so test ride this afternoon all comments welcome

[buzzy]

Hello all , so this afternoon i took out a 02 r1150 gs for a test (thanks steve if you re reading , promise to let you know my dicission) ,had about two hours tho i could have had longer if needed , my usual bike is a ktm 950 sm and the first thoughts were ktm sooo much quicker of the throttle ,gs a lot less buzzy , somewhat smoother and still commanding view of the road , so went of to pick up some local rds that i know fairly well , riding thru town first thing 1st to 2nd gear thru nutrual does not want to go into 2nd (is this me or the bike ,any thoughts ??) but by the time i got into the mindset it all seemed to click , this bike rocks !!, still have a bit of a wriggle changing down thru the back end , but this bike is on rails thru the curves ,and very planted i was really impressed , it has a higher screen and it has been set on the lowest and not too much buffering , i did have a play to see if i could iron out any but it seemed to work for me best on the lowest setting , also the seat was on the lowest so when back at the shop had it adjusted and it felt much better , i handed the keys back and back onto the ktm , went back the same way home as the test ride and do you know i do belive i would have been quicker on the gs than the ktm , and defo less neck strain , the ktm pulls like a train to just above the ton much faster than the gs but the gs rider will deffo have a better time in the long run and will be able to maintain for a longer time , all tho this really is not what this bike is about and not reall my style of riding (i would have a blade is speed was the major factor) so really in a bit of a mixed mood at the moment , gonna have to have a long and hard think !!any comments thoughts !!

 

[RichieS]

for what it is worth....

Buzzy. Nice write up and comparison. I have had 2 GS's - and 1150 and a 1200 and come from a background of Blackbirds/K1200R's/Blades etc. I have also owned an R1150RS and i have to say, that in terms of real world riding, i was quicker all round on the Bemmers. Having said that, i always missed the rush of the acceleration of the inline 4's and went back to a BB, which will be a keeper for me. I have a couple of mates who have 950SMs, and they love em, but for me just a little to single minded as an only bike. I am seriously toying with getting an HP2 Enduro to go with the BB so i can scratch/go off road/AND tour 2 up and do ballistic speeds as well.
For me in your dilemma, i would ditch the SM, get an 1150/1200 gs, bling it up, and enjoy it. It will also be worth more for longer!!

Hope this helps in some way

Richie

 

[buzzy]

thanks Richie, yeah i know that the gs will hold its value for longer but i cant get me head round that i`m going from a o7 to an o2 bike with three times the milage on its clock , i have the sm booked in for a service in a few days so gonna get a demo on the adventure to see how i feel about that in the meantime hitting the keys looking for reviews comparisons between the two , have a happy easter all

 

[Bryn]

Hi buzzy, welcome to the site.. another Leicester Tosser

I've had over 50 bikes since I was sixteen... and the GS is the only one that I'd have another one of.... Had everything from a 929 blades, ZX6R', ZXR750 ZZR 1100, Speed triple etc etc..... then I got an 1150 GS.. then an 1100GS and now an 1150 GSA... does everything me and SWMBO need to do... at a decent pace as well... no more bad back I'm also riding much more powerful bikes for a living, and I don't miss the rush when I'm on the GS ...

Just my thoughts

Bryn

 

[JimboGSA]

welcome onboard mate! best decision you'll ever make getting a GS, go for it!