Owners : How do you rate your watercooled GS or GSA ? Please share.

pistole

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Owners , how do you rate your watercooled GS or GSA on a scale of 1 to 10 ?

1 being the most awful thing on two wheels.

10 being the best motorcycle you have ever ridden.

And a short write up on your likes and dislikes.

.

Personal tally : my 2014 water GS is at 9.0

Likes : the total package is so very good. Handling sublime , so easy for the rider to maintain a very high rate of speed on small roads. Able to spank a sportsbike silly in the twisties and then go off road , all in one ride. Upright and comfortable. Very very capable on B-roads. Engine and gearbox at full spank mode is beyond words.

Dislikes : no place to even put your keys/handphone. Engine sounds agricultural. 1st gear klonk could be more refined (eg , japanese bike wet clutch standard). Finding neutral could be easier (eg , on a kawasaki). Aftermarket parts & accessories are very expensive. Gearbox at slow speeds (eg , stuck in a stop and go jam) could be improved. Silly powerlet socket. No radiator guards as standard (even my puny KLX250 comes with rad guards).

Overall : this is a very special bike and I love it to bits.

Picture :

MersingRide1_zps43d9a7c2.jpg
 
Is the best executed BM I had ( my 15th BM over 25 years +,last one a 1200RT ) , it is fun ,fun,fun.Few niggles.
So it gets 8.

It is not the best build BM ( I am on my third WC) so it gets 1.

But I must mention the dealer and he gets a 10.

Overall 6.3
 
After the first 100 miles I gave it 9/10.
Over the next 1500 miles a few niggles have become apparent, Rattling engines in town, screen to low etc. After one long through town ride the rating dropped to 6/10. I was getting a bit disappointed and wondered if I had made the right choice.
Last weekend I did a ride from Kirkbylonsdale to Leyburn via the Alston in North Pennines, a ride of 160 miles with hardly a junction or town. The bike was great, pulling well and producing ideal power for fast swooping bends. My bike has none of the clutch or gearbox problems others have except after very prolonged town use. It was a joy to ride except for the rattles when I slowed down for the few villages. I have since changed earplugs and I hear deeper engine noises and less chatter. Overall I am now very pleased and I think once I forget how the old GS1200 felt It will grow on me more.
My bike is the base model, it cruises at 80 with few vibes (But is a bit viby when revved hard) is averaging 60mpg and is comfy except for the low screen, an easy swap with aftermarket parts.
Overall now 7/10 but Im confident this will rise to 8/10 with familiarity.
 
Now I could put an in depth answer , but I can't .... Reason is the following .




When I ride it it makes me feel so happy I can forgive its little issues. It puts the biggest smile on my face ( similar to the vinegar strokes face ) so I genuinely feel that the money I spent was worth every penny . Many may may disagree
 
Really enjoy my Gs WC 2014 model, wouldn't currently swop it for anything else except the new GSA..

So, 8 & 3/4 out of ten, I'm reserving another 1/2 a point for the GSA WC when I eventually get one..

It nimble..
It's clickable..
It's reasonably light..
It wheelies if I want it to..
It's comfy..
It's high riding position (compared to my K1200S)
It's a looker (well, for an ugly bugger it is) pulled up at local bike meeting for coffee & had people inspecting it..
It makes me smile..

Few niggles but do NOT regret purchase..
 
stick said:
Now I could put an in depth answer , but I can't .... Reason is the following .

When I ride it it makes me feel so happy I can forgive its little issues. It puts the biggest smile on my face ( similar to the vinegar strokes face ) so I genuinely feel that the money I spent was worth every penny . Many may may disagree
Click to expand...

I strongly agree
 
10/10

Better made and more capable than the multistrada it replaced. And I must have had the the one that came off the assembly line next to Engineer's as it has been faultless and the gearbox is snickety-slick. A bike that can be ridden quickly over long distances. Remarkable.
 
madmartin said:
I really like it too,but nowhere near as quick or as light as my last boxer. Or as good handling... or as expensive.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised no one has picked up on this 'lack of info' random comment, I would say 99% of people reading this would think Martin-is-mad as per namesake, but maybe if you explain your comparing the new WC with an HP2 sport in the past they may forgive what appears to be random insanity blurts..
 
:bounce1:jes
snaponphil said:
I'm surprised no one has picked up on this 'lack of info' random comment, I would say 99% of people reading this would think Martin-is-mad as per namesake, but maybe if you explain your comparing the new WC with an HP2 sport in the past they may forgive what appears to be random insanity blurts..
Click to expand...
 
Jumblemo said:
10/10

Better made and more capable than the multistrada it replaced. And I must have had the the one that came off the assembly line next to Engineer's as it has been faultless and the gearbox is snickety-slick. A bike that can be ridden quickly over long distances. Remarkable.
Click to expand...
Sold my multisrada , as you say , can't beat it.
 
snaponphil said:
I'm surprised no one has picked up on this 'lack of info' random comment, I would say 99% of people reading this would think Martin-is-mad as per namesake, but maybe if you explain your comparing the new WC with an HP2 sport in the past they may forgive what appears to be random insanity blurts..
Click to expand...

Thought it was fairly obvious what you were talking about !!

Steve
 
Currently 9 out of 10 - only put 1,000 miles on it so far so too early to say for sure.

That said I would have put at least 8.5 out of 10 on my last TC Triple Black ;)
 
Paul S said:
Currently 9 out of 10 - only put 1,000 miles on it so far so too early to say for sure.

That said I would have put at least 8.5 out of 10 on my last TC Triple Black ;)
Click to expand...

9.5/10.0 almost 14,000 miles - standard GS LC no modes, fancy suzzies etc.
 
10 out of 10.

It has the power of a sports bike, the attitude of a motocross bike and has an abundance of German tech and quality.

It can be ridden as if you were sitting in a sofa having a cup of tea with cruise control on or as fast and wild as you can with sports mode. Enough to make you feel your in a GP race.

You don't have that versatility in a Harley or in a Fireblade or in a Goldwing or in an air-cool GS...



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Having traded in my K1300R,I am very disappointed with the handling of my lc. It doesn't hold it's line very well and once committed into a corner,it's hard to change your line at will. It rode the R1200RT lc and that was much better-maybe the 19" front wheel on the GS?
I'm having problems with the ESA,it alters the ride height but the damping seems too hard in any mode. If you come across rough surfaces mid corner,the thing just skips across the top,drifting very wide and is frankly dangerous. This trait has destroyed my confidence in the bike-even the Mrs noticed the poor ride quality. My 2009 R1200R (ESA) and my 1992 R100R with Wilbers rear shock both ride better than my almost 16k GS.
Compliance,compliance,compliance is what I expect from a modern bike,any bike really. I'm no fool and having raced in several disciplines I know what I want from my bike. I think that the suspension feels cheap, under developed and harsh.
A week ago the ESA wouldn't do anything-just a flashing symbol which did not stop for 30 minutes. I eventually turned the bike off and on again but no change. I switched it off for an hour and when I turned it back on everything was back to normal!! The bike is back at the dealers this week so I'll see what they find.
All that said,I love the motor. It's revvy,quick and economical. Good brakes with basically a good chassis. We also both find it comfortable to sit on for a long time (apart from the harsh suspension) I like the cruise control and wind protection.
I've wondered if the tyres may be contributing to the harsh ride. It came with Michelin Anakee 3's on spoked wheels and I've had 3300 miles from the rear and will be putting PR 4's on later this week.

At the moment I'd give it 5/10. If the suspension issue can be resolved,that would go up to 8 1/4.
If I like the look of the new R1200R lc I'll be buying one of those.

Thanks for letting me stand on my box,
Mike.
 
Hmmmm, sounds like an issue with your ESA. The ride quality and handling on mine are excellent.

I had a K1200S for three years and have ridden a K1300S and always found the handling lacked feedback from the front and the ESA on the 1300 very harsh on back roads. The soft damping setting on my GS LC on bumpy back roads is particularly impressive.

I'd rate mine as 9/10 with only the slightly clunky gearbox (improving with mileage), poor rear mudguard and tank range (after my RT) marking it down from 10/10.
 
Motorcycle Michael said:
Having traded in my K1300R,I am very disappointed with the handling of my lc. It doesn't hold it's line very well and once committed into a corner,it's hard to change your line at will. It rode the R1200RT lc and that was much better-maybe the 19" front wheel on the GS?
I'm having problems with the ESA,it alters the ride height but the damping seems too hard in any mode. If you come across rough surfaces mid corner,the thing just skips across the top,drifting very wide and is frankly dangerous. This trait has destroyed my confidence in the bike-even the Mrs noticed the poor ride quality. My 2009 R1200R (ESA) and my 1992 R100R with Wilbers rear shock both ride better than my almost 16k GS.
Compliance,compliance,compliance is what I expect from a modern bike,any bike really. I'm no fool and having raced in several disciplines I know what I want from my bike. I think that the suspension feels cheap, under developed and harsh.
A week ago the ESA wouldn't do anything-just a flashing symbol which did not stop for 30 minutes. I eventually turned the bike off and on again but no change. I switched it off for an hour and when I turned it back on everything was back to normal!! The bike is back at the dealers this week so I'll see what they find.
All that said,I love the motor. It's revvy,quick and economical. Good brakes with basically a good chassis. We also both find it comfortable to sit on for a long time (apart from the harsh suspension) I like the cruise control and wind protection.
I've wondered if the tyres may be contributing to the harsh ride. It came with Michelin Anakee 3's on spoked wheels and I've had 3300 miles from the rear and will be putting PR 4's on later this week.

At the moment I'd give it 5/10. If the suspension issue can be resolved,that would go up to 8 1/4.
If I like the look of the new R1200R lc I'll be buying one of those.

Thanks for letting me stand on my box,
Mike.
Click to expand...

I think yours are the first comments on how "bad" the handling of the new gs is. From actually riding my bike back to back with the others sharing the garage , and also all the literature out there , can't say that i agree with your comments.

perhaps have your bike checked or at least take out the dealers test unit as a comparison

.
 
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