Interesting ORS Review

[Callard]

This forum is fantastic. If you want a wheezy under powered donkey that you can bury in mud and have great fun off road on and don't want to get any where very quickly then get a 1100/1150 air head, they are icons that changed motorcycling across the world. If you want something a little more sophisticated that introduced "adventure motorcycling" to thousands and can get you to places ordinary bikes can't, get an oil head.

If you want to be a smug prick like me, who must have all the very latest fixtures and fittings because I can, or want a highly capable bike with 130bhp and state of the art rider aids that will take you to the Alps in one hit at sensible speeds in comfort then get the new LC (With ESA and LED naturally)

The point is that everyone has different needs, budgets, and styles and there appears to be a GS for all types

 

[Flipfly]

It never ceases to amaze me how many tossers are willing to post what amounts to complete and utter b####cks on here from positions of utter ignorance.
I'm just back from a weekend at the ORS on a new R1200GS and i can say that what this bike can do off road is mind blowing (and that was just level one).
By all means post your opinions but please make at least a cursory effort to arm yourself with the facts before you spout off about the (new) GS no longer being an off road bike.
/rant

You can take anything off road, how long it survives is the issue. The ORS have the advantage of not worrying about the cost of maintaining the bike/keeping it going for it's short life as an ORS bike. They also won't worry about a ding in the cast wheels or scraped/cracked plastics or any other cosmetics that a real owner will consider.

Out of interest, have they used the standard GS with the cast wheels, or do the ORS have the Enduro models?

 

[Count]

This forum is fantastic. If you want a wheezy under powered donkey that you can bury in mud and have great fun off road on and don't want to get any where very quickly then get a 1100/1150 air head, they are icons that changed motorcycling across the world. If you want something a little more sophisticated that introduced "adventure motorcycling" to thousands and can get you to places ordinary bikes can't, get an oil head.

If you want to be a smug prick like me, who must have all the very latest fixtures and fittings because I can, or want a highly capable bike with 130bhp and state of the art rider aids that will take you to the Alps in one hit at sensible speeds in comfort then get the new LC (With ESA and LED naturally)

The point is that everyone has different needs, budgets, and styles and there appears to be a GS for all types

I agree with the above 100% (which makes me a smug prick)

It also raises the question that one bike can't do everything so buy another bike if you want to. A track day bike vs a tourer vs a naked hooning about etc. Most of us could handle another bike in the garage after all. N+1 and all that being ideal where N is the current number you own.

 

[Flipfly]

This forum is fantastic. If you want a wheezy under powered donkey that you can bury in mud and have great fun off road on and don't want to get any where very quickly then get a 1100/1150 air head, they are icons that changed motorcycling across the world. If you want something a little more sophisticated that introduced "adventure motorcycling" to thousands and can get you to places ordinary bikes can't, get an oil head.

If you want to be a smug prick like me, who must have all the very latest fixtures and fittings because I can, or want a highly capable bike with 130bhp and state of the art rider aids that will take you to the Alps in one hit at sensible speeds in comfort then get the new LC (With ESA and LED naturally)

The point is that everyone has different needs, budgets, and styles and there appears to be a GS for all types

Oh dear, you need to brush up on your GS history

Original airheads didn't come in 1100 or 1150, that was the oilheads

 

[Engineer]

What a lot of complete bollox

You obviously fell for the hype

 

[Count]

I have a creeping fear that in about 35 years I'll be bemoaning the youngsters (aged about 50) that are out enjoying their new fangled 2048 model GS fully electric bike.

I'll be saying how the purists on our original 2038 bikes still have energy cells you can fix at the side of the road and solar panels you can fix with tinfoil.

Bah humbug etc.

 

[Callard]

Oh dear, you need to brush up on your GS history

Original airheads didn't come in 1100 or 1150, that was the oilheads

I was making a more general point than claiming an MSc in "The development of the BMW boxer twin 1901 - 2013" Happy to report that I couldn't give a toss what bike anyone rides, I even speak to 1100/1150 riders when I meet them and try not to criticise their choice of bike pointing out it's lack of performance, lack of sophistication and that general "old peoples home" appearance that they have.

 

[Engineer]

BMW have an ace up their sleeve.

They're going to bring out a GS/GS for those that want an old school type of gnarley GS that can take a bit of knocking around the edges.

At the moment they seem to be missing the whole point of over 30 years GS models , now they have a road bike dressed up as a GS.
The GS moniker attached to the bike is a major selling point, even though it's moving further and further away from what a GS stands for. .

The GS stopped being a 'real GS' when it got all lardy with the 1150, perhaps the first GS was the only 'true GS' all of them since have been more road oriented, and why not? that is where 90% of them are ridden - don't forget for a greater off-road bias they kept the single cylinder models.

 

[Engineer]

I have a creeping fear that in about 35 years I'll be bemoaning the youngsters (aged about 50) that are out enjoying their new fangled 2048 model GS fully electric bike.

I'll be saying how the purists on our original 2038 bikes still have energy cells you can fix at the side of the road and solar panels you can fix with tinfoil.

Bah humbug etc.

It happens to all of us - times change and if you don't move with them you eventually become the old-fart in the corner that everyone ignores instead of the wise old man that everyone turns to.

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

People seem to be assuming that off-road must mean hard core enduro. It doesn't, it covers a wealth of none tarmac conditions and a multitude of different riding conditions on these surfaces. For 75% of these situations the GS is a great choice.

 

[Gaz]

It never ceases to amaze me how many tossers are willing to post what amounts to complete and utter b####cks on here from positions of utter ignorance.
I'm just back from a weekend at the ORS on a new R1200GS and i can say that what this bike can do off road is mind blowing (and that was just level one).

How long have you been offroading and on what bike/area/terrain?

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

You can take anything off road, how long it survives is the issue. The ORS have the advantage of not worrying about the cost of maintaining the bike/keeping it going for it's short life as an ORS bike. They also won't worry about a ding in the cast wheels or scraped/cracked plastics or any other cosmetics that a real owner will consider.

Out of interest, have they used the standard GS with the cast wheels, or do the ORS have the Enduro models?

I would say that the ORS bikes take far more of a battering in one season than a normal GS would take in a lifetime. These things get hammered every weekend and they keep going. I can't emphasise enough that this is not your average green laning going on at Walters Arena. Worst we saw on Sun/Mon was a few holed valve covers which were quickly patched with liquid metal and then rode on. A few bits of plastic got broken after serious knocks but that didn't stop the bikes.

Because of a mix up with the dates of this seasons first course BMW were caught short on bike numbers and had to quickly divert a few customer ordered bikes to the ORS resulting in there being a mixture of high and basic spec bikes on the courses.

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

How long have you been offroading and on what bike/area/terrain?

Other than average green laning, I've just completed the level 1 ORS on the new R1200GS.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

It happens to all of us - times change and if you don't move with them you eventually become the old-fart in the corner that everyone ignores instead of the wise old man that everyone turns to.

Do you actually read and believe....................all you type

 

[Gaz]

Other than average green laning, I've just completed the level 1 ORS.

With respect, your knowledge of what offroad means to most of us with some experience is probably quite limited. Get a smaller bike and come to Mid/North Wales over the course of a year's weather and you'll see why the rose-tinted glasses soon fall away with regard to the 1200s as capable off-roaders. There is lots of offroading, that is not hard-core enduro, that is beyond the 1200, in anyone's hands.

 

[Bendy toy]

With respect, your knowledge of what offroad means to most of us with some experience is probably quite limited. Get a smaller bike and come to Mid/North Wales over the course of a year's weather and you'll see why the rose-tinted glasses soon fall away with regard to the 1200s as capable off-roaders. There is lots of offroading, that is not hard-core enduro, that is beyond the 1200, in anyone's hands.

But the same applies to a Range Rover. There are time when a Suzuki jeep is more suitable. It would be more appropriate to compare a Honda Verybarrow or Crossdresser with any of the nore recent GS bikes.

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

With respect, your knowledge of what offroad means to most of us with some experience is probably quite limited. Get a smaller bike and come to Mid/North Wales over the course of a year's weather and you'll see why the rose-tinted glasses soon fall away with regard to the 1200s as capable off-roaders.

Thanks for letting us all know that you're a budding Charlie Boorman. I never claimed to be Simon Pavey! This was never about how little off road experience i have, it was about people commenting on the capabilities of the new R1200GS off-road with no experience of the bike whatsoever.
I don't want to ride a smaller bike. That's why I have a 1200. And I want to get the most out of the bike that I can, hence doing the ORS. I wasn't wearing any tint of spectacles whilst riding the new GS but I have done so and therefore consider myself just slightly qualified to comment on it's capabilities.

 

[Flipfly]

With respect, your knowledge of what offroad means to most of us with some experience is probably quite limited. Get a smaller bike and come to Mid/North Wales over the course of a year's weather and you'll see why the rose-tinted glasses soon fall away with regard to the 1200s as capable off-roaders. There is lots of offroading, that is not hard-core enduro, that is beyond the 1200, in anyone's hands.

All the GS range have their limitations. I have the Berg for doing the stuff that the 1150 won't do, but I have taken the 1150 up and down some fairly "interesting" stuff that most would shy away from.

The toilet (in enduro trim) is no doubt as capable, but I doubt it will withstand the abuse for long and still look good. I know enduro bikes are plastic, but the plastics on enduro bikes are as cheap as chips, not so for the BMs. I've laid my old 1150 down a few times and never broke a single thing, this is on the rocky trails of Derbyshire not some soft muddy landing.

So, do the ORS use the Enduro or the standard GS

 

[Flipfly]

Thanks for letting us all know that you're a budding Charlie Boorman. I never claimed to be Simon Pavey! This was never about how little off road experience i have, it was about people commenting on the capabilities of the new R1200GS off-road with no experience of the bike whatsoever.
I don't want to ride a smaller bike. That's why I have a 1200. And I want to get the most out of the bike that I can, hence doing the ORS. I wasn't wearing any tint of spectacles whilst riding the new GS but I have done so and therefore consider myself just slightly qualified to comment on it's capabilities.

Mmmm, Gaz is a very experienced rider I think Charlie Boorman level of skills were passed back in 1976

 

[Malvern_Beemer]

So, do the ORS use the Enduro or the standard GS

As I mentioned above, because of a mix up with the dates of this seasons first course BMW were caught short on bike numbers and had to quickly divert a few customer ordered bikes to the ORS resulting in there being a mixture of high and basic spec bikes on the courses.The one i was on had wire wheels, LED headlight and all the electronic trickery. Dropped it all over the place but didn't break anything. Roughly half the bikes were the basic no thrills, cast wheel version.