What are the pro's and con's of owning a GS ??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tiger
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No funny quotes from me: not in the mood. but there you go...

I have an 1150 and I'm very pleased. Performed faultlessly for 3 months in Argentian and Chile, which is what I bought it for. Also saw me do my first ever off road and it handled it all beautifull even though the engine was pulling 500 kg around with both of us and all our crap and I don't know what I'm doin' in the dirt!!

My only gripe is I miss the power of a big CC sports bike as I had a CBR 1000F, but I can happily live without that 95 % of the time and just enjoy a really good bike.

GET ONE!! IT IS YOUR DUTY!!!!
 
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Buy one and get a tent at the same time so you can come to some of the great events that are run throughout the year.
 
I have the 1100 and its got to be the best all round bike I think for my needs... Hasnt got the blistering speed of previous bikes but its great fun to ride. The added advantage is not being very retricted to roads. Get one and i reckon your think the same!........... And NO FORK DIVE! fantastic :thumb2
 
Fanum & timolgra, cheers for the comments, I know there are a lot of you guys that go fording and have no issues, my experience was completely different and I know at least one other GSAer here who had similar if less expensive trouble.

Hopefully my initial posting comment was balanced, it's definately worth a long test ride, the GSA puts a huge grin on my face much more than the GS does, if I'd known what I know now when I originally bought the bike I'd still probably still have gone for the 12GSA over anything else. But honestly a £4,500 bill really puts me off taking it through water again and that's the bit that I really find dishearting about my ownership so far.

Tiger, don't let this put you off, just go in eyes open.

I've got to say I've had no other issues with the bike at all. Actually not true, minor corroding on the BMW Topbox, they corrode at the first sign of salt, but coat them in ACF50 and they are fine.
 
You'll love the riding experience of the GS, but you may be a bit disappointed with the reliability.
 
LiquidLAN said:
Fanum & timolgra, cheers for the comments, I know there are a lot of you guys that go fording and have no issues, my experience was completely different and I know at least one other GSAer here who had similar if less expensive trouble.

Hopefully my initial posting comment was balanced, it's definately worth a long test ride, the GSA puts a huge grin on my face much more than the GS does, if I'd known what I know now when I originally bought the bike I'd still probably still have gone for the 12GSA over anything else. But honestly a £4,500 bill really puts me off taking it through water again and that's the bit that I really find dishearting about my ownership so far.

Tiger, don't let this put you off, just go in eyes open.
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That sounds soo expensive.. i don't think i've heard of a non cosmetic repair every costing that much.... what happened? what did they have to do to fix it?
 
TUNED IN said:
That sounds soo expensive.. i don't think i've heard of a non cosmetic repair every costing that much.... what happened? what did they have to do to fix it?
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You're telling me, it was all covered by insurance, but that doesn't lessen the bill. Was initially advised it needed a new engine and later reduced to just the short block. I never personally heard the engine run after the water ingress, so I was just left to follow the trusted advise.

Seen as a whole (final bill, time, BMW Cust service response) the event was really very very disheartening and there was a point before I got it back that I was left questioning if I really wanted it. I'm over that know and I'm enjoying riding it again and as I say I'd probably buy another one and I would definately advise anyone thinking about it to get a long test ride (the grin factor is immence), but the experience has put me off doing anything other than gravel track and tarmac for quite a while yet.
 
mike wright said:
I have the 1100 and its got to be the best all round bike I think for my needs... Hasnt got the blistering speed of previous bikes but its great fun to ride. The added advantage is not being very retricted to roads. Get one and i reckon your think the same!........... And NO FORK DIVE! fantastic :thumb2
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ditto re the 1100,
2500 miles over the new year spain/portugal never missed a beat and 57.9 mpg average over the trip,'im loving it':thumb
 
Trippy said:
Better follow the advice to buy an 1100 or 11550 then and have no such disappointments.
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or even an 1150:D [drink is a terrible thing during the day]:eek:
 
Trippy said:
Better follow the advice to buy an 1100 or 11550 then and have no such disappointments.
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Is the 11550 a new larger engined GS aimed at the Triumph Rocket 3 market? ;)
..................... Imagine if they made one!......... The heads would take up two lanes on the motorway :D
 
Look at how many people are members here and then check out how many major problems are reported.

Once you've done that ask what the BMW warranty support is like and again compare the complaints with the number of members.

Then go and spend your hard earned beer tokens. I went out to spend under £5K on a Transalp and went home having bought a £9.5k 1150. I've never regretted it for one minute.

They're not for everyone, only about 99% of folk that give them a good try.:thumb2
 
Hi,

I changed from a Tiger to the GS1150 even though I thought the Tiger was a good bike. I can tell you I have never looked back. I have had my GS two years now and 20,000 miles later have had not one single problem. I can also say hand on heart my next bike will be another GS, inless they fuck it up like Triumph have done with the new "TDM" oops sorry, meant to say "Tiger".


Good luck.
 
Pros: owning the most universal bike that has character in it = big grin riding it.

It's comfortible, forgiving and surprisingly capable bike both on and offroad considering it's weight, with loads of user friendly low down pulling torque compared to the similar capacity v-twins or inline bikes that need revving.

Your wife or girlfriend will love it to the bits if she has previously ridden on any other enduro, sports bike or sport tourer as a pillion.

It's a boxer, a very unique form of a concept in biking - many of your biker friends will start to suffer inferiority complex with their regular boring bikes and you'll get lot of jelousy (common is they'll start to bash your bike to release their steam: "it's looks too heavy, stickly out pots, it's a BMW, :thedummy " etc etc) :D

Cons: you'll be spending too much time on the bike and always dreaming of riding into a far country, a dream that often will be realized with the GS. :aidan
 
Don't get one! They are rubbish and they corrode away before your eyes :thumb2
 
They have that rare combination of character and competence - and both in spades.

I've had an 1100, an 1150 and two 100s. Every so often I decide I should get something else and wander off. There's been a Pan Euro, a K1200RS and a Harley Tour Glide. But I keep coming back again.

For me (as a non-car person) there's nothing that does the job as well as a GS. They're a piece of piss to work on. But if you get stuck, there's more expertise around here than you'll ever need, usually delivered with a healthy dose of banter.

Cons? Expensive to buy in the first place (but I've never made a big loss selling one as they seem to hold their value). Heavy old things - but you should try a Harley. Bit of corrosion on the engine cases and fork braces if you don't rinse down after winter rides.

But all in all, they're cracking bikes. Go and ride one, ideally for a couple of hours, and you'll see.:thumb2
 
Actually just thinking of it, Cons they are getting too bloody popular, don’t buy one.:blast
 
If price is an issue, why not just buy a tidy used one, as mileage is definitely NOT an issue (however, its condition is). You won't lose much if you come to sell it after a year and buy a brand new one, you could even get a years free riding out of it if you're lucky.

All GS's are built like tanks (even the newer 1200's), they are very basic mechanically, and can keep on going with plenty of low-revving torque when the Jap thrash-metal stuff is worn out worthless scrap (provided the maintenance has been done on schedule).

A decent 1150GS can be had from £4500 upwards. There are always examples of 1150 and 1150 Adv on Ebay. Owners mostly tend to be more mature riders with experience and some mechanical sympathy/enthusiasm. Look for full service history (preferably by BMW dealers) and tidy condition and you can't go far wrong.

The major plus is that a used bike will probably come specced with luggage and add-ons, saving you from spending more.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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