my 1200gs experience thus far.

[jimbo]

well, after a week and a half, 2,000 miles on the odometer, over 600 miles in one day, twisties, highway, some light gravel roads, rain, shine, i'm still smiling.

i had a little sellers remorse yesterday as i rode 250 miles to deliver the R to its new owner. The R is a great bike, does it all very well, fits me well, and was just a solid bike in every manner, all the while having a lot of character. i am hoping for more of a good thing with the GS.

so far, the new GS has been all that i had hoped it would be. the additional power is very noticeable, and it delivers the power very well. I equipped the new bike with Jesse bags and they are incredibly roomy, with the top loading allowing me to utilize the space fully.

my thoughts on the new bike:

i was seriously worried that the stock seat was going to really bother me on the long days but it wasn't nearly as terrible as i had feared. I'm still going to try a Sargent when they come available.

Lighting, most of my riding was daytime but i need some auxilary lights for nightime riding. I don't feel like the low beam coverage is adequate at all.

the hexhead motor is incredible. This thing pulls like a train and makes great power throughout the rpm range. i really like the extra ponies - i'll not go into the hooligan like actions that it inspires.

the transmission is fantastic, smooth shifting, hits every gear firmly and didn't hit a false neutral or the true neutral when riding. my 1150 had a tendancy to hit neutral when going from 1 - 2nd gear when pressed hard, i had just figured it was my own doing. either way, this bike doesn't do that at all.

fuel mileage, probably not important just yet since the bike is breaking in, but averaging around 42 - 43 mpg thus far. i hope for better but can't complain. my 1150 would average 45 on a trip like this one after it was broke in.

the windshield, just not quite big enough i'm thinking. wind noise is comparable to my R with it's small Givi Windscreen. I've messed around a little with the adjustment but need to work on it more. it isn't unpleasant since i wear plugs. i may try the larger Givi windscreen to see how that does.

handling, i am not an aggessive rider by any means, and on a ride this far from home, i certainly didn't press hard on the twisties. The bike is equipped with Dunlop D607's, Trailmax tires. The bike handles well and feels planted in the corners. As I got comfortable with the handling of the bike, which is different from my R, i felt as though i could comfortably go as fast in the corners. i think that i'll feel even more planted as times goes on, but i certainly don't feel like i'm sacrificing any cornering ability with the GS thus far.

highway travel for sustained periods was very easy on this bike. the ergos suit me well, the bike just eats up the miles with ease. with a front coming in yesterday, it was pretty windy at times but i never felt like i was getting blown around excessively. The suspension just sucks up the bumps and irregularities, the bike just feels so smooth, no buzziness in the bars, just feels very comfortable to cruise along at 80+ mph.

i dislike the design of the oil filler cap and need to come up with a handy tool conveniently located for removing. also hate the oil filter situation but will come up with things for both of these german engineering design flaws. i like the idea that the filler cap threads in place since my 1150 would weap at times, but don't like the need for a tool to remove it, that is located under the seat. thus far, i've used a blunt object to loosen the filler cap. the bike did use a litlte oil on the trip, i added a half quart thus far.


[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/17encore/j ... 0_0248.JPG[/img]

[MooseR1100R]

Jimbo, Thanks for the first impressions. The GS is at the top of list of my personal dream list. I have vowed, however, to never sell the Rbike. Reason, others who ride it really enjoy the experience and I want to keep it around for family members to ride. To me, it is the BMW experience.
Glad to hear the GS seat is comfortable for longer rides. One question I have is did you compare the Ducati Multistrata to the GS? If so, what tipped the scales. Around here Ducati is offering the first two services for free on the 2005 models. My understanding is that after the first two services the valves need little adjusting if any. Pricing is favorable, but I could use some more info. Any thoughts???