Any former R1200GS owners who can answer.....

[justbob]

These brakes are smooth and effortless, I wish my C-14 brakes were half this good.
We can start a new club, 1 time BMW owners not anonymous.

 

[Rasher]

Over here in the UK the bikes are being virtually given away, down from £13000 to £10,000 with a number of Ex Demonstrators and "pre-registered" bikes about for around £9500 - some only have 5 or 10 miles on them!

The problem is the guy who may want to swap has a 2010 model (First edition) with 10,000 miles on it, I can get a 2011 registered first edition with just 1,000 miles on it for under £1000, so in my reckoning his is only worth about £8000 tops.

My BMW is easily worth £7k with luggage, and I have £2k of "sensible" accessories including £1200 of Wilburs finest supsension, de-cat headers, tall screen, pannier liners etc. etc. etc. and with so many BMW's around selling off parts is easy and you tend to get good money back, I am sure the bike would sell for £7k in a flash, and I would make £1100 - £1250 from selling the other bits, so would be looking at a straight swap, but the guy is hoping for £1k his way - by which time I could sell my bike and bits and get a brand spanker!

He also has a personal plate, which he thinks is worth £500, so maybe if he can sell that we are close, he also as crash bars and other bits I ain't that keen on, but would pay a few hundred more for.

Hopefully got a demo ride Saturday, so by the end of the weekend I may be doing a deal ::013::

If not I can wait until next year when a few more used bikes are about, I saw one 2010 in a dealers with 2k on the clock for £8,000, but I would probably lose out with poor px value - hence I am interested in the swap - and unlike with a BMW higher than average miles are not too much of a worry.

 

[kraigd]

Okay this is my first post on the site. I have owned 14 BMW GSs. 5 of them GSAs. 27 BMWs total, 25 or so other brands over 26 years. As you can tell I love the BMWs. I bought a 2010 GSA 2 weeks ago with 1900 miles on it. Put 1k on it the first week. I was in Atlanta Ga 200 miles from home and I noticed oil all over the final drive. (I inspect my bike everytome I stop for fuel.) I rode 1 hr to Blue moon BMW on a saturday 1 hr before they closed. They got me in and out 30 min, just the outer seal they said," NO BIG DEAL". Had this happened 1 hr later I would stuck for 2 days with a bike that has 2900 miles on it and I can not ride home. I put 400 miles on it the next day and parked it back in the garage. 2 days later I inspect the bike before I ride and I could not believe my eyes, Oil all over the final drive. To the dealer it goes. It took 5 days to replace all the seals. i SOLD it and the new owner picked it up at the dealership. This is not the first final drive failer I have had and I have been stuck on the side of the road with other issues. Now to be fair I have ridden 300,000 miles so things will happen. But the BMWs problems are as a rule bad ones. I keep going back because nothing else rides like them so I hope the Tenere lives up to the name. O and the valves on the Tenere are every 24k wa ho. Looking forward to it and I enjoy this forum very much. Yes I will send a donation.
PS MPG does not matter when the BMW is on a flat bed.
PSS I picked up my New 2012 Tenere today. I got the fast color.

 

[eemsreno]

::004:: Kraigd Good to have you here, I like real riders and what they have to say. Steve

 

[jajpko]

Welcome aboard ::012::. That would be the blue. It is the fastest. ::024::

 

[Koinz]

PSS I picked up my New 2012 Tenere today. I got the fast color.

We all know Raven black is the fast color.
::006::

I think the GS is a great bike, but I have to admit their reliability has been suffering lately.

 

[AlsoRan]

PSS I picked up my New 2012 Tenere today. I got the fast color.

Welcome. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the Super Tenere. Enjoy the new bike!

 

[johnnail]

had a 2008 R1200GS which I traded for an F800GS in 2009, which I sold for cash. Decent motorcycles, but dealer costs, niggling things like engine vibration ...yada, yada

Bought the XT this Spring, and am very satisfied with it.

 

[colorider]

Okay this is my first post on the site. I have owned 14 BMW GSs. 5 of them GSAs. 27 BMWs total, 25 or so other brands over 26 years. As you can tell I love the BMWs. I bought a 2010 GSA 2 weeks ago with 1900 miles on it. Put 1k on it the first week. I was in Atlanta Ga 200 miles from home and I noticed oil all over the final drive. (I inspect my bike everytome I stop for fuel.) I rode 1 hr to Blue moon BMW on a saturday 1 hr before they closed. They got me in and out 30 min, just the outer seal they said," NO BIG DEAL". Had this happened 1 hr later I would stuck for 2 days with a bike that has 2900 miles on it and I can not ride home. I put 400 miles on it the next day and parked it back in the garage. 2 days later I inspect the bike before I ride and I could not believe my eyes, Oil all over the final drive. To the dealer it goes. It took 5 days to replace all the seals. i SOLD it and the new owner picked it up at the dealership. This is not the first final drive failer I have had and I have been stuck on the side of the road with other issues. Now to be fair I have ridden 300,000 miles so things will happen. But the BMWs problems are as a rule bad ones. I keep going back because nothing else rides like them so I hope the Tenere lives up to the name. O and the valves on the Tenere are every 24k wa ho. Looking forward to it and I enjoy this forum very much. Yes I will send a donation.
PS MPG does not matter when the BMW is on a flat bed.
PSS I picked up my New 2012 Tenere today. I got the fast color.

Wow!! That's quite the love/hate story with your BNW's over the years. I really hope the SuperT works out for you!!

Welcome aboard!!!

Rod
::004::

 

[Rasher]

I bought mine at 2 years old with 6k on it, I got to 12k OK then went on a tour of the Alps, it managed to knacker both front discs, both forks seasl started leaking and the clutch developed a fault (although it got me home)

The work was done on the used bike warranty it came with, but less than 6 weeks on both fork seals are leaking and it has started to stall ocassionally - typically when slowing for roundabouts, it has done this a couple of times in the past, but is no doing it once every 100 miles or so - according to the dealer "they all do that sir"

Unfortunately my swap deal for a Tenere has fallen through, although it may be on again in spring - and either way I want rid of the BMW so will keep saving towards a trade in anyway.

 

[gerry2085]

I have run Yamaha bikes for years and never had a major problem, I did consider the BMW but the poor service provided by ,and expence of dealerships was a big turn off.
I have toured europe many times on a FJR, never had to feed the bikes oil, or had a breakdown, which is more than can be said for fellow riders on a GS. I think the BMW looks the part, but I want to ride and enjoy my bike not worry about expensive repairs. Like others here I have recently moved from the FJR's to the 10
and my first thoughts are more than positive, I enjoy what I have bought. We are all not the same and what suits one rider won't suit the next.
others that I ride with love there BMW's but do have the reliability and cost of servicing at the back of there minds. The only way is to ride one and see if it suits your needs, It does mine.

 

[Rasher]

Ridden one and want one ::008::

I rode the latest GS and GSA on the same day as the Tenere (and some of the same roads) and to be honest I prefer the handling of the stock GS, the GSA felt comfiest but without the agile sporty feel of the GS and if reliability was not an issue with the GS I would not be looking to change for a couple more years, but.....

At most I will keep it until the end of next summer, and if I was offered good price for my bike tomorrow I would take it, the swap deal I lined up looked ideal, and may be back on the table in spring. If nothing much comes along by chance I will strip the extra's off it and trade it in some time next year.

IMO the Tenere needs a bit of ride height to get the steering better (Thinking Wilburs with ride height adjuster), and I would definately go for the Diapson mapping to provide better low down grunt for the Alpine Hairpins, and SW-motech luggage as the OE stuff is far too small for two people.

 

[Tremor38]

It's a cliche, but true: People need to ride more and read the internet less. Even if a GS is 3x more likely to fail than average (and I doubt it is), the risk of "impending doom" may be VERY small in absolute terms. If you've got a bike that is setup the way you want and is providing you good service, then I'd ride it - the odds it will continue to be perfectly fine are pretty darn good. And you have the extended warranty so there's no monetary risk.

- Mark

+1. If it's still going strong after 15,000 miles and you've got it dialed-in the way you want it, why not stay with the bike? In the OP's case, I totally agree

The one thing I will say, however, is I don't like to play statistics when it comes to problems that leave you dead in some remote area. Who care's if it's even an entire percentage point below statistically significant WOOP-TEE-DOO!! If you're in the middle of nowhere freezing your but off, or you've just ruined a good part of your vacation waiting on a wrecker, I guarantee it's significant. People who've been on the receiving end of BMW's lapses in controlling variation won't be calmed down so easy with such rationalization. Tolerance of this type of thing from the latte crowd is probably a major reason why BMW has been content to rest on their laurels.

I'm sooo, glad there's some new kids in the segment to put some pressure on them. The Japanese entries should bump the whole crowd up a notch.

 

[kraigd]

This is very True. I have been stuck. I was on a 2 weeks trip from Tn to South Dakota on my 2002 BMW R1150GS. 19k miles on it still under warr. Clutch starts slipping. I had to ride to Mn. Thats right 300 miles to get to a dealer. In Minneapolis Mn. They have 4 dealer in a 100 miles area. Not one offered to get me in and back on the road. It was the start of good weather and they were all packed, but I was a long way from home. I ended up leaving the bike at Leos South for 3 weeks. I had to fly home then fly back to get it. Then they tried to charge me 140.00 for express part shipping, no kidding. Turned out the bike had a leak from the engine that went into the clutch area and that caused the issue. This bike also had the final drive blow apart at 17k, I was close to home but you remember that feeling at 40 mph. Thankfully I was not going 80mph. The guy I sold it to had the final drive go out on his way to AK with 35k on it, BMW covered it but who gives a rip it ruined his trip as well. After all the problems I had with that bike, I still bought 24 more BMWs over the years. Some had great luck with, others not so much. Big crap shoot. But nothing rides like a BMW so one keeps trying other makes. I have had just about every make of motorcycle, 60 or so total. I hope the S10 can give that feeling. With out the ugly back hand once in a while.

+1. If it's still going strong after 15,000 miles and you've got it dialed-in the way you want it, why not stay with the bike? In the OP's case, I totally agree

The one thing I will say, however, is I don't like to play statistics when it comes to problems that leave you dead in some remote area. Who care's if it's even an entire percentage point below statistically significant WOOP-TEE-DOO!! If you're in the middle of nowhere freezing your but off, or you've just ruined a good part of your vacation waiting on a wrecker, I guarantee it's significant. People who've been on the receiving end of BMW's lapses in controlling variation won't be calmed down so easy with such rationalization. Tolerance of this type of thing from the latte crowd is probably a major reason why BMW has been content to rest on their laurels.

I'm sooo, glad there's some new kids in the segment to put some pressure on them. The Japanese entries should bump the whole crowd up a notch.

 

[Rasher]

Love riding the bike, but just cannot be doing with the BMW lottery, sure it could go on to 100k without major issues, or it could eat four final drives, two gearboxes, a clutch, several FPC's and drop a valve.


I am not confident the dealer fixed the clutch fault (as you need to ride for an hour before it manifests) so I am concerned that may fail on my next long trip, the fork seals have started leaking again just six weeks after they were replaced and it occasionally cuts out, typically when changing down approaching a junction / roundabout leaving you with no go when you sometimes need it most - but "they all do that sir"

I have never worried when setting of on a long trip on Jap bikes, or dreaded service time, even with the expensive services as you know what they are gonna cost when you buy the bike, with BMW you have no idea what they will find on each visit, and you can bet if they find something it will be expensive.

Sorry, but gotta go Jap again, may ride the new Triumph but servicing costs and poor warranty put me off, also not convinced they are as reliable as Jap stuff either - but probably still light years ahead of BMW.

Until then I will make the most of the bike, I have paid up for extended warranty so will just keep riding and enjoying, I only have one short European trip next year and the bike should still be under 20k when I set off, but 2013 should see a huge trip for me, probably the longest I will ever get the chance to do and I ain't gonna give BMW and Sods Law the opportunity to f*** that right up!

 

[Old Git Ray]

I Had an 09 GSA for a year before swapping it for my S10 in June last year.

1. How bad is the 1st - 3rd restriction?
As I like to get to mountains (like the Alps) the bike will spend a lot of time at low revs, in low gears and two-up, will it feel gutless after the GS?
Also is it generally as quick as a GS, especially two-up?
It is not really an issue (except it's safer) put it in S and take the TCS off and it rocks. 2 up, it is significantly better due to the safety issue and your SO wil thank you for it too

2. How spacious is the luggage?
To me the luggage on the Yamaha look smaller than the GS Vario stuff, I really do not want any less capacity than I currently have, with the GS luggage the larger side case can easily hold a full face helmet, and so can the top box, can anyone tell me how the two compare in the real world?
IMHO the luggage is the achilles heel of this bike. Despite what others say. The lock is still plastic and any scrote with a screwdriver could pop it open. On top of that they are very narrow and generally lack capacity. Some say this is good as they are out of the way !

3. Does it use more fuel?
I find the GS very good on fuel, when bombing around faster roads solo it does high 40's, but when two-up toruing through the Alps at lower speeds it will often average over 50mpg (That's UK Gallons)
Nope, in fact a bit less than the GSA. The bike is so easy to ride that squuzing more MPG out f it is easy.

4. How easy is wheel removal?
A very small point, but the GS single sided shaft is fantastic for quick tyre changes, and even the front is an absolute joy.
The BMW was a cinch in this department. The trade off was the dodgy FD. The Yam rear is significantly more difficult but not actually difficult if you get my drift. The main problem being holding the cush drive in place and aligning the ABS keyway at the same time. As for the front, it's virtually the same bar aligning the ABS sensor ar per the rear.

And lastly, should I make the switch????
I am very tempted, but know if I end up wanting another GS I would end up having to spend £1500 - £2000 getting another one back to how mine is currently configured, whereas I could just buy a newer lower mileage one and put all my bits on it - but I am loathed to feel obliged to upgrade a bike when it gets past 15k becuase it can't be trusted to remain reliable.

I did and did not regret it at all. It is such an easy bike to live with and service. So far there have been no real problems with the bike whatsoever. It has been around for almost a year and a half and I have yet to hear of someone that did not get home on it (apart from crashes of course). Your SO will love you for it, in T mode it pulls away smooth and is easy in traffic. The brakes off road are absolutely incredible as opposed to the BMWs that need turning off. The bike falls down in the screen dept but that is easily rectified and do not even consider a Yam bash plate. The gearbox is so smooth when compared to the BMW that you do not even think about it from when you first get on the bike. Servicing the yam can be done at the road side in an hour (except for the 24k valve check).
Yes you should buy it, the BMW is tarted up, old technology wheras the Yam is a new bike from the ground up that utilises the good bits of existing ones along with state of the art new stuff.

Either way, I hope you make the best choice for you. Good hunting.

Any thoughts from other ex GS'ers appreciated

 

[Rasher]

Thanks Ray.

I think at a few hundred quid the Diapson mapping resolves what for me is a large issue, I had an early ZZR that was crippled low down in 1st - 4th and hated it, I had removed the secondary flies and remmapped it within 6 weeks of taking it out the showroom, it was do that or sell it, I can't understand why a bike with two modes and TC still restricts the sports mode - and in the spot where most riders spend a lot of time!

I am thinking SW-Motch for luggage, Givi Airflow screen and a fully adjustable Wilburs shock to round the package off, I think I won't really have anything to miss from the GS then (Except nicely integrated heated grips)

 

[dcstrom]

UKGSER'S have a Super Tenere thread going for forum members who have made the switch or are thinking about it...

http://ukgser.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=469