One or two of the items I mentioned wouldn't be an issue, but when spending £17/£18k on a bike, if a manufacturer is offering a lesser spec'd bike, it should be priced accordingly.
I wont be paying £17/£18K
One or two of the items I mentioned wouldn't be an issue, but when spending £17/£18k on a bike, if a manufacturer is offering a lesser spec'd bike, it should be priced accordingly.
One or two of the items I mentioned wouldn't be an issue, but when spending £17/£18k on a bike, if a manufacturer is offering a lesser spec'd bike, it should be priced accordingly.


The SA has better suspension, a better engine, better handling and is better put together/has a better quality finish.

If it's so much better, why isn't it outselling the GS?
As for the finish being better quality, pop along to Premier Bikes in Didcot, and look at the finish on a couple of their demonstrators, then tell me how good it is.![]()




: !!!!!It is outsold by the GS because BMW have brain washed most of the general public in believing that there is nothing else on the market and spend so much on advertising and giving magazines enough money to keep printing how awesome they are they cant give a true reflection or comparison on them both, the ride magazine article proves that.
If you have bought a bike because of the Sat nav some spot lights and keyless entry more fool you, i bough the SA because i thought it was the better bike, it rode better, it sat nicer on the road, its quicker, has all the gadgets i need and more.
The BMW has a better switch gear the sat nav is great but is just a sat nav, keyless entry will cause more issues than it solves, does it even solve an issue? and quick shifter, never had a bike with it, have rode a few but the KTM box is so good i clutchles shift anyway.
Don’t fool yourself with BMW build quality, every demo bike I have ever ridden or 2nd hand bike is rust, I had to work hard on my GSA to keep it minty and the KTM seems easier to keep clean with no rust spots seen yet and I ride all weathers.
You pay your money you take your chance.

Sigh ....
Nutty ... you really do need a good kicking
Close your eyes and imagine Clarkson doing a review on two cars. It's the usual theme, one is 'better' than the other, has more 'specs', more gadgets for your money, the switch gear is refined, the interior is classy ...... and then in his usual style he draws the review to an end by selling you that last minute dummy and concludes that actually he wouldn't have this classy car, but he'd rather have the other because of ... etc etc
The GS has all the gadgets. It's luggage knocks spots off the shite KTM bread bins, its LED headlight is good, it now has some fandangled emergency brake light (Ooooooo !!), It's shaft, it doesn't get an oily back wheel .... the list goes on and on.
BUT IT'S NOT A FUCKING BIKERS BIKE !!!!!!!!!!!!
Like Clarkson, whilst all those things are super dooper and lovely, there is only one thing that really makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, (if you're a fucking biker Nutty ..!!!!) and that my friend, is how it speaks to you when you ride it.
Close your eyes again Nutty, in your imagination perch yourself on your GS / GSA and hit the starter button. I'm doing it too!
Nah .... nothing. I have no stirring in my bollocks, and the hairs on my neck are asleep as the clatter of the GS does nothing for me. Yep, it's nice and quick, comfy, reasonable suspension .... but ..... mneh? is that it????
But if I close my eyes, sit on the 1190R, and hit the start button, Oh yeah .... I get it. The hairs on my neck come alive, my bollocks stir, I grin to myself, and I know that I'm about to spend the next hour or so utterly committed, in a passionate embrace of man and machine bonding together. I GET THE BIKE! Dont ask me how they do it - I haven't got a fucking clue, but it talks to me, it has a character, a soul, It engages with me, It is an absolute joy to ride, and yet .... it's made of the same materials as a new GS. When I spank it, it laughs! The bike laughs out loud and goes YEEEEE FUCKING HAR when I wheelie out of a roundabout. The way it modulates it's brakes / gears / suspension ..... they all gel together to make your favourite road utterly intoxicating to ride.
Have you seen Rossi cuddle his bike?!! He often strokes the front on the return to the pits after a race, there is a bond he has with it! He loves it! There is a connection there. To him, that bike is not just a machine.
My rant isn't about how great the KTM is, fuck - there are (some) other brilliantly involving bikes out there. But there are also some fucking fridges out there!! Brilliantly functional, but bugger all soul. My rant is brought on by the mindset, that one bike is better than another because it has more gadgets!!! Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!
Given the choice, I, like Clarkson, want the passion. I want the character. I want the soul, I want a bike that makes my bollocks stir, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Learn that Nutty FFS: !!!!!

It is outsold by the GS because BMW have brain washed most of the general public in believing that there is nothing else on the market and spend so much on advertising and giving magazines enough money to keep printing how awesome they are they cant give a true reflection or comparison on them both, the ride magazine article proves that.
If you have bought a bike because of the Sat nav some spot lights and keyless entry more fool you, i bough the SA because i thought it was the better bike, it rode better, it sat nicer on the road, its quicker, has all the gadgets i need and more.
The BMW has a better switch gear the sat nav is great but is just a sat nav, keyless entry will cause more issues than it solves, does it even solve an issue? and quick shifter, never had a bike with it, have rode a few but the KTM box is so good i clutchles shift anyway.
Don’t fool yourself with BMW build quality, every demo bike I have ever ridden or 2nd hand bike is rust, I had to work hard on my GSA to keep it minty and the KTM seems easier to keep clean with no rust spots seen yet and I ride all weathers.
You pay your money you take your chance.
Nothing I love more than people giving out advice on bikes they have never owned..........
If it's so much better, why isn't it outselling the GS?
As for the finish being better quality, pop along to Premier Bikes in Didcot, and look at the finish on a couple of their demonstrators, then tell me how good it is.![]()