journey will become too much for the KTM. I like the sit up position of dirt bikes and I can only really come up with a GS or maybe a big KTM as an alternative to my Supermoto. Something about the GSs I've always liked though and feel drawn to getting one. I'd probably go for an 1100 or early 1150.
Anyone else got to a GS via the Supermoto route? How did you find the extra weight? Or how do you find a GS in heavy rush hour traffic?
I've no doubt about its open road abilities, but am concerned it might just be too heavy to lug around the City? That said I've seen a few of them being made to look like light work in London! They just look huge next to my skinny little KTM and that’s one of the heavier motards.
I hear the 1100 has a 5-speed box with ratios that may be better suited for the journey I will be doing? Thoughts and opinions on that?
Many thanks.

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

they are HEAVY

 

[Abelrider]

Lo mate.
You are a tosser, you will fit right in.

 

[Abelrider]

The GS is at best OK for a X town commute mate.
Esp in the heavy arse 1150 guise.

 

[cookie]

airheads are good in traffic. much better IMO than the later models which are too big & heavy to be really effective in aggressive heavy traffic riding.

i bet a F650 would be good

 

[Stig]

Hi All
New guy here. I'm looking............. Anyone else got to a GS via the Supermoto route? How did you find the extra weight? Or how do you find a GS in heavy rush hour traffic?..........
..............Thoughts and opinions on that?

Many thanks.

Hello Taipan.... I Did!!!!.....

I went from an XR650 to R1200GS...

I've always preferred the "sit-up-n-beg" riding position of large trialies... or as a compromise - the riding position on some sports/tourers..

Bought the 12GS after test riding everything from the Mutli-strada... thro to the Benelli TNT!... wi av few 600s thrown in!!..


Incidently... A Bulldog was originally my 1st choice after a seeing a pic and the marketing blurb..... but turned out to be absolutely.. shite to ride.... and i DO meam SHITE!!!)

The Benelli TNT.. Mmmm! - fast and exciting yes!!.. but also boring unless you wanted to ride it on the track.. cos riding it on the road would mean certain death or gettin banned (whichever came first)...

The BM was the last bike i tested.. and prior to that... the Duke Multi was top o' my list.. (but there where a few things that... Just didn't do it for me".. so to speak...

I hadn't ridden a beemer for 20 yrs or so.... but the G12 caught my eye when i was in Spain last year...

But.. I was sure that I wasn't gonna buy a BM.. based on my last experience of riding one (all those years ago) and the price of them today...

Anyway.. took a G12 out for a test ride... and the result!!?.....Bought one there and then.. and was riding my own within a week of testing it!!

Altho i've still got my XR650 s/moto.. I've had no desire to ride it.... since getting my 1200GS...

I sat on the XR yesterday... and it does feel very small now after riding the GS since Sept!.. but i guess it feels small cos i'm used to the size of the GS.. which still behaves/feels like my SM.. in sum respects..

Best thing is to test ride one !!!

 

[Taipan]

Lo mate.
You are a tosser, you will fit right in.

Thank ye for the welcome!

Thanks for the feedback everyone. As one of these has always been on my wish list, I think I'll go for it. After all, I can always sell it if it doesn't work out.
I just loooked at one at Brackens and it didn't look half as big as the other one I saw. I suspect the first one I saw had a much bigger tank? I'll have to start reading up on different models and history etc.
Thanks again.

 

[Tsiklonaut]

GS makes a killa SM

The BEST supermoto i know is done from GS!!!

So just buy additional 17" front wheel and can convert it into monster enduro or monster supermoto vice versa.

Cheers, Margus

 

[split28]

Had a KTM520 SM, brilliant bike but I ride my Adv more miles in a week than I used to in a month on the SM!

I'm short 5'8" and have no probs with the height, low speed handling is amazing for the weight of the thing and you've only got to watch for Van wing mirrors.

Cars tend to move over more because of the sheer size as well.

It is daunting going thru heavy traffic but once your used to the bike etc you quickly get used to it and it is pretty good at filtering.

Try and have a long test ride, the first few miles feel very wierd but the handling is definately there as my mates on there SM's can't believe how well it goes.

Enjoy

 

[Big Lee]

"Cars tend to move over more because of the sheer size as well. " That is true, I saw a guy on a Silver Adv (Whitehaven, anybody on here?) coming the other way to me & was amazed at the sheer size of it compared to the other bikes I usually see!

Love the look of that supermoto Tsiklonaut, I bet BMW would sell some pile of those!

Lee

 

[Tsiklonaut]

I hear the 1100 has a 5-speed box with ratios that may be better suited for the journey I will be doing? Thoughts and opinions on that?

I can confirm it mostly. I have 1100 and i really much love the 5-gear option especially on travelling on tense traffic areas - Poland etc. I came from 6-speed japanese sportsbike so i really find the 5-gears on a low-rpm torque monster as 1100cc boxer real luxury on driving comfort, no need for 6 gears especially when the top speeds are almost the same between 1100 and 1150 models. But i must say because of that huge amount of torque on low rpms all the boxers produce the 1st standard gear is made very long and it's difficult on some complicated offroad terrain conditions where you have to drive slowly - makes using clutch too much. There's shorter 1'st gear option available too on all models i've heard if you want to do some more serious offroad often.

Or if you get the 6 get one, them maybe shorter first as ADV models come in hand. Longer 6-th overdrive gear for touring should be excellent too as most think the pro for 6-gear version, but i think the engine has enough power for skipping the 5-th then.

When i testrided the 1200GS for few hours then i felt like i was back on my sporty japanese, just in GS-mode

Margus

 

[Ian]

I too had this dilemma. I had a CCM for a while and after a year or so on a CBR decided I wanted to get back to that upright thing.

My journey is even more town based than yours, a 25 minute ride through North London traffic. It came down to an 1150GS or a KTM adevnture 640. Very very nearly went for the KTM, but I do go on the occassional long trip in the summer and just couldn't live with the vibes on a motorway. Plus I'm sick of chain oil. So I managed to find nearly 2 grand more and plumped for the GS.

Been riding it now for 2 weeks and I absolutely love it. I am no slower than anyone else in traffic and I find I'm actually calmer and more relaxed 'carving' through traffic rather than 'hacking'.

 

[STU12]

I went from a KTM 660 to the 950 and now the 1200GS. Think you posted on the SM forums on visordown ?

Biggest difference you'd find is slipping thru traffic , but you'd find that an issue jumping from the SM to any jap 4 as well, its just those oversized footpegs mean you're more aware of the width on the Beemer.

Second difference is the weight at low speed. Third difference is not adjusting the chain every third ride out

Once you're used to the bigger bike it just takes a bit more muscle to throw it around. I rode the 950 like I did my 660 and it was fantastic , but now I had the power that I'd spent thousands trying to get out of the 660! Sadly both KTMs suffered from the same arse splitting seat so hello GS.

Alternatively check out the KTM SM 950 , same seat issue and small tank but looks the biz...

Stu

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Good morning Reverened Jackson - glad to see you still spreading the word

This is my first post on the list so hello to all you good GS folk

I've just sold my CCM Traktor to finance the purchase of a GS12, for delivery in March.

I've been deliberating for a year now between the BM and a Multistrada. As a pure 'riding' experiance the Multi rocks, but the GS wasn't that far behind and, at the end of the day, I couldn't justify spending that amount of money on something that would depreciate so fast and have questionable reliability (just like a CCM then!) so the BM won out.

I was amazed at just how well BMW have hidden the weight 'cos despite the weight loss over the 1150 it's still one heavy bike.
It is soooooo easy to ride at walking pace, filter and I found myself throwing it through traffic with almost as much ease as my old Traktor.

When chucking it around on B roads it's surprisingly similar to a SM, obviously the riding position helps give this feeling but more so than that you find yourself riding the front a lot and just ignoring the back letting it do it's own thing always knowing that it will 'step back in'.

By the end of the test ride I felt like I had owned the bike for years and I suppose you can't get a much better endorsement than that! Can't wait to see how I get on with it once I really *do* get to know it

Only problem now is I'm still working out how I'm gonna pay for it

Have fun
Andres

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Owned an R1150GS - a great all-round bike, if a bit lardy

Ridden the R1150GS Adventure a few times - v.tall, but prefer it to stock.

Owned a MultiStrada - mirrors blur, seat kills, fuel gauge & build decisively dodgy, support sheite, otherwise good ride!

Own an R1200GS - I've arrived, and couldn't think of a better all-roads, all-conditions motorcycle; and I've owned a VFR/Sprint et all too!

 

[Taipan]

Good morning Reverened Jackson - glad to see you still spreading the word

Hola Andres! How the bloody hell are you! How come there are a lot of ex CCM owners with GSs?
Yes, Stu am and still am on Visordown Supermoto forum. I did think about the KTM and may even go for one at some point, but I really want a GS now. I've put my KTM on ebay and advertsied it everywhere I can think of. if it goes i shall be a GS owner. Probably a 1100 owner as i'm not rich like Andres.
Although i see Hugendon have an 1150 for £4299. Doesn't sound too bad? Bit far from me though.
Anyway, thanks for all the replies everyone.

 

[gtx]

Went from a KTM duke 640 to GS adv and the biggest differances are ,

1 Being able to cover long distances without walking like John wayne when you get off!

2 Tyres, the KTM demolished a rear pirelli in 1200 miles!

3 holding on to your license, its hard not to wheelie them is'nt it

4 and lastly I dont miss looking for a petrol station every 70 or so miles!

Hope this helps

 

[njgt]

Yes I too went from CCM R30 to GS650 Dakar and now on a GS1200. Loved the CCM especially on my 40 mile commute through the yorkshire country side!!! Swoped for the Dakar last year and loved that even more, as it was more comfy and just as flickable (well almost). Just lacked a little power I found. 1200 is great but not sure what it would be like in town as I never go through any to get to work