1250 v 1200 is it worth it?

Am finding lots of nice little things on my 1250 HP every time I ride it, would still be happy on my 2016 GSA until I saw the 1250 Rallye, then I couldn't get it out of my head and had to have it

Some of the improvements I've noticed so far and some things my old bike didn't have;

Torque wise I think it's a huge difference, just seems to pull much stronger, even though i'm still running it in

It definitely feels more agile, don't know how cos I know it's slightly heavier, maybe it's the Bridgestone tyres as someone has already mentioned

It's much quieter too, a bit too quiet for me so my Yoshimuras going back on after its 1st service

The TFT is awesome (once you know how things work)

The red line starts down at 5000rpm when you start it up, I thought there was something wrong with it or they had set it there while I was running it in, but it's just to tell you that the engine needs to warm up and slowly creeps up (a small thing I know but I thought that was a nice touch)

The tyre valves you can now get too cos they face the right way

Not sure if I had this on my old one but cruise control shows set speed now and if you have left it on you just pull it towards you and it takes you back to set speed without touching the throttle

Automatic or manual hill hold, lazy but I think it could be quite useful, don't really need it in Kettering

On the whole I think it's worth the upgrade, if only cos I can't stop smiling when i'm riding it, and isn't that what it's all about!

My misses thinks it's worth it too cos everytime I buy a new bike she says it's only fair that she gets a new car, makes sense now why she was so keen for me to change

https://youtu.be/5WgugJQmRJA

I don't know if any of you chaps have seen this. Makes interesting viewing

Bravo said:

Not a GS but in a similar vein.
I've got a 2016 1200 RS and got quite excited when the 1250 engine was announced. I guessed you boys would get it first in the GS and the RS would get it 18 months/2 years later. BMW then showed images of the new RS and (it's only my opinion) they've fucked up the styling. The GS as far as I can see still looks the same. If they had just bunged the new block in and left everything the same then my order would be in. For that reason my 1200 is a keeper,I'll have to live without the extra bhp and torque.

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100% agree (except mine is a 2015 RS). We can only hope the delay on the 1250RS is for them to get the styling right...

well after all that I decided to buy a new 1200GSA, thanks for the posts guys

wpm said:

well after all that I decided to buy a new 1200GSA, thanks for the posts guys

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Well you won't be left behind as the 1200 lc is a storming bike

Zx9man said:

Well you won't be left behind as the 1200 lc is a storming bike

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+1 Agreed

My new GSA

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=407058&stc=1&d=1554581864

Nice one

Whilst I’m my 1200gs was in for a service I was gazing at this..... looks sooooooo good.....



Not changing my 67plate Rallye, just appreciating the new one


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Nice. As I am new to the brand I tried the two bikes the 1200 and the 1250 and to be frank I couldn't tell the difference. I am sure someone on here will tell me how different it is but I could not tell so I bought the 1200.

wpm said:

Nice. As I am new to the brand I tried the two bikes the 1200 and the 1250 and to be frank I couldn't tell the difference. I am sure someone on here will tell me how different it is but I could not tell so I bought the 1200.

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Nice clean looking bike you've bought don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sorry for this but you did sort of ask "sure someone will tell me" .
Re 1250 difference -- when you get used to the 1200 if you have another test ride on a 1250 I think you would notice the difference. Much smoother low down , they'll pull 6 gear down to about 1000rpm and still take off when you open the throttle. No big deal some will say, you just have to go down to 5th or 4th on the 1200, but it does make for a more relaxing ride in traffic\through villages etc. (& in lower gears). More punch at the higher revs too. Performance wise a slow rider on a 1250 still wouldn't keep up with a fast rider on a 1200. Don't know if your new one has TFT?? what year ist it? or is it new? -- TFT is a bit gimmicky and more modern looking and is easier to see the speed quickly out of your eye corner. The navigation bit of the TFT +phone\music is of no benefit if you have a NAV 6 as that will do it all better. Money wise its very hard to justify a 1250 over a good used 1200 (or new 1200 with discount) so don't think you'll be disappointed with your choice. If money was no object the 1250 IS better.
All personal opinions obviously so I'll wait to be shot down (with all the crap about Beta testing shiftcam\not Brembo front brakes etc.) by those who haven't got a 1250 .

Had boxers for years but really didn't like the LC 1200 when it first came out, not just the lightened flywheel, I disliked the weird noises coming from the front of the engine and to me they lacked a certain soul that I felt my TC 1200 had. Try an R9T and you'll see what I mean if you've only ever ridden a water cooled bike.

But...My GS is my daily driver all year round and the TC was piling on the miles. I test road a KTM1290, AT and a Mutistrada but kept getting drawn back to the GSA LC. The 2017 bikes seemed to be sorted so I took the plunge and bought a pre registered Triple black GSA with a ton of stuff thrown at it so it would sell before the new 18 plates came in. Apart from the well documented spoke issue and a leaky FD gator it was fine, fast enough for me and as adaptable as you'd expect a GSA to be. Done 12k miles on it but I was never happy with the vibration I got through the pegs. OK out on the open road but I found them intrusive at 35-45 mph which is where I spent most of the winter commuting to and from work. I ride RT's for work and to be fair they all vibrate and shudder but it was the high frequency of mine that was annoying me. Of course no one who rode my bike could detect said vibes so I thought it's obviously in my head! Anyway wife says if you're not happy with it go and test ride a 1250 So I did The new engine is so much smoother, yes it vibrates but it's low frequency boxer vibes not the buzzing I feel on mine. Obvious increase in power through the whole rev range, not night and day but enough to know you have more on tap. They've also quietened the engine noise down, the bike just feels tighter (not just cos it's new!) and IMHO this is the evolutionary step the LC 1200 should have been when it superseded the TC.

So OP, I know you've made your decision now but for me the 1250 is a worthy upgrade and all being well this is the bike I'll be taking (and keeping)into retirement. (well that's what I've told the wife )

I have bought the 1200new and unregistered with the TFT screen and the sostelecall and can't wait to get it. As a new GS rider coming from a Harley I am sure the GS will feel a lot different to what I am used to. I also tried the triumph Tiger 1200 and that was no better than my 2002 varadero winter bike.

Were you at Coopers Sunderland on Friday on the Harley? The picture looks like the one I noticed there when I was waiting at the parts counter. Much nicer looking colour scheme than the 1250 Rallye.

I bet your neighbours will be glad to see the back of the Harley aswell.

Well here we go....like to think I can give a fair assessment.

First GS was in 1999 way before Ewan and Charlie and most on here (sorry just had to mention that ) it was a basic, but fantastic , 1150 in silver in the days when you hardly saw a GS, quick move on to November last year when I ordered an Ice Grey 1250 GSA. In between had 5 GS/GSA's...well over 150,000 miles in combined total, 1150, 1200, 1200 TC GSA X2 and a 15 plate WC GSA.

The best one by far was the 13 plate GSA 90th Anniversary......the only time I ever thought "hmmmm not so sure" when I changed to the 15 plate GSA WC. So how does the new 1250 GSA compare easy, if I took all the best bits off each one including the 1150 I would come up with the new 1250.

The new one is now like the 90th but with more power......smooth and comfy.

Firm believer in BMW's philosophy "Evolution not Revolution"

No doubt others may disagree. Like I say....just my personal assessment of the new 1250 GSA .

TD

Not Friday bun I was there Saturday

Not sure yet bud they liked it a lot

Good choice on the 1200, I have the exact same bike

I’m at Coopers as I write this getting the 600 mile service whilst surrounded by 1250’s!!

I’m sure the 1250 will be better but not £4K better which would be the cost to change

My Rallye is the best bike I’ve ever had in all my 33 years of biking so you won’t be disappointed.

Looking forward to taking mine the ‘Long Way’ Home !!

I remember test riding the very first of the telelever air head GS's back in the late 1990's from Aberdeen BMW. We took turns riding it and the other new bikes in the range for 1995/6. I had a Mk1 GS R80GS and had a ride on an R100GS a few years earlier and back then, coming from an elderly R100RT, they blew me away. I didn't think I'd like them but compared to the R100RT, they out handled it, seemed quicker off the mark and were a hoot to ride. I was smitten.

When the telelever front came out I rode the R1100GS and was blown away by the advancement over the older R100GS. Much more punchy low down, smoother and that front telelever felt plain weird, but once you got used to it, it was great. Wind the clock forward several decades and a few bmws later and I test rode the R1200GS LC. It was as big a step on from the R1100GS as it was a step on from the R100GS imho.

The GS I always felt needed more mid and upper range power than the air heads delivered and the 1200LC delivered this in spades whilst managing to feel better handling to me. Whilst I'm sure that the 1250 will have moved things on further, I will not be buying one, even though I can afford one (for all those "you only dislike them because you can't afford one" nobs). I'm sure I'd love the 1250, but haven ridden just about every version of the bike since its inception, and owned a few, the 1200 does everything I want from a bike. I set of grip puppies means vibes through bars can't be felt and vastly improves long distance comfort. the vibey patch in the 35-50mph range in 3rd/4th is a non issue as I either ride above or below the offending revs. It accelerates fast enough to make overtakes (of any car) a breeze. It handles safely and sure footedly and its all day comfortable. If I wanted, faster, newer, better, I'd buy a 1260 multistrada but that would be missing the point of the boxer. It's a tried and tested long distance mile muncher that does it in relaxing comfort. It is a known quantity, for the most part reliable, and as an all rounder, I think is still the champ, the one to beat. For those who have bought the 1250, I'm sure you'll all love the bike, BUT for the sake of Pete, will all those braggart pillocks who keep banging on about " you're only not buying one because you can't afford one" put a sock in it and learn to realise that some of use are perfectly satisfied with what we have. The 1200 and the 1250 are both great bikes.