GS ownership update

[Shorty Mac]

The highs & lows of GS ownership

After 2k on the 1150 I thought I’d drop my thoughts down, its mainly for jap four owners thinking of jumping ship.

The short version,

A great ride / concept let down by shite build quality and substandard engineering.

The 1150 is a great bike, I know this cos when I get back on the VFR I don’t like it. The handling and cruising ability on the GS are fantastic, there aren’t many bikes that can make you smile without threatening your license.

The highs,
Shaft drive, heated grips, comfort, carrying ability, handling, depreciation, road presence, some off road ability and most all it costs next to bugger all if you drop it.

The lows,
Build quality is shocking after the Honda, forks pitting and flaking and its not down to uncaring owners.
Engineering - bedding in, pinking etc etc, rode vfr’s for years from new, not a drop of oil used, mechanically vice free.

I had the lower seat fitted but lack of padding makes it uncomfortable so I'm going back to the standard seat and tiptoes!

The GS’s have character and ability and that’s why they sell, BMW should be shot for charging what they do and delivering poor quality – but being German they will never hold their hand up and say sorry.

Would I go back to Honda, No but Hans still needs a bloody good slap!

Try to get a long test ride, my first was only an hour & I didn't like the bike, then I had it over the weekend and the rest was history.

Make the switch - you'll love it

 

[Abue]

I have to say much the same Mac.
Handling, ride & brakes are great. Build on mine i have to say is looking good, it's been very well looked after so I'll have to see.

But the engine is a bad tempered, ill-mannered pig at times. My 1150 is in need of a 30000 mile service which it’s getting in a weeks time, it wont plip without dying first, a nasty flat spot @ 2kRPM, it pinks when you’re sure it wont, and on the whole just feels rough after the VFR (non Vtec). The gearbox can be smooth but on the other hand it can klunk like a Chevy block being dropped onto a manhole cover. And for no reason.

I’d like to get back on a viffer to compare but not sure what good that would do as there’s nothing out there that tickles my gurking. I did 300 miles at the weekend around Sussex & Kent, 2-up, and we both felt fine after. But I could do that on the viffer.

I just hope the service will balance the engine and a change of oil in the gear box sort it out and or else it’ll be looking for a new home. (thank f%$k, I’ve not started buying bit for it yet).

 

[Tudor]

Interested to read what you have to say. Went to Allan Jefferies today to consider an 1150GS. I own a CBR which I have had from new. They were keen to get me on the 1200 and am not sure about the vfm at this stage.

What mileage does the GS1150 start to lose its sparkle or is it more down to winter use and lack of cleaning?

Also, short in the leg. The 1200 felt fine. Is it true the adv is larger still?

 

[rocks]

CBR for GS.. go for it..

I recently swapped my Fi CBR600F 02 plate for a 2000, GS..
From low miles to twice the number..

I have to agree with the above comments.. BUT I would certainly not go back to the CBR..

I can corner on it with more confidence than the CBR. The riding position means i can see over traffic ie cars.. and green lane hedges,, which is top.

Comfy to ride, light and surprisingly agile when moving. Only gripe,, alot of dead weight to roll into the garage and out, with a 3" lip.. especially with full tank of fuel.

I would certainly say.. get a long test ride.. you dont warm to the GS strate away,, but when you do.. you have had it and hide the credit card..

 

[Shorty Mac]

Hi Tudor,

I believe that the Adventure is much taller but the seat is narrower and you can get a low option (840mm I think).

I have a testride booked on the 1200 for Friday, I have an open mind on the 1200, it certainly sounds better on paper, looks - not too sure as I really like the silver GSA.

Truth is there is little out there to tempt me away except maybe a boxer cup, but the technology is old compared to the 1200. I really hope the 1200 engine is more refined, heard the gearbox is great.

There seems to be a great deal made if the BM engine goes past 100k, never the same fuss made over the honda engines. My wifes CBR400 has twice the miles of my 1150 and is as sweet as the day it fell out of the crate.

I often wondered what happened to all those tank engines left over from the war

 

[trev]

Similar experiences

went from jap stuff to my 1150 3 years ago ,love it to bits.
1200 ,test rode one ,liked it, but not convinced.is it for the same market?
Engine,sometimes injectors go out of sync about1000 miles after service & need resetting.
pinking mine did (noticed it at 80 +loaded on m waymainly)but shaun at rainbow said to put it on super unleaded every couple of tankfulls, problem solved.
finish, dont think its that bad ,not in daily use but ridden in all weathers & only cleaned regularly when salt on road.lucky if it gets washed 2 times betwean april-october. 21000 & dosent look to bad .
Character ,mine has it in truckloads
Had 30 motorcycles in the last30+ years ,but this & my old xr600 are the only ones, That I cant get the smile off my face ,from when I get on to when I get off & thats what really matters isnt it.
Regards Trev

 

[brianski]

I went from a ZX9R to my GS a couple of weeks ago and love it. I tried a 1200 and 1150 back to back and would prefer the 1200 but the price differential was huge. In the end I bought an 1150 with Remus & Y piece which performs a lot better than the bike i tested. So far I can't fault the finish or build quality and mechanically it seems sound.
I find I can ride the GS hard without worrying that I'm about to loose my licence or that the bike is going to bite back.
It's a top bike & I'm positive I've made the right move.

 

[pugwash]

Hi guys, Just my tu'pence worth,Have owned my 2001/31000mile 1150GS since feb 2004 and i've not had any problems of any kind,It is still in 1st class order (hats off to previous owner) I Have never been this smitten with a bike (and i've had a few) Recently a Triumph Tiger,KTM 640,Kawasaki ZRX 1200..ect...ect. I ride it, I love it....What more can i say. Kind regards to you all.

 

[Invicta Moto]

I changed to a GS1150 from Japanese 15 months ago 13500 miles ago and won't go back in the near future.

I owned Wings, GSXR750 and 1100, the odd Yam plus a few Hondas but never a Kwak, and the build quality problem was never any different at the end of the day. Ride any of them in the UK winter and the paint and brightwork is f*cked after a few goes without washing and WD40-ing. My last bike was a Bandit 1200, I had it 18 months and it covered 16000 miles... before that a TDM850 that did 45000 in 3 years.... Same corosion just at different times.

My GS is 4.5 years old and the corrosion on the fork legs and the bottom yoke is no better no worse than any others, going back to my first big bike... also a GS, but a GS1000 Suzuki in 1979.

Don't get me wrong, I am disappointed my GS is looking a little tacky round the forks, but I know that I can wait a bit and then fix it. And still have a bike I love to ride every day...

Oh as for not losing your licence as easily... I have 3 points on my licence... only had three ever.... owned the GS when I got 'em... always luckier on the R's and the Blades?

 

[Abue]

Well I had the GS serviced by those very nice chaps at South London Motorcycles and she did run a lot better. ‘Did’, being the operative word.
I asked if I could demo a K1200RS or GT while mine was in, and they duly obliged by lending me a brand new GT.

What a bit of kit! A fantastic ride in every area.

I wangled keeping the bike that night and run up a couple of hundred miles before returning it on the Saturday morning, but it was clear by the time I arrived at work on it the previous day that I had to have one.
I did some phoning around, arranged to have a look at a RS on Saturday afternoon and by the end of the day I’d done a deal and swapped my GS+£ for a mint RS and rode home on her.

The GS felt a lot better for the service and had a good run out on the Saturday but I still didn’t ‘gel’ with it. I love the image of it, I just can’t stand riding it. It was just not for me.

What I liked:
Riding position below 60mph. Nice & high.
Shaft drive
The handling was fantastic although it did need new tyres.
That’s it.

What I didn’t like:
The engine didn’t have the torque I’d hoped for. It could be ill mannered, coughing & spluttering on overrun and very vibey.
The gearbox is a pig. Clunky, noisy horrible.
Riding position above 60mph.
Unwieldy & nervy at slow speeds. (it did need new tyres)
ABS. don’t bother. Not on a bike like the GS

Don’t get me wrong, don’t think that my GS was in anyway less than a perfect 3-year-old example, it was (although it did need new tyres). So it must be me. And that’s fine.

Spain, here I come.:sunshine

 

[skybluebird]

My tuppence worth based on 1 year / 7K miles (from new):
Build quality:comparable to the Blackbird & Firestorm, maybe due to always washing all of them after riding on salted roads. The 'Bird looked like new after 24K miles, the VTR after 12K, the GS looks like it'll do the same.
My gearbox is kaput. I keep reading that it's supposed to be clunky but the piece that causes this fell out of mine before delivery It's always as sweet as a nut on upchanges, sometimes an occasional noise changing down into 1st, but nothing like the Hondas' clunk which would show on the Richter scale..
Servicing is a bit pricey but a courtesy bike can be taken as granted, try getting that from a Japanese / KTM dealer. (Ditto a test ride). And the dealer (Mills) still make me welcome after they've got my money....

So far, nothing's gone wrong (touchwood), the only other bike I can say that of in 25 years' riding was a KTM 640.

The only negative points are: oil consumption - it's the first vehicle I've owned for which I check the oil before every trip. (Easiest way to waste 30 seconds? - checking the oil level on a Blackbird
) and the lack of storage space - how on earth does a bike with this capability come without even somewhere to store a D-lock

Needless to say I'm a convert, as much as I admire the Japanese bikes for their engineering / design / paper capabilities, I think I'll be buying German (or Austrian) from now. Assuming, of course, I decide to part with the 1150

David

 

[Wayne's World]

Agree with all 'Honda build quality superior to GS's comments'.

97 Fireblade ridden for 4 years in all weathers, including a couple of winters, rarely washed or maintained, now stood in garage.

03 Adv ridden a handful of times over last winter, hosed down after each outing (a slight lie as this was sometimes not possible with the hose frozen solid), regularly cleaned, WD40 ed etc.

The Honda finish still looks as good if not better than the GS with more than twice the milage (at 24k) and 6 years on the big lovable lump.