S10 v GS 1300 (or 1200)

[JerryC]

My best friend just got an GS 1300.I'll be getting my S10 this week.
What are Virtues of the S10 over the bimmer? I need some bragging rights. Lol And he is pushing me to a GS 1200. cost, of course and all thatelectronic stuff. Curious about the highway rides.

 

[thughes317]

Well, the S10 doesn't require a driveshaft replacement every 36K miles.....I'd say that's a "virtue".

"For the BMW R 1300 GS, BMW explicity recommends replacing the shaft every 36 000 miles / 60 000 km. This is quite a big job, but important preventative maintenance."

BMW R 1300 GS (2024+) Maintenance Schedule

BMW R 1300 GS (2024+) maintenance schedule and service data, including oil changes, valve service, recommended fluids, and more.

maintenanceschedule.com

 

[RCinNC]

LOL, you're picking up your own S10 this week. Why not just ride it for a while and learn first hand what the virtues of the bike are? That'll be a lot more useful than using someone else's 'BMW Vs Yamaha" opinion. You'll find out soon enough what a great bike it is.

Plus, if your buddy is riding a brand new GS 1300, my guess is that from outward appearances, it'll surpass your Yamaha in pretty much every category; power, performance, ride quality, fit and finish, electronic wizardry, etc. If you're willing to play the long game, you'll probably be able to start bragging around the time of the first 1300 GS recall, or when his warranty expires. My Toyota Camry is probably a hundred times more reliable than a Lambo Huracan, but nobody who owns a Huracan is ever going to be envious of my sensible, reliable, low cost/low maintenance machine.

 

[whisperquiet]

I own a 2022 BMW R1250 GS and a 2023 Yamaha Super Tenere ES. I am riding to the upcoming June BMWOA National Rally in Bend, Oregon and upon my return will sell the BMW. It is faster, has more tech, has more features, etc., but, I am keeping my favorite bike ….. the Super Tenere as it is super reliable, fits me better, cheap to keep, and just a solid low key motorcycle. I find the 12,000 mile free BMW check and lube of the driveshaft with a free driveshaft every 36,000 miles absurd! I have better things to do than see the dealer every 12000 miles. The S10 is plenty fast, smooth, and just works great for me…I have no desire to own or test ride the R1300GS at all.

My BMW has been reliable at 18000 miles and I do my own service but just don’t feel the love. Good bike, but not for me + it costs $8000-10000 more that a similar equipped S10.

Plus, I just bought a low mile, well equipped Suzuki VStrom 650 to replace the BMW.

 

[OldRider]

Show him all the money you saved by buying the Yamaha. As soon as he goes to hanging around with other Big Money Wasters, he won't be your friend much longer.

 

[Sierra1]

Beemer V. Super Tenere. AKA: Beauty queen V. Girl next door. Miss America V. Gina Carano. French restaurant V. Beer and Pizza. And most assuredly: Starbucks V. QuikTrip. RC is right. ride them both to be sure. Keep in mind that it wasn't all that long ago that Beemer had a "stop sale" on theirs. The Super Tenere is my favorite bike . . . . ever. (I've put 60K miles on a Beemer. Started great, but turned into Chucky)

 

[Sierra1]

Show him all the money you saved by buying the Yamaha.

Depending on what & where, the Beemer can be 50% more than the "lowly" Tenere.

 

[Tenforeplay]

Ride them both and report back.

 

[VRODE]

My best friend just got an GS 1300.I'll be getting my S10 this week.
What are Virtues of the S10 over the bimmer? I need some bragging rights. Lol And he is pushing me to a GS 1200. cost, of course and all thatelectronic stuff. Curious about the highway rides.

You'll never out-brag a GS owner.

Until you are on your S10 and he's on a loaner.

 

[RCinNC]

The lowest priced new 1300 GS is right at the $19,000 mark, and I imagine once you add all the doo-dads we all love like panniers and whatnot, you're well above the 20 grand point.

I don't think people who are willing to put that much money into a motorcycle value steadfast boring reliability at the expense of the built-in status and cachet they get from owning something like a BMW. They certainly aren't going to be impressed by how much you paid for it compared to their BMW; in fact, their more likely response would be slight condescension at how nice your ride is for a "budget bike". I have a riding buddy who rides a 1250 GS; we've logged a lot of miles together with me on my Super Tenere, so he's had plenty of first hand experience that the Super Tenere is as reliable as a stone ax and never lets me down. And yet he wouldn't trade his BMW for my Yamaha even at gunpoint, in spite of some of the weird little issues that have popped up on his that have required several trips to the dealership to get straightened out. He can appreciate my bike, but he'd never consider owning one over owning the GS, and wouldn't be swayed by down to earth qualities like "it never breaks down" if it meant losing the experience of hearing guys say "oooooooooo, is that a BMW?".

 

[bluebuick66]

Wait a year. Then both of you go and try to sell the bikes, You are gonna laugh at your friend for what he is gonna get for his bike.

 

[Sierra1]

The lowest priced new 1300 GS is right at the $19,000 mark, and I imagine once you add all the doo-dads we all love like panniers and whatnot, you're well above the 20 grand point. . . .

Way above. Just a quick check, first site I found. "Cheapest" one was $22.5K. Not even a GSA.
New 1300 Gs R For Sale - Bmw Motorcycles - Cycle Trader

 

[RCinNC]

Yeah, I went to BMW's website and saw the lowest priced one was in the 19 thousand range. There were other models called things like the Trophy and the Triple Black, which I figured were even more expensive but the website wasn't very transparent about the cost for those. I presume it's a case of "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it". I saw one in that link you posted that cost over 30 grand. But honestly, I believe that's part of the appeal of owning one of the Bavarian wonder machines, at least for some BMW owners; basking in the envy of your fellow riding buddies who know you dropped that much money on a bike.

And if you are that guy that's willing to spend that much cash on a motorcycle, I doubt that any amount of "but my bike cost less than half of yours and it's just as good" counterarguments are going to put a dent in his convictions. And honestly, if someone has a brand new BMW in pristine shape that is running perfectly, it would be pretty tough to make a realistic argument that your Super Tenere whose last design update occurred in 2014 is in some way superior to the BMW.

What you have to do is patiently wait until the BMW experiences some sort of ridiculously expensive failure that requires replacement parts that are on perpetual backorder, and then you stick in the knife and twist it vigorously.

 

[bimota]

RUNNING COSTS and RELIABILTY job done

 

[Boris]

Personally, I’d just be happy for my best friend and support them in his/her choice of bike, whilst enjoying my own choice of bike.

 

[Madhatter]

life is a choice .... the tenere is a great choice .... it will probably never see a shop except for valve adjustments and those are 26k miles apart . it will get better fuel milage ( no matter the hype more displacement and more horsepower means more fuel , gearing and electronics help but the GS is going to need the big fuel tank .) load up the bikes and do a trip , the pro and cons show up of both bikes .
I too have been tempted in buying a GS . the winner was a 2nd tenere . tires and a new battery in 5 years of owning it . and if you consider the 2012 tenere I bought new , again , tires and a battery . and a few headlight bulbs over the years . I forgot to mention gas , that's my biggest expense ... duh!
JerryC , you will enjoy the tenere , it will go anywhere the GS will go except to the shop . and think of all the trips you can pay for with the money saved by not buying a GS.
and post pictures of your new tenere with a happy new owner.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Thread moved to appropriate sub-forum.
Please start threads in them.

mgmt

 

[Streethawk]

My best friend just got an GS 1300.I'll be getting my S10 this week.
What are Virtues of the S10 over the bimmer? I need some bragging rights. Lol And he is pushing me to a GS 1200. cost, of course and all thatelectronic stuff. Curious about the highway rides.

JerryC, I'd say the three standout virtues for the Super Tenere over other comparable (shaft driven) Euro premium ADVs (incl. the R1300GS) are:

1) An implied DIY "right to repair" (due to its lower level of tech).

2) Considerably lower cost of ownership.

3) Big heavy dirt bike-like handling (highly subjective but imo, the chassis, engine's firing order and transmission arrangement, all play a part there and I love it when doing light off-roading).

All that said, BMW's flagship GSs are amazing machines. Fwiw, my riding buddies who ride the GS are in a demographic where ownership cost and any reliability issues are a non-issue. They're fortunate enough to be able throw all the money at it that they'd like. Even if it meant getting it towed or helicoptered out of a BDR. Seriously. They're good friends and I'm beyond happy for them. I'm not in that demographic and so if nothing else, I feel compelled to consider virtues 1 and 2 above. Lol.

Lastly and again, fwiw, I had an opportunity via one of those GS riding buddies, to basically take a recent gen 1200GS for free (they were upgrading to the 1250GS). I respectfully declined mainly because of virtue number 3. I've ridden lots of the current big bore ADVs and the Super Tenere stands alone (imo) in that porky shaft drive dirtbike feel. The KTMs would obviously be there too but they're not shaft driven.

I hope my thoughts help more than hurt your contemplation. Congratulations on your new Super Tenere. You're going to love the S10 life!!

 

[lund]

I've owned both the S10 and the GS1200, rode the GS to Panama from Vancouver Canada and back. It wasn't problem free.
If you can try both, the GS definitely has a nicer ride and the power is very smooth but that comes at a high cost, with out exaggeration.
The cost of ownership of any BMW is retarded, if your pocket book is endless, go for the GS, I would.
But I ride a Yamaha Tenere 1200, so that tells you a lot about my pocket book. LOL

 

[Streethawk]

If the GS did not have the telelever suspension, and there was a "pure" edition. Absolute minimal tech. Even if they charged me more, so I could self service, I'd own that bespoke GS. It is truly an incredible bike. Comfortable, characterful and super agile! Favorite one to-date is the 1250GS.

On a semi related note, over time I've really come to appreciate that I almost never see a Super Tenere out in the wild! I love that it's an unintentional rarity in the big bore ADV circles. S10 pilots are in a class of distinction when we make that rare Starbucks stop. LOL!