Well , they are cool bikes. I want one too. The price of admission is steep , and maintenance is pricey , so I'll get that out of the way for everyone. For me , it will take a long time to convince myself I should spend 20+ large on a bike , let alone one I fully intend to use off pavement (knowing a drop or two will occur). I personally like all bikes , I love my Strom , and enjoy it very much , but to think it is my last bike (short of something happening to me) is short sighted. Therefore , I enjoy thinking about what I'll have in the future.

Didn't really help you......did I.:mrgreen:

 

I'm going with your second diagnosis. :mrgreen:

 

A bike is a bike is a bike !!.If it moves you buy it !!.
I am selling my V and my sidecar rig and getting a NC700X,because it just grabbed me and I can't shake it !!.


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I rode an R1150r for awhile and have had the opportunity to ride three different versions of the GS series, on the road. Nice machines.

You should try to test ride one sometime, maybe swap bikes with a riding buddy.

All of them (motorcycles) are platforms to build on, some just have a higher entry fee.

My experience has been you will probably have to get one before the "itch gets scratched."

 

You want one because its a damn cool bike thats why.
Moaning about cost and maintenance (which you can really do a lot of yourself if so inclined) aside its an extremely competent bike and its no accident that it wins shootout after shoot out.
Its also no accident that bmw dealers typically sell them at list while Suzuki has to heavily discount their bikes in many cases. A lot of people want a gs.
I've only test ridden the 1200 but I had an 1150gs for 3 years and in many ways it was the best bike I've ever owned. Had it not been for lack of dealer support and a much better Triumph dealer I would have certainly gotten a 1200.
Go look and ride. Get the longest test ride you can and give your chance to get accustomed to the bike's design then make your decision.

 

I have owned a number of BMW cars. Same situation, great reputation as a luxury car. Once I had them though, and drove them a while, there were just cars. And, very expensive to maintain. They were ( are ) built like fine instruments. Now, I drive a Honda Accord, V6 with all the accessories, and love it- low maintenance, great mileage, comfortable, and drives forever. Analogous to your BMW motorcycle dilemma and the Vstrom. In the end, I bet at some point, you will own a GS, and you will see for yourself. :yesnod:

 

I ride most weekends with my best riding buddy who has a 2011 GS, get to ride it almost anytime I want, but......I prefer my 2012 650. Does EVERYTHING the GS1200 does, some things better. Why don't you rent a GS1200 for a weekend and then decide, cheaper than buying one and then thinking...Oh Sh.t! However, if you just want the "look", the appearance of "rugged,manly,cool", go for it. I prefer reality.

 

As long as you can afford a new GS with factory warranty and you have bought all the extended warranty available you will enjoy the BMW. Price the abs pump, final drive, iffy dash instruments, etc. that will go and I promise you the 'Zuki is going to look a whole lot better. This coming from an old guy with over 300K miles on BMW's. I just traded back to the dealer a R1200R with bad abs pump, leaking rear seal, and gas gauge that at best was a swag. Bike had 4100 miles but had timed out on warranty. But that's just my 2 cents worth and if like me you're gonna try the superior m/c.

 

Take a trip up to Morton's in Fredericksburg or any other dealer and go for a test ride. Call first or go to an open house and take short test ride.

 

The heart wants what the heart wants. Buying a bike is not much of a head decision.

 

head decision?



But - if you are an Engineer, the analysis of form vs function comes into play as well!!

We can't help it!

 

how to get one



Wait a few years until its an "older" model and buy one from a widow - you can get a great deal if you are patient and have cash. My brother in law did that with a 1150GS.

I used to want one, but I have come to prefer the purring sound of a vee-twin. So BMWs are out of the running. Aprilias and Ducatis are still catching my eye.

 

Try to get a long ride on one. I've ridden a few of them owned by friends, and honestly they really don't do much for me. Every time I do that and then get back on the Strom I realize that for me the Strom is a better bike. Not "better for money" or "a better value", just...better.
Your druthers may be different though, the only way to tell is to go ride one.

 

I had a real GS, an '89 100GS BungleBee. The first iteration that was much like the Wee is.
It was too tall and stuff started to go; Drive shaft, speedo etc.
It was a nice ride though. Wife claimed it as hers although she rode pillion. Great for 2-up!
I actually let it sit in the garage 10 years before I sold it.
I like the Wee as well if not more. The Wee gets better mileage fo sho!
The new GS is more bigger and heavier and more of a pretender to real ADV stuff than the old Air Head GS.
Well ridden, just about any pseudo ADV bike now can do amazing things but most of us are not those well riders. To pose on the street and byways, the Wee does just fine.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I should ride one to really find out.

 

Rent one



Fly out to S.F and rent one, then go ride our mountains and coast.

R1200GS

I rented several bikes from Dubbleju before buying my Wee

(they were F800GS, G650GS, SV650)

 

I owned a '06 GS and '09 GSA. They are great bikes and frankly I loved them both. The only reason I got the Adventure is for the larger tank. Between the 2 bikes I put over 150k miles on them. I bought a K1600GTL in Sep 11 and that became my go to bike and it still is. When I sold the GSA I bought a DRZ to satisfy my off road fix but over time decided I wanted something a little more road worthy so I sold it and bought the V-Strom. For what I wanted it fits the bill and bang for the buck beats the GS hands down. That is the only place it outshines the GS. I have spent time (not a test ride, at least a thousand miles on each) on the Multistrada, S TEN, 800GS, and the Triumph 800 and regardless of what the latest rags say, IMHO, the big GS is still out front as the Swiss Army Knife of large adventure bikes...in some cases way out front. The big GS defined and prospered in this niche market and will continue to do so. When I decided to sell my GSA a friend of mine sold his 6 month old S TEN and bought my bike. I know I may get devoured for saying this here but the big GS is the bike to beat. That said, I really like, more than I thought, my Wee. Even though I only have 2k miles on it since I got it (Jan 2...I ride a lot), I already know that it is a keeper. I think you can be happy staying or moving on but only you can decide if the little voice in the back of your head will drive you crazy.


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Bismarck's advice

"To each their own dementia," I guess. But in addition to the observations, and wise words of those experienced sometimes we plunge ahead, off the cliff(s).

Otto surely didn't ride one, but consider his practical advice: "Fools you are, to say you learn by your experience. I prefer to profit by others' mistakes and avoid the price of my own." - Otto von Bismarck

I'm also "ex-BMW" and will advise you to consider just a couple more aspects. Compare the valve-adjustment intervals of the Suzi and the GS. The BMW has the advantage of having the cylinder heads very accessible -- but they'll need to be adjusted MUCH more often.

When it falls over, you might want to make sure that there are others around, it's a weighty beasty (too big & heavy for off-road around my way) to return to its feet. Tall, too.

'Regular' gas (87) is available wherever I ride, even in the boondocks. The higher-octane varieties are not, in some places. This may or may not be a consideration for you.

Enjoy the ride (but you may want to 'date' the beast before marrying it).

 

...Otto surely didn't ride one, but consider his practical advice: "Fools you are, to say you learn by your experience. I prefer to profit by others' mistakes and avoid the price of my own." - Otto von Bismarck...

Yeah, but as Will Rogers pointed out, most people have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

 

Sure, I really WANT a big GS, but all I really NEED is my V-Strom.

Join the crowd. We all lust after things and occasionally we end up getting them.

Spock once said in a Star Trek episode that humans were a strange bunch - "Often times they sadly find out that wanting something is more pleasurable than actually having it." - You really can't argue with a smart nerdy Vulcan.

 

So far, I've bought three DL650's and they've kept me rolling happily since 2005, somewhere around 100k miles. If I went with a GS, the same money would have bought only one. Too pricey for me. Go sit on a GS, they're overrated.

 

Fly out to S.F and rent one, then go ride our mountains and coast

I was lucky, the BMW dealer let take a used Wee out for a loaner while they serviced my 800ST. Saved me a whole scad of money and I liked it better than the 800GS.

 

Buying a $20,000+ motorcycle is like buying a brand new pick up truck. You won't want to use it for what it was designed for.

 

One thing that's nice about having owned a couple of BMWs:thumbdown: I really appreciate my Wee all that much more.:thumbup:

 

However.............I WANT A 1200GS!!!! What's wrong with me? I just can't shake it!! I need answers!!! Help!!!

If you WANT one and can afford it what's the problem? Only one way to find out if it is "the one" for you. :beatnik:

 

They are nice bikes - but.

It's the "but's" that'll catch you, if you have the money buy, or as someone else suggested, rent one for a while.

Pete

 

Nuthin' wrong with wanting a bike - the GS beemers look great no doubt.

Sure, I've only ridden a 74 650 and an 84 rs, and they struck me as woeful and antiquated, but that's the past, this is now.

Life is short - if you are $$$ able to swing it, I say go for it.

That said - do you know what BMW really stands for?

Bring My Wallet

yup!

 

I agree, if $$$ isn't any object I say go for it.. I too would like one but just can't bring myself to come off the money. Had a. R1100Rt that I sold after getting my Vee. Love the Boxer motor, but all in all prefer my V-Twin. I've looked at buying a few GSA models over time, but I have also looked at thousands of other bikes to. I think I just like to window shop When it all comes down to it I'm very happy with my Vee and it serves my really well.