Do you think its too much bike

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kris
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Kris

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Hey guys i just got my Test for my bike and im on a 125 kymco cruiser at the min and I really want to get myself a BMW 1200 GSA anyone any exp on coming from a 125 to a 1.2 lol im not sure what to do

Im a bigish guy so small bike are pants for me

any help would be great

Cheers

:aidan
 
A Big Step...

....literally!:eek:

How big is "biggish" and have you tried a test ride?

Martyn
 
730307835a5973731373l.jpg


Me with a friends GS my bike wheel is on the right :rolleyes:

I would call myself pretty good on a motorbike have lots of exp on the road
just i was going to get a 600 Bandit to do me till the GS but i really want it now lol..


Haven't had a test ride yet no but i do plan to

oh and sorry for the typo lol Bigish
 
As the man said....

Decster said:
But if you do go this route, start advanced rider training(IAM, bikesafe, RoSPA) in conjuction with learning to adapt from 125 to 1200..

my 2p
Click to expand...

Wise words, totally agree.:thumb

Martyn
 
Well Kris, given that there's nothing illegal in doing so and your choice is better than those who go straight to a super-sports bike, it's up to you.

Once you are used to the weight (which won't take long), the main thing to consider when jumping from an under-powered slug, is that you may not realise just how quickly you arrive at things on a more powerful machine.

Even the trick suspension, power brakes and ABS can only get you out of so much sh1t, so be careful FFS!

The choice is yours.

Whatever you do, have fun and welcome to the forum too!
 
MikeP said:
Well Kris, given that there's nothing illegal in doing so and your choice is better than those who go straight to a super-sports bike, it's up to you.

Once you are used to the weight (which won't take long), the main thing to consider when jumping from an under-powered slug, is that you may not realise just how quickly you arrive at things on a more powerful machine.

Even the trick suspension, power brakes and ABS can only get you out of so much sh1t, so be careful FFS!

The choice is yours.

Whatever you do, have fun and welcome to the forum too!
Click to expand...


Yeah good advice from all thanks guys i think i will try and get on ASAP

you was saying about Sports bikes.. Its true i knew people that had gone from 125 to fast super bikes and died....to be honest speed is not my thing i dont care as long as i can do the speed limit im more about the touring and seeing what im riding through....I plan to do the euro bike trip in 2010 so i wanted a GS for this. Just i thought it might look silly a 1200 GSA with R plates up on it lol we in Northern ireland have to display silly plates for a year

But i think i will bop on up and take a test ride
 
Kris said:
Y....to be honest speed is not my thing i dont care as long as i can do the speed limit im more about the touring and seeing what im riding through....
Click to expand...

That's a good attitude for a GS. Take your time to get used to the bigger bike and you'll be fine.

I went from a 125 to a VFR750 within a few weeks of my test (which in retrospect was a bit stupid) and survived by a combination of maturity and cowardice;)
 
Hi Kris, I went from never rode to an R1200GS in the space of about 7 weeks. Don't twist the throttle too hard and you'll do fine.

Check out the BMW own insurance as this was the clincher for me, it was half the price of the other bike I was looking at (a KTM 950adv), but still quite a lot with no experience.
 
The sensible thing to do would be be get a GS650 for a wee while then maybe an 800 working your way up to a 1200. NO wait a moment the sensible thing would be not to ride a bike at all. They're dangerous you'll get wet and cold and meet weird men on campsites.

So the fact that you are even consideriing riding a bike means (like all of us) sometimes your heart rules your head.

If you want a 1200ADV then go ride one, if it feels good buy it and become a tosser:D

BTW by GSer standards you're about a Medium:thumb

Stumpy
 
GSA1150

Kris said:
Hey guys i just got my Test for my bike and im on a 125 kymco cruiser at the min and I really want to get myself a BMW 1200 GSA anyone any exp on coming from a 125 to a 1.2 lol im not sure what to do

Im a bigish guy so small bike are pants for me

any help would be great

Cheers

:aidan
Click to expand...

I just sold my 1150 to a guy who had only passed his test. He is a big guy. So a little bike was really out of the question. the weight as said here you soon get used to it. One word I teach when out on the road with pupils is this, look alot further up the road that way you can re-act much sooner to any traffic conditions as they occur. This also gives you more time to plan ahead. If you find you are having trouble keeping it to 30 say use 3rd gear 40 4th. just a hint to help you manage speed. With corners (gsers are very good at this as you will find out) try and remember this little tip slow in fast out not the other way round EVER. many have lost out because of not following this simple rule. You never know whats round that bend high hedges and stuff , get the picture. Lastly and I'll sod off is one word RESTRAINT. The twistgrip has 2 posistions enjoy your bike mate I've been on them for over 35 yrs :rob There's always something new to learn .Police safe rider is a good start. Never ride faster than your angel can fly.:thumb2 Good luck :beerjug:
 
I went from a 125 to a gs12 and had no real probs. Just keep a steady eye on your throttle hand and you'll be fine!:thumb
 
I too did the big transition from passsing my test straight onto the 1200GS and all though it is daunting, it is not impossible. I would highly recommend RoSPA to build your safety and confidence gradually over time. RoSPA do not have any restrictions on when you can start where as IAM wont take you until you have been riding for 6 months. I started training with the attitude that the test and certificate was just a by-product of getting good training and becoming smoother, safer............oh and faster (not my original goal but it just seems to happen:cool:) I used to meet my 'instructor' at the weekend for a few hours fairly regularly at first but I did take a few breaks until I decided to get back into it and do the test. No amount of training can substitute real world experience, but by getting out there and gaining expereince with a RoSPA 'instructor' is a great way of accelerating your learning.

Good luck!!!
 
My 2 cents worth is to get a 600-650 bike, maybe a Honda Hornet or CBR600 or maybe a 650gs (similar riding position to 12gs but you'll learn less from it). All of these are very forgiving.

Keep if for 6 months over the winter until March, then get a 12GS. If you buy and sell privately, 3 year old bikes only tend to depreciate by £400 a year, so that's a pretty cheap way of developing your riding skills and at the end of it, you'll be in a better position to work out what bike you really want.
 
The only thing you'll need to be careful of is the physical size of the bike
Power wise the bike has 100hp which is comparable with most sporty 600cc bikes which most seem to move onto when they've passed their test

Take it easy at first and build up gradually using the extra power especially in the twisties

Go for it!
 
The GS isn't a powerful bike so nothing to worry about on that front. Most new riders drop the thing in the first few months. The GS is a good bike to drop i.e. it's not wrapped in a few grands worth of fairing. There again the weight / height is such that you're more likely to drop it. Overall I'd say your greatest risk is simply being a new biker rather than the bike itself. Anyway good luck!!
 
I went from a Suzuki 125 to a F650GS when I passed my test....IMHO, the GS was far easier to ride...more available power when needed, and I wasn't having to work the bike as hard, just to get up hills etc.....
I probably would have gone for a bigger engine size then (now have the new 650GS, which is divine)....but being just over 5ft tall, the bigger GS's weren't an option.......
Good luck, Ride safe....but most of all, Have FUN!!....:D...:bounce1
 
GSmonkey said:
The GS isn't a powerful bike so nothing to worry about on that front. Most new riders drop the thing in the first few months. The GS is a good bike to drop i.e. it's not wrapped in a few grands worth of fairing. There again the weight / height is such that you're more likely to drop it. Overall I'd say your greatest risk is simply being a new biker rather than the bike itself. Anyway good luck!!
Click to expand...

What he said. Most people elsewhere than here go for things like Hornets, SVs etc which are as quick as the GS with worse suspension, worse brakes, worse everything. Biggest thing for me going from an SV to the GS was the physical size. My riding improved unbelievably between the two, the poorer bike stopped me getting on. Having said that the ease to ride of the GS I suppose can bring false sense of security issues so just don't overdo things. Mind you I'd much rather 'overdo' something on a GS than an SV though. Enjoy, nice idea.
 
Martyn B said:
Not so. :rob You can start training immediately but you can't take your test until you've had a full licence for 3 months.

Find your local Group here Kris:

http://www.iam.org.uk/iamgroups/groupdirectory/northernireland:thumb

And before I get any complaints, RoSPA are great as well, I just thought I'd put the record straight.:D

Regards,

Martyn
Click to expand...

If I am wrong then sorry for posting wrong information, but I was given the info by a rep on the IAM stand at the NEC bike show when considering my training.
 
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