R1200GS BMW are they worth the extra money?

[rocketman1]

Been looking at the R1200GS BMW's. There are an amazing amount of good reports, reveiws going around about these bikes.
Are they as good as they say they are and are they worth the extra money. $34K new??
Also how good are they for pillions.

Appreciate educated replies from those that know.

[Oscar]

Been looking at the R1200GS BMW's. There are an amazing amount of good reports, reveiws going around about these bikes.
Are they as good as they say they are and are they worth the extra money. $34K new??
Also how good are they for pillions.

Appreciate educated replies from those that know.


Depends on what you wanna do with 'em.
Touring, some gravel, easy off road = Fantastic for GS.
Not so much touring, gravel, harder off road = Orange

I know where there is a low kay 1200GSA for sale in Hamilton, btw.

[Toureg]

I had a 2004 1200GS for just over a year. Better bike than I thought it would have been on the road but a total compromise off road. I mean by that it was great on a rough gravel 'road' but on tracks or unformed ground, you really had to have your wits about you. They are heavy once they get off balance. My 10 year old did about 25Kkm on the rear seat and loved it. Prefered it to mums K1200RS for comfort. Great for high KM days and can really cover some ground when pushed. Not impossible to scrape your toes on the odd corner, they are that good on the tar. Oh, and you wont regret the ownership of this bike.( until you get to pay for a full service.)

[YellowDog]

I think they are great bikes but as has been said, it really depends upon what your actual usage will be over the perceived usage.

The K1200 made my shortlist and didn't dissapoint. But I bought the Tiger which was a compromise as I prefered the great road handling and power balance. Loads cheaper also :)

I never did buy the touring luggage and probably never will.

[Taz]

They are the best of their genre. All roads bikes with the emphasis on roads as opposed to trails.

[BMWST?]

if the road performance of my old r 100 gs is anything to tgo by they would be a fantastic all round bike esp if you are over 6'
The way my old girl just eats up the road is fantastic.more horsepower more brakes what more could you need...mine feels fine as long as its not slippery off raod(road biased tyres)PM devil

[Youngjim]

Great bike you will not regret buying one, fantastic on the road and for touring, just eats up the miles, but heavy and high geared for more than gravel roads.
I dont know where you got the price from but they start at around $26k but it depends on what options you choose I suppose, and also if you are looking at a 1200GS Adventure which are more expensive.

[Kokopelli]

It's not hard to service these bikes yourself. The ABS may need to be done by a dealer, but other than that it's pretty straight forward, unlike the Orange competition. It is clearly not an off-road bike, but neither is the 990, which is more capable off-road. Usually the rider is the limiting factor :-), on both bikes.

Have had my 1150 from new since 2003 and it now has 120000km on it. It's not the cleanest bike anymore, but it does the job.

I have no idea if they are worth the extra money. Je ne regrette rien

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b292/Garry393/BMWOR%20Annual%20Rally%202008/KIF_1180.jpg

[YLWDUC]

Get in touch with GunnyRob on the site. He's put about 50,000km on his GS this year alone and is a fountain of knowledge. He may also tell you a good tale or two about his electrics!

[James Deuce]

And gearbox. Don't forget the gearbox.

[Kokopelli]

Rob has bought an ex-rental and his bike seems to have had more than its fair share of problems. I don't really know anyone else who has been so unlucky. But yes, the 1150 is a bit more robust than the newer model.

[bikemike]

New since Jan 05.
Several electrical faults leading to flat batt. All fixed under warranty of course. Unexplained unsolvable ABS unit error - completely replaced under warranty. Dead stop failure of Fuel Pump Relay. Elastic seat adjusters perished after only 3 years. Losing pressure on tyres more than expected.

Otherwise all good now. Best bike I ever owned.

However, agree gearing too tall for anything other than a good gravel road, bars a little too low for me (new ones have adjustable?) and early models had guards that 'prevented' you from safely rolling the clusters down a bit and BMW have been adding warning stickers to the inside of the hand guards. Annoying having to stop to switch ABS on and off; would prefer safety catch arrangement! Also, get neutral with blank gear indicator a lot. is physically in neutral, but electronics aren't sure - can de-clutch but side stand would result in cut-out. Annoying but harmless. Apparently common.

Very flick-able, even/especially with the front suspension set up - twisties are great fun with little dive. Feels quite different to ride than the 1150. Main thing is the throttle-engine relationship: the 1150 feels very directly connected to the throttle, with power on and with engine-braking coming on immediately. On the 1200 there is a fraction of a second delay on the roll off before the engine-braking function is engaged!

Fuel economy is better, than the 1150, and I get over 300 per tank in all cases, and around 350 is possible on a fairly modest road ride.

No experience with traction control, though mate has just switched from 1150 to 07 1200 - hope to find out:-)

[Kokopelli]

New since Jan 05.

Fuel economy is better, than the 1150, and I get over 300 per tank in all cases, and around 350 is possible on a fairly modest road ride.



The tank is slightly smaller, so the overall range is similar. I've seen an indicated 400km on a tank, but that could be up to 10% less. Either way, it's plenty.

[Taz]

I also have had 400 kms out of a tank on an 1100 and the speedo definitely reads 10% high.

[bikemike]

Yes, there is fuel more capacity on the older bikes.
The economy comment comes from parallel tank filling on big rides with both bikes. So that's disregarding tank capacity or anything. Riding style is similar, pace is identical, max is similar and the 1200 always comes in with less juice to be replaced. I do have the figures, but not here.

BTW - the comment on engine-braking should have been more about re-clutching than roll-off. If you de-clutch and then re-clutch, it's then that the delay in the engine-braking is most obvious.

Others get the same blank gear indicator?

[thepom]

I,d prefer the 800 gs myself......:spanking:

[_Shrek_]

i have only ridden the 1200Gs on rd but as it's around 60kg lighter than my 1150 found it alot more nimble in town as for off rd i would like to try, i take my 1150 off rd ie: where there were tracks once & now just smooth grass, ruts & hollows & it handles these realy well with full nobby's the last time two up it took 1hr 10 min to go 33k's :sweatdrop but handled well down side i wasn't allowed to go fast
on road couldn't ask for a nicer ride & the wife loves the comfort have clocked up 65k this year approx

[Oscar]

i have only ridden the 1200Gs on rd but as it's around 60kg lighter than my 1150 found it alot more nimble in town as for off rd i would like to try, i take my 1150 off rd ie: where there were tracks once & now just smooth grass, ruts & hollows & it handles these realy well with full nobby's the last time two up it took 1hr 10 min to go 33k's :sweatdrop but handled well down side i wasn't allowed to go fast
on road couldn't ask for a nicer ride & the wife loves the comfort have clocked up 65k this year approx



60kg lighter than yer 1150?
What did the 1150 weigh - 265kg?

[_Shrek_]

60kg lighter than yer 1150?
What did the 1150 weigh - 265kg?

249 gassed + what ever the crash bars & top box weigh
my under standing is that the 1200 is 190 gassed

[Oscar]

249 gassed + what ever the crash bars & top box weigh
my under standing is that the 1200 is 190 gassed

BMW's press release for the 1200gs claimed 199kg dry of all fluids, a saving of 30kg on the 1150gs.

[_Shrek_]

BMW's press release for the 1200gs claimed 199kg dry of all fluids, a saving of 30kg on the 1150gs.

then the fella at the shop telling me porkies :spanking:

will now go & weigh to see how heavy 1150 is as it stands

[Devil]

Love my 12GSA.
Had 650km to the tank. 600km two up with luggage (used 32 Litres - 33 litre tank).
Blows headlight bulbs occasionally but it has the decency to tell you via the dash (LAMPF).
The Adventure is pretty tall. After putting in the Ohlins rear she sits pretty high.
Did the rear shock because two up with the kitchen sink the OEM shock couldn't really handle the jandal, but it was good 1up.

Surprising in the twisties. Very nimble. I commute on it too, haven't managed to get it stuck between any cars yet heh.

Got two weeks in the South Island over new years. Cant wait!

1200GS Adventure is supposedly 253KG fully fuelled (thats 33 Litres of gas onboard).

Adventure is $33ish grand, standard is around $26/27k

[Oscar]

then the fella at the shop telling me porkies :spanking:

will now go & weigh to see how heavy 1150 is as it stands

This subject is always controversial - manufacturers have a history of misinformation and shady dealings when it comes to bike specs.

From BMW NZ:

Dimensions/Weights R 1200 GS Adventure R 1200 GS

Unladen Road Ready Fully Fuelled: 256 kg 229 kg
Dry Weight:
223 kg 203 kg

[BMWST?]

whats the capacity of the std(ie not adventure tank?)

[warewolf]

Dry Weight: 223 kg 203 kgFaark! Has the GSA really got 20kg of extras?

And how many of those are things ppl might typically bolt on to the std bike?

[James Deuce]

Surprising in the twisties. Very nimble. I commute on it too, haven't managed to get it stuck between any cars yet heh.



If you ever do, pictures are compulsory.

[Devil]

Faark! Has the GSA really got 20kg of extras?

And how many of those are things ppl might typically bolt on to the std bike?

Well I wouldn't have thought it was 20kg but here goes:
Bigger screen + winglets
Gel seat
big part will be the crashbars and tank protection.
Different shocks - no idea if heavier or not
Comes with meaty BMW luggage rack.
The bigger tank makes a diff (I think the standard tank is 22L).
Uhm. Cant think of what else...
Oh the fancy spoked wheels are prob a little heavier than the cast jobbies on the standard GS.

[Kokopelli]

then the fella at the shop telling me porkies :spanking:

will now go & weigh to see how heavy 1150 is as it stands

I wouldn't get too hung up on weight. It is what it is. Most people quite happily carry an extra 10kg above their belt, but get all uptight if their bike is not the lightest around. The 1150 is a heavy pig to pick up, and that's about the only time the extra weight matters. People always seem to rush over to help pick up a bike. Haven't had to pick mine up alone yet. A few kg less aren't going to turn it into a dirt bike.

[_Shrek_]

I wouldn't get too hung up on weight. It is what it is. Most people quite happily carry an extra 10kg above their belt, but get all uptight if their bike is not the lightest around. The 1150 is a heavy pig to pick up, and that's about the only time the extra weight matters. People always seem to rush over to help pick up a bike. Haven't had to pick mine up alone yet. A few kg less aren't going to turn it into a dirt bike.

i have no brobs picking it up, as for the weight it's what i pass on when asked, other than that i don't realy care as i do tend to load it up when heading away for the weekend two up

[_Shrek_]

whats the capacity of the std(ie not adventure tank?)

23ltrs thats on the 1150

[Padmei]

If you were worried about weight surely the 800 would be a more appropriate choice.

Those GS ADV really look the business.
We had a look in Experience BMW (really nice guys there) when we went to the big smoke & my wife couldn't believe the size of them. One of them is on the list...

[gammaguy]

talk to gunnyrob<_<

[Racing Dave]

Had 650km to the tank. 600km two up with luggage (used 32 Litres - 33 litre tank).


Hook out the flimsy rubber piece in the neck of the tank's filler opening, and in fits 36 litres of fuel. Now there's a 700 km range.

[LBD]

She...enjoyed 7000km in 3 weeks on the back....and had a great time of it. 1-1/2 hours between numbum stops.