Do NOT test ride a GS

oldrascal

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Yup, that's right, if you have never ridden a GS before, whatever happens, do NOT test ride a GS.

Now I know that this advice goes totally contrary to what fellow Tossers advise and, for that matter, goes against common sense as well. I mean what sort of blithering idiot buys a bloody expensive bit of kit like a GS without first reassuring themselves that they like and enjoy the experience.

Well this blithering idiot for one. Here is why.

I have ridden motorbikes for over 30 years, each one getting faster, lairier and more manic than the last...........actually, the last was a 2008 GTX1300Hayabusa..........more manic than that wee beastie is hard to find, I am sure you all agree.

But creeping senility, arthritis and general can't-be-fagged to scream around the national road system made me consider changing. :rob

Now like everyone, I saw and enjoyed Euan and Charlie's escapades and it got me a thinkin' and a wonderin'.

So I sloped off to have a look around a new GSA at the dealership and liked what I saw. I also have to admit to being well suited to the GSA in particular because I am 6ft 3in and have a 34in inside leg. But there is no question that anyone can ride a GS if not the GSA, even if your femur is on the stunted side. :augie

Of course the dealer offered me a test ride and I turned it down. You see I knew that I was not going to enjoy the experience comong from the sports bike world. The two worlds are just totally different, so much so that you have to use other criteria when judging whether or not to buy.

There was no way that I could appreciate the subtleties the GS experience without days of hands-on riding, and there was no way that was on offer from the dealer.

So it became an intellectual excercise and the choice was made.

And I am just so delighted that I took my own advice because when I picked up the GSA and rode it the 40 miles back home, I just disliked it and the whole experience left me cold. How could I compare this strange sit-up-and-beg riding experience and the asthmatic engine with the Hayabuse and still say that I had made the right choice.

Well one month later and I am besotted with the bloody thing. I consistently ride on routes that used to take me longer on the Suzuki and I am relaxed, comfortable and HAVING FUN. I don't need to dress like a power-ranger and nobody cares if I just bimble along enjoying the MP3 tunes being piped to my helmet.

Yup, as I said, whatever you do, DON'T TEST RIDE A GS. Just go for it.......you will never regret it for one minute and will revel in its versatility and sheer fun. :JB
 
they have that habit of getting under your skin dont they:D:D:D

the austrians have the same effect but fry your brains as well:D


may your newbeastie give you many miles of smiles
 
I associate with so much of your post particularly taking the longer route home, thought I was the only nutter !! I hope you enjoy your GS as much as I have mine. Particularly as after the first 10k miles I have had absoluelty nothing go wrong and still on the first set of those superb Battel Wing tyres ! Contine to enjoy your bike, happy Christmas
 
I can see why...

you have named yourself Old Rascal because even though I thought I knew where you were heading I wasn't really sure.Really pleased to learn that you like your GS. I have done the same and part exed a Blackbird and being a poor man I have had to opt for a Varadero but I still love it and as you say I can now bimble along when I want to and take time to smell the roses.
The wifes still not convinced that I won't hunger for another BB given I have owned four and in between two of them I bought an 1100 Pan and chopped it in for another BB after a fortnight, but I just know this time I really have made the right choice and who knows, don't let the wife know but if and when I get a few bob I may even be able to trade up to a GS.
In the meantime ride safe and enjoy your new toy.
 
Hi Hondated,

The BB is a great bike, the grand-daddy of the hyperbikes that made all of us want bigger and faster. It is still the best looking, in my book, as well.

The Varadero has had a great career, I think that it is coming towards the end of its life now but fantastic value for money all the same with a lot of the attributes of the GS.

I was out today on the GS and realised that it is just so much easier to ride than the Hyperbikes. Going round a big roundabout at twice the lean angle and much faste than ever I dared on the 'Busa and still able to turn around comfortably for a 'lifesaver' as well as sticking a big paw out to indicate my intended exit.

It is all so easy and everyone knows you are there as these big bikes, with riders sitting way up there, are much more visible to car drivers. Just great.

And a Happy end of year to you too. :beerjug:
 
Every day since getting my GS I now take the 'LONG WAY HOME' and I love it. Throw every bump and every twist and turn at me and I smile even more under my helmet.
Pure Class:aidan
 
I never had a test ride either... back in 97 an evil dealer gave me a GS as a courtesy bike for the day while my Speed Trip 900 was in for a service.

needless to say the Trumpet was traded in 14 days later.... and here I am after Eleven years still with an 1100 - one of the very last made. (12/99):bounce1

when the bike show was on in brum got asked by some pals if I wanted to go - my secret though was 'why? whats there worth looking at?'

I made a slightly more PC excuse mind...
 
Didn't test ride either...

Traded in my F800st and rode 250 miles home on the gs - so much easier than the 250 going. Still grinning :D

Welcome and enjoy :thumb

Mike
 
why not have two? best of both worlds :aidan

welcome dude
 

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When i bought my 1150GSA i didnt test ride it either,in fact when i picked it up and rode it the 250miles home it was the first time id ever riden a GS,and like you i thought opps this was a mistake,but by the time i got home i was in love and i can honestly say there isnt another bike id change it for now,theres lots of bikes id like aswell but il be keeping this one till it falls to bits....:Motomartin
 
Great post. I have to agree that I too made the "intellectual" decision to go for a GS without taking a test ride. Having to contend with the practicalities of an all year 70 mile round trip commute, my old VTR 1000 provided ear to ear grins all summer long but failed miserably to muster enthusiasm and joy once the temperatures started to drop. So I having weighed up the pro's and con's, looked at all the possible, well appealing, alternatives and narrowed it down to a GS or Triumph Tiger. And well, again practicality dictated, once again, that the longer service interval offered by a shaft drive would be the most favorable choice.

Come the big day to go and collect the GS I was filled with dread. A continuous downpour that would have had Noah rubbing his hands with glee and winds any Vendee Globe competitor would kill for did nothing for my enthusiasm. Having picked it up I was confronted with rivers where there should have been roads, lakes on the dual carriageway and spray like Himalayan mist from the HGV's. But by the time I'd covered this 50 mile trip home, where previously my nerves and patience would have been severely frayed I was cackling like a demented hyena, warm, dry and enjoying myself so much I just kept on going! For the rest of the afternoon infact. Yes the fuelling would have been smoother if you'd transplanted it from a John Dere, and the vibes in the bars could give a road hammer a good run for its money, but the confidence it inspires in it's handling of the everyday British weather and public highways allows these little nuances to be easily overlooked, forgiven and now even looked upon with affection.

Having had the beast for a couple of weeks now, there hasn't been a day when I've been able to find an excuse not to pop out for a wee spin. And the only aftermarket accessories that I've been tempted to splash out on have been an ACF treatment and an HID kit so that I can see where I'm riding on the way to and from work, which has kept a smile on the wifes face too!

The only troubling question I have is, why I didn't take the decision to make this leap of faith long before I eventually did?

Steve. :clap
 
Hi Steve,

Good on you for joining this varied band of renegades all enthused by the same passion for an assembled mass of metal, rubber and plastic that transcends logic in our affections.

And the word 'affection' jumps out at me from your tale of collecting your bike. There are few inanimate objects that raise the feeling of affection in me; those that do share similar qualities.

Specifically with regard to motorbikes, to enjoy the endearment 'affection', a bike has to be what our politicians call 'fit for purpose', where functionality so exceeds the dictats of fashion, modishness and marketing-led 'advances' that blight most modern output, that a whole new set of criteria gain precedence in your way of looking and judging not only the bike but your relationship to it.

And the GS does that, and then some, and then some more......

Other than a Ducati 916 'Foggy Rep' that I owned some years back, I can't remember another bike that has given me so much pleasure just to look at, on its stand in the garage. A goodnight kiss is surely not too far down the road. :rose

So welcome again and let's hope to see you out and about the South Coast sometime soon.

Cheers :beerjug:
 
Price rise

I have not posted on the site before so I hope this is the correct way to add a comment!
I am told by my local dealer that there is a price rise of around £1000.00 on all consignment dealer stock from 1st Jan. For anybody thinking of buying a new one it may be worth a call to your dealer to check this out.
 
Test drive

I too have just had a GSA 2008 delivered after having not even sat on one, let alone test driven it. I've previously owned sports bikes (including Fireblades, Hyabusas, R1s etc) and started my BMW love affair with a Boxercup. I had it 5 years and loved it. The dealer said that I would hate it after my hyabusa, but the BMW truly got under my skin and into my system.
At the Manx, I saw loads of GSAs on the island and talked to the guys that owned them (everyone really loved theirs) and after seeing 4 more on the ferry home, I decided I had to have one!

I bought it fully loaded but, being Yorkshire and tight, I didn't get the boxes, which I now regret. This is a fantastic bike to ride and is sharper than the Boxercup and I love the on-board computer. Roll on 2009, when I will purchase some new boxes and use the bike to its full capacity.

P.S. the wife just bought me a Rallye 2 jacket (twat jacket). Being new to this BMW gear lark, can someone tell me why it's a 'twat' jacket (or is it because only twats pay £415 for it?).
 
Welcome buddy,me thinks twat jacket cause twats wear them but hey some of the stuff iv seen some of these guys on here wearing i wouldnt worry yourself.:Motomartin
 
I have only owned my GS for 3 weeks, love it to bits. I even volunteered to hand deliver our xmas cards this year instead of relying on the Royal Mail. Might of been more expensive than stamps but they got there on time and delivered with a smile :JB A great way to keep in touch which is something that isnt in the marketing.....
 


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