So after 20000 miles in 2 years my 55 plate 52000 miles R1200GS was part ex'd against a 5000 mile 13 plate white TE WC.
Having done the deal a week ago there was a week of riding the old bike hoping nothing would happen to it which would scupper the deal. On Saturday it hammered it down on the way to Clarks BMW just south of Birmingham. The ride up was hideous where every nutter seemed to be pulling out in front of me and rivers of diesel ran across every roundabout in Redditch.
It didn't take long to pay the man and sort out the paper work. By which time biblical rain had set in. The journey home was very sedate in rain mode as it continued to hammer it down. Not quite the 1st ride experience i was after....
In the afternoon it dried up quite a bit so started to have a play. Below are some observations in no particular order...
The new seat appears just as good. Perhaps a tad harder and shaped different. The pillion seems to sit closer to the rider - even when set in the furthest back location.
The screen is OK and when raining the lowest setting creates plenty of airflow to shift the rain. On the highest setting the majority of wind is sent up above the helmet with little turbulence.
The vario luggage fits easier and the strings that stop the lids opening too far have been replaced with plastic strips. I don't know how many times i trapped the string in the lid and then couldn't open it properly...!
Cruise control is ace on boring stretches of dual carriageway / motorway.
Mine has the factory alarm. When its activated (within the settings menu), i have to remember to turn on the ignition (not necessarily start it) before moving the bike, otherwise the tilt sensor triggers the alarm...
I'm sure the speedo on the old GS was spot on my sumo 660. This one is definitely reading slower in comparison to the GPS.
The difference between rain and dyna mode is very pronounced. Rain mode was perfect when it was hammering it down and on slippery roundabouts as small inputs from the throttle ensured steady progress and acceleration. However, dyna, quickens up the throttle response and delivers maximum grin factor.
There is a huge difference in torque between my old GS and this one. In dyna mode accelerating hard out of a corner, the new bike is much better. With the old GS you needed the twist and a half on the throttle to wake it up and get going. The new GS requires less movement from the throttle to get it to the stops.
One of my 1st impressions on the old GS was how flickable it was. This one requires a bit more effort to lean in, but once in a corner the handling is excellent. Having been out today, i'm getting much more used to the way this new bike steers. Not sure whether this is different geometry or the fact the rear tyre is a bigger size....
Obviously, a new bike has lighter controls and this has caught me out a couple of times. My old clutch lever had a much stronger spring than this one which created some interesting launches from standstill. The front brakes have a lot less resistance on the lever than the old servo assisted 'whistling' GS. I'm used to a solid feeling brake lever where a good squeeze resulted in hard braking. The new GS requires much less effort but still hauls it up in no time.
The most notable difference for me was riding 2 up. The suspension seemed in a completely different class to the old GS. As far as i'm aware the old bike may well have had the original shock. But riding the new bike certainly highlighted a major improvement. The soft setting seemed very plush along knackered old B roads.
I've only done 250 miles on it and still learning. Roll on the summer where a trip to Italy has been planned...
My 55 plate has been a great introduction to the GS. Hopefully this new chapter will be just as good.
Having done the deal a week ago there was a week of riding the old bike hoping nothing would happen to it which would scupper the deal. On Saturday it hammered it down on the way to Clarks BMW just south of Birmingham. The ride up was hideous where every nutter seemed to be pulling out in front of me and rivers of diesel ran across every roundabout in Redditch.
It didn't take long to pay the man and sort out the paper work. By which time biblical rain had set in. The journey home was very sedate in rain mode as it continued to hammer it down. Not quite the 1st ride experience i was after....
In the afternoon it dried up quite a bit so started to have a play. Below are some observations in no particular order...
The new seat appears just as good. Perhaps a tad harder and shaped different. The pillion seems to sit closer to the rider - even when set in the furthest back location.
The screen is OK and when raining the lowest setting creates plenty of airflow to shift the rain. On the highest setting the majority of wind is sent up above the helmet with little turbulence.
The vario luggage fits easier and the strings that stop the lids opening too far have been replaced with plastic strips. I don't know how many times i trapped the string in the lid and then couldn't open it properly...!
Cruise control is ace on boring stretches of dual carriageway / motorway.
Mine has the factory alarm. When its activated (within the settings menu), i have to remember to turn on the ignition (not necessarily start it) before moving the bike, otherwise the tilt sensor triggers the alarm...
I'm sure the speedo on the old GS was spot on my sumo 660. This one is definitely reading slower in comparison to the GPS.
The difference between rain and dyna mode is very pronounced. Rain mode was perfect when it was hammering it down and on slippery roundabouts as small inputs from the throttle ensured steady progress and acceleration. However, dyna, quickens up the throttle response and delivers maximum grin factor.
There is a huge difference in torque between my old GS and this one. In dyna mode accelerating hard out of a corner, the new bike is much better. With the old GS you needed the twist and a half on the throttle to wake it up and get going. The new GS requires less movement from the throttle to get it to the stops.
One of my 1st impressions on the old GS was how flickable it was. This one requires a bit more effort to lean in, but once in a corner the handling is excellent. Having been out today, i'm getting much more used to the way this new bike steers. Not sure whether this is different geometry or the fact the rear tyre is a bigger size....
Obviously, a new bike has lighter controls and this has caught me out a couple of times. My old clutch lever had a much stronger spring than this one which created some interesting launches from standstill. The front brakes have a lot less resistance on the lever than the old servo assisted 'whistling' GS. I'm used to a solid feeling brake lever where a good squeeze resulted in hard braking. The new GS requires much less effort but still hauls it up in no time.
The most notable difference for me was riding 2 up. The suspension seemed in a completely different class to the old GS. As far as i'm aware the old bike may well have had the original shock. But riding the new bike certainly highlighted a major improvement. The soft setting seemed very plush along knackered old B roads.
I've only done 250 miles on it and still learning. Roll on the summer where a trip to Italy has been planned...
My 55 plate has been a great introduction to the GS. Hopefully this new chapter will be just as good.
