What an Awesome Bike

[Tuono1961]

Get a few negatives sometimes on here about the GS so I thought I post an alternative view.

To set the scene, for the last four years I been off to the Alps for a week with some mates for a bit of a blast and to let off some steam. I've always done it on shall we say more sporting orientated machines. But this year I thought I'd take the GS instead for a bit of a change and the fact that whilst I've done over 13k miles on it (commuting)I've never really given it some serious stick.

Before I went there was obviously no concern over comfort but I was worried about getting left behind when people started to stretch their bikes legs when reliving the boredom on the motorways getting to the Alps. I was also a touch concerned that my Bavarian Barge might not be the weapon of choice when things got a bit twisty.

But it did a fantastic job

Whilst on the motorways the sports bikes would suddenly disappear into the distance, but with superb wind protection tucked away behind the Givi screen with winglets when they started to tire from the constant buffeting I would soon catch up and sail past in relaxed comfort. Whenever they tried to get away I would just sit it out and grind them down.

It didn't let me down either when things got more interesting. Admittedly at first I had to get used to a different style of attack in the mountains but it didn't take long. Instead of the sportsbike point and squirt all I had to do was keep it all nice and smooth. Just let the bike flow form apex to apex. So by day two I was well on the pace with even a cheeky little overtake when my mates weren't concentrating.

All this not on sports bike rubber but Conti Trail Attacks. In fact if I wasn't so concerned about running off the edge of the tyre on the more twisty stuff the Bavarian Barge might well have embarrassed virtually the whole group.

OK so the GS doesn't "dance" underneath you in the same way that a sports bike will. Which I missed a little. But it was more than made up for in the comfort stakes now I've just passed the landmark that is 50

I'm sure all of the above will be no surprise to many of you but in spite of previously covering 13k miles on the GS it was a shock to me just how capable the bike is.

 

[stolzy]

Get a few negatives sometimes on here about the GS so I thought I post an alternative view.

To set the scene, for the last four years I been off to the Alps for a week with some mates for a bit of a blast and to let off some steam. I've always done it on shall we say more sporting orientated machines. But this year I thought I'd take the GS instead for a bit of a change and the fact that whilst I've done over 13k miles on it (commuting)I've never really given it some serious stick.

Before I went there was obviously no concern over comfort but I was worried about getting left behind when people started to stretch their bikes legs when reliving the boredom on the motorways getting to the Alps. I was also a touch concerned that my Bavarian Barge might not be the weapon of choice when things got a bit twisty.

But it did a fantastic job

Whilst on the motorways the sports bikes would suddenly disappear into the distance, but with superb wind protection tucked away behind the Givi screen with winglets when they started to tire from the constant buffeting I would soon catch up and sail past in relaxed comfort. Whenever they tried to get away I would just sit it out and grind them down.

It didn't let me down either when things got more interesting. Admittedly at first I had to get used to a different style of attack in the mountains but it didn't take long. Instead of the sportsbike point and squirt all I had to do was keep it all nice and smooth. Just let the bike flow form apex to apex. So by day two I was well on the pace with even a cheeky little overtake when my mates weren't concentrating.

All this not on sports bike rubber but Conti Trail Attacks. In fact if I wasn't so concerned about running off the edge of the tyre on the more twisty stuff the Bavarian Barge might well have embarrassed virtually the whole group.

OK so the GS doesn't "dance" underneath you in the same way that a sports bike will. Which I missed a little. But it was more than made up for in the comfort stakes now I've just passed the landmark that is 50

I'm sure all of the above will be no surprise to many of you but in spite of previously covering 13k miles on the GS it was a shock to me just how capable the bike is.

As you say, no shock to most who own one.

Sure, most sports bikes are quicker over, say 100 miles, but if you want to race from Paris to Prague, I know who will be supping the Budvar first and who'll be able to sit down to drink it.

 

[Rasher]

I reckon I corner about the same speed on the GS as I did on Sportsbikes, on fast sweepers (i.e. over 100mph) it loses out a bit, but it is on par on most 50 - 90 mph bends and wins hands down on sub 40mph bends, bumpy roads and any roads with poor surfacing or crap on the road.

I have fitted Roadsmarts which although offer more grip, more importantly (to me) offer more confidence and no fears of running of the edge.

Already surprised a fair few power rangers and passed many a ZXGSR1000RRRSPXX whilst two up on twisty roads Can't wait to upset a few more ego's over the summer.

 

[Hexme]

Nice to have a good positive post, well done

 

[Sleepy]

Nice to have a good positive post, well done

Wot he says....

 

[Steptoe]

Funny you never see any highly tuned GS's racing at the TT

 

[Schtum]

Up to a point, it's all good. However, I found the limitations on a couple of occasions last year.

The first was chasing a mate on a VTec down a fine Highland A road at a steady 110 +. Even with the suspension set on Sport, those sort of speeds through fast left / right / left transitions of lean, had the front of the bike just beginning to float. I suspect the force of the wind under the beak was lifting the front of the bike.

The second was in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, riding with my son on rented GSes in the company of a K1200R riding Californian friend. On that occasion, the limitation for me was tyres. The Tourance EXP on the front of my bike was great but I found myself riding off the edge of the standard Tourance on the rear as I was chamfering the footpegs on the mountain passes. I realised at the point why my GS riding buddy in California fits nothing but Avon Distanzias on which the tread wraps further around the tyre sidewall. That particular experience led me to go and sit on a KTM 990 SMT in Scuderia West in San Francisco.....

 

[DrFarkoff]

Funny you never see any highly tuned GS's racing at the TT

Nope just standard ones but they do all right

<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z3Cu8BZJ_hw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-Si_cZv5aEc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[GS TRV]

I'd better get on the blower to Clive Padgett to tell him to ditch the Blade and get a GS for the Superstock race

 

[Beemerman59]

I reckon I corner about the same speed on the GS as I did on Sportsbikes, on fast sweepers (i.e. over 100mph) it loses out a bit, but it is on par on most 50 - 90 mph bends and wins hands down on sub 40mph bends, bumpy roads and any roads with poor surfacing or crap on the road.

You do all of this and not worry about the FPC or FD failing but you won't overtake on a motorway in case of FPC failure......

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=269922

Sorry......I just can't see the logic

 

[Jonnie Boy]

Riding a 'sports' type motorcycle over salisbury plain would be a very un-fun thing to do! (well it would probably be a giggle depending on your level of weirdness regarding what fun is)

The GS will cope with this abuse well. As well as doin all the other stuff!

 

[Tuono1961]

Funny you never see any highly tuned GS's racing at the TT

I wasn't trying to suggest that the GS is ever going to be faster than a well ridden sports bike around the Alps. Just that it delivered well beyond my expectations on the trip and that enjoyment isn't all about horse power and rock hard suspension.

Although a few more horses occasionally might have been handy

 

[Hexme]

Nope just standard ones but they do all right

That top Video is sheer class, I like the way the sports bike rider overtook the GS but couldn't maintain his lead when the real riding started, wow, that rider sure knew how to get the best out of his bike

 

[moly]

I reckon I corner about the same speed on the GS as I did on Sportsbikes, on fast sweepers (i.e. over 100mph) it loses out a bit, but it is on par on most 50 - 90 mph bends and wins hands down on sub 40mph bends, bumpy roads and any roads with poor surfacing or crap on the road.

I have fitted Roadsmarts which although offer more grip, more importantly (to me) offer more confidence and no fears of running of the edge.

Already surprised a fair few power rangers and passed many a ZXGSR1000RRRSPXX whilst two up on twisty roads Can't wait to upset a few more ego's over the summer.

i love the gs its a fantastic bike i had 5 done loads on them too track days , touring, rallys, trail ride , the best all rounder , awsome bike ,but you just cant compare it to a gixxer 600 750 1000 any one of them is going to waste a gs on the road with a half decent rider on thats what they were built for ,on a long run different ball game.saying that we came back from monza and a guy stayed with us all the way back two up camping gear on a ratty 600 kawasaki !!! he was fueling more than us so we had to wait for him but respect was given this boy could ride, the moral is you never no who is behind the visor !!!!!!!! you just been lucky so far

 

[Spike]

Then vids are brillient, and some of them riding styles on the guys with sports bikes made me laugh, jesus its supprising most are still here to tell the tale.
I am still trying to get used to the GSA and wasout with me mate last week and thats the first real go on my own I have had with it, it did not fill me full of confidence but me mate said "that thing shifts dont it" so i guess I was not doing too badly.

spike

 

[Schtum]

but you just cant compare it to a gixxer 600 750 1000

Funny you should say that - at the point I rode around the outside of a GSXR onto Knockhill's Railway Straight, I thought I was having a good dice with a 600. Then I came into the pitlane and discovered that the only yellow GSXR out there was a 1000......

 

[sycomoto]

As my old dad keeps telling me

The amount of fun you have on a bike is all relative to the amount of throttle you can use. Remember that old 50 you had when you were a teen, best biking fun you ever had and I bet it spent 90% of the time at full chat. Now take my zx12r the funnest time on that was when I wound it up to about 180+ which wasn't that often now take yer average gs, on a run your probably riding at 80% and 80/90mph this all = lots of fun.

 

[Schtum]

The amount of fun you have on a bike is all relative to the amount of throttle you can use. Remember that old 50 you had when you were a teen, best biking fun you ever had and I bet it spent 90% of the time at full chat.

Nope - never had a 50... I had a 250 Ducati single that was good for 92 on the flat but even on that I went most places with the throttle against the stop. You could do that in 1975.

 

[Mutley]

The time I find a GS comes into it's own in the mountains is downhill hairpin bends. You can brake as hard as you like, there's no front end dive and there's the ABS for that patch of gravel you didn't see on the apex.

Uphill hairpin bends you don't stand a chance against a sports bike

 

[snerkler]

Good to hear a positive post.

But why do so many people compare GS's to sportsbikes, it's like comparing a Ferrari to a Transit Van Sure we can comment on which we prefer, but to start comparing how one corners to another, and how fast each can go around corners or the TT seems a bit of a push to me