What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

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fatowl
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by fatowl »

What put me off was riding one. Horrible. I've now ridden 3 different, just in case the first was a lemon, and for some time, and it hasn't changed my opinion. They are also not particularly reliable, which is my top priority. I've done my time standing on the side of the road waiting for the RAC/AA.
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by PDiddy »

fatowl wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 12:36 pm What put me off was riding one. Horrible. I've now ridden 3 different, just in case the first was a lemon, and for some time, and it hasn't changed my opinion. They are also not particularly reliable, which is my top priority. I've done my time standing on the side of the road waiting for the RAC/AA.
Over 200K miles between the 3 that i've owned, and have never been sat at the road side waiting for recovery - :roll:
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by SteveW »

fatowl wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 12:36 pm What put me off was riding one. Horrible. I've now ridden 3 different, just in case the first was a lemon, and for some time, and it hasn't changed my opinion. They are also not particularly reliable, which is my top priority. I've done my time standing on the side of the road waiting for the RAC/AA.
I think they are great to ride, Modern yet characterful. No problems with the two I owned over 30,000 miles.
I don't understand your comments regarding "Standing on the side of the road waiting for the RAC/AA"
Was this whilst you were riding a GS1200 during your rides on three different ones?
D16PJM
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by D16PJM »

i was looking and in the end bought a Tiger 1200 XRT, one of my reasons is a like to add accessories to my bikes and on searching the same parts for the BMW were more than any other make and model, not BMW's thought but the parts manufactures making us pay a premium for parts due to the bikes success.

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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by Shidosan »

Maybe wait until March when the all new Triumph Tiger 900 arrives...... Worth a test ride I think... however the price on these Tigers is creeping UP and UP all the time so will soon be at the top end of motorcycling !!!
I've had a 998i and 3 800's, light enough and quick enough for general use and the 1500 mile tour....
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by Mike Wright »

Flintlock wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:49 am Could not care less about the image. I have a 2010 1200GSA (TC). Had a R1100GS before. The 1200 is just a brilliant all round bike, great engine with a great note from the standard exhaust & all day comfort. You only notice the weight/bulk of it when you have to move it around (parking/turning etc), but once on the move it just feels so right (for me).

Exactly the same as I did although tried a few in between inc 2 new bikes but went back to the GSA and think its a great bike. Ticks all the boxes for me and does everything well although its not used off road and only for touring, road rides. I even have the BMW suit and its superb and much better than my previous Rukka one which that horrible slide zip thing kept failing. These says Rukka have gone back to the zip thankfully.

I dont regret buying the GSA and intend keeping it after doing 75k on the 1100 cc version in comfort
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by qcnr »

I'm 6ft talland about 80kg, and have only ever sat on one. There are 3 reasons I will never even consider one:
1. Price
2. Size
3. Weight.
But I suppose this applies to most of the 1000+cc bikes.
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Elmer J Fudd
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by Elmer J Fudd »

I've had few smaller
Soft Road
bikes. G650GS, F650GS, Transalp 700 and Tiger 800. All good and not so good in their own way.

The Tiger was the best (probably as it was the newest), but I came to realise that keeping a bike like that just to go on a gravel path two or three times a year was a bit nuts as when I go away for a trip it will be on paved roads and will always involve a fair bit of mile crunching to get where I'm going.

I did look at the 1250GS but decided that the combination of top heavy feel and my inability to put my feet down (wee short Scottish legs) on certain road cambers would not be conducive to a relaxing ride. I have tried lowered versions of bikes, but scrape feet / pegs and you can't have a proper centre stand.

So, as I do like the torquey engine, I tested the new R1250RS...and bought one. Lower centre of gravity, I can reach the floor, more weather protection, cheaper and much more discreet than the GS.
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by nathanm »

Nothing would put me off buying another one, bar the expense. They're a lot of cash these days and even second hand they're strong money.

Back in 2015 I bought a 2014 ex Off Road Skills Bike, 9 months old, 3000 miles for £8700. I put 22,000 miles going across the USA and around Iceland, plus a lot of trail riding, and bar the common seized exhaust flap I didn't have a single problem with it, and that was a warranty job. I think they're a great all round bike - the best all round bike. I sold that bike for £8400 2 and a half years ago and it'd still be worth the same today. I also think the dealers on the whole are a league above all the others and the servicing costs more than reasonable. Max I paid for a main service was £350. When I hear of £700 bills for main services on Africa Twins and Tigers I wonder where the high cost of service stories come from. I've just bought a Guzzi V85TT and the servicing's more for that than the 1200. I'm less keen on the latest ones which seem to force you into keyless ignition and quick shifter, but otherwise I still think they're the bike to beat.
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OB1
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Re: What would put you off buying a GS1200/1250?

Post by OB1 »

As many have already said, the cost and the weight would put me off buying a GS.

I've been watching GlobeBusters' The Ride London to Beijing on Amazon Prime recently and was amazed that they were putting riders that they referred to as novices on 1150 and 1200 cc BMWs for a three-month ride across some of the most unforgiving terrain imaginable. One of the guys, just two and a half weeks in binned his bike during a river crossing and damaged the bike so much that it had to go in the back of the support van until they could get to a place where parts could be ordered. Regardless of the rider's experience, these bikes were inappropriate for the journey.

They are fine for what most people will use them: one or two road trips a year and down to the local biker meet on a sunny Sunday afternoon during the summer. That's why there are currently (03/01/2020) 477 BMW GS models of all sizes and ages for sale with less than 25,000 miles on the MCN website.

I think that a lot of people have bought into the "this is the bike for adventure" marketing that BMW has pushed since LWR. Nowt wrong with that, really. If that's what people want to spend their hard-earned cash on, it's up to them. For me, however, they are just too big, heavy and expensive.
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