Considering a GS....read this

thats it, change the subject of gs verse road bike,,,,,,its boring now
 
Gentlemen - or at least GS riders ...........

was seriously going to be changing my yellowhorse for a K1200rs. But i'll just have to put my K100rs back on the road and kep the BIGTWIN too.
That way as I slip back to my youth i'll have a 'sportster' to play with.

PHEW that was close :eek::eek::D:cool:
 
SWIMBO

Completely agree with the handling attribute of the GS, and remember the 12 is 30kg more nimble. Tell me (I'm out of the UK too long) what does SWIMBO stand for? I know who it is, but not what..

Can't get mine on the back though.. lucky me.
 
Bleedin' 'eck, some peeps on here are no better than what Sports Bike riders are accussed of........" my bikes better than yours" ......... "judging peeps by their appearance"........blah blah blah :mmmm

Anybody riding a bike should be applauded in my book :thumb2

And as for a so called experianced rider purposefully taking another rider out of their 'comfort/safe zone' you should know better - how would you have felt if the rider had had an accident. And what exactly did you stand to prove :nenau


I love my GS and it is the PERFECT bike for ME but to say it's superior than a Blade/R1/whatever when it comes to being hustled along.......yeah right :mmmm

Andres
Andres, I'm new to this forum having recently bought a lovely 1100 GS 75th Anniversary model. I love it, completely. I'm very much with you on this mate; we are all different. Some are lucky to have more than one bike, some not so lucky. I'm not going to rattle on about my ability of lack of, just to say that there is always someone better out there, and if they want to tear off like a long dog then let 'em. If you ride YOUR bike, within YOUR limits and look out for the bastard car drivers who haven't got a clue, you should be okay.
To all of you, safe riding, whatever your chosen steed!

Clarkie
 
Well, here is my frst post on this forum... What could be better than to say that I love my GS, I enjoy every Euro (ok I'm on the Continent) of it. Used it on the curvy roads between Lyon and the Alps, in the Alps, even on some highway stretches, always with the same pleasure.

dsc4324resizedau1.jpg

Summer 2007, Haute-Savoie, Alpes françaises​
 
Sorry GS Dude ...advanced rider you may be .....but shouldnt you have just pulled over and let the fool go? that way you were not endangering anyone else including your pillion?:rob
 
Well, here is my frst post on this forum... What could be better than to say that I love my GS, I enjoy every Euro (ok I'm on the Continent) of it. Used it on the curvy roads between Lyon and the Alps, in the Alps, even on some highway stretches, always with the same pleasure.

dsc4324resizedau1.jpg

Summer 2007, Haute-Savoie, Alpes françaises​

Hi FlyRide :thumb Say hi over in the "I'm new here please be gentle" section..

You may be overlooked if your first post is here ;)

As you say.. Love my GS.. even more when its summer :)
 
Could not agree with you more the GS is awsome. Having riden many bikes mainly Japanese sports bikes over the years I can honestly say that the GS is the best bike I have ridden. It handles well in all situations, the riding postion is spot on, the visibility from being high up allowing you to plan your next move way ahead of any sports bike. The brakes are excellent and you can apply them with some confidence. I would never have considered riding any other bike I have owned through the winter months, but here I am still riding on my daily commute to work! Can't say that I would trade this in for anything else except a new GS. If anyone is considering buying one, take one on a test ride - be warned you will be hooked. Merry Christmas to other GS riders out there.:thumb2
 
(1) I am an advanced rider - to the highest attainable professional standard - both on and off road (if you get my drift), and (2) I can therefore ride a bike just a bit

what does advanced mean? maybe your letter is still in the post..............
 
An advanced rider?

Well speaking as one of the most advanced riders (if not THE most advanced rider) on this forum it does seem to me that one has to be very advanced to lose this (dare i say childish) competitive spirit on the road. My neighbour also rides a 1200GS as I do - I would rate him as 'very' advanced also - he is even less competitive than I. He uses his bike to work almost every day of the year. His job? Orthopaedic surgeon.
 
Having just sold my1200GS and gone back to sportsbikes, Gixer750, can I just make a comment from the 'other side of the fence' so to speak.

When I bought my GS, I did so because I was so impressed with the way the GS performed ridden by a mate of mine. He is a very accomplished and confident rider, and there were times when I just couldn't stay with him on the Gixer750 I had at the time, but there were also times when he couldn't stay with me, it was simply down to road conditions. We did a track day, him on his GS, me on the Gixer, I lapped him on the Indy circuit, no surprise there. If we had swopped bikes, I reckon he would have lapped me.

I now have a new Gixer750 and I look forward to a bit of sport with GS's once the weather gets better, and I know I will have some challenges. I would dearly like to come up against the guy who started this thread though. :upyou

JDH
 
Be reasoable!

..."I now have a new Gixer750 and I look forward to a bit of sport with GS's once the weather gets better, and I know I will have some challenges. I would dearly like to come up against the guy who started this thread though." Be reasonable ...Barry Sheene used to race lorries...but only against other lorries, not against Gixer 750's etc. The poor bloke only has an old 1150!
 
Yeah but, yeah but, yeah but, he says he's "an advanced rider - to the highest attainable professional standard - both on and off road (if you get my drift), and (2) I can therefore ride a bike just a bit". :augie:D;)

JDH
 
Two words - "Road Condition", given the current crap state of most of our roads, well the ones I ride on! A sportsbike often loses grip/traction and is a lot harder to ride smoothly and quickly, than say a GS.

I've returned to a GS from a 2004 R1, had 175 bhp (claimed by Yam) but too many road imperfections to keep the throttle nailed open to release them.

But each to his own :beerjug:
 
Don't disagree with you there mate, had 3 RI's myself, wrote one off because it frankly was too much for me at the time, and that's why I swear by the 750, useable power most of the time. Who knows, I might find out that I was quicker on my GS, the test will be when I go to the Black Forest in May with my pals, they would admit that they struggled to keep up with the GS on their sportsbikes on some of the roads when we were over there in October. Now I can see whether I can keep up with them on a 'like for like' basis.:eek:

I'll give an honest report on my findings after the trip. If I can't at least keep up with them, back to a GS :eek: :beerjug:

JDH
 
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you can't compare em - sports bikes are totally single minded for going fast on a wide smooth road, Gs's are designed to be the ultimate alrounder. Thing is there ain't many wide smooth roads around which aren't infested by speed traps and caravans, sports bikes are useless for long distances, you can't bung loads of gear on them to go camping / touring (apart from a couple of worthy exceptions Nick Saunders and that dutch guy but how many normal people have emulated them then?) and most importantly, you can't bimble on a sports bike - its just not on - far too uncomfortable, you look stupid and the power, gearing just don't let you without serious concentration. So sports bike only riders are missing out on a huge part of biking - touring, narrow gravel strewn single track roads, tracks, camping, taking it easy (for a change) etc. etc.

There certainly are a few fast sports bike riders out there but they are in the minority. Most just do it for the pose or to flag there aging and ailing egos. They give the rest of biking a bad name as most non bikers now equate biking with 'those idiots in bright leathers doing 3 times the speed limit' (or whatever) and legislation is aimed at stopping them (like the new off road part of the test). I get bored with the number of times I've been held up by a sports bike piloted by someone who needs a couple of years on a gutless 125 with crap brakes to really learn how to ride. I don't try and chase em I just keep catching them up even 2 up with camping gear, even on a 40 year old triumph (in fact on one occasion even on a greeves trials bike with a max speed of 45mph no damping and a fortnights luggage).

Sports bikes may handle better than a GS but it takes a lot more commitment and skill to exploit that handling. A GS is way easier as the limits are much lower and therefore easier to detect so you can ride a GS nearer to its limits with less skill and much safer.

But if you want a state of the art bike other than a GS your pretty much limited to sports bikes as most of the big 4's 'roadster' offerings usually have some serious compromises in the spec like crap suspension or poor brakes.
 
I'm in agreement with much of what you say, but find this statement a bit assumptive and misguided "So sports bike only riders are missing out on a huge part of biking - touring, narrow gravel strewn single track roads, tracks, camping, taking it easy (for a change) etc. etc". Assumptive because I for one never had the desire to ride on narrow gravel strewn single track roads even when I had the GS, I take my hat off to those who can do it well, but it really doesn't appeal and I certainly don't feel I am missing out in any way. Touring, well I've toured twice a year for around twelve years, ten of those on a Sportsbike (we're not talking Morocco here) France, Germany, Andorra that sort of thing, a week at a time and no problem with luggage. Don't camp though, like my creature comforts I guess.

There are aspects of a sportsbike that the GS could not possibly give me personally, won't go into detail here, but a fact nonetheless. At the end of the day, all bikes are a compromise, but as an 'all rounder' the GS is probably the best. I think anyone who rides a bike of any description has a certain 'spirit', they aren't all great riders but they are bikers and good on 'em.

JDH
 
No argument

...."as an 'all rounder' the GS is probably the best. I think anyone who rides a bike of any description has a certain 'spirit', they aren't all great riders but they are bikers and good on 'em." Nobody could disagree with that & there is still a great camaderie (does that word exist?) amongst thems, particularly us 'motards' in France.
 
"Nobody could disagree with that & there is still a great camaderie (does that word exist?) amongst thems, particularly us 'motards' in France".

It certainly does Brian, and I've experienced it many times in France, one of the reasons I go back a couple of times a year, love it.

JDH
 


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