Max66

I passed my bike test in November last year, at the ripe old age of 38. My first bike is an XRV750 Africa Twin. You can pick them up for anything upwards of £1000 in the UK.

I've ridden all through the winter, and now summer, been on the motorway, off-road, and a little long distance stuff too. I can't fault it. It's certainly fast enough, but maybe not enough to have you wrapped around a tree. It's not a small bike, but it's not a huge lumbering monster either.

Anyway.. another model to consider

Something to be said 4 learning on a 2nd hand bike! After very prowdly buying a new f650GS Dakar, i wrote it off 3 months later. End of dream...? Now iv got same bike but much cheaper 2nd hand in good nick. Feels much better making those stupid little mistakes (which us beginers are likely to make) on cheaper bike. Same thrills less stress!

Happy hunting

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that the size of the bike or engine does not matter when you start riding. The only downside of the R1200GS is that it's expensive if you drop it and you're much more likely to drop a bike in your first year.

Other than that I don't think it makes any difference. Bigger bikes are easier to see. It's no faster than than a 600, low speed manouvering is good and the throttle is not binary - you can ride as slow and safe as you like. The relaxed riding position encourages a more sedate ride than a sports bike. The high seating position gives good visibility. It's much less tiring on longer rides than almost any other bike I've ridden.

Your safety is down to how you ride, not what you ride. You definitely get safer over the first few years but the choice of bike isn't a factor.

steve

You've made some good points but I don't agree. Bike and engine size does matter. It is not the ONLY factor overall to be sure, but it IS a factor. To say "it does not matter" is an overstatement IMO.

Ask any of the many motorcycle training experts there in the UK. The
psychological aspect is critical here. The GS is a very tall, very awkard bike to a begginer, particularly true if the new rider is under about 6' tall. I've been riding 40 plus years, am only 5'7" and the GS intimidates me, and I ain't no shrinking violet.

Once again, an over statement. True, the bike is not the ONLY factor, but it must be considered in the mix of ALL the other factors a new rider faces. The BMW is an awkward beast by anyone's accounting. From the Bass-akwards Teutonic insprired switchgear (horn/turn signal placement) to the cyclinders that newbies whack their shins on. Once moving the bike rides beautifully and your earlier points are good (tall, good view, visible, easy to steer in traffic and so on).

But a 530 lb. bike with a 35" seat height may not be the most newbie friendly
ride to start on. Riders come in all shapes and sizes. I'd have to say MOST new riders I've dealt with would be scared off by a big GS. Why ruin someones' first motorcycle experience getting them hurt, humiliated costing them some serious money? THESE factors have to be considered too.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Yours is the same question I've asked myself a lot over the last 6 months. For what it's worth here is my perspective. I hope it helps.

I had a bike around 15 years ago and I'm now 38. So I guess I categorise myself as the typical 'Born again' candidate. I want to get back on a bike and the GS1200 is the one I've chosen to buy. I can't really rationalise it - it's big, it's heavy and I'm new to the experience of two wheels again. But I personally don't see the point in buying a V Strom 650 (my other possible choice), which is probably equally as heavy and wasting money on a trade-in in 12 months.

But I'm honest with myself and in lots of ways ways it doesn't make any sense. I don't want to drop it, or worse fall off it. So I went to the BMW rider school in South Wales and took a refresher. Nice guys down there and above all else honest. My instructor and colleagues of his have given me the confidence to think my decision is the right one for me at least. I spent the second day of a two day course on a GS1200 which I found as easy to ride if not easier than the GS650 the previous day. I certainly enjoyed the experience more on the bigger bike. My instructor who's a qualified ex-police rider felt the GS1200 would be a good choice for me and he didn't have any sale to make.

I'm tall enough to handle the bike a little easier and confident of riding it. The course certainly helped and I can recommend it without question. It's your call at the end of the day but I don't think it's a black and white issue.

Good luck with your choice

I figure if you have to ask anybody what the right bike is that you aren't ready and haven't done enough research yet. Whether or not a particular bike is right for you isn't up to someone else to decide. On the flip side, telling someone that a bike is tall, or heavy, has a learning curve, and is gonna get dropped in the first year is useful information.

I did go with a VStrom 650 and could have bought two of them for the price of a 1200GS in the US. No regrets at all here. I'd still like to have a 1200GS, but I won't be giving up the VStrom to get one.

I must agree with most of the comments so far but what is the point in buying a bike that you are not really happy with just to get experience. I no it makes sence but it would always be in the back of your mind that you should try the 1200. I would strongly recommend that you do the BMW course in wales as you can drop the bike as often as you like (so to speak). I have been riding bike from the age of 16 but didn't pass my test until 33ish. Having had a long break from riding for any period of time I did a much the same thing. I rode off road for a few months during the Iraq war (2003) on a 250 Army Honda. A light bike but not with all the Army kit that goes with it.

The MOST important thing in all this is how you ride and only you no this. you can always do advance training/advanced riding course. You can get experience on a bigger bike. Just be safe. Think once,Think twice, Think BIKE.

Good Luck
Peter (now living and riding in the UAE)

Regards off road training I don't agree with BMW's method or philosophy at
all. I believe its all about selling GS's. This method goes directly against every proven tenent regards learning to ride dirt bikes for the last 50 years. KTM are doing a similar campaign and its all BS IMO.

Start Small is always best.

The only way to learn properly on a dirt bike and NOT get hurt is to start small. This especially true for older, more frail riders. You know, like the guys
who can actually afford to spend $17,000 on a dirt bike. (A GS)

I've been at this for a long, long time, I'm no beginner. I have flat track, moto
cross and enduro competition back ground. I also have done a LOT of teaching of both kids and adults.

I can promise you the guys who start on a XR100's or XR250's will end up being far better dirt riders, SOONER, than anyone trying to learn on a 550 lb.
street bike. And, they will be safer in the process.

The only way to progress off road is to push limits a bit and you WILL fall.
You need to fall....so you can learn HOW TO FALL properly and not get hurt.
Falling off is part of dirt riding. But getting hurt seriously does NOT have to
be part of it. Has anyone here ever had a 550 lb. GS on top of them?
I have, and a Tiger and a Vstrom as well. Not good.

I have trained kids who have gone onto professional motocross careers and
one who will be on the USA's ISDE jr. team this year to New Zealand. I wasn't the only one who worked with these kids, just one of many "mentors".

Anyway, I feel I've seen enough to actually know what a disaster trying to
learn on a big BMW is. Now if you consider dirt riding to be riding down a dirt
road, then we are in different worlds.

But if you're talking rough going, single track, deep sand, huge, deep ruts, massive rock fields, super steep up hill and down, well, to me, that's dirt riding
in my world.

One of the very best cross training activities you can do is to take up
Trials riding. The very best enduro riders in the world most all have some
Trials experience. David Knight is the current Hero. Best rider in the world
at the moment out of the UK. You guessed it, former Trials rider. Nothing
teahces principles better.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!