R1150GS / GSA ...... advice sought

(RIP) Tunneruk

(RIP) Tunneruk

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
6,446
Reaction score
4
Location
Maidstone
I'm toying with the idea of buying an 1150 as my touring bike, well, if I'm honest I'm also looking at Caponords, Africa Twins and KTM Adventures ...... (KTM blows the budget though)

I've had an R12GSA and a 990 ADV but as my main bike, this new purchase will be to add to my stable so my budget is limited. £3-4k

So my question is .... When looking at 1150's what's a good steer on what to look at?

Single Spark or Twin spark?
Standard GS or GSA?
Any model years before or after that are preferable?
ABS or no ABS?
Anything else that I should consider?
Anything that I should look out for?

I could really do with a heads up on this as I've seen a few bikes that look very reasonable but without really knowing all about the 'ins and outs' all that glitters may not be gold so to speak!

Same goes for Caponords and Africa twins if the collective here have any knowledge!...........

Cheers in Advance:thumb
 
I have an 04 GSA, twin spark, ABS servo etc etc... never skipped a beat apart from one coil stick which needed to be replaced. Because it is twin spark it was still drivable... just a bit rough running at low rpm. If the servo ever goes I'll re plumb as a standard braking bike.

I'd go for the bike with the most farkles (panniers etc) and best price/lowest mileage and not worry about the other bits.
 
I've had 3 1150's, 2 adv 1 standard. Done around 50k miles on them in total and none has ever missed a beat. Touring I'd get the adventure, otherwise I'd still go for the adventure - better fuel range and far better looking imho.
Great fun to ride.
Any colour will do.
 
I've had four 1150's over 12 1/2 yrs, I don't know how many miles but it's a lot, both standard and Adv, abs, servo and non abs, single and twin spark... all have been faultless.

So imo it doesn't matter which you buy, just make sure it's a good one:thumb

If I were to start again, it would be an early standard GS, lighter and more nibble than the adv, with more fuel range than your other contenders or you could fit an adv tank which I did with my first.
 
Echo the other comments, find a nice and not abused one

Ride it and you'll still get back what you paid

R1150GS Adv -Really nice bikes, not the most powerful - but the chassis suits the power delivery

AT - poor seat/screen and down on power, compared to a GS/Capo with only about 60 horses. Didn't like the one I had

Capo - only had a tst ride once, fierce rear brake sticks in my mind & a good engine
 
Adv

I had a1150 gsa,great bike,took me around France,Spain and never missed a beat,to me always looked like the kinda bike you could drop off a cliff kick it straight and carry on riding. Had a caponord,nice bike but loads of issues with electrics,ok if its all been sorted,but never really felt it was gonna make it to B from A blast to ride though,mine had remus cans on and sounded sweeeeet..
 
Timolgra said:
I've had four 1150's over 12 1/2 yrs, I don't know how many miles but it's a lot, both standard and Adv, abs, servo and non abs, single and twin spark... all have been faultless.

So imo it doesn't matter which you buy, just make sure it's a good one:thumb

If I were to start again, it would be an early standard GS, lighter and more nibble than the adv, with more fuel range than your other contenders or you could fit an adv tank which I did with my first.
Click to expand...

Tim, I have a great idea (I think you'll like it)

Why don't you sell me your old dog of an SE and you can go back to a standard early GS, lighter and nimbler than the afore mentioned hippo that you have currently and we'll all live happily ever after! :augie

Just PM me your email address and I'll paypal you the full £3500 accross ........ I'm that trusting that even though it's a bit rough I'm happy to pay for it in full unseen ......... :nenau

Tossers like me are hard to find you know!
 
cherokee said:
. Had a caponord,nice bike but loads of issues with electrics,ok if its all been sorted,but never really felt it was gonna make it to B from A blast to ride though,mine had remus cans on and sounded sweeeeet..
Click to expand...

I currently have an RSV Mille factory and was expecting the dreaded electrics of death
It has been nothing less that absolutely faultless, I guess I must be one of the lucky ones!
 
Sold my 1150 Gs missed it so much just bought a 1150 adv after test riding new 1200's ktm triumph's
Standard Gs seat is more comfortable, a bit more manageable if your shorter :augie
Love the look of the adv but a standard Gs is as good if not better at most things Most of the time,
:D
 
Tunneruk said:
Just PM me your email address and I'll paypal you the full £3500 DEPOSIT accross ........ I'm that trusting that even though it's a bit rough I'm happy to pay for it in full unseen ......... :nenau
Click to expand...

Even if you then paid the balance of £8,000 you couldn't have mine as it stands:P
 
I'd go for one with extra lights as standard. OK some will say HID is the way to go, but, the 3 point light pattern is eye catching when seen in a cars rear view mirror.

Mine??? has got 70,000 miles. After the initial warranty work was done, it's gone through a few coil-packs, (bike is used all year) I've taken to occasionally removing them and spraying them with ACF50. one set of paralever bearings.

ABS still works, does what it says on the can, which is why I decided to buy it back from the insurance co.

The phrase "keeper" is often over used here, but after 8 years of ownership:blagblah:thumb:cool:
I get about 12,000 from a back tyre, about 9,000 on my Divvy, ridden in the same manner. Better on fuel than the Divvy as well.
 
Do 110 miles a day on my GS. It is a 1150, 2003 TwinSpark. Only fault I have had is the servo going on me - ripped it out and brakes are better than ever. Done 80k miles, looks like poo as it is rusted and rotten the front end but the engine is a peach.

Wish I had the Adventure though - I fill up the tank every 2 days, the ADV tank would make it every 3 days....
 
I had a new AT back in 03, I really liked it at the time but the biggest let down was the slim and uncomfortable seat, when on the M,way you had to get it to 80 + just to smooth out to a cruising comfort. I've he 2 1150's, the first was an Adv, 55 plate in silver, I had to sell it after about 7 months due to finances nd having 4 other bikes that wouldn't sell so the Adv went. I did about 8k in the 7 months an loved it. After managing to sell my Blackbird I bought an 03 std 1150, it was like putting on an old slipper, much more comfortable than the Adv, I havedoese a few 600 mile days with no problems.

In the 5 & 1/2 years I've owed it I've had a couple of problems , first was after a couple of years I had to junk the abs, that was quite straitforward and the bike is better for it:thumb2.

Then more recently I have had an internal oil pump failure, this is a purely mechanical failure that could happen to any bike, but it happen to me:tears The bike is nearly back on he road after having the engine rebuilt by Stephen Scriminger,he reckon the pump failure could be the result of low oil levels and overheating, got to say I was Little disappointed on the time taken to do the job, but I now have a 12 month g,tee on the engine. The bike has just shy of 60k miles but I love it and after something like 50 bikes in my riding career I can honestly say that I love it to bits and no other bike is wanted. I must also give a big thumbs up to to my mate Vern who has been great in helping with all things mechanical and general other bs spoken:beerjug: (a separate thread will be posted re Thanks to Vern)

Here is a pic of Clarence my beloved std(ish) 1150

IMG01993-M.jpg
[/url]
 
Well chaps, sorry for the false alarm and as nice as it's been to chat about 1150's and all that, I've just managed to bag myself a fully loaded KTM 950ADV S for a very reasonable price!

:JB

Now I can't wait for the weekend!!
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tuftywhite
Mac and iPhone navigation software advice sought.
2
Replies
26
Views
1,778
Bobinyak
Oldrat
Advice sought - 1978 Ducati 900ss
Replies
14
Views
5,364
Deleted account 191119001
Kitsilano
2003/4 R1150GS Twin Spark OR 2005/7 R1200GS - Advice Sought! (Routing, also)
Replies
3
Views
2,222
oldnfat
oldnfat
AndyR34
450X Advice sought...
Replies
5
Views
2,549
AndyR34
AndyR34
Malvern_Beemer
Removing starter motor - advice sought
Replies
7
Views
2,487
Malvern_Beemer
Malvern_Beemer


Back
Top Bottom