Hi Everyone,
So I'm new here... and been thinking about getting one of the many varieties of GS as my first "big bike". I've ridden a few bikes during my training, and have been riding my little Honda MSX for the past two years. I'm in the lucky position that I can keep the MSX alongside another bigger bike in my garage. (It's perfect for my commute, dirt cheap to run and I love it).
What I want/need from a bigger bike is pretty much a "do it all" bike that has a relaxed, upright sitting position and I can comfortably hold it up with one foot (I've got short legs ~27" inseam, it's very rare I can get both feet on the ground at the same time! - I'm getting used to it). Nearly all road riding, however I would like to do some light off roading/trails at some point. But living in Scotland, with the lack of legal green lanes this is more of an issue... :-(
As I like the look of naked bikes, I've been drawn to the GS'es. Also partly due to my other half having a R1150GSA - I like it, but I cannot reach the ground at all and it is far to heavy for me!
For the past few months I've had my eye on the G310GS (due out in august apparently). This seems to tick all my boxes:
I've had a sit on the G310r (awaiting a test ride) and I can easily get my whole left foot on the ground, and it feels not much heavier than my MSX!
However... after a visit to BMW in Dalkeith, I now know I am just as comfortable on a 2017 F700 Rallye LS as I felt on the G310r. And that ticks most of the boxes too, plus some extra. So I'm going to get a test ride booked for that!
My questions however are:
Are there any draw back with getting the lowered suspension version rather than just a low seat on the standard version? (other than ground clearance).
From looking around the form here, there doesn't appear to be many issues with the 800cc engines, which is great! So how costly is maintenance for them? Part of the appeal of the G310 is that it should be less costly overall (mpg/service costs etc). The F700 is right at the top end of my budget (well, over it... but lets not focus on that too much!) so I will be taking running costs into consideration.
What are the changes from say a 2014 F700GS to a 2017 F700 Rallye? Do they have different seat heights? (I've googled and cannot find this out...) Is it purely cosmetic?
Sorry for the rambling post, I'm just rather excited I have potentially found a bike that fits me and feels easy to manually move around. However I do feel I really need to justify it as it is over the budget I set myself
So I'm new here... and been thinking about getting one of the many varieties of GS as my first "big bike". I've ridden a few bikes during my training, and have been riding my little Honda MSX for the past two years. I'm in the lucky position that I can keep the MSX alongside another bigger bike in my garage. (It's perfect for my commute, dirt cheap to run and I love it).
What I want/need from a bigger bike is pretty much a "do it all" bike that has a relaxed, upright sitting position and I can comfortably hold it up with one foot (I've got short legs ~27" inseam, it's very rare I can get both feet on the ground at the same time! - I'm getting used to it). Nearly all road riding, however I would like to do some light off roading/trails at some point. But living in Scotland, with the lack of legal green lanes this is more of an issue... :-(
As I like the look of naked bikes, I've been drawn to the GS'es. Also partly due to my other half having a R1150GSA - I like it, but I cannot reach the ground at all and it is far to heavy for me!
For the past few months I've had my eye on the G310GS (due out in august apparently). This seems to tick all my boxes:
- Light
- Low seat option
- Screen/luggage rack included
- Easy to put heated grips/panniers on
- Looks fab!
- Is in budget
I've had a sit on the G310r (awaiting a test ride) and I can easily get my whole left foot on the ground, and it feels not much heavier than my MSX!
However... after a visit to BMW in Dalkeith, I now know I am just as comfortable on a 2017 F700 Rallye LS as I felt on the G310r. And that ticks most of the boxes too, plus some extra. So I'm going to get a test ride booked for that!
My questions however are:
Are there any draw back with getting the lowered suspension version rather than just a low seat on the standard version? (other than ground clearance).
From looking around the form here, there doesn't appear to be many issues with the 800cc engines, which is great! So how costly is maintenance for them? Part of the appeal of the G310 is that it should be less costly overall (mpg/service costs etc). The F700 is right at the top end of my budget (well, over it... but lets not focus on that too much!) so I will be taking running costs into consideration.
What are the changes from say a 2014 F700GS to a 2017 F700 Rallye? Do they have different seat heights? (I've googled and cannot find this out...) Is it purely cosmetic?
Sorry for the rambling post, I'm just rather excited I have potentially found a bike that fits me and feels easy to manually move around. However I do feel I really need to justify it as it is over the budget I set myself