Hi there,
Been lurking and researching recently. I'm looking at replacements for my faithful 7 yr old Transalp - its done 54k pretty trouble free miles. I could buy another but after 7 yrs I need a change.
So I came across the newish 800gs and it looks/sounds great. The one thing that puts me off is checking the valve clearances every 6k. Its a very involved job compared to the 1200. I use my bike every day for commuting so it would be a 6 monthly job.
Then I started researching the 1200. I wasn't thinking about this bike to begin with as the 1150 was so big and I just dismissed it. However, the 1200 is not much heavier than the 800 and its actually got a shorter wheel base, and narrower width!
The thing that concerns me is the oil consumption on the 1200 - it seems very hit and miss.
So bearing in mind my use (99% commuting, part m ways/part central London), and the maintenance for DIY, what would you go for? I also love the boxer engine generally.
I guess I'm looking at spending no more than £5500 to £6k. Therefore a 2 yr old 800 with 5k miles (saving around £3k which seems like a bargain) or a 6 yr old 1200 with 15 to 20k miles.
Any advice much appreciated.
Cheers
Rich
ps also any thoughts on reliability? The TA has been fantastic. I recently sold a Ducati Monster that I owned as second bike for two years - it was a great bike but that was when it worked! It needed lots of tlc. I will probably have to sell the TA to fund the gs, so it needs to be reliable!
Been lurking and researching recently. I'm looking at replacements for my faithful 7 yr old Transalp - its done 54k pretty trouble free miles. I could buy another but after 7 yrs I need a change.
So I came across the newish 800gs and it looks/sounds great. The one thing that puts me off is checking the valve clearances every 6k. Its a very involved job compared to the 1200. I use my bike every day for commuting so it would be a 6 monthly job.
Then I started researching the 1200. I wasn't thinking about this bike to begin with as the 1150 was so big and I just dismissed it. However, the 1200 is not much heavier than the 800 and its actually got a shorter wheel base, and narrower width!
The thing that concerns me is the oil consumption on the 1200 - it seems very hit and miss.
So bearing in mind my use (99% commuting, part m ways/part central London), and the maintenance for DIY, what would you go for? I also love the boxer engine generally.
I guess I'm looking at spending no more than £5500 to £6k. Therefore a 2 yr old 800 with 5k miles (saving around £3k which seems like a bargain) or a 6 yr old 1200 with 15 to 20k miles.
Any advice much appreciated.
Cheers
Rich
ps also any thoughts on reliability? The TA has been fantastic. I recently sold a Ducati Monster that I owned as second bike for two years - it was a great bike but that was when it worked! It needed lots of tlc. I will probably have to sell the TA to fund the gs, so it needs to be reliable!
