Help cant decide!!

pritchi83

Registered user
Joined
Jul 24, 2018
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Dublin
Hi all

Im new to the forum. I used to have a Ducati Multistrada 1200 which i have just sold. I am looking to change it to either an r1200 GS Adventure Rallye or an s1000XR. I have ridden both bikes and love both bikes a lot. I have seen both bikes secondhand both with nearly all the extras and coming in at the right money for me. I am selling my car and have sold the bike as i am also putting money aside for a house deposit. Considering that i am going to have to keep this bike for a good while as buying a house is going to hurt my bike funds a good while :eek:

I will be using it to commute everyday as a daily driver. I wont be heading into the center of town a lot so filtering isnt a massive deal. All the roads i ride daily are plenty wide and have a bus lane i can make use of.

I would like to do some European touring on it too but i guess i can always rent a GS Adventure if i decide not to get one. Being in Ireland its not like i can just jump on the train and go.

Any help would be very much appreciated
 
Well as far as I can tell your going to get 2 answers. Mine is GSA mostly because I had one. It’s got the range. Possibly almost double the xr. Over 500 km per tank full. Welcome to the site. JJH
 
I used to have a Ducati Faultistrada too. I got a GS Rallye after that. Get it. You wont regret it. It's far more versatile and you wont give up much on the road over the XR for real world riding. You can live with a GSA far longer than an XR which is more one-dimensional IMHO. And no more chains to mess around with!
 
buy a honda!

At least you know it will be reliable and reasonably well put together. Fantastic Cross tourer on here for sale..

Owning a BMW is not a cheap option if you need to be careful with money..
 
Speaking as someone who has had both of the above bikes... get a GS. 30Kg lighter, £1500 cheaper, no apoked wheel to fall apart (unless you spec them), fuel range less but I can get 230-240 miles from a tank bimbling, which is more than enough for my body to endure) and more fun to ride. The GSA feels a bit laboured in comparison - not something you notice immediately but it dawns on you after a while. The GS is also as narrow as an XR but with a shaft drive, better clocks (well, the TFT in the new one) and can take either Vario or Alu luggage (with a change of footpeg hangers). Just my opinion, of course!
 
Matty589 said:
Speaking as someone who has had both of the above bikes... get a GS. 30Kg lighter, £1500 cheaper, no apoked wheel to fall apart (unless you spec them), fuel range less but I can get 230-240 miles from a tank bimbling, which is more than enough for my body to endure) and more fun to ride. The GSA feels a bit laboured in comparison - not something you notice immediately but it dawns on you after a while. The GS is also as narrow as an XR but with a shaft drive, better clocks (well, the TFT in the new one) and can take either Vario or Alu luggage (with a change of footpeg hangers). Just my opinion, of course!
Click to expand...

All of the above
 
Wow thanks for the replies! I hadn't event considered the normal GS i kind of just forgot it was there. Ill book a test ride on one and see.

Honda's are great reliable bikes but to be honest nothing that they have at the moment really excites me. I have never had a BMW bike before so i have really made my mind up on getting one this time. Hopefully ill be able to make my mind up after today. Ill ring the dealer and get a spin on all three if possible and just make up mind based on the test rides
 
I'd say: Close your eyes and see what hits your mind when trying to vision a bike.

As for BMW vs other brands: They are all good bikes in their way. They all needs to be repaired now and then. What you read on net is not all wrong, but problems seems to get blown way out of portions.


As for GS vs GSA, they are basically the same bike. GSA slightly taller with slightly longer spring- travel, longer range and better wind protection. The added weight is due to a larger fuel tank (gas included in the weight) and more standard equipment. If you add up all the extras on a regular GS the weight difference will be the gas in the tank.
The GS/A are not aerodynamic wonders. If you drive lots of speeds above 120km/h the range will drop to a larger extent than on "slicker" bikes, and in such a case the better range of the GSA may be worth it.

Try them all and get what you like the most. There is a drawback to any design, but they are all within acceptable limits
 
I have been an Honda rider for many years and they have done me well but lately they have fallen way behind other manufactures and like the op says they no longer interested me. Another reason for sticking with Honda was the dealership who I had great service from and consider them friends. Anyway I spotted the S1000XR and took it out for a ride and was blown away. After returning the bike i thought why not take a GS out for a spin and it put the cat amongst the pigeons, fast enough and comfortable. So after a few days thinking about it I went for the GS Rallye same colour as the XR which I loved and to date have not looked back. It does everything so well and has more than enough toys to keep me happy.

So keep taking bikes out for a test ride and you will know which one is for you.
 
By the way, if you ride two up try the bikes two up, a bike can be fantastic for the rider but awful for the pillion

When I tried an XR my wifey made me stop and let her get off she hated it that much, and she’s been riding pillion since the days when I had GSXRs
 
I recently moved from a Ducati Diavel to a 2013 R1200GS. The Diavel had required a few too many expensive repairs, and the declining reliability was getting in the way of riding time.
The GS was chosen over the GSA because I don't like cleaning spokes & the seat is a little lower. I admit I didn't even ride a GSA after trying to sit on one in the showroom.

Loving the GS, great comfort & all round vision. Really enjoy being able to see even better over hedgerows to plan a ride! It's also fast enough for me on our busy roads, overtakes are even easier with better vision.

Just my two penn'orth. Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to buy, there probably isn't a bad bike out there & it wouldn't be as much fun if we all liked the same thing.
 
had both and more and feel the xr is just middle ground and too much compromise, and better to choose between gsa and s1000r. Loved the xr hard to keep front wheel on the ground, if keeping for a while I would go GS as reckon it will hold value better and just be a good all round work horse. This was important for me as also got rid of car and love loading the GSA up, during winter having decent led lights and aux lights for the winter backroads was most important for me, less of an issue if you live and ride in the city.
 
“I will be using it to commute everyday as a daily driver. I wont be heading into the center of town a lot so filtering isnt a massive deal. All the roads i ride daily are plenty wide and have a bus lane i can make use of.

I would like to do some European touring on it too “

Buy an RT. ;-)
 
@pritchi83;
Yesterday my dealership that also sells Ducati and Triumph celebrated their anniversary with food & the BMW demo truck.I pretty much tested the whole line except for G,F and 1600 models.
My favorites were the GS with Rally suspension,the S1000XR and the R Nine T.I also liked the R1200R and S1000R a lot.
My favorite was the R Nine T.As much fun to ride as R1200R and S1000R and also good looks and real character.
Between the GS Rally and S1000XR I probably would go with the GS-Rally.The XR beats the GS on topend which gives you a rush like a superbike does.But otherwise the GS beats the XR with strong instant torque,clean driveshaft,TL and a better chance to keep your license.
The R Nine T put the biggest smile on my face while the GS-Rally with TL as also R1200R for smaller people are better bikes in form of offering the whole package with centerstand,bags/topbox,essentials for life on the road.
The XR gives you a ballistic rush on top with the penalty of having to deal with the chain.
I would buy a GS-Rally and a R Nine T...:thumb
 
Are you going to take a pillion on a reasonably regular basis?
 
If you are going back for test rides then also take a spin on the R1200RS. It is a great bike and sits in the range between the XR & GS in terms of performance and ergonomics.

I have owned my RS for nearly 3 years and love it. I have a 2nd bike that has changed a lot in those 3 years - Tracer, Explorer and now an XR.

Before changing the Explorer for an XR I took a R1200GS Rallye for a spin. I liked the look of the bike as I just like that shade of blue. I didn't think the bike was as good to ride as the RS. I used to love the Telelever on my old R1150GS but it seemed to make the GS wallow and feel a bit vague with steering.

I really like the XR but I have yet to do a long ride on it. It has a chain so will be a pain in the winter. The RS will get used in winter. I use the RS for commuting and I have toured long distance on it: tours to Avignon & later Brittany last year, Germany this year.

If you are going to choose from the GS or XR - buy the GS. It will be the better bike over a long period and you will love the shaft drive if commuting all year. The RS might be an even better choice though.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Skippy
R1200GS - Trying to decide on the model - Help please
2 3
Replies
51
Views
5,737
DJ123
DJ123
I didn't like it, but cant get it out of my mind !
Replies
7
Views
1,789
Micky
Micky
Help me decide what to do
2
Replies
22
Views
3,714
Spookos
Help cant decide!!
2
Replies
22
Views
8,274
Boxerlust
steele01
Adventures to Starbucks on my BMW R1150GSA
2
Replies
37
Views
5,298
steele01
steele01


Back
Top Bottom