Which one?

[winklepie]

Ok peoples
New here and need some advice. The usual really, which gs to get.
I am doing 2 months in the Americas next year,possibly 30k!
I had a test ride on a 55 plate 1200gs on bh monday and feel in love with it. I couldnt believe how agile they are and was impressed by the torque,brakes and comfort. The missus was on the back and she much prefered it to being on the back of my rr2 blade (obviously!). Most of the time i didnt even notice she was there.
My dilemma is this- i need the most reliable of the models, i have read somewhere that the 1150 is best for this??? I would like an adventure but obviously more money. Which one would handle this sort of mileage best with 2 up + all the luggage??? Are the back ends of the 1200s plastic and the 1200a's metal??? Could the plastic cope with the weight of the panniers???
Overall i need the best one to take 2 months of abuse and still hold its value with an extra 30k on the clock. Ive seen a 54 1150gs for £4000 in good nick with boxes and extras just not sure at the moment as i dont know much about them.
Any opinions greatfully recieved
Thanks

 

[samual1962]

1100gs

 

[elevensies]

+1

1100

 

[snakebasket]

1100 ?

Wow, I'm interested by why you guys recommend the 1100 (as opposed tp 1150 or 1200) for such a trip. This is because I have recently bought an 1100 with a view to touring with it (even though it is 11 years old, 32000 miles, but in excellent condition, known faults at present, 3 busted exhaust studs, iffy fuel guage, some interesting noises on the over-run, probably just the Remus?). I was a little concerned about the issues with the more modern bikes, so chose the older model, but then began to doubt my logic. I love riding the bike and see it as a great long term ride.

My current tourer is a Tiger 955 which I view as having seen better days.

What sort of prep do you recommend, other than a full service (steptoe?) , and appropriate carrying capacity, and what spares to carry. I am planning a trip to Newfoundland and Labrador (took the Tiger to Alaska and the Yukon, so would like to see further east). Mine has the TT hard parts for gearbox abd lock stops, as well as a few bolt on " cosmetics" by TT.

Are there any real issues with taking an older GS. I presume that spares (if any other than oil and filters) are readily available.