What GS do i choose???

[marc290y]

Hi to you all. I'm new to the site however have been browsing through for some time. I've finally decided to go for a GS (test ride on sunday!) but dont know which one to go for. My commutes about 110 miles a day through car congested cornish roads (some duel carriageway/ A and B roads) and not quite sure what will be best for this?? I love the look of the 1150GSA, but for that price i could get a newer 1200 GS. Above that theres 1150GS that is apparantly better for road riding and is a cheaper buy and slightly cheaper to run but is it noticable? My last bike was a CBR that i was really quite happy with, but its not quite up to the distance i do now. Speaking to dealers i get the impression that they dont care what i buy, just as long as i buy!! So, stuck between a rock and a hard place i need some advice from the people in the know. I would love to hear what people have got to say, particularly anybody that has a stupid size commute like me and how they get on with there GS. Yours for now, Marc

 

[Totoro]

Hello marc290y. Welcome to the site.

My commute was over 50 miles per day, mostly on Suffolk B roads, covered in mud and stones in the bad weather or winter.

I've found the 1150GS perfect for this. It is a great bike for this kind of journey

the 1150GSA will cost you more and I can't see what advantage it would give you on your journey. Probably less suitable as it is heavier though you'd have a larger fuel tank.

Never been on a 1200GS but if you're riding all year and adding loads of miles I guess you'll take a bigger depreciation hit by buying a more expensive bike.

Have you thought about a 1100GS also. I've seen some good looking ones for sale recently.

Your dealer should be able to give you a test ride on all 3 of your fist choices.

Whatever one you buy it'll be a great bike and shaft drive will be a maintenance revelation

 

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dodger

You will get better fuel consumtion from 1100GS than 1150GS and regardless of what you hear performance is as good as dammit identical, plus a well looked after 1100 will stand up to winter use better (better build quality you see) I have been running a 1100 for 6 years and having tried both 1150 and 1200 models, could see no worthwhile reason to change apart from the kudos of owning a newer model. So i suppose it boils down to how much you want to spend and what you can find.

 

[Flipfly]

Ridden them all now and can conlude that (as an 1150GS owner) any one of them will be fine. 1200 is smoother and a bit quicker, but lacks a bit of the charm of the 1150. GS or GSA really very little difference (possible gear ratios and a bit taller on GSA). 1150GS/GSA has charm but is heavier and a bit slower, but alot cheaper!!!!.
Beware of biased reports telling you to buy this and that. Take them all for a test ride and work out which one suits you best. Whichever you decide it'll do what you want it to and more.
Don't discount the 1100 either, a great bike with very little performance difference between 1100 and 1150, still handle great and a good one can be relatively cheap.
Serviced regularly the bike should be fairly reliable and be good for interstella mileage. Cheap parts always available and lots of nice goodies are on the for sale section on this very website. Lot's of opinions about mines better than yours but hey they're all good in their own way.

 

[Bananaman]

I went for the 1150 GS in the end. Got a beauty with just 8,000 on the clock.
(There is one advertised in the for sale/wanted section now I believe for £5,400 with 20,000 miles but don't think it has abs)

I rode a few before buying and as flipfly says they are all good bikes anyway, just depends what you want to spend and how nice a condition you want. Both the 1150GSA and the 1200GSA seemed too tall and I prefered the 1150. The 1100 gearbox seemed a bit clunky, maybe that was the one I rode though. Also the Adventures for commuting have less of a top gear (top seems like 5th on my 1150).
Whatever you buy am sure you will like it, but test ride all of them and you will be in a position to decide yourself.
I really liked the new F800 and rode one for a day last week and was glad I didn't buy one. Great fun but not for me.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

You want a nice Airhead R80 G/S

 

[STUBBS]

stand out from the crowd go for the 850 just as good as the 1100 if not better

 

[Matt Gibbs]

Go on you know you really want an 1150 but then I'm biased especially for the blue and white ones
Regards and happy hunting
Matt

 

[marc290y]

Thanks to everyone one who posted a reply, its certainly given me something to think about. It seems these bikes are probably the best option for the distance i do. I never even gave the 1100 a thought, i will have to look into that one. Funny you should mention the blue and white one matt, because thats what im test riding tomorrow. 2002 for £6500 which seems a bit expensive, but then its from a main dealer with a warranty and luggage. I will post my thoughts on it after the test ride. Finally, at 27 years young, am i the youngest potential GS rider out there? or is there any others like me that dont whant to follow the crowd with a jap sports replica?

 

[Gas'd Off]

If your commute includes long stretches of open road (?) have a think about the extra long/lazy 6th gear on the 1150. I find it a useful addition for those longer journeys. To give you some idea of how high the gearing is, I do a 25mile commute and only get into the 'Economy' gear 4 times on the journey for less than a mile each time. It is best suited to motorways and not much point in using unless you going over 60mph otherwise it labours the engine a bit

 

[Wizard]

I currently ride a 12GSA, previously I put a 12 through it's paces before it finally got written off (cosmetic damage more than anything) after it's second serious "off". I use my bikes for leisure only, and I'll be the first to defend the 1200 against the troglodytes who insist that their antique bike is somehow "better" than mine

If I were you........................ I'd get an 1100.

You'll save a bundle in initial cost and depreciation, parts are cheaper, the bikes have less in the way of technology to go wrong, and a hell of a sight easier to fix at the roadside.

The real Luddites will say an R80, R100 etc., but while they're cracking bikes, it'd be harder to get a genuinely good one. But if you can.............

 

[gee-ess]

Funny you should mention the blue and white one matt, because thats what im test riding tomorrow. 2002 for £6500 which seems a bit expensive

Marc - check out this which was on the 'for sale' section a couple of days ago

You never know, he may still have it

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84750

Excellent price

 

[Hew]

Not much to choose between the 1100 and the 1150 but as others have said I love the high 6th gear. It is ideal for eating up the miles at a good rate.
The only down side to the 1150 is the high 1st gear that makes rough off road a bit more difficult. I've always felt it was a shame that there was not a gearbox with the enduro 1st gear and the economy 6th gear but that's a different matter.
Other than that go on condition and price I think that at this time of year you could grab yourself a bargain by buying private. Most GS will have lived a pampered life soaked in fully synthetic oil etc. so you would have to be unlucky to get a bad one.
Good luck

 

[Flipfly]

£6500 for an 02. Dealer or not, thats dear if you ask me. I would look privately as there are much better deals around than that. If you look on here you'll find an enthusiast that has done the required mods (lights etc) will have done the servicing and changed the oil far more frequently than the dealers have and you could save yourself £1000 or so. Dealers will give you a warrantee but if you get all the right info on what to look for you shouldn't need the warantee. Mine has cost me £150 (bevel box bearing) in 6 months. Likelyhood is that a three month warantee isn't worth the paper it's written on. Enjoy the ride, be aware that they feel really strange and will take a while to get the best out of.

 

[MikeP]

I take it that the dealer is Ocean (Plymouth)?

If so they had two blue and white 1150's. One was in absolutely pristine condition. I mean probably better than when it was un-crated.

If it's that one and if you want an 1150, bearing in mind that you cannot buy a new 1150, personally I'd pay the money but I might squeeze them for a free next service.

On the other hand, if the bike is mainly a commuter hack, I'd go for a 1200. Not because the 1200 is any better or worse, just that there are so many on sale that it's a buyers market at the moment.

 

[GS TRV]

I'd think about a Strom for what you're looking to do

 

[ncpierce]

Finally, at 27 years young, am i the youngest potential GS rider out there? or is there any others like me that dont whant to follow the crowd with a jap sports replica?

From the reaction in the BMW garage when she asked my DoB to sort out a loan bike I reckon that when I bought my F650 GS Dakar at 25 I must have been one of the youngest GS riders around. Just bought a new 1200GS at the ripe old age of 26!

 

[Ash]

what about 1800cc goldwing,very comfy.