Do you ever feel like you need a GS?

[Ckaine]

NGDIA=Not Gonna Do It Again.

Regards;

Chris

[deilenberger]

Yes I am looking more for a comfortable 20/25 feet but you know about boats I think it depends of the original fabrication, material used to make it but also if you give your time to it by living in it or just showing up twice a year.

I live in Pasadena area but would be glad to have a "Pied a mer" near Venice beach.... a 35 feet used made of "low maintenance materials" can go around 35K second hand and after restoration can go up to 75K fully functional...physical, electrical, cable and web docking is $500 monthly same thing for the yearly insurance. What price do you get for any housing at few feet from the ocean in Los Angeles ? most often in ugly condo's with way much less "mojo strenght" every one must agree.

Using the boat as housing is a different story.. I basically justified mine as a summer cottage with waterfront on all sides. Thinking of it that way wasn't too bad. Thinking of it as a sailboat that I actually used to go out in - when I calculated the cost per trip - I was astounded.. could charter a very nice 40' boat for 2 weeks in a nice place to sail (Caribbean) for what it cost to keep a 25' for a summer in NJ.

I finally realized - the definition of a pleasure boat = someone elses..

"BTDT, and NGDIA" what is that ?...few years living in US tells me that BTDT might be "been there done that"...but have no clue for NGDIA ?

You got BTDT, NGDIA = Not Gonna Do It Again.. (made that up all by myself - figured somone would ask.. )

[thepeacebullgrunt]

With the "NGDIA" I think my brain got confuse & stuck in the mud with "NVIDIA" the well known graphic cards manufacturer, and I am not even a gamer !

Definitely ! personally I cannot conceive to own a boat and not sleeping in it minimum twice a week...but in Marina del Rey, CA for example almost %90 of the boats are empty all year long... it is by the way one of the reason why I think they limited permanent docking to wood boats.
It might be sort of cost effective to sail only for a very long trip of lets say 4 months minimum. As example I know a guy who pay expenses of his "floating life" by just working online for Google from his boat. Overall I think its smarter to spend $$$ to live on water rather than planning to walk on the moon. (Here don't worry I understand myself... )

I wonder if I could design a custom rear tire for an 800GS that I'll install when needed then I'll attach the bike in the back of the boat just to let the rear tire dip nicely in the water..... start the bike ! ignore the splashes... and ! youuuhoo let's go !

I know guys I am sorry....its Friday again

[motoracer8]

I think BMW GS's are like SUV's, about as far off the road as most of them get is the drive way. They are a life style vehicle like a Harley or a Jeep, ya gotta have all the stuff. One day I was out trail riding on a 220 pound dirt bike and came across two guys trying to unstick a GS from between 2 trees on a down hill slope, how they got out there with that bike I'll never know because there were no roads out there paved or otherwise, I would'nt want to take a 600 lb motorcycle too far off road for that reason. They may still be out there.

Ken G.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Good point Ken...

But today in Santa Monica I saw a beautiful white 800GS all equiped
with seat, rear and side luggages....
from far I thought it was the usual 1200 GS
but at 2 meters it felt way smaller and lighter...I LOVED IT !

The rider appeared bigger too and anyway I am 8yrs old
we were downhill and it was BBQ day ! so ! all scales were fooocked-up...
maybe it was a 2500 GS with a midget rider on testosterone.
you never know in Santa Monica.

[Dreamer]

Hi All,

I've had GS's for the last 6 years - first a regular 1200GS, then a 1200GSA - but have just defected to the naked world of the Roadster and hope to pick up my new R1200R later this week.

The GS is a fantastic bike, great for unmade roads & tracks and equally at home touring... but I was using mine less and less for that and having a 500-mile fuel tank, crash bars, fog lamps, long-travel suspension etc is a bit OTT for commuting!

I'll miss the awe of small boys, the traffic-parting and the general wow factor of the GSA, but I won't miss the height when getting on, or the weight and bulk when wheeling it into the garage over my gravel drive!

I'm a bit nervous of the nakedness of the R after the GSA with its monster screen and protection, but I was pleasantly surprised on the test ride how smooth the airflow was with just the small sports screen.

Will I ever feel like I need a GS again? I'll let you know!

Cheers,
Paul
.... transferring to here from UKGSer.com !

[Lost Rider]

Welcome to the board, and to the life of naked bikes Paul!



To the OP

Yes.

I thought about it for a minute...
The R has proven itself as my Adveture machine, having been to many far out there places on mine, but as I'm really getting comfortable after many miles on my 8GS I see that either of the BMW boxers have limits due to weight and the paralever suspension.

The 8GS can be pushed harder and go faster more comfortably off tarmac of course.... I've found myself at near triple digit speed on loose rock in the desert, riding through over the waist water, or climbing steep, loose mountains. Wouldn't want to do that on a 1200.
Both can eat miles.

For me, a 12R and a 800 GS is the best of both worlds.

[JohnM]

At the MOA Rally in Lima, I tested the new R12GS just to see what the big to-do was about w/ GS bikes. It was nice, but the R12RT I also tested was equally nice.

Even though I'm 6"2", the R12R just seems "right" for me & the type of riding I do. I'm not a dirt donk, so off-road isn't on my radar (except perhaps for the Moki Dugway next year.)