Since I first saw the R1100GS hit the magazines, the GS has piqued my interest. I knew early on - mid-90s - that I'd probably own one some day. It was an oddball in a biking world then fixated on sports bikes, more often ridiculed (by anyone other than journalists) than praised. Obviously that changed... 
I've always liked versatile bikes, rather than single-minded bikes. After finding my feet in the early 90s on an AR125 and CM125, I dallied with cruiser/custom type bikes (two Shadow 500s), which helped me realise that despite my notional aspirations and impression of what I thought I wanted from biking, they weren't for me - they handled like shite and I soon came to be a bit embarrassed about their posey nature.
Dull as they may have seemed, I would have bought a Kwak GT550 or GT750. But I instead got a Suzuki GSX750ET, which I really liked and would have kept but for the looming of a doomed-to-be-misspent year traveling in Greece, Oz & NZ. On returning home, I got an FJ1200. Kept it for 5 years, learned a bit more about speed and handling, dropped it a couple of times (fundamental lesson #1 - big straight-4 engines spin the back wheel very easily), and had it stolen. I got it back, but things weren't the same again, so I moved it on as a project for a few bob.
Kids arrived and that changed things. Then I briefly had a CB-1, followed by a FireStorm, which I'd have kept, but I got a goo to own a HiLux Surf and fart around off-road with that (which I did), so the FireStorm was sold to fund the Surf.
Still reading? Slow day I guess...
All through this time, I'd been buying bike magazines and keeping up with the GS's progress & development. Ewan & Charlie of course fueled my want, but the prices of GSs were always a Long Way Off (yep, that just happened
) from what I might be able to afford. I've done a few miles over the last year on a GSX650F, which I can't say I like, but it served its purpose. The FJ & the FireStorm are two of the best bikes I've ever ridden.
Fast forward through a separation, a redundancy, a few tough years and a couple of career changes, and I find myself in early 2016 with the prospect of getting back onto bikes seeming quite viable. Thanks to some good fortune and determination despite knock-backs, I'm now the owner of a lovely 2002 1150 - the exact spec I'd been hoping to find (non-servo ABS, single-spark, no spline-alignment issues, well-kept, and not yellow). Well, the one I got is yellow, but the rest is good, and I'm not thick - colour can be accepted or changed.
I'm under pressure to repay people that have really helped me get where I am now, but it's all in hand and under control.
So after all this, what's my 1150 like? And what do I think of it?
It's fucking big. It's ponderous. I'm 5' 11", 32" inside leg. It's got lots of stuff on it and done to it that I'd otherwise have done myself. I love the engine sound (Remus can & Y). The handling is ridiculous - within maybe 20-30 miles I had confidence to really fling it around without feeling anything but confidence in it - and myself.
I did a leisurely 150km yesterday - my first proper spin since I got it a couple of weeks ago.
The negatives...
The seat is pretty hard. By the end of the ride, I was shifting about quite a bit to relieve my arse-pain. Perhaps the seat has just taken on Laurence's arse-shape, and either mine needs to conform to that, or the seat needs to conform to mine.
My right hand was numb after maybe 50km. So numb that when I went to use my front brake, I had diminished control. I resolved it pretty easily by shifting my hand out maybe 1/4-1/2 an inch, shifting the contact point from the crook of my thumb-index finger to the heel of my palm. No biggie, and to be fair, since breaking my arm in an off on the CM125 in 92, every bike has demanded some tweaking of my hand position on the grip to avoid this numbness.
The wind noise above 80-90kmh is enough to drown out the engine noise. This was one of the few rides I've ever done without earplugs, and highlighted why I always did, and will going forward. My helmet is an AGV Compact - I'm not under any illusion or delusion that this should be a quiet helmet. I tried 4 different adjustments of the screen extender Laurence had fitted to the bike, but none seemed very different to the others, so I'm hoping that earplugs will be the answer, at least until I save up for an end-of-line C3... There's no buffeting, just noise.
The power is slightly less than I'd expected. Opening the throttle does deliver a decent whoosh, but after my most recent (not-so-awesome) steed - the GSX - it's just slightly lacking.
The indicators will take some getting used to. In particular cancelling them - I seem to rev when my thumb reaches for the cancel button. I'll need to get on top of that in order eliminating lurching forward...
The positives...
The power is slightly less than I'd expected. Opening the throttle does deliver a decent whoosh, but after my most recent (not-so-awesome) steed - the GSX - it's just slightly lacking. Yep, I regard this as also being a positive. Speed limits and shitty weather mean that the GS's power - both the amount and its delivery - suits the real-world perhaps better than any other bike I've ridden. There's plenty to have fun, but not so much that you'll get yourself in trouble, either with the law or with the conditions.
The gear shift. Everything I'd read had me expecting false neutrals, crunchy/clunky changes, hammer-hitting-anvil first gear. I felt none of that. First is quiet, all other changes are a smooth positive snick - not what I was expecting at all. The torque-reaction on blipping on downshifts will take some getting used to.
The riding position is very commanding. One thing I remember about my FJ was the feeling of being in the bike rather than on it. The GS doesn't share this, but I do still feel connected with it, rather than controlling it, if that makes any sense.
The presence - filtering through/around slow traffic (dip beam & driving lights on, white helmet), cars were pulling to the side very often to allow me a bit of room. Not something I remember observing as often on my other bikes.
The handling. Natural, confidence-inspiring, fluid, fun, surprising, easy... Everything the magazines & reviews said it was.
The heft & planted-ness. It's a solid mofo of an ocean cruiser. Some windy moments yesterday, and a few gusts did try to push the GS, but it didn't care. And that meant I didn't care.
The buzz. The Je ne sais quoi. Whether I've built myself up for GS ownership and am a little starry-eyed, I don't know, but despite the negatives - that seat could prove to be a serious one - I think I'm going to love this bike.
I've always liked versatile bikes, rather than single-minded bikes. After finding my feet in the early 90s on an AR125 and CM125, I dallied with cruiser/custom type bikes (two Shadow 500s), which helped me realise that despite my notional aspirations and impression of what I thought I wanted from biking, they weren't for me - they handled like shite and I soon came to be a bit embarrassed about their posey nature.
Dull as they may have seemed, I would have bought a Kwak GT550 or GT750. But I instead got a Suzuki GSX750ET, which I really liked and would have kept but for the looming of a doomed-to-be-misspent year traveling in Greece, Oz & NZ. On returning home, I got an FJ1200. Kept it for 5 years, learned a bit more about speed and handling, dropped it a couple of times (fundamental lesson #1 - big straight-4 engines spin the back wheel very easily), and had it stolen. I got it back, but things weren't the same again, so I moved it on as a project for a few bob.
Kids arrived and that changed things. Then I briefly had a CB-1, followed by a FireStorm, which I'd have kept, but I got a goo to own a HiLux Surf and fart around off-road with that (which I did), so the FireStorm was sold to fund the Surf.
Still reading? Slow day I guess...
All through this time, I'd been buying bike magazines and keeping up with the GS's progress & development. Ewan & Charlie of course fueled my want, but the prices of GSs were always a Long Way Off (yep, that just happened
) from what I might be able to afford. I've done a few miles over the last year on a GSX650F, which I can't say I like, but it served its purpose. The FJ & the FireStorm are two of the best bikes I've ever ridden.Fast forward through a separation, a redundancy, a few tough years and a couple of career changes, and I find myself in early 2016 with the prospect of getting back onto bikes seeming quite viable. Thanks to some good fortune and determination despite knock-backs, I'm now the owner of a lovely 2002 1150 - the exact spec I'd been hoping to find (non-servo ABS, single-spark, no spline-alignment issues, well-kept, and not yellow). Well, the one I got is yellow, but the rest is good, and I'm not thick - colour can be accepted or changed.
I'm under pressure to repay people that have really helped me get where I am now, but it's all in hand and under control.
So after all this, what's my 1150 like? And what do I think of it?
It's fucking big. It's ponderous. I'm 5' 11", 32" inside leg. It's got lots of stuff on it and done to it that I'd otherwise have done myself. I love the engine sound (Remus can & Y). The handling is ridiculous - within maybe 20-30 miles I had confidence to really fling it around without feeling anything but confidence in it - and myself.
I did a leisurely 150km yesterday - my first proper spin since I got it a couple of weeks ago.
The negatives...
The seat is pretty hard. By the end of the ride, I was shifting about quite a bit to relieve my arse-pain. Perhaps the seat has just taken on Laurence's arse-shape, and either mine needs to conform to that, or the seat needs to conform to mine.
My right hand was numb after maybe 50km. So numb that when I went to use my front brake, I had diminished control. I resolved it pretty easily by shifting my hand out maybe 1/4-1/2 an inch, shifting the contact point from the crook of my thumb-index finger to the heel of my palm. No biggie, and to be fair, since breaking my arm in an off on the CM125 in 92, every bike has demanded some tweaking of my hand position on the grip to avoid this numbness.
The wind noise above 80-90kmh is enough to drown out the engine noise. This was one of the few rides I've ever done without earplugs, and highlighted why I always did, and will going forward. My helmet is an AGV Compact - I'm not under any illusion or delusion that this should be a quiet helmet. I tried 4 different adjustments of the screen extender Laurence had fitted to the bike, but none seemed very different to the others, so I'm hoping that earplugs will be the answer, at least until I save up for an end-of-line C3...
There's no buffeting, just noise.The power is slightly less than I'd expected. Opening the throttle does deliver a decent whoosh, but after my most recent (not-so-awesome) steed - the GSX - it's just slightly lacking.
The indicators will take some getting used to. In particular cancelling them - I seem to rev when my thumb reaches for the cancel button. I'll need to get on top of that in order eliminating lurching forward...
The positives...
The power is slightly less than I'd expected. Opening the throttle does deliver a decent whoosh, but after my most recent (not-so-awesome) steed - the GSX - it's just slightly lacking. Yep, I regard this as also being a positive. Speed limits and shitty weather mean that the GS's power - both the amount and its delivery - suits the real-world perhaps better than any other bike I've ridden. There's plenty to have fun, but not so much that you'll get yourself in trouble, either with the law or with the conditions.
The gear shift. Everything I'd read had me expecting false neutrals, crunchy/clunky changes, hammer-hitting-anvil first gear. I felt none of that. First is quiet, all other changes are a smooth positive snick - not what I was expecting at all. The torque-reaction on blipping on downshifts will take some getting used to.
The riding position is very commanding. One thing I remember about my FJ was the feeling of being in the bike rather than on it. The GS doesn't share this, but I do still feel connected with it, rather than controlling it, if that makes any sense.
The presence - filtering through/around slow traffic (dip beam & driving lights on, white helmet), cars were pulling to the side very often to allow me a bit of room. Not something I remember observing as often on my other bikes.
The handling. Natural, confidence-inspiring, fluid, fun, surprising, easy... Everything the magazines & reviews said it was.
The heft & planted-ness. It's a solid mofo of an ocean cruiser. Some windy moments yesterday, and a few gusts did try to push the GS, but it didn't care. And that meant I didn't care.
The buzz. The Je ne sais quoi. Whether I've built myself up for GS ownership and am a little starry-eyed, I don't know, but despite the negatives - that seat could prove to be a serious one - I think I'm going to love this bike.
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Perhaps I'll think differently if play off road a bit.
