GS owners/riders? just curious

[apache]

Any of you own ,or have owned a BMW GS series? Personally Ive never ridden one, friend has one but I havent tried it yet. disregarding the price, how do they compare on the road and in the dirt etc. Hows the paralever system ???  Im going for a guiness word record of owning the most different vehicles :roll: so far Im well over 150 different rides. Might have to consider a opposed twin soon.

[Chris Canning]

I've owned my 1100s for 5 years now,any Beemer can only be discribed as different,take a long demo ride on any BM is the only way to have even the slightest idea if one suites you.



I can jump on my Tiger and ride it hard straight way it takes time(even a couple of days) to settle into rideing my S if i've been rideing the Tiger for any length of time.



The front end can be most odd,one's initial feeling is it's wooden,because of the lack of feel,you have to feel the road through the tyre and not the suspension,when you've gotten used to it,then it's time to take of advantage of the fact there is no front end dive when you use the brakes.



Engine wise same again, what ever floats your boat!!! when i'm back in the groove the BM motor runs well,but there nothing like a triple!!!



The bench mark for my two bikes is simple,if the journey is a 1000 miles or less i use the beemer,more i use the Tiger.

[Mudhen]

I came over to my Steamer from an '04 GS Adventure.    I'm the opposite of you, though...I've only owned 3 bikes!  My first was an '03 Dakar, which I didn't really like.  Too buzzy on the highway...no nuts at all.  When I first rode the Adventure I couldn't believe how smooth it was...and how much more stabile it felt with all the weight down low (gas tank was almost empty).  Then when I rode the Tiger I was laughing in my helmet at how smooth and fast it was!  In the GSs defense, though, it needed tires and I think it was having some spark issue...so my comparison may be a little flawed.



The riding position is better/yet worse than my Steamer.  I liked how high up I sat and how roomy it was.  And I liked the wind protection and warmth from the engine (this time of year, anyway - in the summer my feet would feel like they were going to burst into flames!).  I didn't like my hand positioning, which I didn't notice until after I'd used the Steamer for awhile.  Lots of people complain about their hands going to sleep and get new bars for them.



The paralever system is supposedly wonderful.  Can't really comment on it other than to say the REALLY serious dirt people (and BMW with the HP2) get rid of it.  So it can't be the best thing to have off road.



My GS took a huge pounding.  The Adventures crashbars did their job but I had issues with them snapping.  The stress on them from being slightly bent from drops and the vibration from the bike would do them in over time.  And they are hugely expensive (what isn't on that bike).  I added a set of head guards to protect the heads since they get CREAMED when the bike goes over on anything but flat ground.



My Steamer will kick a GSs a$$ off road.  But on my daily 100 mile commute, I'd rather have the big GS...especially every single morning when I'm getting gas - my Adventure got 335 miles to a tank.  I did a SaddleSore 1k on the GS last summer (2200 miles in 3 days riding) - there's no way I could do that on my Steamer.



I loved the GSs guages.  Having a fuel guage and a gear indicator was awesome.  I'm tired of reaching for 7th on the Tiger.  And I loved not having to touch a chain...although my rear drive was going...and both my friends with GSs have had rear drive issues.  But I guess this summer when my chain touched the sprocket cover and I had to get towed home, that was my own little rear drive failure...

[apache]

Interesting how the two of you differ on some things. I never thought about ones feet frying from the twins heat in the 100+ degree desert days. Shaft would be nice for less maint,anymore the less I have to touch the better as Ive become a walking disaster area. I owned a 87 K75C. was a good bike,did what it did. Regarding the Tigers, I agree the Buzz is annoying for me as my hands are in bad shape. More fuel range would be nice and but all in all there great. Im still at odds with the jetting.

[Mudhen]

Interesting how the two of you differ on some things.

Probably because Chris' Beemer is an 1100s (sportbike)...and his Tiger is a 955i (I think).



I'd like to ride a 955i sometime...I imagine it's amazing compared to the Steamer.  So maybe I don't want to ride one...

[Clemski]

Iv'e owned two BMW 1150GS, then I switched to my Tiger and to me apart from the shaft drive the Tiger beats the BMW hands down. I had no end of problems with the 2nd GS, six gearboxes and half an engine, allthough they did compensate me very well for all the trouble. :P

[Chris Canning]

Two other things.



1. Don't get carried away with the maintenance free thing on BM's it isn't true,by the time you've got 25000 on the clock things will need replaceing,took me hour and half to put sprockets and chain on my 955,haveing had the drive shaft out of a beemer there's no comparison,this no maintenance thing is a old wifes tale.



2.Something that never gets talked about but you'd be amazed how much the BM engine is affected by the weather,cool and damp fantastic,warm dry air,one of lifes horrors,a bit of an exageration!!! but only a little bit,and also i'd never buy a BM with less than 10,000 miles on the clock either cuz they sup to much oil.

[apache]

I gotta admit I originally became interested in a Tiger after riding that 01 Ive talked about almost buying. It was a 955 injected (01 I think). I wasent really excited when I rode it so I passed, then I found the 97 and couldent pass it up. I couldent justify a big investment when I knew it would get used 50/50 dirt street hours wise. I ponderd the skid plate issue on the 955 and saw no easy quick way for protection on the underside. It seemed the pipes were doomed. I whipped up a skid plate for my 97 that has saved my hiney several times. Ive put some pretty good dings in it and wasent even aware. I would imaging the cases would have been broke otherwise. It kinda seems the Tiger is more hoolagany? is that a word? The BMW is to gentelmen like for me, no offence anyone. Just my twisted thoughts I suppose.

 Either way its all good fun.

[greg]

I haven't owned a GS but I did take one out on a half day demo from my local dealer, an 1150. I did like it it, but the motor just didn't cut it all all compared to a 955i. Other than that I thought it was pretty good fun.

[Chris Canning]

Another thing!!!!,as much as i love my Tiger,it has got to be the most god awfull thing to clean,it the worsed bike i've ever owned bar non,my S can be cleaned in seconds with a bucket of water and looks great.

[Mudhen]

Another thing!!!!,as much as i love my Tiger,it has got to be the most god awfull thing to clean,it the worsed bike i've ever owned bar non,my S can be cleaned in seconds with a bucket of water and looks great.

Thanks to all that gorgeous plastic on it and the non-spoke wheels.  The GS is about the same as the Tiger for keeping clean...the dirt gets everywhere.



Regular maintenance was one of the downfalls of my GS.  I didn't want to touch it...and paid dearly for it.  $350-$450 every 2.5 months or so...depending on if I needed tires or not.



Now I'm doing the maintenance myself on the Steamer, I wish I had the GS back - gotta be easier working on that bike....

[apache]

Holy shiznet Mudhen, $250 to $350 every 2.5 months??? what kinda maint were you doing??? was this dealer charges or your cost for materials/oil/gaskets?

[Mudhen]

Holy shiznet Mudhen, $250 to $350 every 2.5 months??? what kinda maint were you doing??? was this dealer charges or your cost for materials/oil/gaskets?

That was $350-$450...depending on if I needed tires or not.  That's just the standard service every 6k miles.



I did start doing my own oil changes after the first time I took it in and was charged $92...

[BigDave]

well i'd give you my two cents but I'd prolly get booted off my own website.  :lol: