Going from a Gsx-r 1000 to a GSA 1200

[George91]

Im finding it hard to imagine going from a gixer to a GS! A few mates have chucked in the sportsbikes for GSA's and they love them but.....they are a little older than me! Im 27 and been riding sports bike for 10 years. Im very throttle happy, love wheelies, knee down etc etc but im looking to calm it down a bit and im getting fed up of getting a sore arse after being on the gixer for 20 mins!
The last thing i want to do is buy a GS and regret it. Im not in a position to keep the gixer aswel
I had a quick ride on a mates GSA and yeah it was really comfy but just seemed massive!
Ive got a test ride booked so hopefully that will help my decision.
Are there any GSA owners on here my age or should i be looking at the S1000rr?!

 

[CuzGS]

I'm older mate but I had a GS a Blade and a 675 in my garage. Bottom line is I now only have a GS, every time I opened garage I fancied the GS, horses for courses I guess.

Oh you can hustle them too, it's v satisfying going on a track day, watching the smirks and then stuffing blades round oulton park, its much more capable than people think, and that's on Anakee 2s.

How about a GS and say a sub grand cbr600 ??

 

[Pip_UK]

Im finding it hard to imagine going from a gixer to a GS! A few mates have chucked in the sportsbikes for GSA's and they love them but.....they are a little older than me! Im 27 and been riding sports bike for 10 years. Im very throttle happy, love wheelies, knee down etc etc but im looking to calm it down a bit and im getting fed up of getting a sore arse after being on the gixer for 20 mins!
The last thing i want to do is buy a GS and regret it. Im not in a position to keep the gixer aswel
I had a quick ride on a mates GSA and yeah it was really comfy but just seemed massive!
Ive got a test ride booked so hopefully that will help my decision.
Are there any GSA owners on here my age or should i be looking at the S1000rr?!

Hi George, not sure S1000RR is the ideal calming-down bike

What GS's lose on bhp they make up in charisma and fun. You can use more of the tacho more of the time, and give it a good ragging without going mental. And going from peg to peg on an S-bend, your head travels 12 feet (feels like...) It's more agile than a bike that size has any right to be, you can ride it all day, it doesn't have a Jif lemon for a fuel tank, and it has a handy compartment for my Werther's Originals.

I'm guessing you have one-piece leathers. You may want to do a shop window check on the test ride to see if you're happy with the look, or factor some new riding clobber into the budget.

Enjoy your test ride, and hope you let us know what you think. If not now, perhaps in a few more years...

 

[slydog]

old

Im finding it hard to imagine going from a gixer to a GS! A few mates have chucked in the sportsbikes for GSA's and they love them but.....they are a little older than me! Im 27 and been riding sports bike for 10 years. Im very throttle happy, love wheelies, knee down etc etc but im looking to calm it down a bit and im getting fed up of getting a sore arse after being on the gixer for 20 mins!
The last thing i want to do is buy a GS and regret it. Im not in a position to keep the gixer aswel
I had a quick ride on a mates GSA and yeah it was really comfy but just seemed massive!
Ive got a test ride booked so hopefully that will help my decision.
Are there any GSA owners on here my age or should i be looking at the S1000rr?!

oiiiiiiiii im only bloody 46

 

[y2blade]

have you looked at the GS12000 as opposed to the GSA?
I'm in the same boat, but won't be giving up my Fireblade..the 1200GS will sit alongside it


FYI the S1000RR was a massive disappointment imho, the Germans will never beat the japs at making sportsbikes

 

[Doberman]

I bought my GSA when I was 33 (now 35) and I love it. I love the 'massive' look, the comfort and the fact that I can travel 2 up with full luggage. I would never give these things up for speed and bhp.
I would prefer to travel through Europe with an Audi Q7 4.2 TDI than an Atom.

 

[Rasher]

Years of sportsbikes for me and I did not want to change, needing to slow down was the main factor and only rode the GS as a bit of a bet.

I now rarely miss the sportsbike (it does happen, but then I remember all I would have done is gone stupidly fast and spent a fortnight worrying about what may come through the post)

The GS handles quite nicely and as other have mentioned is damn good fun when you do harrass sportsbikes, and to be honest how many of us can actually ride a superbike beyond 25% of its abilities, I go about as quick around bends on the GS as I would on any other bike, and probably faster if they are a bit Tight / Bumpy / Dirty / Gravel Strewn / Damp

I got a mate who's quite handy on a bike and does race instruction, he reckons the S1000RR is not as good as the 2010 R1, it is fast but peaky with poor fuelling, he also rode a Superbike (World Endurance) spec S1000RR and that was an entirely different animal, but probably a bit out of budget for most of us!

I reckon a GS / GSA should tick the right boxes, just get a long test ride and twist the throttle a lot, they don't pull of low throttle openings anywhere near as well as Jap bikes, but when given a handful they go OK (well until about a ton)

 

[GS TRV]

FYI the S1000RR was a massive disappointment imho, the Germans will never beat the japs at making sportsbikes

Strange how your opinion seems to conflict with every bike mag going never mind WSBK Superstock series

 

[DavidHale]

I was 34 when I bought my 1150 GSA. I'm old now, but before that I'd had Honda Africa Twins and Triumph Tigers so not exactly able to offer any serious advice. Now, where did I leave my beer?

 

[Tonyplod]

I have both
Gixer's are for the track
GS 's are for the road, if you forget straight line speed and love cornering GS every time, however they take a while to grow on you!!.

 

[Nutty]

Just my 2p worth, but if you're coming from a Gixxer, look at a GS, not a GSA, as most would say that they are better for road riding/ handling etc. If you're going to go off road and round the world, the GSA is the one to go for. I also ride a 2011 Street Triple R, and compare it to the GS every time I ride it, and prefer the GS every day of the week!

Make the change, you won't regret it.

 

[George91]

Well, just got back from the test ride. I took the GSA out I seemed to get used to it straight away and took it down a few lanes that i know well and take the gixer down most weeks at warp speed! Im pretty sure the bmw was just as quick through there though i did feel the front wheel skipping a couple of times! Had fun playing around with the suspension (instead of looking at the road oops) Then i went down a byway that ive been down in a 4x4 years ago. Turned the traction control off and had a little play for 5 mins
The bike felt so damn comfy and was lovely to ride i didnt want to return it.
Now i need to do some thinking!

Thanks for all the replys

 

[Nutty]

Well, just got back from the test ride. I took the GSA out I seemed to get used to it straight away and took it down a few lanes that i know well and take the gixer down most weeks at warp speed! Im pretty sure the bmw was just as quick through there though i did feel the front wheel skipping a couple of times! Had fun playing around with the suspension (instead of looking at the road oops) Then i went down a byway that ive been down in a 4x4 years ago. Turned the traction control off and had a little play for 5 mins
The bike felt so damn comfy and was lovely to ride i didnt want to return it.
Now i need to do some thinking!

Thanks for all the replys

Don't think about it, just do it!

 

[itspilsbury]

My work partner, 'sports bike enthusiast through n through'. Never liked these sit up type bikes, but having ridden an R1200RT at work for the last 18 months it finally grew on him!. So much so that he has recently traded his fairly new Kwak ZX10R (104 in 1st apparently) for a new 2011 R1200GS (I have the DOHC GSA) and he LOVES it.
Best decision he has ever made, best bike he has ever had! (done 2+1/2 K on it already in 2 months).
He says it is as fast if not faster round the twisties but obviously slower in a straight line.
Told me he recently had a ride out to Wales with some friends on their sports bikes and noticed they were leaning that hard over on the bends that they couldn't go any more and the tyres had been scrubbed to the edges, when he checked his skinny 'Tourance' tyres there was still room left either side for harder leaning if it had suddenly been required.
I am surprised at how his opinion has changed so.
Apparently the GS makes him smile every time he goes out (which I can understand).
I have had boxers for years now (R80/7, R1150R, R1150RT, R1200GSA) so know that they are great bikes.
I am sure if you decide to change to a boxer you will not be sorry. You just need to decide GS or GSA.
You need to have a good go on a R1200GS as well before making your mind up.
The GSA has extreme road presence, good fuel capacity, Economy (54 - 57 MPG I am getting) great handling etc.
Happy biking.
Ian

 

[George91]

hmm i must admit i was laughing out loud a couple of times when i was on the GSA. I even aimed at a few bumps in the road that would usually have me out the seat on the gixer and it soaked them up lovely!
Im not really interested in just a GS ide rather go for the adventure.
Its nice to hear someone else has gone from a mental superbike to a GS
I dont know if to get brand new or 2nd hand if i were to go for it. I like the new one how it pops and bangs when you let off the throttle

 

[itspilsbury]

hmm i must admit i was laughing out loud a couple of times when i was on the GSA. I even aimed at a few bumps in the road that would usually have me out the seat on the gixer and it soaked them up lovely!
Im not really interested in just a GS ide rather go for the adventure.
Its nice to hear someone else has gone from a mental superbike to a GS
I dont know if to get brand new or 2nd hand if i were to go for it. I like the new one how it pops and bangs when you let off the throttle

I suppose it depends on what you wish to spend.
I know of 3 people who have swapped their older GSA for the new DOHC GSA and all say it is streets ahead.
I cannot really comment as Its my first GS, although my other bike is an 04 R1150RT which I still have and I ride an 09 R1200RT at work most days.
If given the choice to ride the 09 R1200RT or the 11 plate GSA, the GSA would win hands down every time!. Smoother, more nimble, bigger, and well - just better.
Ian

 

[y2blade]

Strange how your opinion seems to conflict with every bike mag going never mind WSBK Superstock series

here you go
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2781231#post2781231

 

[presto]

Are there any GSA owners on here my age or should i be looking at the S1000rr?!

I've a 1150 GSA and I'm 27. Sounds like a AA meeting . Mine's chipped and running a remus without a baffle-- less pipe and slippers and more anti-social!

I must admit the GS does seem to attract a slightly older crowd but its a cracking bike no matter the age of the rider. Coming from a 06 Tuono I've noticed a lack of power but just means you concentrate on keeping momentum up At this stage in my biking adventures, it is perfect for my needs- 2up touring and still fun on solo runs.

 

[Dal]

Stu, you know my feelings on the subject.

I loved my GSXR K7 TT but I was forever waiting for the speeding fine to drop on the door mat so I sold that and bought the 09 Sprint ST as we had talked about doing some touring, which was ok but a bit bland if i'm honest to that went and as you know I had the 08 ZX10R which was fun (although I never gelled with it like the GSXR) then we had the trip to Normandy and the day we got back I sold it I then looked at everything From a nearly New Ducati Multistrada, Triumph Tiger 800, KTM SMT, Moto Guzzi and the BMW GS's and like you I preferred the Adventure if though I know in my heart I should have bought the standard GS due to the height but I getting used to the Adventure and wouldn't change for the world (I know I said that before and I also know I've never had a bike longer than 3 months ) but the GS opens up a different type of riding you just can't do on a sports missile and no I don't miss the performance one bit. The Adventure will still do 130 on the clock (someone told me).

Ultimately it has to be your decision, just think about why your thinking of changing and it all suddenly makes sense.

Happy shopping oh and go used not new

 

[Mac]

Do it m8

I have a bike history similar to yours and got my 1100 three years ago, Lordy am i glad i did.

But then again it is an 1100