1200 gs vs 800gs

[Shaun4stroke]

Any body rode both. I have a 58 1200 gs and fancied something lighter but I've heard that the 800 is a taller bike. My 1200 has nearly cought me out a few times. I'm 5,8 and 10 and half stone ,when I went to Portugal with it fully loaded it was a bit of a struggle to get it off side stand. That's why I want rid and get a smaller bike or even go back to old school bikes.Thanks Shaun

[nwmschris]

Stevie w is your man he owns both (thumbs)

[Rederic]

Get the 1200 lc it feels a lot lower and easier to ride than a 58 gs, I have had both, and the 800 was a lot harder to ride fully loaded
Someone will come along and tell you different but I am not kidding try a 800 fully loaded and you will Know what I mean
I really rate the 800 there a great bike I done over 20k on mine in less than a year,with no problems at all, but when I got back on a 1200 I could feel the difference and knew I was back in my comfort zone
The newer bike is a bit slimmer by the saddle and feels lower than the earlier ones
If your after more miles per gallon the 800 wins 97% of bikes on the market today test ride one, put a pillion on it and fill the top box first just to see if it suits you
good luck

[mikeyboy]

the 800 is only @20 kilos lighter than a standard 1200.(which compared to "old school bikes" is pretty light)
as a road tourer the 1200 is twice the machine an 800 is.
i am 5"6 with a 29 inch inside leg,my 1200 has a low seat,but no suspension mods,
it is one of the best bikes i have ever owned,low speed stuff is a doddle,
moving any bike around when loaded can be tricky its more to do with tecnique than any thing else!
practice ,practice would be my advice.
with the correct technique,mounting up and getting it off the stand should be no effort at all.
mike (thumbs)

[misterlaffer]

Any body rode both. I have a 58 1200 gs and fancied something lighter but I've heard that the 800 is a taller bike. My 1200 has nearly cought me out a few times. I'm 5,8 and 10 and half stone ,when I went to Portugal with it fully loaded it was a bit of a struggle to get it off side stand. That's why I want rid and get a smaller bike or even go back to old school bikes.Thanks Shaun

'Adventure Bikes' typically have a high centre of gravity for clearance, and luggage will add to this high centre of gravity. You should try a fully loaded Harley, it will seem easier to push around than your GS despite the bike being a lot heavier - but when moving, the GS will win every-time.

Your choice would depend on the type of riding you do. Yeah, I get the weight problem when you are not moving might be an issue, but you spend most of the time with the bike when you are moving. If you are moving across green lanes, or off-road then in makes sense to have a lighter bike, but my 2012 1200 GS feels well planted on a windy autobahn at speed - touring fully loaded up with cross-winds. Equally, it feels pretty solid at slower speeds and through the twisties, not to mention the performance advantage - cruise speed for long distances without vibes etc etc. However, if I was going off-road, fully loaded up I know I would benefit from a lighter bike. My point is choose the bike for your needs *while moving* capable of carrying luggage and maybe a pillion.

I notice from your Avatar like me you have the Varios. The Aluminium GS Adventure panniers are a lot lighter. Those Varios weigh a Ton - especially the Vario Top Box. If I wanted my GS to be lighter the first think I would do is flog the Varios - not the bike!!

Incidentally, I'm off to Portugal myself this year, any advice would be great. Did you ride the Duoro Valley ?

[diver1]

I had a similar problem with mt 1200 fully loaded and on the side stand.
I fitted a thick 'puck' to the sided stand which reduced the 'lean' and made it easier to lift.
Regards,
John

[Bernard Smith]

Greetings

You rode to Faro on it and struggled re. handling it, pushing, pulling, stands etc. So. Do you often travel with a lot of gear?

If you do, eventually it will hit the floor according to reading your words. Does this bother you or will you have a merry laugh, pick it up, and cover the damage with gaffa tape? Assuming it didn't land on your leg of course. But then. The gaffa will be supremely useful as well :blink:

Next. Do you need a large bike like 800-1200? Two up? A lot of camping gear?

The 800 is a good bike - not as physically intimidating to sit on and ride re. size. The 800 is tall (without a passenger) unless the seat is lowered (my inside leg is 29 and I had one for 4 years). Do you need an 'adventure' bike or is it just the look of them you like?'

Do you go off road/trails/tracks/fire roads where such bikes are (a little) better for 'the average' rider?

Just some thoughts to chew over rather than '1200s' are wonderful/fantastic/the only bike to have response.

I ride old road bikes - mine are 220kg - yours is 9kg heavier but nine foot taller :laugh: .

(thumbs)

[vRSG60]

the 800 is only @20 kilos lighter than a standard 1200.(which compared to "old school bikes" is pretty light)
as a road tourer the 1200 is twice the machine an 800 is.
i am 5"6 with a 29 inch inside leg,my 1200 has a low seat,but no suspension mods,
it is one of the best bikes i have ever owned,low speed stuff is a doddle,
moving any bike around when loaded can be tricky its more to do with tecnique than any thing else!
practice ,practice would be my advice.
with the correct technique,mounting up and getting it off the stand should be no effort at all.
mike (thumbs)

So am I, I've always doubted I get a 1200GS off the side stand :blink:

If I were to buy a new GS it'd be an F700GS

[mikeyboy]

the 800 is only @20 kilos lighter than a standard 1200.(which compared to "old school bikes" is pretty light)
as a road tourer the 1200 is twice the machine an 800 is.
i am 5"6 with a 29 inch inside leg,my 1200 has a low seat,but no suspension mods,
it is one of the best bikes i have ever owned,low speed stuff is a doddle,
moving any bike around when loaded can be tricky its more to do with tecnique than any thing else!
practice ,practice would be my advice.
with the correct technique,mounting up and getting it off the stand should be no effort at all.
mike (thumbs)

So am I, I've always doubted I get a 1200GS off the side stand :blink:

If I were to buy a new GS it'd be an F700GS

i really dont know why people are under the illusion that a bmw 1200gs is heavy,the standard model is the lightest bike in its class,around 50kg lighter than a super ten,give or take its the same as a 990ktm (thumbs)
the 650,700 and 800 twins are a bit lighter but not a lot.
its not much heavier than a yam 660 tenere
the real advantage of the boxer twin is its low centre of gravity making low speed riding pretty easy,its really well balanced B)
if you follow a few basic rules when fully loaded things should be fairly easy.
firstly;never ride into somewhere you cant ride out of,sounds daft but why struggle to push a loaded bike backwards out of a parking space.ride past the space and let the bike roll backwards into it.
as for getting it off the stand,dont park it on a steep camber to start with!! :laugh:
if your still struggling to lift it off the sidestand try it this way,
turn the handlebars fully over to the right,this opens up the bike to give you room to mount it.
hold onto BOTH bars and swing your leg over it.
as your right foot hits the ground get it flat.
at the same time straighten the bars and use the momentum to lift it up.
move the bike to level ground to allow your pillion to mount up.
with practice this can be done in one smooth movement.
hope i am not teaching anyone to suck eggs here and i certainly wouldnt want to patronise any one ,but this is the way i was shown how to do it by simon pavey at the BMW ORS.
it really does work,i have demonstrated this to quite a few riders including my dad who is 72 and was struggling to lift his 265kg triumph triple :pinch:
mike

[Zookman]

The 12GS is certainly lighter than an S10.... But it aint 50 kilos lighter.
S10 260 kilos wet
12GS 225 kilos wet.... and that's with 3 ltrs less fuel than the S10

So its about 32 kilos lighter.