I have a Harley St. Glide now, love the bike, but I am going through midlife crisis and want to do some Adventure biking. Have being riding for 30 years...
At first I was going to buy a GS 1200 ADV next few weeks, but now I have heard so much how this bike is so heavy for offloading etc, and other issues that I am thinking about Yamaha Tenere or Triumph Adventure. Love the looks of GSA most.
Could you guys give me some input, specially the guys that have the GSA!
Would you buy another or would you consider Yamaha and Triumph.
Thanks in advance!!

Hi,
Take a look at Suzuki DL 650 V-strom. Hardly will find any negative issues. Good bike - cheap, reliable and only 190 kg.
Regards!

Can't do small..
 

Coming from a 1550cc bike, I know that I can't have anything smaller than 1200cc! So I have to pick one of the big ones! Just not sure who??

Dl 650
 

[Goderzi,

You hit the nail straight on the head, also the range is great. 400 km with one tank are easily done.

Cheers

RM

Moulin,
You ask about the 1200GSA particularly, and there is some good feedback in this thread but a lot of it is a few years old. The link below brings up a UK webpage about that bike, and a few others in the Beemer range.

[url=http://www.ukgser.com/home/]UKGSer

http://www.ukgser.com/home/

priorities
 

lets remember whats important here...that thing looks badass!

They are all the same weight class around 250kg with fuel. The BMW just have a larger tank.

Nothing wrong with the bike at all, just like with everything it's a handfull off road. I had one for 3 years and after > 60.000km I can say that it's great on tarmac and gravel, just does it, anything more technical and you can end up hating it (depending on how skilled your are, and how strong).

I've lifted it more than a few times fully loaded up (around 300kg), and it's not something I enjoy, but people seeing one doing it are awestruck :blushing:

Something lighter with around 300km range (below 100km/h) look at the BMW F800, Triumph Tiger 800, etc. Or just the BWM R1200GS which is ~30kg lighter than the Adv. and a better offroad bike.

I'll hopefully be trading my ADV in shortly, probably for an F800GS.

Casper

New model on the way
 

Amen to that remark from Margus; it is always a problem to detect when expressions of opinion become outright prejudice.

But, it has been funny to read the posts that go back 6-7 years, realising that the Beemer 1200 has been a top seller in the UK ever since it was released.

Anyway, why I really came back on here is to remind Moulin that BMW are due to market a water-cooled version of this bike in 2012. It is rumoured that the current model and the new one will be sold alongside each other while the company assesses the respective sales figures.

Well, none of the 1200cc bikes are exactly great for off-roading, but it sounds like you are coming off a road bike, so how much "off-roading" do you really plan to do?

The GSA is perfectly capable of gravel and hard-pack dirt. Mud and sand are not so much fun, at least for someone with my limited skills, but the other 1200cc bikes won't be much better.

My guess is that the GSA would be the right bike for you, it is great for travelling and allows you to go almost anywhere you would want to go. Just think twice about going down that muddy single-track, especially if by yourself.

If, on the other hand, you really want to get offroad, you should think about a smaller bike, an 800cc or even better, a 650cc. The 650cc are perfectly capable of "adventure" type travel but of course won't have as much oomph on the long stretches of tarmac.

F800GS does't seem to be so good - http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...raveling-56508
esp.post # 11

As I've been riding a R1200GS for the last 4 years (started with a normal GS), I can tell you that non of the BMW's are a great as BMW would like us to think - I've had my fair share of problems, but they are great bikes.

And looking at the big enduro bikes, non of them in genreal does not have one or two spots which couldn't be improved.

The only thing I was trying to say was that the Adv. is a monster, but if one isn't interested in really taking it off road then it will be a great bike....

Casper

[QUOTE=moulin6801;365146]I have a Harley St. Glide now, love the bike, but I am going through midlife crisis and want to do some Adventure biking. Have being riding for 30 years...
At first I was going to buy a GS 1200 ADV next few weeks, but now I have heard so much how this bike is so heavy for offloading etc, and other issues that I am thinking about Yamaha Tenere or Triumph Adventure. Love the looks of GSA most.
Could you guys give me some input, specially the guys that have the GSA!
Would you buy another or would you consider Yamaha and Triumph.
Thanks in advance!![/QUOTE

I chose the GSA because of the large gas tank and after adding the spoke wheels and engine protection, I'd be over the price of the GSA. I love no having to stop every other day to fill up whpile commuting to work or worry about running out of gas on a desolate off road trip. The 1200GS or Adventure model will be able to go on just about any gnarly dirt road.

GS for two up
 

My wife is starting to ride with me more and more. I'm 6'7" and she is 5'4" She would be the pillion, as she has no interest in being in the drivers seat. I have a Kawasaki 650, which is fine for short trips but 2 up, it's not that comfortable after a while. I'm looking at the 1200 GS as an option for us, for the long trips we want to start taking.

Compared to the Tenera or Triumph 1200 what thinnest thou about these bikes for 2 up

Hi Jim,

The 1200 Adventure or the 1200 GS make great two-up bikes. I found the 1150 Adventure a bit more accommodating for my 6'4" but I was sitting quite far back on the bench seat, not leaving very much room for my wife. The two piece seat on the 1200 is much better for the passenger. I noticed that when I went from a 1200GS to the 1200 Adventure that the passenger seat on the GS is much nicer. When you see profile pictures of the two bikes you can see that the Adventure front and rear seats are level with each other. I first thought that this was because the driver's seat is much higher. While it is a bit higher than the GS the bigger difference is that the passenger seat has been cut down. It might be a good idea to have your wife try both. If you've got your heart set on the GSA you could consider a custom passenger seat or trade with someone on a regular GS.

For the best all around bike I would go with the GS but for either long distance touring or riding to the back of beyond the GSA is better.

Thanks Ekke