Old member, new bike....

The Burpster

Active member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
May 27, 2006
Messages
223
Reaction score
1
Location
Lincoln,well near it!
7 years ago I sold my 1200 air cooled GS and bought a Triumph Explorer. It’s been a good bike and when I bought it was significantly better all round than then GS I replaced (although it has been tweaked a bit:bounce1).
I am now getting to the stage when I don’t want to be fighting with a 275kg beast every time I stop and I am really am noticing how heavy it is.
Last year tried several new bikes to see if anything filled that gap, basically wanting similar power levels, seating position and toys but significantly lower CoG or lighter or both......:nenau

So last few weeks tried, new 1200XRX (same big lump but smoother and new toys). Tiger sport, terrific ride and slight but very old tech and uncomfortable :blast
S1000XR...:eek: ballistically quick but (sorry if you own one) makes a song and dance about it and very sparse in the electrics dept....
R1250R in lieu of the RS, cramped seating position for a big old twat BUT.....that engine? :steptoe wow.

So bit the bullet and tried a 1250GS TE. Now when the first 1200LC came out I obviously had to try it against the Explorer and it was horrid. I have always been a fan of the Telelever and how it rides but they really f****d something up on that version and I hated riding it. It was skittish and unstable and quite unsettling. IIRC most of that first batch were recalled and a steering damper fitted....?
Anyway got on the 1250 a little apprehensively and had to stop almost immediately to put the seat in the low position. Once changed tho’"........

WHAT A BIKE! Light (low CoG), really easy to use everything, clever but not needing a teenager electronics, engaging and confidence inspiring handling and the engine is sublime with enough torque to tow a caravan....:D

I have been saying to Mrs Burp , “is it good enough to get rid of 2 bikes to justify having one? “ so far everything else I have ridden has been a resounding NO.

But, today we are popping out to order a new TE Exclusive....
 
i was in the same position at 71yrs old. the 09 gs was getting tooheavy for me so tried a few different bikes. the 900tracer was fun but lacking something, the tiger 800 too top heavy so settled on the vstrom 650. a year and a half down the road and i'm really enjoying it. so it doesn't matter which bike you have as long as it's fun.
 
Similar situation to your good self. I had a 2011 Twin cam GS, but was seduced by the new LC GS and purchased a TE version. It didn't take me long to begin to be very bored with it and not much longer to hate it. P/ex it after 16mnts (biggest financial hit I've ever taken on any vehicle)
I ended up with a Gen1 Explorer which I really liked, then a Gen 2 which I liked even more. After reading the write ups on the 1250 I thought it was maybe time to give the GS another go. It's a nice bike, just not for me. Maybe after the total nightmare with my last GS (gearbox, corrosion, and a myriad of other things) I've developed a deep psychological aversion to the GS.
I ended up with a new Tiger 1200, lowered it by 20mm and dropped the forks, as I've only a 29" inside leg. Yes it's a heavy bike, but I've learned how to live with it and the Tiger 1200 really is a stonking piece of kit, with a build quality that BM could only aspire to.
Enjoy your new bike, but just remember, it's never going to be a Triumph :green gri:green gri
 


Back
Top Bottom