Is a no-frills GSA the way to go?

Kit monster · Mar 18, 2015

I'm about to be in the market for my first BM following an injury claim settlement coming my way soon.

If I can find a Twin Cam GSA without ABS/ESA/TC etc is this still a good buy? My reasoning is that I intend to do serious road miles on it and have it for many years and I thought the less electronic toys there are to go wrong the better (and cheaper) it will be.

Having never had a bike with fancy suspension adjustment or even ABS I'm sure I could live without it. I won't be switching between road and off-road riding very often or chopping between pillion, no pillion and luggage etc. I'm therefore happy to find the set up that works for me and manually adjust a shock absorbers if I ever feel the need.

Helpful replies and advice would be greatly appreciated :thumb2

harry the cat · Mar 18, 2015

Locally it's known by the salesman as 'Yorkshire spec.'

There are still some fairly low mileage twin cams and pre twin cams about although the BMW dealers want a lot for them. The cognoscenti tell me the Adventures sold immediately before the twin cam are as good as it gets.

Of course you could always join the modern age and buy an 800. That Rotax engine will just keep going

Robbo1200ADV · Mar 18, 2015

The last TC 1200 I bought was a low spec bike , it had tyre pressure monitor and abs nil else .It was a brilliant bike nothing to go wrong and easy to set up . If you can find one go for it ,I traded mine for a WCGSA but got a great px for it .simple bike last of the TC's and the best of the oil/ air cooled GSA ' s I have owned .they are hard to find though as most want all the toys .it was like a better version of the 2006 model I bought new .proper bike :thumby:

AberdeenAngus · Mar 18, 2015

"A no frills GSA"............I'm sorry, I recognise the words but that sentence makes no sense.

Kit monster · Mar 19, 2015

Robbo1200ADV said:
The last TC 1200 I bought was a low spec bike , it had tyre pressure monitor and abs nil else .It was a brilliant bike nothing to go wrong and easy to set up . If you can find one go for it ,I traded mine for a WCGSA but got a great px for it .simple bike last of the TC's and the best of the oil/ air cooled GSA ' s I have owned .they are hard to find though as most want all the toys .it was like a better version of the 2006 model I bought new .proper bike

Thanks for your helpful advice and comments.

Flipfly · Mar 19, 2015

AberdeenAngus said:
"A no frills GSA"............I'm sorry, I recognise the words but that sentence makes no sense.

Wasn't no frills tesco

s cheapy own brand :augie

Neil W · Mar 19, 2015

I have a basic 2011 gsa tc, heated grips, computer,spotlights and led indicators but no abs, no esa etc, however, I did add Maxton shocks as the standard ones are very basic.
In my opinion it is a better bike for not having all the the electronics and down the line things like replacement shocks will always be much cheaper.
Wish my 2014 gsa was ordered as a basic and not a te spec bike

Number 6 · Mar 19, 2015

I've had four GSAs and always bought the basic model with heated grips and luggage. Less expense, less to go wrong and better residual value.

oldnfat · Mar 23, 2015

Having had both ESA and non ESA I would go non and use the difference to buy decent shocks. Have Done this in the past and had a much better handling g bike as. Could tune it to my taste rather than a bunch of preset levels. I would go for ABS as it is pretty reliable but don't need either the computer or tyre sensors. Wanted a late TC but just couldn't find this spec.

Cheers

JohnnyBoxer · Mar 23, 2015

harry the cat said:
Locally it's known by the salesman as 'Yorkshire spec.'

Wilkie knows that's the spec I would choose

Kit monster · Mar 26, 2015

Went to view the bike but unfortunately it had too much corrosion for my liking, especially with only 11k on it. The bolts around the front belt cover were all manky and so too were the rear wheel and spoke bolts. Mind you I also asked for some close up shots of a 2011 Triple Black from North Oxford Motorrad and that was in an absolutely shocking state. They've had it sitting in their gaf for three months, so why didn't they spend a few hundred quid and sort it out?

I can't fathom it, I've seen photos of used bikes with 50k on that look fine but 3 year old bikes with only just double figure mileages that are plain crap. Is it shoddy BMW build quality or simply neglect by owners? My 11 year old Yamaha FJR looked in better condition with 76k on it. Maybe I should just accept that to get a decent GSA I will have to pay stupid money!

Engineer · Mar 26, 2015

Number 6 said:
I've had four GSAs and always bought the basic model with heated grips and luggage. Less expense, less to go wrong and better residual value.

I did the same with my last 3 GSes, just heated grips and luggage - only going up-market with my new one on 2nd April because the price differential between the base model with grips and cruise control was not a lot when compared to the price I was quoted for a TE.

Bryn · Mar 26, 2015

Your best bet would be to become a subscriber on here.... There are always nice GSA's being advertised in the 'for sale and wanted' section ...and usually the bikes on here have owners who look after them :thumb2

agcstoat · Mar 26, 2015

I found ESA to be hugely useful; being able to change damping and preload setting s virtually on the fly is unfussy and works. My old TC ran perfectly for nearly 40k miles before I chopped it in for an LC GSA, and it received what can only be described as benevolent neglect during the 4 years I owned it, but remained utterly reliable.

generalconfusion · Mar 26, 2015

You will find that non esa shocks fail just as quickly as the esa versions , providing you change settings once a month or so it will stop the esa gubbins seizing up

wreck diver · Mar 28, 2015

I chose my WC GS with only heated grips and once I set the suspension once I never needed to alter it again. I only ride solo and just used soft luggage.
Didn't miss or want the toys,but when I came to,P,X it dealers were full of shite"oh sir we have never sold a basic I can't value it???"

But it sold private to the first guy that saw it :thumb2

I would have preferred a basic RT but,I got a great deal on a fully spec,d model.
Good luck with your search.

Stujw70 · Mar 28, 2015

My 08 GSA has heated grips, computer, spots & ABS. More than enough for me as didn't want ESA as pretty darn expensive if they pack up but have fitted a nice set of Nitrons

tanneman · Mar 28, 2015

It depends of how much you like the luxury of changing damping on the go. Helpful when on tour with the missus to provide that extra bit of comfort when needed. If you ride mostly solo then the non ESA model makes more sense. The GSA had all the bells and whistles and the R1100S was as basic as you can get. Never had a problem with the 11S bar the routine maintenance. Finding a TC basic GSA will be a needle in a hay stack, the MU models had more basic GSA sales and the first GSA was as basic as you wanted it to be. Keep an eye on eBay. I have noticed a few advertised on there in the past.

Neil W · Mar 28, 2015

Basics have a major advantage as they get older, if and when esa suspension goes tits up due to age or mileage it will cost on average double or nearer treble the price of non esa suspension to replace and there are a damned sight more manufacturers that can supply you a non esa replacement shock ie ohlins, hagon, nitron, maxton, wilbers, wp, progressive, biturbo and many others.

I would have offered you my basic tc , 15,000 miles, immaculate ,maxtons ,full luggage etc but luckily I kept it ............(haven't seen my lc for 5 weeks since it went back to the dealers with persistant esa problems at less than 1000 miles !!!!!!!!)