K1600 to 2017 GSA

Bikes always suffer more with driveline backlash than cars or rather the driver/rider is more aware of the backlash. It makes me wonder why they don't use epicyclic gear sets. They have straight cut gears but two pairs of teeth are always engaged so very little backlash and no gear whine. They are used in car auto boxes but never ever on motorbike. BTW, the auto bit is simply the clutch not the gears.

Oh well dream on.
 
Well I'm certainly not going to say you're right. I bought a GSA earlier this year but I couldn't bear to part with my '13 K16GT either. My idea was to run both bikes alongside each other for a few months and then keep the one I liked the best but the problem is now that I like both of them and I'll probably keep both for the foreseeable future. The only way I can sum up the comparison between the 2 bikes is that the K is better at what it does best but the GSA is a better all rounder. There is no comparison between the engines though. The boxer is a tractor engine in comparison to the wonderfully smooth and powerful K16 engine. IMHO the GSA is a good bike despite its engine whereas the K is a good bike because of its engine. As you know the K handles amazingly well at speed for its size and on a fast A road I enjoy the K far more than the GSA. On the other hand, the K is a bit buttock clenching on B roads and tight mountain passes on which the GSA excels. I toured the Alps this year and I was very glad I was on the GSA rather than the K. On the other hand again, if you had a long motorway journey, you'd take the K every time because it's weather protection is far better and its made for high speed cruising whereas the GSA feels a bit breathless at high motorway speeds and of course the weather protection is not in the same league. In traffic the situation is reversed of course. The excellent low speed balance of the GSA makes it much easier than the K to thread through traffic. Once again on the other hand, my wife prefers to be a pillion on the K; she has more room and feels more protected and the K is that heavy that I hardly know that she is on the back anyway. In practical terms I prefer the excellent instrument layout on the K with its integrated satnav whereas the instrumentation on the GSA is largely illegible as far as I'm concerned and the satnav frame always looks a bit naff to me. You'll miss the electric screen on the K too. On the other hand I prefer the top opening side panniers on the GSA rather than the side opening ones on the K and the aluminium panniers on the GSA are far more robust than the ones on the K which scratch far too easily

So as you can see there is a lot of on the one hand and on the other hand when comparing the GSA v the K. If you're looking for a bike that is pretty good at everything and bad at nothing then the GSA will fit the bill but I guarantee you'll miss the K. I ride my GSA more than I ride my K but whenever I ride the K I think what a great bike it is. So why not do what I've done and keep them both?

Thats what my dealer suggested. that I keep the K for a few months if I dont like it then he is happy to sell it for me for a very nominal fee.
 
decisions decisions.... so test riding the GS and the multistrada this friday. will let you know what I decided...
 
I owned two 1200 GS's, a vanilla version on an 09 plate that I ran up 18,000 miles on in the year and then a GSA on which I ran up 60,000 miles whilst I owned it. I sold both bikes privately, the GSA going when BMW first launched the 1600.

I have never wanted to go back to a 1200, the water cooled variant being the most horrible of the lot.

I've never come across a road, whether it's in the Alps, the Dolomites, through the nadgery countryside of the Morvan or the minor roads of northern Germany and the Baltic coast that the 1600 cannot take in its stride, every bit as good as the GS and in lots of ways better.

Yes, it's a heavy bike at 320 kgs but you do not notice it when it's moving, two-up or solo, hairpins or flat, wide roads or narrow, virgin smooth or Autumnal leaf strewn. It will polish them all off with ease and in complete comfort. Just take a bit of care where you park it as it's a bit of a lump to push too far backwards in gravel. The reverse gear on the 2017 model might well address that single issue.

The other great thing about it? You do not need to add anything to it, no bling (useless or otherwise) is necessary. That might put some buyers off, of course.
 
I owned two 1200 GS's, a vanilla version on an 09 plate that I ran up 18,000 miles on in the year and then a GSA on which I ran up 60,000 miles whilst I owned it. I sold both bikes privately, the GSA going when BMW first launched the 1600.

I have never wanted to go back to a 1200, the water cooled variant being the most horrible of the lot.

I've never come across a road, whether it's in the Alps, the Dolomites, through the nadgery countryside of the Morvan or the minor roads of northern Germany and the Baltic coast that the 1600 cannot take in its stride, every bit as good as the GS and in lots of ways better.

Yes, it's a heavy bike at 320 kgs but you do not notice it when it's moving, two-up or solo, hairpins or flat, wide roads or narrow, virgin smooth or Autumnal leaf strewn. It will polish them all off with ease and in complete comfort. Just take a bit of care where you park it as it's a bit of a lump to push too far backwards in gravel. The reverse gear on the 2017 model might well address that single issue.

The other great thing about it? You do not need to add anything to it, no bling (useless or otherwise) is necessary. That might put some buyers off, of course.

I have done the lands end to john O Groats in August, Trip to Dundee in November and then a trip to London in December 2016 all in my K1600 from south wales and enjoyed every single mile.

For the day to day riding I have my Ducati Scrambler which I found to be very cramped so the plan to change that to GS. I know how the engine feels as I had an aircooled RT before the K1600.
 
I bought an early 2011 K1600GT in 2013 and kept it for a couple of years. Gearbox lash was my only complaint plus it was a bit of a lump to push around when stationary. The engine though was an absolute peach. Used it mainly for two up touring but it was equally as much fun on solo runs.

Have a GSA at present but change my bikes quite regularly so would have no hesitation in having another K16 just for a laugh! :thumb2
 
I owned two 1200 GS's, a vanilla version on an 09 plate that I ran up 18,000 miles on in the year and then a GSA on which I ran up 60,000 miles whilst I owned it. I sold both bikes privately, the GSA going when BMW first launched the 1600.

I have never wanted to go back to a 1200, the water cooled variant being the most horrible of the lot.

I've never come across a road, whether it's in the Alps, the Dolomites, through the nadgery countryside of the Morvan or the minor roads of northern Germany and the Baltic coast that the 1600 cannot take in its stride, every bit as good as the GS and in lots of ways better.

Yes, it's a heavy bike at 320 kgs but you do not notice it when it's moving, two-up or solo, hairpins or flat, wide roads or narrow, virgin smooth or Autumnal leaf strewn. It will polish them all off with ease and in complete comfort. Just take a bit of care where you park it as it's a bit of a lump to push too far backwards in gravel. The reverse gear on the 2017 model might well address that single issue.

The other great thing about it? You do not need to add anything to it, no bling (useless or otherwise) is necessary. That might put some buyers off, of course.

I, on the other hand, have wished plenty of times during my two year ownership of the K16, that I had a GS of any vintage instead. And no, respectfully, the K cannot take all the roads the GS can in its stride. There are places where it's a complete pig and can tie itself in knots where something like a 20yo GS (let alone a current one) would glide...

Great engine though ;-)
 
My experience for what it's worth -

I changed from a 2013 K1600GTSE to a 2015GSA. Why? because I fancied a change and although I wasn't unhappy with the K, after owning it for a couple of years I began to feel that whilst it did everything very competently it did it without any character. I spoke to GSA owners and they were so enthusiastic and so excited - I didn't feel the same about the K, good though it was

I rode the 1600 to Oxford and collected the GSA. Moments after riding out of the dealers I knew I'd made the right decision (I had test ridden a bike before I committed to buying). Whilst it did take a few miles to get used to the boxer engine instead of the 6 cylinder smoothness; and I had two learn to change gear a little more frequently, I found the GSA to be more than quick enough. I normally ride in 'road' but enjoy the option of 'dynamic' which I change into every now and again (but road gives the better combination of power and smoothness) The GSA does everything the that K1600 did and does it very well, plus it is easier to manoeuvre and ride slowly.

I enjoy every ride and am usually sad when its home time.

However it I had not owned a K1600 I would have wanted to try one!
 
Examples being....???

All reasonably tight but flat tarmac of extremely bad quality surface that you d think the K could ace but doesn't. The A345 from Salisbury to Marlborough is the last memorable road where the GSA would leave the K16 miles behind, the latter feeling like a bull in a cage...
 
Bikes always suffer more with driveline backlash than cars or rather the driver/rider is more aware of the backlash. It makes me wonder why they don't use epicyclic gear sets. They have straight cut gears but two pairs of teeth are always engaged so very little backlash and no gear whine. They are used in car auto boxes but never ever on motorbike. BTW, the auto bit is simply the clutch not the gears.

Oh well dream on.

I think there might be a little space, weight and then cost problems with epicyclic gears. Straight-cut gears are the strongest, simplest and most compact way of packaging a gearbox, AFAIK. But then again I'm not an Engineer.
 
I'll be staying well away from the bumpy A345 then in future in case my bike starts feeling like a caged bull and a GSA rider nonchalantly nods to me as he passes....
 
I've gone from a GSA to a K1600GT. I had a brand new GSA for a week whilst my K had a new comfort controller and heated grip fitted.

The GSA felt lighter and easier to flick around. But the engine was horrible compared to the K and it didn't feel as well built. No way would I go back.

I haven't found a single road that the K doesn't ride as well as if not better than the GSA.

And let's face it - the sound of that 6 cylinder K engine is so much nicer than the boxer.....
 
I haven't found a single road that the K doesn't ride as well as if not better than the GSA.

Try the road to Burnsall in the Dales. I let my brother have a go on the K and he got off 2 inch shorter looking for a good chiropractor :D

Great bike but too heavy for roads such as this.
 
Try the road to Burnsall in the Dales. I let my brother have a go on the K and he got off 2 inch shorter looking for a good chiropractor :D

Great bike but too heavy for roads such as this.

There's no need for me to try that road. Why would I want to travel all the way up there to do that?

All I know is that with the mix of roads I have ridden and ride there is nothing that the K couldn't cope with.

And I'm sure the South West and Wales don't have any better or worse roads than the dales.....
 
There's no need for me to try that road. Why would I want to travel all the way up there to do that?

All I know is that with the mix of roads I have ridden and ride there is nothing that the K couldn't cope with.

And I'm sure the South West and Wales don't have any better or worse roads than the dales.....

Your 'Special K' could have been up here to flatten out the Dales road and you would still be back home in time for breakfast :thumby:
 
.... but I agree with others that the power on the GS is generally more useable because it so much more lighter and nimble
The biggest problem that I had with the K is that it's just too damn heavy and when maneuvering it around in car parks etc I was always scared i would lose it and drop it GS

On my daily commute on the M3 towards Richmond this chap would catch up ( or me with him ) with me on the K, now the motorway is been improved and is narrower. He handled this bike like a scooter, didn't have the panniers, he was filtering like a God. Now with the reverse option, moving the K around is not a problem...
Impressive bike, I suppose is a matter of confidence :thumb2

https://youtu.be/gvFpGHarOO0
 


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