I want an 1150 but can i convince the missus that she does?

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Correcaminos

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Evening folks, this is my first post on the forum so hello to all.

After spending a few hours trawling the net for road tests and opinions on various bikes i stumbled across the UKGSer forums and found them a great source of info and have been swayed towards buying an 1150GS but i still have a few questions so any help from you expert GS owners would be much appreciated.
I need a bike for my 65 miles a day commute but this time i`d also like something for weekend jaunts that my wife can ride pillion on as the 1200 Bandit i currently own is too cramped for her.
I`m torn between a couple of bikes that i`ve lusted after for a few years. The BMW 1150GS and the Triumph Tiger 955. The missus prefers the Tiger which is suprizing as its not the most attractive bike in the world but i have just about conviced her that the GS would be a better bet, I just need a bit more info to swing things further in the BW`s favour.
From what i can gather the GS seat is more comfortable for a pillion than the Adv but is there any difference in legroom ? The missus is around 5`10" tall and has rheumatoid arthritis so the more comfort and legroom the better.
The Adv is around 38" wide, is the GS the same? (as my bike shed doors only open 39" wide so its a squeeze).
I dont think the Triumph has brake and clutch levers that are span adjustable, does the Beemer?
Do any of you guys have any experience of the Triumph? Surely its not as good a bike as the GS.

thanks ...........Terry
 
The boxer will protect your legs when it falls over... the tiger wont. That must be a good selling point... check this out... about half way down.
 
Went for a bit of a jaunt to Tunbridge Wells on Friday- on the way back my missus was almost falling asleep - (read almost falling off) ;-) as she was that comfortable. 'Tis not the first time either so I would say she's always been very comfortable!! The only thing that I believe would make it better is if she had a back rest on the topbox!!! Good luck!!
 
:jes

Absolutely pissing myself!!! "Do whatever the fuck you want" Like that works, stupid man...!!
 
Correcaminos said:
I dont think the Triumph has brake and clutch levers that are span adjustable, does the Beemer?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. I have smallish hands so they're very welcome.

My 11-year old son did 400-miles over two days on my GS and didn't have any complaints; however, it can be a bit tricky to mount if you have luggage on, and it's quite tall. Once my lad got used to mounting/dismounting without toppling us over it worked fine :D
 
I jump on... stand bike up... wife then climbs up and over with her hands on my shoulders. I've got an 1150 GSA with vernatechs and roll bags on top... Wife is 5'2 and climbs on easy enough.
 
Correcaminos said:
Evening folks, this is my first post on the forum so hello to all.

After spending a few hours trawling the net for road tests and opinions on various bikes i stumbled across the UKGSer forums and found them a great source of info and have been swayed towards buying an 1150GS but i still have a few questions so any help from you expert GS owners would be much appreciated.
I need a bike for my 65 miles a day commute but this time i`d also like something for weekend jaunts that my wife can ride pillion on as the 1200 Bandit i currently own is too cramped for her.
I`m torn between a couple of bikes that i`ve lusted after for a few years. The BMW 1150GS and the Triumph Tiger 955. The missus prefers the Tiger which is suprizing as its not the most attractive bike in the world but i have just about conviced her that the GS would be a better bet, I just need a bit more info to swing things further in the BW`s favour.
From what i can gather the GS seat is more comfortable for a pillion than the Adv but is there any difference in legroom ? The missus is around 5`10" tall and has rheumatoid arthritis so the more comfort and legroom the better.
The Adv is around 38" wide, is the GS the same? (as my bike shed doors only open 39" wide so its a squeeze).
I dont think the Triumph has brake and clutch levers that are span adjustable, does the Beemer?
Do any of you guys have any experience of the Triumph? Surely its not as good a bike as the GS.

thanks ...........Terry
Click to expand...

My wife falls asleep against the Givi on any journey more than about 30 miles. She is only about 5foot 6 tho
:beerjug:
 
Correcaminos said:
Evening folks, this is my first post on the forum so hello to all.

After spending a few hours trawling the net for road tests and opinions on various bikes i stumbled across the UKGSer forums and found them a great source of info and have been swayed towards buying an 1150GS but i still have a few questions so any help from you expert GS owners would be much appreciated.
I need a bike for my 65 miles a day commute but this time i`d also like something for weekend jaunts that my wife can ride pillion on as the 1200 Bandit i currently own is too cramped for her.
I`m torn between a couple of bikes that i`ve lusted after for a few years. The BMW 1150GS and the Triumph Tiger 955. The missus prefers the Tiger which is suprizing as its not the most attractive bike in the world but i have just about conviced her that the GS would be a better bet, I just need a bit more info to swing things further in the BW`s favour.
From what i can gather the GS seat is more comfortable for a pillion than the Adv but is there any difference in legroom ? The missus is around 5`10" tall and has rheumatoid arthritis so the more comfort and legroom the better.
The Adv is around 38" wide, is the GS the same? (as my bike shed doors only open 39" wide so its a squeeze).
I dont think the Triumph has brake and clutch levers that are span adjustable, does the Beemer?
Do any of you guys have any experience of the Triumph? Surely its not as good a bike as the GS.

thanks ...........Terry
Click to expand...


Welcome to the site .......
You can change seats on the 1150 Adventure if you prefer the look of it - loads out there to make it more comfy for you and the missus - also you can lower the foot pegs - again loads out there to choose from. You'll also get loads of support from these guru's on this site .... yes the levers are span adjustable - certainly on the Adventure.

Half an inch spare on either side of you bike to your door frameis your main problem .... but you will soon get to grips with a slight movement of the bars as you enter and exit .... Tiger vs GS ... both good bikes - one is just a bit better IMHO - but then again like most on this site ' I'm biased' ...
 
Hi Terry, i've had both mate. I have an R1150GS ADV (2004/54) at the moment, and i bought a new 955i TIGER in 2003. We rode down to La Manga on the Tiger, wife (5'4) said it was very comfy. She hasn't actually been on the Adv (yet!), so cannot comment, but as a rider the GS has the edge.
 
Terry

I've owned a Triumph Tiger (the year 2000 model) and now have an R1150GS.

My wife is 5'8" tall.

She finds the GS more comfortable than any bike I heve ever owned (there have been many)

We rode through France, Germany, Switzerland and into Italy via the Alps last year, covering 3000 miles in 8 days, and she was comfy the whole way there and back.

I offered her the use of an Airhawk cushion but it was declined.

As well as the comfort and space the GS has Telelever front suspension which eliminates fork dive meaning your wife won't headbut you from behind like she would on the Tiger.

I also found it frustrating trying to keep the Tiger clean as it has chain drive and spoked wheels.

Hope that helps

Uka
 
Spent 5 years as pillion on a 1200 Bandit, :comfort the 1150 came along and have never looked back. Very comfortable especially on long trips :thumb


:aidan
 
No contest - GS wins all day over a 955i - especially so if you do you own maintenance.

955i horrible to work on - I run my own small bike workshop so have experience of em both.

1050 is a better bet but your talking ££££££

Still prefer the 1150 tho ( better than the 1200 too...........................................I'll get my coat:D)

Dave H
 
Hi Correcaminos, I'm new here as well (although I've had my 1100GS for a dozen or so years) so hi to you, and all the GS'ers out there.

Just wanted to praise the BMW Telelever front suspension, which resists the bike diving when you brake or roll off the throttle. It gives your passenger a more relaxed ride, and for the rider it means the handling & steering are still very sweet even when you add a pillion and/or luggage.

I use my GS for commuting, 2-up touring, and just for fun, and it does them all brilliantly - that's why I've still got it!

Hope you and your wife enjoy whatever you end up choosing. Ride safe!
-Pip
 
Well....... sorry to throw a spanner in the works, but SWMBO hates the seating on my old R1150GS :(

She is 5'4" and she couldn't get comfortable at all, she could only manage about 30 mins max. I fitted a pair of Sargent seats thinking this could be the issue, It was bliss for me, but it didn't improve her comfort at all. It turned out she was getting cramps in her hips and thighs, so I fitted a set of lower and adjustable pillion footrests for her. It didn't work at all for her, well she could manage about 60 - 70 miles before my kidneys became too bruised for me to continue :blast

Eventually, we agreed that we would only do short runs together while I enjoyed Continental tours alone. You might think this is the perfect solution and although I enjoyed it, I really wanted us to enjoy motorcycling together.

I think the problem for her was the basic geometry of the seat and footrest relationship. I know plenty of people whose wives/girl friend/partner enjoy the pillion on the GS, but I also know of a few whose other halves do not like the 1150GS pillion at all, (and I know a couple who have sold their R1200GS because of pillion comfort too), so make sure you take her on a test ride.

By the way, I have now found the answer to pillion comfort and enjoyable 2-up touring if you are interested............. I bought a ST1300 Pan as a second bike after a test ride. She fell in love with the pillion comfort straight away!!!!
 
Hi,

I've just got rid of my 2000 Tiger and was very sorry to see her go, the good news is I traded it in for a 2003 R1150GS and having just come back from a long weekend in North Wales covering around 600 miles I can only say I am delighted with the GS:)
 
Evening folks, thanks for all the info, advice, opinions etc

The telelever suspension always gets mentioned in roadtests as being one of the Beemers "quirks" and none of the test riders seem to like it but if your riding with a pillion it sounds ideal. No more headbutting :thumb2

And none of the guys that have swapped from the Tiger to the GS seem to regret it so i`m even more certain that the GS is the bike to go for.

The good news is that the missus now says that she wants a Tiger and a Beemer so we are making progress :thumb

thanks to all for taking the time to reply.........Terry
 
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