Is the 1300GS meeting sales expectations?

I guess it’s like a lot of things

I never missed hill hold and I wouldn’t have paid extra to have it, but now it’s standard I like it
Same for keyless ride, it’s great, even if I do need a key for my aftermarket luggage

I don’t miss backlit switch gear because I’ve never had it, honestly the 1300 setup takes 5 minutes to get used to, unless you need to fettle your traction control, damping and indicator delay all on the fly at night

But I’m sure if I had it I’d like it, and then miss it if I didn’t have it on another bike :nod
 
Arsey said:
Yet many leading bike journos have mentioned the lack of backlit switch gear as a glaring omission, given the more complex nature of the 1300 menus and the fact that other manufacturers can do it on bikes costing half as much.
It’s nothing to do with how bloody amazing you are a a rider but interesting that the blinkered defend the mothership at all costs.
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Can I just point out that The Missenden Flyer is NOT a leading bike journo
 
Arsey said:
People obviously get used to their own bike.
But what if you rent a 1300 or get given one as a loan bike and aren’t familiar with the controls and it’s dark ?
Just the slightest distraction whilst faffing around could lead to a loss of concentration and an off…
It’s a glaring omission especially for a bike costing £20k+.
No need to comment, Stick, we know you are the bestest rider in da UK, even with that BMW stick of rock shoved up your arse !
Is that why you is called ‘Stick’ ?

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Ouch , thats a bit harsh , an I would apriciate you not thinking about inserting anything into my arse , bloody weirdo ...
The Stick comes from loyalty to fellows in distress and unfortunate situations as I "Stick" buy them and show compassion , friendship and understanding. Now do fook off ... :D:D:hug:hug
 
Arsey said:
I still think it’s rather disgusting that BMW still haven’t seen fit to fix such modern day stuff as backlit switchgear . But I guess if the people that buy them buy the bikes regardless then there is little incentive to produce a decent product .
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Fix ? that would imply that something is broken :unsure:

If you can't ride a bike at night without the need for backlit switches, maybe you should do something a bit safer ? :eek:
 
Opinions are only of value to the person that's holds them - so mine is only of value to me.

Had a test ride - wasn't totally sure if I liked what I was getting, but decided to go ahead anyway as I've never been let down by the GS/A development curve in the past.
Now a few hundred miles down the track.

Is it better IMO - absolutely.
Has the game moved on IMO - absolutely.
Is the 1250 a great bike IMO - absolutely.

My seventh GS/A - loved them all, the story progresses -that doesn't mean the early chapters were rubbish - just means the journey is getting more exciting. IMO
 
SiRich said:
In ‘more complex’ , and I will qualify this as ‘in my opinion’ they are not complex menus when you actually own the bike. For example a button can be pre programmed to always switch on heated grips. Backlit switches has been spoke about so there is obviously interest. Ive done a reasonable amount of motorway and the bike was spot on seat/wind protection/comfort.

I have found one negative area where it is not as expected having done a bit of commuting, the engine is whiney round town when the bike is cold, quite noisy and not in a good way. Everything else im personally very happy with it.
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I have to agree the noise the engine makes is not pleasant, the whine is particularly annoying.
 
I can see the interest in backlit buttons especially riding a bike with unfamiliar controls at night. But to be honest I don't even know which of my bikes, if any of them, have backlit controls? Maybe the Goldwing does but the Yamaha XT250 and Sportster don't...... not sure about the Stelvio and V85? I guess the point is it wouldn't be a big issue for me, however backlit buttons would be one of those nice to have features. Unless I had to buy and replace one out of warranty.

As far as, is it meeting their projected sales figures, we can't know. Deliveries did get off to a slow start here as buyers had to wait for the starter cable recall campaign, but once completed they got them all out. I recall mention early on (when first released) that if one wanted a 1300 they better have their order in because there would only be limited availability of 1300's on dealer floors. This is not the case now, around here at least, as they are readily available for purchase from dealer inventory.
The dealer employee I spoke with at the bike camp (in my original post) mentioned that BMW had allocated "a lot of R1250 GSA's" to them for this Spring / early Summer. But he reduced them in anticipation of the new 1300GSA which will be coming out this year so they wouldn't be saddled with excess 1250 GSA's. Maybe he should have taken BMW's full allotment?

My hunch is after the original surge, 1300GS production has caught up to sales.... maybe a bit more than BMW anticipated. Whether it's because of unlit switches, pricing, or the economy, who knows? IIRC this was also the case in 2013 with the GS and then the new GSA came out and was very well received.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Adventure version later this year. I hope they make it less bulky than the current GSA and the same with the R1300RT next year.
 
Tyzer said:
I have to agree the noise the engine makes is not pleasant, the whine is particularly annoying.
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Not really noticed as have good ear plugs , its noisy from cold when getting out and pre plugs but after that , all I can hear is the wind , and the rustle of the incoming Rock wrapper :oops:
 
stick said:
Not really noticed as have good ear plugs , its noisy from cold when getting out and pre plugs but after that , all I can hear is the wind , and the rustle of the incoming Rock wrapper :oops:
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We've just invested in some earplugs from custom fit guards,got a discount when I mentioned TMF! Hopefully should block out the whine,from the bike not the wife !
 
The whine on mine is noticeable up at 30/40mph and a bit like an old mini, earplugs and going faster seem to help I didn't notice it at first just when I started commuting on it.
 
SiRich said:
The whine on mine is noticeable up at 30/40mph and a bit like an old mini, earplugs and going faster seem to help I didn't notice it at first just when I started commuting on it.
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I find it worse when you roll off the throttle,not noticeable under acceleration.Yes reminds me of the noise an Austin Maxi my Dad had as a company car in the late 70's gearbox/ drive whine is my guess that's one area thats inferior to the 1250 apart from that I like it😁
 
Neil W said:
Took the 1250 in for service yesterday and the dealers showroom floor was literally packed with unsold brand new 1300's ( you could barely get through to the coffee machine). In 13 years of using said dealer I have never seen so many unsold and in stock new model bikes sitting around the showroom floor
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Precisely - very ‘un GS like’ for a new model launch
 
Sitting in a large dealership right now (Sycamore Witham 200+ bikes), there are two green 1300's, one marked sold, stock sold.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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