RT and GSA

Chris R

Active member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
103
Reaction score
1
Location
Derbyshire
I'm seeking some advice. I own an 1150 GSA which I rarely ride off road and it makes a very accomplished tourer. It has Wilbers suspension and a sargeant seat. In fact I love it! I recently did 2000 miles around the Pyrenees and it was faultless.
BUT it's a big bastard to shove round the garage and filter in traffic.
I'm becoming increasingly drawn to a 1200 RT
So who has owned both and could give me an honest appraisal of the pros and cons of swapping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Get the down to local dealer for a test ride, you can wear your cravat and look forward to joining the gentlemen BMW riders :)
 
I'm seeking some advice. I own an 1150 GSA > BUT it's a big bastard to shove round the garage and filter in traffic.
I'm becoming increasingly drawn to a 1200 RT

So you want to swap one big bastard for a bigger bastard.....you do realise the wet weight of 1200 hexhead RT is about the same as an 1150GSA dont you and the LC RT is about 275kg...

Not sure what your trying to accomplish....

I'd rather drop a GSA than an RT.

RT's dont crash anywhere near as well as GSA's with crash bars.
 
Gsa is higher rt is big too but really to move in the traffic only the mirror are in a bad place,I leave in Paris and and drive it everyday and everywhere,I m in the same situation gsa lc or Rt Lc now for two years I m happy but many trouble (bad series)but really easy to drive and you go fast fast with that bike.
The GSA is to heavy for off road if you don't use to do it a lot,if you just go in dust road the rt can do it.
Regards


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk
 
Ok good point Blueranger. I suppose I'm trying to find out if the riding experience would be worth the swap?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I ride a GS1150 (so not GSA) on which I have done 100k+kms.

Got an RT LC in 2015. RT is fabulous, weight not much difference from 1150 GSA IIRC and carries its weight well.

You should try one for a fee hours and see what you think

I love the RT and


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
the GSA is more sat up higher than an RT....they both hold the weight well on road but in the garage the RT is heavier to move and with Panniers on all the time it will be wider than a non Panniered GSA... as above drop an RT your looking big bucks to repair ,drop a GSA, pick it up and ride away.....to me the GS Rallye is were you should be looking its a middle ground In fact any GS would be a lot lighter ,a similar ride to the GSA and more manageable

Ride before you buy
 
TBH, having changed from an 1150GSA to 1200LC GSA the LC it feels 50kg lighter because its much better balanced than the oilhead even through their wet weight is about the same.
Filtering slowly is much easier and putting feet down is also easier.
The weather protection on the 1200GSA is also nearly as good as my old oilhead RT. As nice as the RT is the GSA makes more sense as an everyday bike.
I had the same debate with myself about RT vs GSA and in the end the GSA just makes more sense unless you do alot of touring and you like to ride in a quiet bubble.

Dont forget that the GSA has free space under the bars that mirrors can fit in between the RT has a bleeding great fairing and the oilhead RT mirrors were the same height as car mirrors making filtering in traffic a damn pain.
 
Actually, if your happy with your 1150GSa as a touring and commuting tool but find it too cumbersome and heavy, the sensible thing to do would be a twincam GS.
Lighter, more power and better choice of screens if you need to tweek aerodynamics. Fuel economy probably better to offsetting the smaller tank.
 
I have an 1150 GSA with MSA screen, custom bars and Ohlins and it is a nice tourer in good weather but simply too exposed in windy or wet weather. I recently bought a nice 1150RT to do a bit more touring on - going to rallies and European historic race meetings. The RT beats the GSA hands down on a long tour and is like riding a scooter in comparison. Much lower and very comfortable even with standard shocks, seat and bars. Super dry in bad weather, with even the standard screen keeping the worst off at a steady 60.

I just took the RT home to Eire for a week. Rode from Banbury to Holyhead, then Dublin to Donegal. All around Donegal for three nights, then down the west coast to Clare for a few days, then across to Dublin, lots of filtering in and around the city for a day and then home on the ferry and down the wonderfully twisty A5 back to the midlands. 1500 miles and it was significantly more comfortable than the same trip would have been on the GSA. Much easier in town and great MPG too. Some really lousy weather on the way out and I was dry at all times - I would have drowned on the GSA.

I hung out with a Dutch couple on a K1300GT and a German chap on a 1200RT at the ferry while waiting to load and the RT rider had done 100,000 kms on an 1150 RT before switching to the 1200. He had nothing but praise for his old bike and also loved the new one. I would contemplate buying one myself at some stage as his looked brilliant.

I do love my GSA and have no intention of getting rid of it (or riding it off road): it just goes out for occasional road rides and trips to cover events etc. I took it on a 6-hour return ride to Builth Wells and back last weekend and it was as mega as ever - but anyone who believes a GSA makes a better tourer than an RT is mistaken IMHO. RT is streets ahead for comfort at speed and super easy to use in town.

Pushing them around the garage & back garden is about the same - maybe easier on RT due to lower bars - but on the wide open road, I am loving the RT for its effortless ability to knock the miles off and then switch to a sporty ride on fast A roads. Brilliant. Middle daughter and I are off to Brittany for four days in August and no way will we be using the GSA.
 
I've had both and currently have a GSA and I plan on keeping it.
The RT had a couple of issues for me- nothing that was a huge issue but I just fancied a GSA and was able to do it so I went for it and glad I made the change.
I am over 6ft and I found the hip angle too much on the RT- after 2-3 hours on it I was in a fair bit of discomfort.
The GSA is much more comfortable for longer distances for me.

I didn't crash my RT but I did know a couple of guys who crashed theirs and the repair bill for plastics is huge.
I haven't crashed the GSA either but it is obvious that it would take it a lot better.
Even just day to day use of the RT felt like I was babying it quite a bit- plastics don't take abuse like metal boxes do.

The wind/weather protection is better on the RT, but not enough to make a real difference especially with my Puig aftermarket screen.
Within 5 mins of riding the GSA I got it- I see why they sell so many of them.
It isn't a bike I love but I respect what it does and I enjoy having it.
If I was going to get rid of it for anything then it would be something with a bit more pace- maybe an S1000XR or a Multistrada but I am happy with it for now.
 
I have an RT LC and also a 2013 Bonneville - The RT is a much easier bike to manhandle around the garage.

Not a direct comarison I know but I merely wanted to illustrate the ease with which the RT can be manoeuvered.
 
I want to thank all you chaps for your time and comments they have been very helpful.
Whereas in years gone by I have ridden all year around and most of my big journeys were done on a R100 7, which I still own with over 100k on the clock, I now only ride for leisure.
So I think I'll stick with my GS for now and not imagine that an RT would be a necessary addition to my small collection.
Until the next whim starts to overpower me..........


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just a personal opinion but, last summer, I swapped from a GS to an RT.

I've just sold it and bought a lowered GSA, which I'm waiting for now.

I preferred the GS as an everyday and multi purpose bike.

The RT was great for touring and distance work - a great nimble mile muncher with better weather protection etc but it was more sensible than fun.

Always wanted a GSA but just too high for me so ordered a lowered one.

And yes, the RT is easier to move round than a GS in a tight space.
 
I preferred the GS as an everyday and multi purpose bike.

The RT was great for touring and distance work - a great nimble mile muncher with better weather protection etc but it was more sensible than fun.


And yes, the RT is easier to move round than a GS in a tight space.

I had a very similar experience a few years back. Initially loved the RT 1200 an '09 IIRC, super comfy, sleek and protection from the elements mile munching par excellence.

Downside was it had little or no character to speak of and the blandness of it all drove me back to a GSA in about 3 months flat.

Oddly enough I am looking at them again 8 years down the line....
 
I had a very similar experience a few years back. Initially loved the RT 1200 an '09 IIRC, super comfy, sleek and protection from the elements mile munching par excellence.

Downside was it had little or no character to speak of.

The new Wethead is a totally different beast and I think you will find it has a lot more character (good and bad) than the super bland you talk of.
 
bandy, whats the bad ? Interested in an owners perspective.

RBW.

Well I have both an 1150RT Oilhead and a 1200RT Wethead.
So the good is very good. (Engine and gearbox)
The bad:
Well, bodywork is fragile and owners need to be aware that in their ownership they will probably break a locating tab off here and there.
Washing is a lot more long winded than the 1150.
The switchgear (lefthand cluster) dip switch is too short and requires a more concious effort than on the 1150. I have fixed mine with an extension and it is now brilliant.
The screen is rubbish...fixed that with a Werks Quiet Ride - brilliant.
The seat is rubbish. WAAAY too uncomfortable for a mile muncher like this bike is.
Suspension is no where near as supple as that on my 1150. It doesn't make it bad, it is just...less good.
Storage spaces. What storage spaces? I am now having to intrude on my pannier and top box space for stuff that used to be buried away on the 1150. Things like compressor, puncture repair kit, Nuts bolts and cable ties, first aid kit, 1/2 litre of oil, binnoculars, ratchet strap, talcum powder (!), insect repellent, disc lock and a few other things too.
The headlight adjuster not readily available to hand.
Sat Nav should be a locked in feature.
Panniers are wider than the mirrors. This is a VERY bad thing for those of us who lane split or ride in cities. I have fixed this by replacing the pannier lids with slim line items from Hornig.
Paint finish on engine casings, stands etc is much poorer.
General access for panel removal is much more long winded, but really shouldn't need to be if they had used interlocking panels and push in panels.

So, this doesn't make it a terrible machine, it is just that it could be SO much better.
 


Back
Top Bottom