oldrascal
Registered user
Yup, that's right, if you have never ridden a GS before, whatever happens, do NOT test ride a GS.
Now I know that this advice goes totally contrary to what fellow Tossers advise and, for that matter, goes against common sense as well. I mean what sort of blithering idiot buys a bloody expensive bit of kit like a GS without first reassuring themselves that they like and enjoy the experience.
Well this blithering idiot for one. Here is why.
I have ridden motorbikes for over 30 years, each one getting faster, lairier and more manic than the last...........actually, the last was a 2008 GTX1300Hayabusa..........more manic than that wee beastie is hard to find, I am sure you all agree.
But creeping senility, arthritis and general can't-be-fagged to scream around the national road system made me consider changing.
Now like everyone, I saw and enjoyed Euan and Charlie's escapades and it got me a thinkin' and a wonderin'.
So I sloped off to have a look around a new GSA at the dealership and liked what I saw. I also have to admit to being well suited to the GSA in particular because I am 6ft 3in and have a 34in inside leg. But there is no question that anyone can ride a GS if not the GSA, even if your femur is on the stunted side.
Of course the dealer offered me a test ride and I turned it down. You see I knew that I was not going to enjoy the experience comong from the sports bike world. The two worlds are just totally different, so much so that you have to use other criteria when judging whether or not to buy.
There was no way that I could appreciate the subtleties the GS experience without days of hands-on riding, and there was no way that was on offer from the dealer.
So it became an intellectual excercise and the choice was made.
And I am just so delighted that I took my own advice because when I picked up the GSA and rode it the 40 miles back home, I just disliked it and the whole experience left me cold. How could I compare this strange sit-up-and-beg riding experience and the asthmatic engine with the Hayabuse and still say that I had made the right choice.
Well one month later and I am besotted with the bloody thing. I consistently ride on routes that used to take me longer on the Suzuki and I am relaxed, comfortable and HAVING FUN. I don't need to dress like a power-ranger and nobody cares if I just bimble along enjoying the MP3 tunes being piped to my helmet.
Yup, as I said, whatever you do, DON'T TEST RIDE A GS. Just go for it.......you will never regret it for one minute and will revel in its versatility and sheer fun.
Now I know that this advice goes totally contrary to what fellow Tossers advise and, for that matter, goes against common sense as well. I mean what sort of blithering idiot buys a bloody expensive bit of kit like a GS without first reassuring themselves that they like and enjoy the experience.
Well this blithering idiot for one. Here is why.
I have ridden motorbikes for over 30 years, each one getting faster, lairier and more manic than the last...........actually, the last was a 2008 GTX1300Hayabusa..........more manic than that wee beastie is hard to find, I am sure you all agree.
But creeping senility, arthritis and general can't-be-fagged to scream around the national road system made me consider changing.
Now like everyone, I saw and enjoyed Euan and Charlie's escapades and it got me a thinkin' and a wonderin'.
So I sloped off to have a look around a new GSA at the dealership and liked what I saw. I also have to admit to being well suited to the GSA in particular because I am 6ft 3in and have a 34in inside leg. But there is no question that anyone can ride a GS if not the GSA, even if your femur is on the stunted side.
Of course the dealer offered me a test ride and I turned it down. You see I knew that I was not going to enjoy the experience comong from the sports bike world. The two worlds are just totally different, so much so that you have to use other criteria when judging whether or not to buy.
There was no way that I could appreciate the subtleties the GS experience without days of hands-on riding, and there was no way that was on offer from the dealer.
So it became an intellectual excercise and the choice was made.
And I am just so delighted that I took my own advice because when I picked up the GSA and rode it the 40 miles back home, I just disliked it and the whole experience left me cold. How could I compare this strange sit-up-and-beg riding experience and the asthmatic engine with the Hayabuse and still say that I had made the right choice.
Well one month later and I am besotted with the bloody thing. I consistently ride on routes that used to take me longer on the Suzuki and I am relaxed, comfortable and HAVING FUN. I don't need to dress like a power-ranger and nobody cares if I just bimble along enjoying the MP3 tunes being piped to my helmet.
Yup, as I said, whatever you do, DON'T TEST RIDE A GS. Just go for it.......you will never regret it for one minute and will revel in its versatility and sheer fun.