he's right about the quality of the finish, for a semi off road bike it's not up to scratch, amazing bike, but im feeling..not a keeper
So...................3 months in
- Thread starter JohnnyBoxer
- Start date
he's right about the quality of the finish, for a semi off road bike it's not up to scratch, amazing bike, but im feeling..not a keeper
Sapo
Registered user
Coming from a Tiger 800 for me is a great bike. From handling to engine through comfort, great brakes...
Being my first BMW there are some thins that I did not expect:
- Left hand switches stopped working completely for 2 days (have a complain oppen and waiting for part to change for more than 2 month)
- Crash bars not available for some weeks
- Alarm not available for 2 month
Is not what I expected from a BMW service!!!
Still didn't had major problems with e clutch or gear box, but was expecting it to be smoother than it is.
4000 great Km .
Being my first BMW there are some thins that I did not expect:
- Left hand switches stopped working completely for 2 days (have a complain oppen and waiting for part to change for more than 2 month)
- Crash bars not available for some weeks
- Alarm not available for 2 month
Is not what I expected from a BMW service!!!
Still didn't had major problems with e clutch or gear box, but was expecting it to be smoother than it is.
4000 great Km .
Like; engine (as I considered the 1200TC a bit breathless), handling is light nimble and easy to throw around and you can hustle along at a great pace. ESA is good to have. For the shite roads round here the performance/chassis combo is great.Led light is very good. Std seat good for 200miles (enduro ok for 100ish). Do like the overall look.
Ok bits; protection better than GS, bit worse than than GSA, screen now in highest position and itll stay there. Quality is ok had no issues with mine. Cruise is useful but could live without. Prefer the 'old' switchgear but have no issues operating the indicator switch.
No likee; Throttle modes pointless as I've left it in the one mode ( tho if you ride a lot offroad I can see the point). 1st gear clonk, but otherwise my gearbox is pretty similar to my Hp2 no issues up or down the box.....but only with my Daytona boots. With the Sidi sports boot can't feel where the gear lever is and then I can make a hash of the change. Position of the side stand is a pain, doesn't interfere but I have to look each time to use it. Needs hugger/splash guard thing. Needs grilles for the rads, picked pea sized bits of gravel out of mine today that had bent a couple of fins.
Overall I'm very pleased with it. Rights the issues of the older model (for me) of lacking that extra bit of oomph, though if I was after a chugger for low speed work I'd have stuck with an older model. The engine gives it a far more sporty feel than previous GS models, which I like but can see how others wouldn't. Their loss
Stu
Ok bits; protection better than GS, bit worse than than GSA, screen now in highest position and itll stay there. Quality is ok had no issues with mine. Cruise is useful but could live without. Prefer the 'old' switchgear but have no issues operating the indicator switch.
No likee; Throttle modes pointless as I've left it in the one mode ( tho if you ride a lot offroad I can see the point). 1st gear clonk, but otherwise my gearbox is pretty similar to my Hp2 no issues up or down the box.....but only with my Daytona boots. With the Sidi sports boot can't feel where the gear lever is and then I can make a hash of the change. Position of the side stand is a pain, doesn't interfere but I have to look each time to use it. Needs hugger/splash guard thing. Needs grilles for the rads, picked pea sized bits of gravel out of mine today that had bent a couple of fins.
Overall I'm very pleased with it. Rights the issues of the older model (for me) of lacking that extra bit of oomph, though if I was after a chugger for low speed work I'd have stuck with an older model. The engine gives it a far more sporty feel than previous GS models, which I like but can see how others wouldn't. Their loss
Stu
3700 miles on mine now, and I'm loving this bike. Much more performance than any of my TC's, and its a tough choice between riding this and my HP2. Low speed handling is great, but I found I could ride the twin cam faster through the twisties. It looks better, fit and finish is great, and I always finish every ride grinning!
Now for the bad stuff.
Without a mudsling, the amount of stone chips by the back wheel is ridiculous. This is meant to be a GS FFS! And likewise for the front. I had to wait a couple of weeks for the crud catcher from Mark, and in that time the front got a few chips. I'd hate to see one of these in a year with no crud catcher. The clunk into first doesn't bother me that much, as that goes away if you hold the clutch in for 10 seconds (I know, you shouldn't have to). The gearbox seems ok most of the time, but I've noticed that 2nd to 3rd to 4th is "clacky" sometimes. Vines are having a look at this tomorrow. There's rumours of rear brake pads wearing quickly, so they'll have a look at these as well.
The screen is fine, I'm used to the switchgear now, the seat is comfortable now I have a gel pad. The panniers fit. All the accessories I ordered came through reasonably quickly.
Overall, I'm more than impressed with this bike. I'll probably keep it a year to 18 months before changing for another one before the warranty runs out.
Now for the bad stuff.
Without a mudsling, the amount of stone chips by the back wheel is ridiculous. This is meant to be a GS FFS! And likewise for the front. I had to wait a couple of weeks for the crud catcher from Mark, and in that time the front got a few chips. I'd hate to see one of these in a year with no crud catcher. The clunk into first doesn't bother me that much, as that goes away if you hold the clutch in for 10 seconds (I know, you shouldn't have to). The gearbox seems ok most of the time, but I've noticed that 2nd to 3rd to 4th is "clacky" sometimes. Vines are having a look at this tomorrow. There's rumours of rear brake pads wearing quickly, so they'll have a look at these as well.The screen is fine, I'm used to the switchgear now, the seat is comfortable now I have a gel pad. The panniers fit. All the accessories I ordered came through reasonably quickly.
Overall, I'm more than impressed with this bike. I'll probably keep it a year to 18 months before changing for another one before the warranty runs out.
1200 miles done so far and enjoying it but I'll probably be looking elsewhere next year if I'm honest.
1. Fuelling at 3-4k rpm is utterly broken. Dealer says "they're all like that". If that's the case BMW have built a bike dripping with electronics and neglected the fuelling. I've given it plenty of time to ensure it's not me and the dealer's suggestion of just getting used to the sensitive throttle is rubbish. I know how to ride a bike, but to confirm my point the fuelling is still shit with the CC on and my hand off the throttle.
2. It's my first GS and whilst I know the bike was never designed as a commuter bike, I brought into the "all round usability" pitch but it simply doesn't live up to that for me. As a mile eating A road blaster when you're on the pipe it's utterly superb, but I wanted something that was equally usable at 30mph through town. This one is equally a criticism of my failure to test the bike properly.
3. ESA soft setting is just daft. The bike becomes far too under damped.
4. Gearbox could be better through 1 -> 2 -> 3 but it's not a major issue.
5. I love the riding position. It's all day comfortable for me.
6. Cruise Control is fantastic and I find it far more useful than I ever expected. The switchgear design makes it so easy to activate/deactivate.
7. ESA settings for luggage, rider, pillion are great and getting used far more than I expected.
Overall when I'm out on some nice A roads it's an absolute pleasure, but it's not enough to overcome 1.
1. Fuelling at 3-4k rpm is utterly broken. Dealer says "they're all like that". If that's the case BMW have built a bike dripping with electronics and neglected the fuelling. I've given it plenty of time to ensure it's not me and the dealer's suggestion of just getting used to the sensitive throttle is rubbish. I know how to ride a bike, but to confirm my point the fuelling is still shit with the CC on and my hand off the throttle.
2. It's my first GS and whilst I know the bike was never designed as a commuter bike, I brought into the "all round usability" pitch but it simply doesn't live up to that for me. As a mile eating A road blaster when you're on the pipe it's utterly superb, but I wanted something that was equally usable at 30mph through town. This one is equally a criticism of my failure to test the bike properly.
3. ESA soft setting is just daft. The bike becomes far too under damped.
4. Gearbox could be better through 1 -> 2 -> 3 but it's not a major issue.
5. I love the riding position. It's all day comfortable for me.
6. Cruise Control is fantastic and I find it far more useful than I ever expected. The switchgear design makes it so easy to activate/deactivate.
7. ESA settings for luggage, rider, pillion are great and getting used far more than I expected.
Overall when I'm out on some nice A roads it's an absolute pleasure, but it's not enough to overcome 1.
Thanks should go to all the LC owners who are posting up some very honest thoughts on their purchases. This is needed to focus attention on BMW to sort the issues out (those that can be as there's no such thing as perfection) so those of us who are looking to buy a "keeper" rather than a regular replacement can make an informed choice. There's been a lot of banter on other threads (both ways) but this is a very informative thread for me.
Some good honest feedback here
Personally I would rather have a Multistrada than the current GS as it looks quite flimsy compared to the last one.
If I wanted speed and a less robust bike than my current GSA then the MS fits the bill better than the new GS IMHO
I'm hoping the Adventure version will be a more solid bike and be free(er) of the early teething troubles
Personally I would rather have a Multistrada than the current GS as it looks quite flimsy compared to the last one.
If I wanted speed and a less robust bike than my current GSA then the MS fits the bill better than the new GS IMHO
I'm hoping the Adventure version will be a more solid bike and be free(er) of the early teething troubles
Deleted account 251212001
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This is shaping into an interesting thread, in my opinion please try keep it on topic around actual owners reviews/thoughts.
Certainly sums up the difference between BMW ownership and Jap bike ownership, nobody would put up with this level of reliability from a Jap bike, and certainly not from a car.
Within 3 months the bike has had more recalls than most Jap bikes have in a their production life, already there are a lot of common faults appearing, yet everyone seems fine and dandy with it all.
Been waiting 3 years for a Super Tenere to die at the side of the road, and the worst to happen is a bloody puncture.
Right, I'm off to back to the Yamaha section before the BMW mafia start on me
Interesting comments re build quality.
The owners that say that the new ‘bike is not as well made as the old A/C 1200. We had all this with the move from the 1100 to the 1150 to the 1200. The ‘bikes get better as ‘bikes...faster....lighter....better brakes..nicer to ride with all the modes and ABS/Traction control etc.....BUT the build quality gets worse.
Why is my son’s 10 year old Toyota ‘T Sport’ ssssssso much better made than my wife’s 2008 Honda Jazz?
Apart from that, the ‘WasserBoxer’ sound like a great ‘bike. I’ve not ridden ANYTHING that is quite as good as a GS when it come to rattling off the miles, on a big old trip.
Sounds like a 9 outta 10......which ain’t bad.....
The owners that say that the new ‘bike is not as well made as the old A/C 1200. We had all this with the move from the 1100 to the 1150 to the 1200. The ‘bikes get better as ‘bikes...faster....lighter....better brakes..nicer to ride with all the modes and ABS/Traction control etc.....BUT the build quality gets worse.
Why is my son’s 10 year old Toyota ‘T Sport’ ssssssso much better made than my wife’s 2008 Honda Jazz?
Apart from that, the ‘WasserBoxer’ sound like a great ‘bike. I’ve not ridden ANYTHING that is quite as good as a GS when it come to rattling off the miles, on a big old trip.
Sounds like a 9 outta 10......which ain’t bad.....
Little-Brit
Registered user
Picked mine up at the Easter weekend - in the bloody snow!
This is my third third GS. My first was a non ABS 2006 model bought as an ex-demonstrator and the second a 2009 bought new with all of the trimmings. My plan had been to buy a new 2012 GS in September last year for a knock down price but there were NONE on the system to be had.
Am I glad? Am I. I absolutely love it. It is better in every single way than my previous model. It is smoother, faster, more economical, more comfortable, better handling and more aerodynamically sorted than the 2009 (and the 2012 demonstrator).
Stand out improvements for me are the saddle (which I think is every bit as good if not better than the Sargent on my last GS), the cruise control, the LED headlamp and the delightfully light clutch.
Honourable mentions have to go to the screen, the switchgear (as the old type was driving me to distraction - after 20 years of using it I still could NEVER find the horn in an emergency) oh and the power!
The negatives? Not much really. There is no good hand hold to lift the bike onto the centre stand and for the first time ever I find myself leaving the bike on its side stand routinely. The switchgear (bear with me) - the dip switch is in a good position if you don't have the silly wheel thing. As it is it is too easy to activate the cruise control when going for the dip-switch. Solution; switch cruise off at night but could be better. The handlebar sat-nav control is a complete white elephant if you don't have a BMW Bluetooth device - I don't and consequently I don't use it really, I'd rather have had my hand closer to the control switches which would probably alleviate my dip/cruise problem above. I'm not overly impressed with the Tourance tyres and may try some Michelin Pilot 3s if they are available next.
ps. The exhaust is on the wrong side meaning that the most useful pannier is facing down hill so that things fall out when you want to access it and making it difficult to stow your lid in it unless the bike is on the centre-stand - see above!
The overall quality seems top notch to me, time will tell.
I don't understand the complaints about high speed comfort - if I was looking for that I'd have bought an RT. Everything in life is a compromise but the GS hits a path that suits my use pretty much perfectly. If only my legs were an inch or so longer....
Derek
This is my third third GS. My first was a non ABS 2006 model bought as an ex-demonstrator and the second a 2009 bought new with all of the trimmings. My plan had been to buy a new 2012 GS in September last year for a knock down price but there were NONE on the system to be had.
Am I glad? Am I. I absolutely love it. It is better in every single way than my previous model. It is smoother, faster, more economical, more comfortable, better handling and more aerodynamically sorted than the 2009 (and the 2012 demonstrator).
Stand out improvements for me are the saddle (which I think is every bit as good if not better than the Sargent on my last GS), the cruise control, the LED headlamp and the delightfully light clutch.
Honourable mentions have to go to the screen, the switchgear (as the old type was driving me to distraction - after 20 years of using it I still could NEVER find the horn in an emergency) oh and the power!
The negatives? Not much really. There is no good hand hold to lift the bike onto the centre stand and for the first time ever I find myself leaving the bike on its side stand routinely. The switchgear (bear with me) - the dip switch is in a good position if you don't have the silly wheel thing. As it is it is too easy to activate the cruise control when going for the dip-switch. Solution; switch cruise off at night but could be better. The handlebar sat-nav control is a complete white elephant if you don't have a BMW Bluetooth device - I don't and consequently I don't use it really, I'd rather have had my hand closer to the control switches which would probably alleviate my dip/cruise problem above. I'm not overly impressed with the Tourance tyres and may try some Michelin Pilot 3s if they are available next.
ps. The exhaust is on the wrong side meaning that the most useful pannier is facing down hill so that things fall out when you want to access it and making it difficult to stow your lid in it unless the bike is on the centre-stand - see above!
The overall quality seems top notch to me, time will tell.
I don't understand the complaints about high speed comfort - if I was looking for that I'd have bought an RT. Everything in life is a compromise but the GS hits a path that suits my use pretty much perfectly. If only my legs were an inch or so longer....
Derek
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Well I have about 120 miles on mine 
So I'm not really in a position to post much of a comment.
My TC was a GSA, and again, similar but not the same as a GS so of course this bike is going to flik-flak quicker and be a lot more spritely than my previous bike.
Having read so many people talk about their clutch, I'm really tuning into its performance to see if mine has a 'problem'. Nothing so far
, I've just spanked it home on tiny B roads, deliberately going up and down (part to run the bike in and use it and part to get a feel for it) and, mneh, it all seems fine. It's better up than down I agree, but I certainly don'y have a problem.
I don't get all this 'my bike clonks going into first'. All bloody wet clutches clonk going into first
First thing in the morning (when it's really bad, pump it a few times or hold it in for a few seconds) - bloody hell, yer wanna here the FJR go into first, first thing in the morning - that even makes me wince...
I do understand completely the distress people feel when their new bike has to go back in for fault fixing. My 2010 GSA blew up its front shock at about 1500 miles and at 12K the clutch started to slip quite badly. I got over the shock easily enough but always, always kept feeling the clutch was going to start slipping again.
Any hoo, not enough miles under my belt on this one to pass on much more feedback, but I do like it, and am very happy with my choice (ktm .. mts .. )
So I'm not really in a position to post much of a comment.
My TC was a GSA, and again, similar but not the same as a GS so of course this bike is going to flik-flak quicker and be a lot more spritely than my previous bike.
Having read so many people talk about their clutch, I'm really tuning into its performance to see if mine has a 'problem'. Nothing so far
, I've just spanked it home on tiny B roads, deliberately going up and down (part to run the bike in and use it and part to get a feel for it) and, mneh, it all seems fine. It's better up than down I agree, but I certainly don'y have a problem.I don't get all this 'my bike clonks going into first'. All bloody wet clutches clonk going into first
First thing in the morning (when it's really bad, pump it a few times or hold it in for a few seconds) - bloody hell, yer wanna here the FJR go into first, first thing in the morning - that even makes me wince...I do understand completely the distress people feel when their new bike has to go back in for fault fixing. My 2010 GSA blew up its front shock at about 1500 miles and at 12K the clutch started to slip quite badly. I got over the shock easily enough but always, always kept feeling the clutch was going to start slipping again.
Any hoo, not enough miles under my belt on this one to pass on much more feedback, but I do like it, and am very happy with my choice (ktm .. mts .. )
jonnyp
Registered user
Certainly sums up the difference between BMW ownership and Jap bike ownership, nobody would put up with this level of reliability from a Jap bike, and certainly not from a car.
Within 3 months the bike has had more recalls than most Jap bikes have in a their production life, already there are a lot of common faults appearing, yet everyone seems fine and dandy with it all.
Been waiting 3 years for a Super Tenere to die at the side of the road, and the worst to happen is a bloody puncture.
Right, I'm off to back to the Yamaha section before the BMW mafia start on me
Sorry... What recalls?
Mine is great , better then the old tc , better than my multisrada , no problems , rides and handles like a dream ...........push it and it responds .. Only problem is I have fitted crash bars and the scrape on the road ...oh fu..in well 
Here she is, feckin gorgeous
WTF has it turned out upside down? It was a simple iPad photo!! Can anyone correct it please.
Thanks. How did you do that?
This is shaping into an interesting thread, in my opinion please try keep it on topic around actual owners reviews/thoughts.
I would of thought you'd know better than that on UKGSer
But the Yamaha is sooooooo boring ... Took one out for a test and took it back after 15 mins as it was , as above , boring and soulless . IMHOCertainly sums up the difference between BMW ownership and Jap bike ownership, nobody would put up with this level of reliability from a Jap bike, and certainly not from a car.
Within 3 months the bike has had more recalls than most Jap bikes have in a their production life, already there are a lot of common faults appearing, yet everyone seems fine and dandy with it all.
Been waiting 3 years for a Super Tenere to die at the side of the road, and the worst to happen is a bloody puncture.
Right, I'm off to back to the Yamaha section before the BMW mafia start on me
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