To have or not to have - ABS

[gahewson]

Hi Guys and girls,

I'm just sorting myself out to get a GS - probably R1200GS, but having had a R1100gs back in 96 I'm going for an ABS version yet I hear lots of different views about it?
I'm not a true off-roader and commute around 100 miles a day - everyday regardless of weather - well except heavy snow!!! My previous GS had ABS but I didn't really worry about it at the time. I'm not such a specialist that I worry about "feeling the road" via the brakes but err on the side of caution that if I grab a handfull of brake lever, ABS will stop me locking the wheels up and coming off!!?? Mainly motorway madness volvo drivers but........
Anyone put any sense to my thoughts?? I did see a comment on a sales site for a GS Adventure without ABS saying that on the new 1200 if you lose ABS you can't ride it as the brakes no longer work yet I see actually ABS can be turned off?? Also that servicing costs are excessive on ABS?

Hopefully going to get a bike in a couple of weeks and looking forward to it . Had a 93 Triumph Tiger 900 for last 3 years but it's finally died (107K miles so not bad) but the constant TLC started to get me down - added to that, the fun of never actually knowing if I'm going to complete my journey!!

Can somone also confirm that the 1200 has pannier brackets as standard as one garage tried to tell me it did yet I've seen an advert for brackets??

Hope to have fun on the site.

Geoff

 

[Yellow Peril]

Welcome Geoff, the panniers brackets are standard on the standard GS12 but not the GS12 ADV.

As to the ABS got it love it and also the servo brakes that everyone complains about. If you turn off the ABS you still have the servo braking. The only time you lose braking power is if the servos go wrong but that tends to be down to incorrect starting or you caught your brake level so the self diagnosis can't complete on start up.

To be honest it can only help on the type of riding that you do, but of course you'll get every opinion under the sun here

 

[snoopy]

Stop messing about. Save yourself £8,000 and get one of these, then do it up.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Snoopy now has a very sore a**e

 

[Steptoe]

Stop messing about. Save yourself £8,000 and get one of these, then do it up.

The man rides 100 a day to go to work. He wouldn't get much work done when he finally arrived if he had to ride one of those. Thats without considering the pain .

 

[snoopy]

£500 will buy a corbin, screen and a tank that'll do 200 miles.

Of course that leaves only £7,500 spare...

A grand of that will lace it with cf/kevlar and trick rims ready for the Dakar.

Leaves enough for the entry fee?

 

[Steptoe]

£500 will buy a corbin, screen and a tank that'll do 200 miles.

Of course that leaves only £7,500 spare...

A grand of that will lace it with cf/kevlar and trick rims ready for the Dakar.

Leaves enough for the entry fee?

He's just sold his Triumph with 107K miles on the clock.

What will the small trails bike be worth with that amount of miles on the clock ( the GS will still be worth a tidy sum), and how much would it have cost to keep it running for 107K miles.

Work out the difference between the two. And wonder what works out cheaper. Don't forget to factor in the hours spent at weekends putting the trails bike back together

 

[motobiker]

I'm not such a specialist that I worry about "feeling the road" via the brakes but err on the side of caution that if I grab a handfull of brake lever, ABS will stop me locking the wheels up and coming off!!?? Mainly motorway madness volvo drivers but........

Geoff

Think you answered your own question matey... This is my second GS. I've yet to feel the ABS engage... It did so ONCE on my previous bike. That episode convinced me.... any other bike and i would have come off... no question.

When I came round to buying another GS... I bought one with ABS without a second thought.

 

[snoopy]

He's just sold his Triumph with 107K miles on the clock.

What will the small trails bike be worth with that amount of miles on the clock ( the GS will still be worth a tidy sum), and how much would it have cost to keep it running for 107K miles.

Work out the difference between the two. And wonder what works out cheaper. Don't forget to factor in the hours spent at weekends putting the trails bike back together

I reckon from my history of BMW ownership both bikes will depreciate by the same amount, about 60%. The days of high retention for new BMW's is over thanks to market saturation. My 1150 for example lost 38% in 16 month and that was only going from 19k to 42k.

Running costs would be about the same. What you'd spend on chains you'd spend on a new drive etc. Any serious failures would work out much cheaper for the DRZ because of the parts market. What it boils down to is the new price, which for both bikes is over inflated but more so for the BMW.

Personally I'd get a cheap bike and a cheap car and spend the rest on something else.

 

[gahewson]

Snoop, thanks for the advice but that seat alone looks a tadge painful for my old piles to cope with . Got a corbin on my Tig and that made life just about bearable. Fortunately the tank on your 400 wouldn't be a problem as there are petrol stations every 2 miles on my daily run?? Might eat into the time I save by not using my car but heh it's all about the joy of motorcycling right?

Got fed up changing cogs and chains on my Tig so looking forward to shaft drive again - think the 400 would suffer the same or is it elastic bands? Only kidding Snoop but should get away with my lads BMX chain?

Looking forward to shaft drive and not having to worry about cogs, chains and even checking the scottoiler!!

Might look into a 400 as a weekend thrash???

Cheers for the replies already guys. This site looks like fun?

Geoff

 

[Mr K]

Geoff,

Buy the 1200 with ABS and luxuriate in owning one of the finest handling, idiot-proof (trust me) bikes ever.

32,200 miles in and don't know what else I could possibly ride..

 

[Ash]

Geoff,

Buy the 1200 with ABS and luxuriate in owning one of the finest handling, idiot-proof (trust me) bikes ever.

32,200 miles in and don't know what else I could possibly ride..

fazzer/ktm !

 

[Mr K]

fazzer/ktm !

Nope!

Both dive on the brakes, don't have ABS and have feckin' chain drive....