is there a better bike?

[Bendy toy]

Ive not done any long runs recently. This last weekend I did two 200+ journeys. TBH the GSA weight at low speed and parking does tell after a while. But for overall all round goodness its still the best I've used.

In corrosion terms it was really quite rubbish until I had the frame powder coated along with quite a few other parts.

 

[Wapping]

is there a better bike?

Yes, if you (or anyone) likes the other bikes better. No, if not.

 

[sproggy]

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.

Yes, but the front shock isn't mounted all that near the balljoint, therefore the forces acting on the telelever aren't all horizontal - it has to handle considerable bending forces.

If poly bushes were so rubbish they would not be used on cars even WRC rally cars use them.

Who said they're rubbish? But they are completely inappropriate for a GS telelever. Polybushes are used to improve handling in cars because they 'give' less than the original steel-sleeved rubber bushes used in most production car suspension while still offering a degree of movement (if you want no movement you use rose joints). If you used polybushes instead of the standard bearings used in a telelever you'd get horizontal, vertical and lateral movement where there is currently none and the bike would ride like a jelly.

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

To fabricate a telelever arm from alloy tube while retaining sufficient stiffness, strength and longevity I reckon you'd end up with something so bulky it wouldn't be workable. Or so close in weight to the original that you'd gain next to nothing. But if you want to prove me and the factory wrong, knock yourself out. There's a reason why the factory designed it the way they did and while manufacturing cost will have something to do with it, fitness for purpose will too.

 

[trainman]

I am on my third 1200GS and apart from a brief flirt with a KTM990 I have owned nothing else since they first came out. Ridden a few others for Blood Bikes and on test rides but thats all.

Now I've been looking for a change, out of boredom as much as anything, I'm struggling. I cant find any other bike that offers the same mix of all round practicality, comfort and quality. The Tiger 800 comes close but the chain, and the finish. Both Ducati and KTM seem like sports bikes in an adventure frame. Ordinary road bikes dont give the protection or the same luggage capacity. I'm really struggling and suggested alternatives would be gratefully received.

Meantime cant help but think that the GS is the all time best bike ever.

having had 1150 and 1200 GS plus a KTM I fell over a Yam Super Tenere in the local dealer a couple of years ago, never heard of it and didn't think much until i rode it, 2 years later its been as good as gold and was worth the gut reaction to try one out

they aren't popular (good for prices), a bit heavy and not top of the bhp tables but the engine, chassis balance/traction and linked brakes are all well set up, they have the usual gadgets too

all the owners i have met said they weren't planning to buy until they rode, not for everyone by all means but worth a look, 2 years on my needs to have a bike that starts and works year round and doesn't corrode after 1 winter have been met (so far!) - mark

 

[squibb34]

Likewise Mark - I run a 2014 Super10 ZE/ES. The Gen 2 bikes have a bit more punch.

I tried several 1200 GS/GSAs over the years, but never really gelled with the front end feel.

Had 2 KTM 990Advs, but seemed a bit crude & not enough power for 2-up touring - KTM kept on promising the 1190, but it was too long in gestation, so I looked elsewhere. The Duke MS seemed a bit OTT sporty, the Capo seemed tight for space 2-up, as did the Crosstourer (heavy too), the Stelvio too hot/wobbly & the big TEX was under all sorts of recall problems. So the Yamaha was the answer for us. Does the job efficiently, we are more than happy - all wrapped for the winter now though.

My winter hack is the baby F650GS twin, which protects my others from the salt & shit that gets spread on our roads over winter. Seems a good, light, nimble package - must keep the ACF50 handy though.

.................... KEN

 

[adventuredon]

Been looking to change from my 2010 GS for 4 years (now with 55k on the clock) Purely as I'd like to be able to say I have had x many different bikes and bla bla bla etc. Trying to stay in the same price bracket, as in less than 7500 I cant work out what would beat what I have. Tried all, bar Caponiord, tracer range, and stelvio (which must be the best looking bikes out there at the mo), OK, so not tried the WC but looks boring to me. Each time I get off the test bike, I cant think of anything that the test bike has that the GS doesn't. Then I thought I'd buy a small kawasaki er5 to do the winter commute and sell the GS as then I'd have a desperate need for a big bike and I'd make up my mind....so after 4 days commuting I used the GS today to keep the battery up......oh my I find myself grinning !on that torque and riding my sofa. So...any suggestions on what to get...you'll have to beat 4 years of umming and aahing...It really does do a lot, well

 

[jwpzx9r]

I have a R1200GS 2005 and it is a good bike ... but there are issues ... like it is way too heavy and for some inexplicable reason BMW a manufacturer renowned for sobriety and good sense have made this particular bike way too complex to the point where simple things like brakes become something that you worry about even though the work really well... but you still worry when you get warning light that flashes and then stops ... then flash again then stops again. Then there is a simple shaft drive that is just not reliable if the number of failures reported on this site are to be believed. If as I have done you come from Japanese sport bikes the engine is akin to a rotavtor motor slapped into a frame and I am sure the gear box in my crash the box rotavator is actually smoother that the one in my GS. Bmw's are expensive motorcycles you would expect attention to detail... I do not really think BMW are paying enough attention although in it class it is still a very good motorcycle.

 

[Rusty]

I have a 12 reg Triple Black with mostly 30,000 commuting miles .. its still mint with a weekly clean and I wouldn't have anything else. There is nothing all round as good as the GS.

 

[Neil W]

Popped into Ian Bell Motorcycles in Bedlington today to look at helmets and saw an immaculate R1200GSA TC in yellow sitting in the showroom for sale , thinking back on how much I liked mine I had a closer look then realised it WAS my old bike .

Still has the panniers, tank bag, lockable 660 mount and mudslinger, plus the Maxton suspension and is in the same condition as when I sold it with zero corrosion with only an extra 4000 miles on the clock.

Wish I had the cash I would have bought it back