GS to GSA......?

[Jam]

Are you sitting comforably ......then i will begin.

I have a low mileage , good condition , few nice extras 1150GS. The plan was to own this and have it nicely custom sprayed and keep it for ever because

` i will have no reason to change it love, it does everything we want and your comfortable on the back`

This was the phrase i used when making the purchase. Now 12 months on and the 1150GSA prices are dropping and i am looking at this and thinking maybe thats a better way to go.

My ideal GS/GSA would have the large adventure tank and the alloy wheel conversion. I am not a mass mile rider , i use it more for trips away with SWMBO so probably 3-5k PA. Not a lot i know but i do enjoy my riding and i do need to make sure that wifey is comfy on the back.

My dilemma

I could do this with my current GS. The tank would be £400ish and this then takes my spend into GSA price territory. The wheels would be the same cost iether way.

Am i making sense? I suppose the nub of it is do i spend on my GS or flog it and buy a GSA? Do you think the GSA price drop is a blip?

Damn freewill ! damn you 1200gsa for affecting the 1150GSA prices!

What would you do ?

 

[Trippy]

Keep it - dont mess with it - buy her a custom seat - enjoying stops for petrol and a drink more often than with an adventure.

Sorted

 

[Jam]

valid point.......i have a sargent seat and lowered pillion pegs for her comfort!

 

[Steve]

valid point.......i have a sargent seat and lowered pillion pegs for her comfort!

Very valid. Unless you're going to change the seat for a 2-piece on the the GSA, your pillion won't thank you for changing.

 

[Zoton]

Very valid. Unless you're going to change the seat for a 2-piece on the the GSA, your pillion won't thank you for changing.

Go for the mods on the bike you have i rekon,fit larger tank and away ya go.

Been down the change for change sake and it sucks if ya get it wrong,if you like what you have why change.............just trick it out more.

 

[BTBR]

Swapped my GS for a GSA, because I prefer the look of the Adventure.

However, in the real world, I found the Adventure to big and lardy with the worlds most uncomfortable seat.

Dont get me wrong, its a great bike but it size got the better of me and it stopped doing the thing that I enjoyed the most, off roading. Of course buying it new did not help I suppose. After spending in excess of £10k then taking it down some rock invested gulley only to drop it at the bottom is not my idea of entertainment nor fun.

As for SWMBO, she refused to go on the back of it, not to sure if thats a good or bad point.

Before you do make the change, think very carefully about, as "the grass is not always greener on the otherside".

But if your are really seriuos about the need for a big tank, then IMHO dont waste your money trying to convert a GS into a GSA. The second hand prices are so low now it is simply not worth the hassle.

My two pence worth, having done the same excercise.

BTBR

 

[longdog]

Ask yourself a few questions first..............

Do I really want a second-hand bike with an unknown history over my own bike?

Do I (and SWMBO) really want ride for over 200 miles at a time without comfort breaks?

Do I really want the hassle and ear-ache that goes with sitting myself and SWMBO on a more uncomfortable seat?

Do I really want to take a depreciation hit with my bike and then spend more on the same, or similar?

Are my legs long enough?

Do I really want to be a fashion victim?

Is the grass really greener?

Be realistic, keep wot you got!

 

[Jam]

Well Gentlemen all i can say is many many thanks for your comments.

Longdog when you summarise it like that its very easy to make the decision to stay as i am .

Unfortunately BTBR staying with this bike means i wont have a requirement for a new light set up.....sorry about that (Hows the Merc axles doing?)

So i think the plan may very well be to do the standard tank filler mod and then the power commander to maximise the tank range and after that who knows......but it will include a nice respray as i have always wanted to do that with the GS.



Thank you

 

[Brian ROSEN]

Logic?

Once you start examining your car or bike logically you will nearly always stay with the devil you know! I changed my 1150GS for a 1200GS for no logical reason except that I could afford to do so. The 1200 is certainly a much better bike (although I thought the 1150 was fantastic) but there is no way I could justify the maoney I paid out ---if I had to!

 

[Les Wassall]

Same dilemma myself, but in the end opted for the 1200, as the seat on the adv is no good for two touring, (or not my swmbo) so now a nice new bike, comfort and hopefully trouble free motoring.

At the moment still miss the 1150 such a good bikes, but the 1200 is really easy to move about as it’s much lighter, and the mobility was another issue.

 

[blues n twos]

I have been having the same dilema recently as well.

I have a great 2001 1150 that I have got just how I want it with various mods etc. In the back of my mind I have always wanted an adventure but couldn't afford one a year ago

After a lot of tooing and frowing I have decided to keep what I have. I have recently spent a fair amount on new tyres and brakes all round plus a full service so it seems daft to sell it now.

I do a fair amount of green laning and fording and when ever I went with my mate who had an ADV it seemed he was struggling more to keep it upright.

I can handle my 1150 comfortably and confidence grows all the time. I have decided to buy a new front engine cover in black to replace my corroding one and as it was only £77 from BM that will tidy the bike up no end.

Reading this thread has confirmed i'm doing the right thing by keeping hold of what you know

Jon

 

[Pint6x]

And me - here's another one with a perfectly good standard 1150GS who has always lusted after the bigger-tanked Adventure model. Not interested in the 1200 - I did ride it but i didn't like it - anyway - any rational train of thought always ends up with "Why change a good bike which you already have" - I have read enough about the ADV to know I'll probably hate the seat comfort, and i don't really need a bike which is lower geared in top - I like the "overdrive" 6th gear that I have on my 1150.

All that said, I'm going for a ride on a KTM in the next few days...........

I know I know - madness to change and I'll lose a pile of cash but since when has that ever stopped me............

 

[The_Pilot]

I bought the GSA

and I still lover it, its not really very much heavier than the GS if you don't fill the tank up, 10kg or so, its the height that makes it more difficult...which if it is an issue I agree stick with the standard...

I really like the ride the extra travel gives me and I LOVE the looks.

I tried the KTM and in many ways really want one, great fun, but everyone I talk to has had some problems, everywhere I look there are problems....not corrosion, but stuff that stops you gettin where your goin...a 3 year warranty is no good if its always in the shop

The only person who disagreed was the ktm dealer.

I think I want the concept of the racer????

All the round the world ktm's (not that I am doing this) seem to end up completely knackered and that shouldn't happed..Ducati for the dirt is a good description.


I think the price drop is a blip, when the trade in boys are done and the supply dries up, prices will harden on the GSA, just as with other loved bikes like the @twin...

It is and will remain a classic

 

[GSAde]

My thoughts on the GSA

Not sure why everyone seems to thinks the seat's so uncomfortable? Yes there is less padding for the pillion passenger but the standard height seat is certainly more comfortable for the rider than the standard GS - of which I've had three, an 1100 & two 1150's. Longest day so far was 580 miles with no significant discomfort.

As for the lower top gear I thought I would miss the overdrive but in reality the lower ratio is far better (especially two up) for what we generally enjoy riding i.e. non motorway roads & due to the fact that this is by far the smoothest GS I've had the fact that you cruise at a slightly higher RPM when you have to use the M ways is fine.

I went for a GSA 'cos I wanted one of the very last of the 1150's so I could keep it ( I'd tried the 1200 on a couple of long test rides & it "just didn't do it for me") & after a year & 12k miles the grins just get bigger - it's the best GS I've had without doubt, & I'm really, really glad that I bought one. Plus just about all the goodies from my previous GS were transferrable meaning not having to spend an arm & a leg on re-customising.

You have to decide what you want to do, mine wasn't the "fashion statement reason" though I have to admit to liking the extra chunky looks. The big tank's all very well but you still have to stop when you're out with your mates for them to fill up. The weight prety much disapears when you're on the move, but without doubt it's not as "flickable" as a 1200, there again it does feel more "planted" - I'd make the same decision again - but that's me.

Ade

 

[Big Lad]

Jam, buy a GSA. £5K should buy a decent one now (02 model). I too find the seat and position more comfortable. Braided lines as standard, no messing with tanks and fuel gauges etc. It looks miles better too. Do it

 

[Jam]

As it stands i am gonna stay with the GS till after xmas if not longer.

Whilst the prices of the GSA have dropped so have the GS. To flog mine now would probably mean a £1k loss in less than 12 months and this would be a bit steep. It would mean i need to find another £1k to be able to get a GSA . If i had a grand it wouldnt be a problem but then again spend a grand on my GS and i get an even more sorted bike.......stick or twist?

stick for me please


(at least for now)

 

[STUBBS]

My ideal GS/GSA would have the large adventure tank and the alloy wheel conversion. I am not a mass mile rider , i use it more for trips away with SWMBO so probably 3-5k PA.

i think your original post answers it for you why do you need a larger tank if your not doing mass miles, if your happy with what you have why the need to change

 

[BTBR]

If i had a grand it wouldnt be a problem .....

Better start selling some more axles then...

BTBR

 

[Jam]

do we need to talk BTBR? is the 3 pointed star not living up to expectations?


With regard to the tank i have now done the filler cap mod am looking forward to seeing if this has an effect

 

[BTBR]

do we need to talk BTBR? is the 3 pointed star not living up to expectations?

You wish......