Has anyone regretted trading in their 1250 GSA for a 1300 GS?

Hi all,

I know this has been covered in similar but not exact threads before.

I have a '23 GSA 1250 with just under 3000 miles on it. I have done a couple of trips on it, but also have smaller bikes - 701 and 350 - and a few older bikes - '87 RD03 Honda AT, '87 Transalp 600 for local trips, buzzing around etc...

Having not ridden the big GS over the winter, I went on a ride yesterday with some friends , one of whom had a 1300 GS. Now, I rode the 1300GS before i bought the '23 GSA two years ago... and thought I preferred the 1250 (more dirt bike feel etc) but yesterday I couldnt get over how much smaller the 1300 felt and how much more manageable.

It got me thinking about swapping... I cant justify having both as I have a load of other bikes and 2 x GS'es in the stable doesnt make sense.

My concern is will I regret it? I would hate to sell the GSA and then get buyers remorse on the 1300...
Only you can answer that. The 13GS definitely feels smaller, sportier and more agile than either the 1250GS or GSA. If that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed. On the other hand, if you like the more relaxed comfort and all-round-ability of the GSA above anything else, you might be disappointed.
 
Hi all,

I have a '23 GSA 1250 with just under 3000 miles on it.

I couldnt get over how much smaller the 1300 felt and how much more manageable.


My concern is will I regret it? I would hate to sell the GSA and then get buyers remorse on the 1300...
There`s no way i`d swap my `21 GSA for a 13 GS, it`s because of the size, heft, bulk and proportions of the GSA that makes it appeal to me, i`m not a large guy by any means but i don`t find the GSA too much to handle - apart from maybe when my daughter jumps on the pillion from the `wrong` side when the suspension is in high mode and i`m on tippy toes.....
I like big bikes. Maybe i`m compensating for my tiny penis. Dunno.

Yes the 13 feels quicker, lighter, more nimble and agile but that isn`t really what a GS/A is all about is it? They have always been known for being a large ungainly unit but one which surprises you with it`s allround capabilities.
I reckon they`ve moved too far away from the traditional GS qualities with the 13, they have too firm suspension, have more modest proportions and then there`s the looks! And the engine noise.. Yes they probably go a bit better but at the expense of refinement, theyre a coarse unit if you ask me.
If you want sporty there`s the RS option.
1250 GSA is the perfect bike to waft around on in ease and comfort, a bike you `sit in` and feel part of, the 13 - whether GS or GSA i`ve test ridden both, feels a bit more detached and sterile/inert.
 
So. I was late to the 1250s and bought a 40 year one. It handled lovely, cleaned up lovely and was push the button reliable. Think I did 22k miles on it then sold to a gent on here knowing it was faultless.

Had not got into gs’s before this and thought new 1300 will be great and I need to get one now. Faster, better handling and general improvement. Great.

Then reality and I know lots have 13s that don’t give any issues. After my first one was rejected for multiple serious issues including breaking down and having to be left in France (that’s only one) and my second one, has had all suspension replaced, broke down again and has been in dealers for three weeks.

I’d struggle to recommend the change.

Barry
 
You do feel sorry for these dumb chumps who don’t have a 1300 but have devoted their lives trying to piss on the brand and model. Wasting valuable riding hours trawling the net for snippets to trying prove their febrile point and confirming what fucking dicks they are.

There are one or two tits who fit this bill perfectly in this thread. I think one of them has flown an airplane upside down, backwards, under London’s Tower Bridge.
S’funny, I came across a little upstart just like that, during my working days. A little **** with a huge ego, but couldn’t shut the fuck up and fed on other people’s attention. Full of pomp, piss and with the look-at-me, look how good I am, and what I am-type; a proper ****-with-a-cap sort. Spoke and wrote more hot air than a fucking jet engine at full thrust. 🙄
He came a proper cropper when he grounded one of the firm’s hundred million dollar assets in Oz, decades ago. Oh, what karma for everyone else who’d watched and listened to him.
 
Rather boringly, I have o reliability issues to report with mine. Lead acid AGM battery from new. I love it.

The only thing I’m trying to work through is the seat’s comfort. The chinese equivalent of the Wunderlich lowering (which I turn upside down as a ‘raising kit) has helped make the angle of the seat better by lifting the front. The only mods I have done are Lone Rider Motobags, top case and lights (which are amazing on full beam).
 
Very happy with mine, came from a 1200GS to a 1300GS

The 1300 is better in many ways, no reliability issues on mine

I came from a 2010 GSA to a 1300 GSA end of last year. It was a bit of an adjustment to start with and I wasn’t sure I’d done the right thing….but after a few hundred miles, I knew it was the right move for me…no adaptive ride height, no “auto box” for me.
 
Hi all,

I know this has been covered in similar but not exact threads before.

I have a '23 GSA 1250 with just under 3000 miles on it. I have done a couple of trips on it, but also have smaller bikes - 701 and 350 - and a few older bikes - '87 RD03 Honda AT, '87 Transalp 600 for local trips, buzzing around etc...

Having not ridden the big GS over the winter, I went on a ride yesterday with some friends , one of whom had a 1300 GS. Now, I rode the 1300GS before i bought the '23 GSA two years ago... and thought I preferred the 1250 (more dirt bike feel etc) but yesterday I couldnt get over how much smaller the 1300 felt and how much more manageable.

It got me thinking about swapping... I cant justify having both as I have a load of other bikes and 2 x GS'es in the stable doesnt make sense.

My concern is will I regret it? I would hate to sell the GSA and then get buyers remorse on the 1300...
I did this exact change. Have no regrets whatsoever. The auto ride height do dah feature is worth it alone. I love the more nimble feel of the 13GS. The seat is nowhere near as comfortable so would be wise to maybe borrow your mates for a day if possible. Not sure if you pillion but Mrs S preferred the GSA seating but not a deal breaker.
 
That is a leap :nod
Indeed, I’ve had a fair few GS/GSA over the last 3 decades and I never thought I’d get rid of my 30 yr anniversary model. It was, I thought, the pinnacle. However, in a rush of blood, I thought I’d give the “new one” a go. Properly happy with it now.
 
Is it ? There’s a lot of people saying the opposite on here
So what do you think? Are all the bods with tales of woe just making it up?

Of course, the majority of the bikes are ok (so far at least). The real point is that the incidence of significant problems seems to be higher than one might expect and the seriousness of the problems higher too.

I don’t own (and wouldn’t want) a 1300. I had an 1200RT, a1200GS and a 1250GS and got away with minor niggles.

A good friend had a 1300GS that had two engines fail. After the second one, BMW UK offers him a replacement 1300GSA for £1.

He took it and sold it…
 
My current GS 1300 is my fifth of the type over 25 years
Had more electronic error messages with this than any of the previous bikes. A right pita going back and forwards to the dealers.

Would I go back to an earlier model however much I enjoyed them. No way - it's brilliant (y)
 
Nb - all of my errors were to do with Adaptive Ride. Took several visits to sort but all good for the past year.

But - it has made me look closely at all the competitors out there. Everyone is making good / great bikes - but the GS / A is still top of the tree IMO.
 
Nb - all of my errors were to do with Adaptive Ride. Took several visits to sort but all good for the past year.

But - it has made me look closely at all the competitors out there. Everyone is making good / great bikes - but the GS / A is still top of the tree IMO.
Or second if you read most of the reviews.
 


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