It probably is - for the kind of fuckwits that say "simples"
is there a better bike?
- Thread starter birdseye
- Start date
Bendy toy
Registered user
The front swing arm is considerably heavier than the back swing arm yet it has now engine loads to cope with. A new one from alloy tube and polybushes would save considerable weight.
The GSA luggage carrier is over fussy with afterthought add-ons like the top box lift.
The battery can be swapped for a small LiFePo. For very cold starts, carry a lithium booster battery. In the meantime use that as phone or laptop booster pack.
Wheels are all on the heavy side of heavy. There are some mega price Italian wheels that fit the GS, but if you can get compatible hubs the wheels can be built with normal spoke arrangements.
The underseat tray on GS and GSA is plastic but by no means lightweight. If it does not need to carry luggage, a glass fibre replacement could be a lot lighter
A decent used late 90's sports bike can be had for a lot less than you want to spend sorting that lot.
BlueBird
Registered user
Hard to beat for sure,
I cant even consider one built after 06 now because they dont corrode as much as the latter ones, although the twin cam is the best engine though.
Are you on the Abergavenny road out of Usk ?
I cant even consider one built after 06 now because they dont corrode as much as the latter ones, although the twin cam is the best engine though.
Are you on the Abergavenny road out of Usk ?
Reggie P
Guest
Probably easier and better for the rider to get a gym membership and do some cardio!
marcopol
Registered user
Got me a Crosstourer, bike of choice now. Can't see me ever going back to a GSA.
comberjohn
Registered user
Tried the DCT Crosstourer and it was impressive but seriously heavy for what it was supposed to be. Especially if you're short in the leg.
Accessories, what are available, seem to have copied BMW prices.
There's much talk about corrosion on the GS/GSA. My TC now has 38k miles on it and the corrosion is negligible.
No, it doesn't go sleepybyes over the winter, but I don't have to commute on it. Soon be time for the handlebar muffs!
Just gets washed regularly with a good car shampoo and lives indoors in a shed.
A friend has a KTM 1190 Adventure with a third of the miles, only two years old and KTM have already replaced several components that have started to rust.
I think poor finish is down to a balance between cost and environmental controls.
Accessories, what are available, seem to have copied BMW prices.
There's much talk about corrosion on the GS/GSA. My TC now has 38k miles on it and the corrosion is negligible.
No, it doesn't go sleepybyes over the winter, but I don't have to commute on it. Soon be time for the handlebar muffs!
Just gets washed regularly with a good car shampoo and lives indoors in a shed.
A friend has a KTM 1190 Adventure with a third of the miles, only two years old and KTM have already replaced several components that have started to rust.
I think poor finish is down to a balance between cost and environmental controls.
Bendy toy
Registered user
Dead right but all those are issues the factory could have so easily sorted out. The cast front swing arm is certainly no cheap option. Ditto the over fussy GSA luggage system. But fully agree the user would have to spend a lot to sort them out.
Bendy toy
Registered user
The poor frame finish on my 08 has been blamed on the water based paint. But when it was stripped the single coat of paint virtually fell off and the metal had rust marks all over the place. I think the finish was cheaply done and really not up to BMW's usual standards. Powder coat solved it for not much outlay.
I think you underestimate the forces that the telelever arm has to deal with. 300+kg of combined bike, rider, luggage, pillion etc braking hard on a bumpy surface puts a massive amount of force through the telelever wishbone. While the factory no doubt designed it with a generous safety margin I wouldn't want to trust one knocked up from "alloy tube and polybushes" - it's chunky because it needs to be chunky.
Weight has something to do with it as well. You could make a bike much more corrosion-resistant than any currently on the market by using thicker plating, more paint etc. But that would add several kilos and the bike market is generally quite weight-conscious (the bikes if not the riders.....) so you'd end up with a heavier bike that cost more and probably performed slightly worse too. Not much incentive for the manufacturers to do that. I don't remember the typical figures but every modern car has tens of kilos of surface protection on it to stop it rusting away after one winter. You can do that one something that weighs well over 1000kg without anyone noticing, but not on something weighing 200kg.
Also, of course, if your GS looked like new and wasn't covered in corrosion after 3 or 4 years when the warranty runs out you'd be far more likely to keep it rather than trade up to a new, shiny one. And they wouldn't sell as many new bikes. The trick (he says cynically) is to design it to corrode just slowly enough that the first owner doesn't claim on warranty but does want to trade up......
I agree with Bendy: certainly for a GS there's scope to reduce weight on the front telelever, wheels, exhaust system, seat and maybe luggage fixings. For a GSA, which BMW appear to market as more off-road biassed (though why they make it even bigger and harder to wrestle about beats me) maybe the telelever and wheels need to be as they are, but for a road biased machine I'm sure there's scope for some weight loss. It would just cost too much, wheels + titanium exhaust are probably £4K without a custom made telelever and carbon fibre thingys. However, as per Stuart, the gym beckons. And it's way cheaper to lose a few kgs from my somewhat lardy self than from my bike.
Come back in fifteen years and tell us how it's going...
marcopol
Registered user
That's a date.
Have you tried the Aprillia Capo nord or even the Moto Guzzi ?
The Aprilla isn't bad and comes well equipped too.
The issue as always are your local dealer and the level of competence !
The Aprilla isn't bad and comes well equipped too.
The issue as always are your local dealer and the level of competence !
kevingambrell
Registered user
What a cracking nice looking bike!
Bendy toy
Registered user
The telelever arm obviously has work to do but brake forces go horizontally (minimal bending) and if the front shock was mounted near the ball joint there would be little or no suspension bending moment.
The rear swing arm carries the same weight as the front plus all of the engine forces and the final drive pendulum yet it weighs considerably less than the front arm.
If poly bushes were so rubbish they would not be used on cars even WRC rally cars use them.
Tubes are of course a very bad idea. Only to be used for making the bike frame and pretty much everything else. Including the fork legs
Sent via iPhone so expect strange words
The rear swing arm carries the same weight as the front plus all of the engine forces and the final drive pendulum yet it weighs considerably less than the front arm.
If poly bushes were so rubbish they would not be used on cars even WRC rally cars use them.
Tubes are of course a very bad idea. Only to be used for making the bike frame and pretty much everything else. Including the fork legs
Sent via iPhone so expect strange words
Keep my 2012 R1200GSA outside all year round and ride all year and finish is as good as the day i bought it, I dont go mad with cleaning but twice a year i give it a good going over with ACF50 and it keeps it all nice and tidy. Not sure what main issues people are experiencing with there paint finish seen a lot of negatives on the later models ie after 2008 i believe but i have not seen any problems with mine.
As for the bike and what my thoughts are well i love it and would struggle to replace. Im 6"2 and not the lightest and two up for me the bike is great, however on my own on the twists where i stay then there is no better bike and im positive im quicker on it when my head is there than i was on any sports bikes ive had over the years. Im no Rossi but for me i get off and im smiling every-time and that's the main thing...
As for the bike and what my thoughts are well i love it and would struggle to replace. Im 6"2 and not the lightest and two up for me the bike is great, however on my own on the twists where i stay then there is no better bike and im positive im quicker on it when my head is there than i was on any sports bikes ive had over the years. Im no Rossi but for me i get off and im smiling every-time and that's the main thing...
Best bike ever........easy, mine.
I can take it out of the garage and ride it at will. All your bikes are poo because you ride them, and that's no fun for me.
I can take it out of the garage and ride it at will. All your bikes are poo because you ride them, and that's no fun for me.
Similar threads
