Don't talk about it DO IT!

[wheeliecrazy]

For the benefit of those thinking about a GS, my advice is just do it! I was 'humming and haring' for months about it, am I too young (32!)? is it too slow?, will I get bored?, what about the KTM, DL, Prilla, TDM etc, etc?.... Being relatively young and coming from a sports bike and enduro background I had many concerns about taking the plunge. Well I bit the bullet and did it last week and have already covered 800 miles! It's bloody excellent!! Its a 1150GS 01 with 15K on it. With my limited BMW experience my comments are as follows:
Bits you need without a doubt (there are plenty of examples out there so buy one with everything you want already fitted)
- Remus and Y piece
- Heated Grips
- Panniers and top box
- Hand Guards
- After-market Screen
- Tobi's
- Engine Bars
Bits that are nice to have
- Hugger
- Alarm
- Aux lights
- Chip
-Ohlins (!)
My impression of the bike (as I say coming from a hole host of Blades, GSXR's, etc and also running a KTM enduro / SM bike)
- It’s a real world bike. Once you wind the pre load up, the handling is very good, and it feels planted. The front end seems vague sometimes but I am getting used to it. I am sure I go faster on this than I ever did on the sports bikes (and I'm no slouch!).
- Back road bumps do not affect the bike at all. Where a sports bike would be shaking its head or wheelieing, the bimmer doesn't move an inch.
- I can scrape the engine bars and my knees (how I laughed!)
- It’s SO relaxing to ride. O/D is excellent for motorway journeys
- Cars seem to move out the way for you (has presence), I even got a nod from a police biker !! Something I have never had before in my life!
- With Givi screen and tobi's, wind buffet is not a problem under 110mph
- You'll notice the vibration coming from a sports bike. Quite annoying in the upper rev range, but not a problem..
- The Gear box from 5th to OD and back is notchy as hell
- The engine / gearbox is generally rather agricultural but it all comes together to be a hell of a package

So there you go, all in all my advise is..get your wallet out! Life is too short

 

[The Other PaulG]

I, too, have just taken the plunge into GS territory - not at the 1150 / 1200 level, but with a '91 R100GS.

After a few hundred miles, I'm getting to know the bike and absolutely loving it. However, it is my first Beemer and if you're also wondering about buying an older GS, this may help:

Over the years I've owned stacks of different bikes, and to be honest although some have been much better than others, they haven't been that different to ride.

Not so with the GS! It still amazes me how just about every aspect of it differs from the other bikes I've owned. Even the way it sounds, feels, and steers, is quite different. The handling is in a league all of its own. For most people, BMW symbolises sophistication and ultra-modern cutting edge technology (and perhaps that's what a modern GS provides, I don't know). But the older GS is all about a very large and brutish motor - with just a few necessary bits attached to turn it into a motorbike. Wonderful stuff!

The early Guzzi v-twins were, I believe, derived from a motor that was originally used in agricultural machines - to me the beemer feels the same. It has that '60s feel about it - it's powerful not because it's terribly sophisticated, but simply because it sits on a bloody big motor..

That means bucketloads of torque and fantastic rideability.

As my first shaft driven bike, it was also the first time I experienced the torque effect of the motor as you wind it up.... think of those massive American Chevys that twist corner-to-corner when they're revved up at the traffic lights.... that's a bit like how the GS feels when you let loose the grunt.

So, it's basic, it's absolutely unique, there are bits you'll love (the noise and the stomp) and bits you'll hate (the key, the indicator switches...). But it won't be like anything else you've ever ridden.