POL382
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Is this one a keeper Fred? 
First Long Trip on the GS - the Verdict.
- Thread starter fred_jb
- Start date
Fred, it would be great if you could list the hotels (name and town) so that others might enjoy them too.
Better still, it would be great if you could share the routes (roads) you rode. If they only exist in a map form, send them to me and I'll cut them into a GPS friendly file.
Better still, it would be great if you could share the routes (roads) you rode. If they only exist in a map form, send them to me and I'll cut them into a GPS friendly file.
Deleted account 200417001
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that would be useful.
fred_jb
Registered user
Is this one a keeper Fred?
Hi Dave. Well you can never predict the future, but for now, yes definitely a keeper!
fred_jb
Registered user
I would be happy to share details of any of my own routes and hotel choices, but they were only a small part of the trip. For the rest, I don't think it would be fair to pass on details of routes and hotels as Tom and Susan from Global Motorcycle Tours put in a lot of hard work in the off season to recce new routes, improve existing ones, check out hotels, etc, so I would regard this information as effectively their commercial property.
Why don't you sign up for one of their tours? The guided tours give you the benefit of the company of fellow bikers in the evenings, and support from GMT if anything goes wrong. They also do self guided tours where they book ferries and hotels, and provide satnav routes and maps, and you still get support, albeit by phone/email. We have done two guided tours now and greatly enjoyed them, and when we looked into the cost of doing something similar ourselves we could see that they are very good value. I guess GMT have the ability to get group discounts which helps to keep the cost down. Note that I have no connection with the company, other than as a very satisfied customer.
Fred
Hotels are hotels. If they are on Booking.com / TripAdvisor or similar they are in the public domain already; the hotelier will be happy to take the advertising a happy tourist has given him.
The routes, we'll forgive you.
Organised tours? I do them for bods..... when I get old I might change my mind. As to the company of fellow bikers each evening? Well......
The routes, we'll forgive you.
Organised tours? I do them for bods..... when I get old I might change my mind. As to the company of fellow bikers each evening? Well......
fred_jb
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How gracious of you. Is that the royal we - or do you speak for the Borg Collective that is UKGSer?
Fred
Deleted account 191119001
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Great ride report Fred, and glad you mentioned you bought your 1200GS as a tourer, me also, but glad it can go down other roads if lost LOL, and how did the tyres last, are they showing any noteable use, as I see you ride a little in my style.
MaDPRoFF
Registered user
I hit the Sat nav dial too often, and only have small hands
fred_jb
Registered user
If you mean by riding style, Captain Slow - then yep, that's me, at least with the missus on board!
I had the Roadtecs fitted before the trip even though the original Annekees were only half worn, so they've now done about 3000 miles. Still looking good and not noticeably flattened despite a fair bit of motorway mileage, and much quieter. I couldn't really believe that it was the original front tyre making the howling noise before, but changing confirmed it was the culprit. I will need to get a proper plug put in the rear to replace the temporary one I fitted when I got a puncture on the first day of the tour.
fred_jb
Registered user
It's really annoying isn't it! Might seem trivial to some, but on a long day mainly on motorways where you might be changing lanes every few minutes it really does get pretty tiresome.
I think the wonderwheel is a pretty poor design. In my opinion it is in the wrong place and takes up far too much space. I'm sure a much smaller gadget could be devised to achieve the same thing, and as a non-vital secondary control, be located within easy reach but off the bar end, though even just putting the existing control at the other end of the grip would be an improvement to me - maybe I will have a go at doing that!
fred_jb
Registered user
Tried that on an F800ST that I owned briefly. Hated it, though the main reason I didn't keep the bike long was that the riding position turned out to be a bit too sporty for my aging bones!
I seem to remember that both the right indicator switch and the cancel switch was on the throttle hand, which made no sense to me as groping around for these, particularly the cancel, made it difficult to maintain proper throttle control.
I think there was nothing wrong with moving to the industry standard combined switch on the left side, until BMW saw fit to put a whacking great wheel in the way, forcing the rider's hand to the left and away from the switchgear.
I enjoyed that. I like the idea of lowering the exhaust and using 'normal' panniers. What mode did you have it in ?, if you engage dynamic mode the throttle is a bit harsh, which can be cured by being in road mode.
alp
Registered user
Have to agree about the effect on throttle control with the old system ...I had K1200R with the old BMW indicator switches and it was lethal in traffic if I needed to operate the indicators since on that bike a slight tweek of the the throttle sent you flying toward the cars in front. I don't think the old style GS bikes had the same problem though since the K1200R was a rocket ship.
I didn't know about the Sat Nav wheel problem when reaching for the indicator switch since I use a Garmin 660 unit which doesn't respond to the wheel anyway so I'm a happy bunny with the latest indicator switch.
fred_jb
Registered user
Thanks Steve. Of course the only problem is that all the manufacturers of "normal" panniers, if they have a fitting kit at all for the GS, it is designed around the high level exhaust, so you either have to modify the mounts or adapt ones intended for another bike in order to take full advantage of the extra space and get the panniers tucked well into the side of the bike.
Good thought about the engine mode, but I already use ROAD mode, so as per another suggestion I'm going to try RAIN.
fred_jb
Registered user
When I changed over from my TC to my WC I found the throttle a bit harsh too. I found that rain mode felt the most like my old throttle and used it for a while making my new bike feel a bit more familiar whilst I bonded with it. Now I use all the modes as required. I always revert back to rain if stuck in slow moving traffick for long periods of time as it does make the bike better in these situations.
The riding modes give us the best of all worlds
The riding modes give us the best of all worlds
Tour
Hi Fred. We use global every year. Always great and well organised tours. We did this one in 2016.
I saw Ron and Clive in your first picture. Glad Ron is on the mend. We toured with them this year on the Corsica trip. We all had a few issues over there with none signposted roadworks and loose chipping!
Glad you enjoyed your trip.
We intend doing the Dolomites/Lake Garda trip next year with global if the dates fit.
Hi Fred. We use global every year. Always great and well organised tours. We did this one in 2016.
I saw Ron and Clive in your first picture. Glad Ron is on the mend. We toured with them this year on the Corsica trip. We all had a few issues over there with none signposted roadworks and loose chipping!
Glad you enjoyed your trip.
We intend doing the Dolomites/Lake Garda trip next year with global if the dates fit.
MaDPRoFF
Registered user
Regarding the wheel, rode my Gs for the first time in over a month, and I actually knock it across sometimes pulling in the Clutch, as I have to hold the grip right next to the wheel to put my fingers around the narrow part of the clutch Lever, I have small hands.
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