Do I upgrade?

[Sly]

So conundrum..

I own a lovely R1250 GS Rallye TE lowered version. 2022 (22 plate) with 13380 miles.

I've found a 71 plate R1250 GS Adventure with 10000 odd miles.

Two things I hate about mine:

1) the constant fill ups. A good tank gets me about 230 miles. I'm not worried about doing 3 hours of straight riding but I feel like I'm always at the fuel station.

2) I wish it were a bit higher.

Has anyone gone from a GS to a GSA and thoughts? Should I do it?

 

[Engineer]

If you want more range and a bit taller then the obvious answer would be yes if you don't mind the extra weight.

I have had 6 x GS 1200/1250s and never wished for a GSA because the GS is perfectly capable of doing Europe two up with luggage - if I set the suspension to max pre-load it is more than tall enough for me 5' 10.5" and 32/33 inside leg.

 

[Gavla04GS]

Erm, I’ve not done the progression from GS TO GSA at 1250, but I bought the ‘A’ to get a bigger tank….

 

[littleade]

Get a test ride (extended if possible), it's the only way to decide

 

[DJ123]

How many times do you do to get through 230 miles without stopping?
Even sat on a Motorway that's 3 hours to deplete a tank.......by which point you probably need a bathroom break & food/drink for yourself.

I didn't buy a GSA over a GS, as the price difference (at the time) was 2K. Which i thought was an expensive fuel tank! I don't need the extra height, nor suspension travel.

What about the Bike needs to be higher? Have you got bar risers, or a higher seat if its the riding position you find cramped?

 

[Hartley]

I’m going to buck the trend. I went from GS to GSA.
My GS and GSA are both standard height, I cannot quite flatfoot the GSA and for me makes the bike seem just a little unwieldy. I also think the GS was a better looking.

Two up GSA has more room, wife didn’t like GS.

It is very close but overall I think I preferred the GS.

 

[siddo]

So conundrum..

I own a lovely R1250 GS Rallye TE lowered version. 2022 (22 plate) with 13380 miles.

I've found a 71 plate R1250 GS Adventure with 10000 odd miles.

Two things I hate about mine:

1) the constant fill ups. A good tank gets me about 230 miles. I'm not worried about doing 3 hours of straight riding but I feel like I'm always at the fuel station.

2) I wish it were a bit higher.

Has anyone gone from a GS to a GSA and thoughts? Should I do it?

My mate did, once he'd been away with me and we had to keep stopping for him to fill up. He'd only had the bike about 6 months and swapped it against the GSA and is glad he did.

 

[MrC99]

How many times do you do to get through 230 miles without stopping?
Even sat on a Motorway that's 3 hours to deplete a tank.......by which point you probably need a bathroom break & food/drink for yourself.

It's not difficult to do 3-4 hrs without stopping if doing A-B and on the GSA you don't have to look for fuel on an intermediate stop. I regularly do the French channel ports down to Chinon (& v.v.) which can be up to 280 miles depending on port & route on the day. The GSA also gives slightly more wind protection (which can be both a good thing and a bad thing depending on weather) and is IMHO more comfortable on the longer runs. You soon get used to the slightly different way it carries its weight and it can hustle with the best when required.

However for the OP if going from a lowered GS to a standard GSA I'd definitely have a test ride before splashing out money as the change in height will be very pronounced.

 

[Sly]

How many times do you do to get through 230 miles without stopping?
Even sat on a Motorway that's 3 hours to deplete a tank.......by which point you probably need a bathroom break & food/drink for yourself.

I didn't buy a GSA over a GS, as the price difference (at the time) was 2K. Which i thought was an expensive fuel tank! I don't need the extra height, nor suspension travel.

What about the Bike needs to be higher? Have you got bar risers, or a higher seat if its the riding position you find cramped?

We stop for breaks within the tank range but I don't like having to look for petrol stations every 2nd or 3rd stop etc. It's also a bit of range anxiety if we do do a long haul, we'll have to stop every 200 odd miles.

Not the bar risers, my seat is in its high position but just think it's too low even in max.

 

[DJ123]

It's not difficult to do 3-4 hrs without stopping if doing A-B and on the GSA you don't have to look for fuel on an intermediate stop. I regularly do the French channel ports down to Chinon (& v.v.) which can be up to 280 miles depending on port & route on the day. The GSA also gives slightly more wind protection (which can be both a good thing and a bad thing depending on weather) and is IMHO more comfortable on the longer runs. You soon get used to the slightly different way it carries its weight and it can hustle with the best when required.

However for the OP if going from a lowered GS to a standard GSA I'd definitely have a test ride before splashing out money as the change in height will be very pronounced.

Whilst it's not difficult to ride that long without stopping, it's also not necessary to ride that long - especially on enjoyable roads/scenery where you do want to stop and take it in. May be take a few photos, have a drink, go to the toilet.....

On A-B roads you're likely not averaging 70mph, more like 50mph - if you're lucky. So there's another hour in your pocket!

The GS also has wind protection - with the GSA parts being compatible (Screen & winglets are the key differences, bar the fuel tank).

 

[Sly]

I should also add I'm about 6ft3.

I might see if I can test ride a GSA locally first.

 

[DJ123]

We stop for breaks within the tank range but I don't like having to look for petrol stations every 2nd or 3rd stop etc. It's also a bit of range anxiety if we do do a long haul, we'll have to stop every 200 odd miles.

Not the bar risers, my seat is in its high position but just think it's too low even in max.

How often do you ride 200 miles and not be anywhere without a petrol station within 50 miles?

For context, I have a standards GS, and on my long days in the saddle (usually 400-500 miles when making distance) it's never been an issue for me. And i fill tend to fill up conservatively at 180 miles, stretching to 200 for the next stop if necessary.

When riding on the Motorway I stop every 2 hours to stretch, fill up the Bike & myself when sat on the Motorway.

On anything non motorway where the average speed is much lower, a tank lasts half a day / 4 hours, by which time i definitely need a stop to stretch, eat & drink. Which i can do at a petrol station.

For your seat, look at getting a high seat, or trying one, to see if it helps release the angles of the knees.

 

[fatbaldbob]

I’ve went from GSA to GS and back again to GSA. Then after 20 years of them gave up altogether on BMW and went a totally different direction.

For me the GSA gave better wind and weather protection, the wider frontage and tank kept more of the elements off. I preferred the looks of the GSA and the BMW Ali boxes were more practical than the varios’ although you could fit any type you want to either bike, the tank range was never really an issue.

I gave up on them as; the seats are an instrument of torture on both variants and I had no luck with aftermarket items either. My knees would be in agony after an hour and my neck and shoulders would ache even with risers etc. Despite this; I forgave the bike and carried on torturing myself for 20 years as as I loved the handling, performance, looks and do it all capability’s of the bike. I’ve been GS-less now for a year and don’t miss it.

 

[MrC99]

On A-B roads you're likely not averaging 70mph, more like 50mph - if you're lucky. So there's another hour in your pocket!

Sorry I meant simply getting from A to B without really worrying about scenery or stopping off somewhere nice. I admit that not many on here will likely do those sorts of rides regularly but for me my bike's my main form of transport so if I'm trying to cover distance rather than looking at the scenery or looking for twisty roads I'll just press on to get to wherever I'm going as quickly as possible. For my usage the GSA is the better compromise than the GS.

 

[MrC99]

I should also add I'm about 6ft3.

I might see if I can test ride a GSA locally first.

TBH I think it's more about inside leg length. I'm 5' 10" with a 31" inside leg and I have no more problems with a GSA (albeit a 1200 but the 1250 shouldn't be hugely different if at all) than with a standard GS.

 

[siddo]

I rode from figueres Spain to south Essex in one day, only stopping to fill up. If I'd have had a GS, I'd have stopped a whole lot more.
On long days at low speed, I've had over 300 miles without stopping to fill and only stopping for drink breaks.
The bigger tank was the clincher for me.

 

[MrC99]

I gave up on them as; the seats are an instrument of torture on both variants and I had no luck with aftermarket items either. My knees would be in agony after an hour and my neck and shoulders would ache even with risers etc. Despite this; I forgave the bike and carried on torturing myself for 20 years as as I loved the handling, performance, looks and do it all capability’s of the bike. I’ve been GS-less now for a year and don’t miss it.

It is weird how different people can find a bike utter agony while others find the same bike fits them like a glove and can ride for hours with no issue! I found a R1250RT was getting uncomfortable after about 2 hours but I know others can ride them for hours longer with no problem.

What have you moved to (if you don't mind me asking)?

 

[fatbaldbob]

It is weird how different people can find a bike utter agony while others find the same bike fits them like a glove and can ride for hours with no issue! I found a R1250RT was getting uncomfortable after about 2 hours but I know others can ride them for hours longer with no problem.

What have you moved to (if you don't mind me asking)?

 

[Daffy]

I think I’m on my 3rd GS and between the 1st and 2nd I had a GSA, there was nothing wrong with it but riding with friends on normal bikes I found that I didnt need fill up but if I didnt I would be looking for fuel before their next fill so I just filled up every time they did.

As to leg room, the GSA is slightly taller but I think the seat to peg layout is the same so I’m not sure of thats really relevant.

If you were riding on your own the fuel range might be a clincher but I’ve only got a 180mile arse so the GS suits me fine,

 

[MrC99]

View attachment 405923

Nice. One day I *really* must try one!