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Posted: 10/13/2016 6:54:03 PM EST
I am about a hair away from pulling the trigger on a GSA. It is the most I have ever paid for a bike and I am all over the place.
Which I really silly as I ride a bike everyday and all year. But feel free to talk me out of it, though I am sure most of you will do the opposite. I can live with that. |
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I came really close to buying one this past month, and had to have a come-to-Jesus with myself about the reality of it. Frankly it came down to the fact that there is very little reason to buy a new bike, unless you just want a new bike and it is very financially feasible to do so. You're going to be upside down on it for a little bit, especially if you're racking up mad miles as a daily rider.
Are you doing the BMW financing option? |
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They are amazingly capable bikes, with a price to match. I'd get a used one for half.
Or, the F800gs or a Tiger 800 |
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I came really close to buying one this past month, and had to have a come-to-Jesus with myself about the reality of it. Frankly it came down to the fact that there is very little reason to buy a new bike, unless you just want a new bike and it is very financially feasible to do so. You're going to be upside down on it for a little bit, especially if you're racking up mad miles as a daily rider. Are you doing the BMW financing option? View Quote No. I am going to take the markdowns they have.$1200 off plus the rest of the deals I have been talking to them about |
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Well, I can't really talk you out of it. They'll run forever, are remarkably capable, and look great, too. I say go headfirst and get dirty.
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I have wanted one since watching the Long Way series. But I would give the Honda CrossTourer a very close look to see if ticks all of the check boxes that the GS meets.
http://powersports.honda.com/2016/vfr1200x.aspx |
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Buy once, cry once.
Have you looked at the KTM Adventure bikes? I say go for it. ;-) |
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I am a BMW rider. I get it. My own bike is a F6590GS, which isn't the monster that the big GS is. And I know that there is "something" about BMW bikes....
With that said, go take a long hard look at the Suzuki Vstrom 1000. The newer models are fantastic bikes. If you are looking at an everyday rider, this bike is really impressive. Its 97% of the BMW, for half the money... For what its worth, I love my F650. But when it dies, I'm replacing it with the WeeStrom. Again, very nearly all the same performance for half the bucks. |
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Also look at the Honda Africa Twin.
https://powersports.honda.com/africatwin.aspx very nice and 5000 less than the GS. TYCOM |
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They're good bikes, but I wouldn't buy a GS unless multi-state adventure riding was my thing, and I did it often.
It's an excellent bike for that, but there are better choices otherwise. Heavy as fuck, expensive, expensive aftermarket. Did I mention heavy as fuck? 600lbs is a load, even tho it's graceful for an elephant, it's still a load of a bike. I'd look at the MultiStrada if you've got GS money, or the KTM 1190, especially if you're not looking to hump a bunch of gear 2,000 miles. |
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Fantastic bikes. They created the class and lead the class for a reason.
I'd have no hesitations about buying one if you have the money to do so. |
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They're good bikes, but I wouldn't buy a GS unless multi-state adventure riding was my thing, and I did it often. It's an excellent bike for that, but there are better choices otherwise. Heavy as fuck, expensive, expensive aftermarket. Did I mention heavy as fuck? 600lbs is a load, even tho it's graceful for an elephant, it's still a load of a bike. I'd look at the MultiStrada if you've got GS money, or the KTM 1190, especially if you're not looking to hump a bunch of gear 2,000 miles. View Quote Multi-state, multi-country, everyday riding all year. But if it is going to be too rough like the TAT I am hoping to ride next year it is going to be one of your favorite bikes, my well farkled and resprung KLR. I think it is going to be the GS or the Tiger XCA. Those are the ones that do it for me. I will be heading to Salem on Tuesday to deal. A 3.5 hour drive but that's life in the sticks. |
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Quoted: Multi-state, multi-country, everyday riding all year. But if it is going to be too rough like the TAT I am hoping to ride next year it is going to be one of your favorite bikes, my well farkled and resprung KLR. I think it is going to be the GS or the Tiger XCA. Those are the ones that do it for me. I will be heading to Salem on Tuesday to deal. A 3.5 hour drive but that's life in the sticks. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: They're good bikes, but I wouldn't buy a GS unless multi-state adventure riding was my thing, and I did it often. It's an excellent bike for that, but there are better choices otherwise. Heavy as fuck, expensive, expensive aftermarket. Did I mention heavy as fuck? 600lbs is a load, even tho it's graceful for an elephant, it's still a load of a bike. I'd look at the MultiStrada if you've got GS money, or the KTM 1190, especially if you're not looking to hump a bunch of gear 2,000 miles. Multi-state, multi-country, everyday riding all year. But if it is going to be too rough like the TAT I am hoping to ride next year it is going to be one of your favorite bikes, my well farkled and resprung KLR. I think it is going to be the GS or the Tiger XCA. Those are the ones that do it for me. I will be heading to Salem on Tuesday to deal. A 3.5 hour drive but that's life in the sticks. The GS is more than capable for the eastern portion of the TAT, but some of the rockies sections are more than I could do on it, and I'm a decent big-bike rider. Even a KLR is a handful on some of the sections. I've ridden quite a few GS's and GSA's (my best friend has one right now), I do think very highly of them....they're so smooth and super capable for what they are. For touring, I don't know of a better bike. They're easy to work on for your regular maintenance, make good power, handle like a dream and are comfy as hell. Just depends on your ride, like all things. |
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I am about a hair away from pulling the trigger on a GSA. It is the most I have ever paid for a bike and I am all over the place. Which I really silly as I ride a bike everyday and all year. But feel free to talk me out of it, though I am sure most of you will do the opposite. I can live with that. View Quote Are there more than one BMW dealer in your area? |
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No dealers anywhere around at all. I am going to Frontline Eurosports in Salem, VA. I was up looking last weekend but Tuesday I will be riding the GS and XCA back to back. We shall see. I mean, I am no fool I have been bitten by the new bike bug as I just totaled one of my other bikes, but I am trying not to jump the gun.
The GSA is ridiculously packed with amazing tech and features. But the XCA isn't too far behind with traction control, heated grips and seats, and ride modes. The GSA is massive compared to the Tiger but everyone says it rides like a much smaller bike and handles amazingly well. I have briefly considered all of the others you guys have named. But they just don't do it for me. Except maybe the KTMs. They are Damn sexy. But I am again nowhere near a dealer and there aren't as many. I do my own maintenance but still bikes have warranties for a reason. Plus I read many big trip reports and it seems like the KTMs fare a little worse. However, a 690 with a rally raid kit is pure sex. I have said it before and I will say it again, there are just too many great choices for bikes out there. |
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They are good bikes, but that's a lot of $ for a bike. You may want to consider used.
As swingset had mentioned above, they are heavy, especially in the dirt or trail. A few years ago, I would say yeah, go ahead. I love BMW machinery. But after spending time lately on my V-Strom 650. I have to re-evaulate the BMW machinery. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, I have 2 BMWs bikes in the garage, One Airhead and one oil head. but for the money, I'm not quite so sure anymore. It really depends on what you want to do with the bike. For more Touring oriented and less dirt. the BMW or the Yamaha Tenere are good bets. the Tenere is going to be more reliable and less maintenance You can actually buy a new 2015 Yam Tenere left over between 10k and 11k. For more Dirt oriented and little less touring, Take a look at the Honda Africa Twin or the KTMs. the Suz V-Strom 1000 are more road and touring oriented and less dirt and they also priced very well for a left over 2015. I hear people buying them between 8 and 9k. Another thing to consider is dealer network. If you are touring and you are middle of no where and your bike breaks down. which dealer will likely be closest? I would bet money it will likely be the Japanese bikes vs. the German bikes. |
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I inherited my pops GS1200. Freaking love it, and while I appreciate that it's very capable, (it is. Really) it's still not a dirt bike.
She's a big, interstate consuming bitch, and she can get you a lot of places a lot of bikes can't, but there are limitations when dealing with 500 lbs... |
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Are there more than one BMW dealer in your area? View Quote If you have time this weekend, check out Morton's BMW of Fredericksbury. In fact they are having their Octoberfest festival this saturday between 9am to 4pm and some special pricing. You definetly want to stop by if you have time. You can get free demo rides on BMWs. It's a little bit far from you about 3.5 hours but certain doable especially when they have Octoberfest on Sat and free food if you get their early. |
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I am in Pennington gap, Virginia. Way down where Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee all meet. Quite a ways from Fredricksburg I am afraid.
Some of you guys are really pissing on my BMW parade. Like I said though, no money has changed hands yet. I am absolutely test riding first. Any opinions on the telelever vs conventional suspension? |
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I have been thinking of selling my Victory and replacing it with a GS If I am going to have a land barge it might as well be more capable. I really do wish I could go ride all of them. GS, Vstrom, Tenere, KTM. Since I have never really had anything like them it is hard to know how they would be.
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They are good bikes, but that's a lot of $ for a bike. You may want to consider used. As swingset had mentioned above, they are heavy, especially in the dirt or trail. A few years ago, I would say yeah, go ahead. I love BMW machinery. But after spending time lately on my V-Strom 650. I have to re-evaulate the BMW machinery. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, I have 2 BMWs bikes in the garage, One Airhead and one oil head. but for the money, I'm not quite so sure anymore. It really depends on what you want to do with the bike. For more Touring oriented and less dirt. the BMW or the Yamaha Tenere are good bets. the Tenere is going to be more reliable and less maintenance You can actually buy a new 2015 Yam Tenere left over between 10k and 11k. For more Dirt oriented and little less touring, Take a look at the Honda Africa Twin or the KTMs. the Suz V-Strom 1000 are more road and touring oriented and less dirt and they also priced very well for a left over 2015. I hear people buying them between 8 and 9k. Another thing to consider is dealer network. If you are touring and you are middle of no where and your bike breaks down. which dealer will likely be closest? I would bet money it will likely be the Japanese bikes vs. the German bikes. View Quote That seems like a steal. I really like the looks of their Adventure model and they have a new XT so it will be interesting to see what it is. Glad to see the adventure market growing. As I have said before I really wish the Japanese would attack the the 650 class adventurer/dual sports. Something to give the KTM690 a run for its money. |
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I was on the fence and looked at a few different bikes. Ended up with a used 1200 and I've never looked back.
All the negatives have been covered....initial cost, weight of the pig, ongoing BMW costs, etc. All the positives as well...rides like a dream, easy to do routine maintenance, quality build and extras, rides like dream, :) I'd replace mine with another without hesitation. After I bought mine, I took it to the local garage that works specifically on BMWs and paid him to tear the bike down and we put it back together. One of the best investments of time and money I could make in the bike. I was so impressed with the precision and care of the bike's design after that. Hope this helps! Rhino |
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I have been thinking of selling my Victory and replacing it with a GS If I am going to have a land barge it might as well be more capable. I really do wish I could go ride all of them. GS, Vstrom, Tenere, KTM. Since I have never really had anything like them it is hard to know how they would be. That seems like a steal. I really like the looks of their Adventure model and they have a new XT so it will be interesting to see what it is. Glad to see the adventure market growing. As I have said before I really wish the Japanese would attack the the 650 class adventurer/dual sports. Something to give the KTM690 a run for its money. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
I have been thinking of selling my Victory and replacing it with a GS If I am going to have a land barge it might as well be more capable. I really do wish I could go ride all of them. GS, Vstrom, Tenere, KTM. Since I have never really had anything like them it is hard to know how they would be. Quoted:
They are good bikes, but that's a lot of $ for a bike. You may want to consider used. As swingset had mentioned above, they are heavy, especially in the dirt or trail. A few years ago, I would say yeah, go ahead. I love BMW machinery. But after spending time lately on my V-Strom 650. I have to re-evaulate the BMW machinery. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, I have 2 BMWs bikes in the garage, One Airhead and one oil head. but for the money, I'm not quite so sure anymore. It really depends on what you want to do with the bike. For more Touring oriented and less dirt. the BMW or the Yamaha Tenere are good bets. the Tenere is going to be more reliable and less maintenance You can actually buy a new 2015 Yam Tenere left over between 10k and 11k. For more Dirt oriented and little less touring, Take a look at the Honda Africa Twin or the KTMs. the Suz V-Strom 1000 are more road and touring oriented and less dirt and they also priced very well for a left over 2015. I hear people buying them between 8 and 9k. Another thing to consider is dealer network. If you are touring and you are middle of no where and your bike breaks down. which dealer will likely be closest? I would bet money it will likely be the Japanese bikes vs. the German bikes. That seems like a steal. I really like the looks of their Adventure model and they have a new XT so it will be interesting to see what it is. Glad to see the adventure market growing. As I have said before I really wish the Japanese would attack the the 650 class adventurer/dual sports. Something to give the KTM690 a run for its money. It looks like Yamaha is working on a Tenere based on the FZ700 engine. That may be exactly what you were asking for. |
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No sooner do we discuss it here than my BMW dealer wakes me up with a phone call about an F800GS they just took on trade. I've been kicking around between that and the 1200GS, and frankly believe the 800 will fit my riding much better. I've bought and sold all kinds of bikes, and enjoyed damn near every one I've had. That said, when I get another dual, it'll be a BMW or Tiger Explorer. If you have the bread to put on one, I say go for it.
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I was so close to buying a R1200GSA last year as my DD and weekend warrior bike for trips but decided against it. For me, I absolutely love the bike and everything about it but it would be more of a pain than enjoyment for my commute. Im 5'9" 175 and it would have just been to much of a pain for traffic and the daily commute that I do. I looked at the Tiger 800s and it felt way to much like a taller and heavier KLR650 for me to consider it.
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If it were me I would take a look at the Honda Africa Twin or the KTM 1090/1190/1290. You could buy the Honda AT and have enough money left over to by a real dirt bike. I haven't heard anything real positive about the Triumph. Head on over to adrider.com and read up on the bike you are interested in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRWGJO3MD2U Currently I'm on a KTM 990A. <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/mleaky/media/DSC03926_zpsfbd2b7d6.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mleaky/DSC03926_zpsfbd2b7d6.jpg</a> View Quote I am very active on advrider. I have never read a negative review on the Tiger personally. In fact it seems really well liked even more now that they have an updated electronics package. |
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They are awesome bikes........want one myself.
Although if I do end up on a bike, it's likely going to be a Vstrom 1000 or the Yahama SuperT due to $. |
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They already had a 660 but for some reason wouldn't bring it to the states. I would have bought one in a millisecond. http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20C/Yamaha%20XT660%20Tenere%2008%20%203.jpg View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I have been thinking of selling my Victory and replacing it with a GS If I am going to have a land barge it might as well be more capable. I really do wish I could go ride all of them. GS, Vstrom, Tenere, KTM. Since I have never really had anything like them it is hard to know how they would be. Quoted:
They are good bikes, but that's a lot of $ for a bike. You may want to consider used. As swingset had mentioned above, they are heavy, especially in the dirt or trail. A few years ago, I would say yeah, go ahead. I love BMW machinery. But after spending time lately on my V-Strom 650. I have to re-evaulate the BMW machinery. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, I have 2 BMWs bikes in the garage, One Airhead and one oil head. but for the money, I'm not quite so sure anymore. It really depends on what you want to do with the bike. For more Touring oriented and less dirt. the BMW or the Yamaha Tenere are good bets. the Tenere is going to be more reliable and less maintenance You can actually buy a new 2015 Yam Tenere left over between 10k and 11k. For more Dirt oriented and little less touring, Take a look at the Honda Africa Twin or the KTMs. the Suz V-Strom 1000 are more road and touring oriented and less dirt and they also priced very well for a left over 2015. I hear people buying them between 8 and 9k. Another thing to consider is dealer network. If you are touring and you are middle of no where and your bike breaks down. which dealer will likely be closest? I would bet money it will likely be the Japanese bikes vs. the German bikes. That seems like a steal. I really like the looks of their Adventure model and they have a new XT so it will be interesting to see what it is. Glad to see the adventure market growing. As I have said before I really wish the Japanese would attack the the 650 class adventurer/dual sports. Something to give the KTM690 a run for its money. It looks like Yamaha is working on a Tenere based on the FZ700 engine. That may be exactly what you were asking for. They already had a 660 but for some reason wouldn't bring it to the states. I would have bought one in a millisecond. http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20C/Yamaha%20XT660%20Tenere%2008%20%203.jpg Me too. I'm worried that most of the bikes are more in the Vstrom type category as opposed to 690/klr/dr etc |
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Today is the day. Getting ready to head out. This afternoon I will likely have a svelte Tiger 800 or huge GS.. wish me luck.
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Today is the day. Getting ready to head out. This afternoon I will likely have a svelte Tiger 800 or huge GS.. wish me luck. View Quote The GSA is huge, the GS will ride and handle more like the Tiger 800 than you expect. I'll say congrats in advance on your new GS, you wont regret it! You'll want to order the tool to reset the service reminder, unless you want to take it to the dealer once a year to have them reset it. |
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Today is the day. Getting ready to head out. This afternoon I will likely have a svelte Tiger 800 or huge GS.. wish me luck. Well, where are the pictures? In the morning. Just got home. |
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Well, I texted them back to back and the winner is... http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae91/canoeguy/6F379B89-174F-4E69-BCFC-F81BB586017A.jpg View Quote Told you so! |
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Well, I texted them back to back and the winner is... http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae91/canoeguy/6F379B89-174F-4E69-BCFC-F81BB586017A.jpg View Quote Looks like it is time to start covering that thing in stickers. Doesn't look like there is a whole lot of farkles left off of this beast. |
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Well it is fully loaded with the Premium Package but the BMW panniers were ridiculously priced. That and better hand guards will likely fulfill my needs for now.
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Quoted: Looks like it is time to start covering that thing in stickers. Doesn't look like there is a whole lot of farkles left off of this beast. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Well, I texted them back to back and the winner is... http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae91/canoeguy/6F379B89-174F-4E69-BCFC-F81BB586017A.jpg Looks like it is time to start covering that thing in stickers. Doesn't look like there is a whole lot of farkles left off of this beast. Clearly you've never seen a Touratech catalog. Congrats, OP, now ride the shit out of that thing! You should come over and join me & my buds @ the Romney Adventure rally in the spring...not far from you at all, and great riding. |
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Well it is fully loaded with the Premium Package but the BMW panniers were ridiculously priced. That and better hand guards will likely fulfill my needs for now. View Quote Motomachines.com has some cheaper panniers. But you will probably need to change out your mounts. You could save some money by going with soft luggage if you are not planning on doing a bunch of long distance touring for a while. |
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Quoted: Motomachines.com has some cheaper panniers. But you will probably need to change out your mounts. You could save some money by going with soft luggage if you are not planning on doing a bunch of long distance touring for a while. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Well it is fully loaded with the Premium Package but the BMW panniers were ridiculously priced. That and better hand guards will likely fulfill my needs for now. Motomachines.com has some cheaper panniers. But you will probably need to change out your mounts. You could save some money by going with soft luggage if you are not planning on doing a bunch of long distance touring for a while. Quite a few pannier options for the factory racks, all price ranges. Soft luggage has its advantages, for sure. |
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