1200 > 1250 To upgrade or not? (cost to change, warranties etc)

Dont kidd yourself...I would not waste my time on a 1200...The 1250 might not be a big upgrade on paper but in real life the difference is like weak coffee compared to a rich mocca latte...:D the additional 84 cc and 2 intake cam-lobes make a huge difference ! ESpecially when you make a side by side roll-on against the weak 2017-18 EU-4 R1200GS !

Sorry but unless you are riding like an utter and complete TW*T on public roads there is very little difference in performance between the later 1200 models and the 1250 .

Anybody who claims that they need the extra couple of horsepower to ride safely and in a responsible manner on a public road is talking out of their arse.

I know riders who on the then current r1100rt police bikes could ride the wheels off some smug cnut on a top of the range sports bike from the same era and unlike the sports bike riders they never made the claim that they were riding gods or needed any more than 90bhp to do so.
 
Dont kidd yourself...I would not waste my time on a 1200...The 1250 might not be a big upgrade on paper but in real life the difference is like weak coffee compared to a rich mocca latte...:D the additional 84 cc and 2 intake cam-lobes make a huge difference ! ESpecially when you make a side by side roll-on against the weak 2017-18 EU-4 R1200GS !

really,i have had both, in fact i have had two of both,if you took the stickers of my 1250 ,i wouldnt notice the difference
 
Sorry but unless you are riding like an utter and complete TW*T on public roads there is very little difference in performance between the later 1200 models and the 1250 .

Anybody who claims that they need the extra couple of horsepower to ride safely and in a responsible manner on a public road is talking out of their arse.

I know riders who on the then current r1100rt police bikes could ride the wheels off some smug cnut on a top of the range sports bike from the same era and unlike the sports bike riders they never made the claim that they were riding gods or needed any more than 90bhp to do so.

100% agree
 
As always, interesting to see how perceptions differ. I wonder if it about riding styles. I also think that to talk about speed rather than torque misses the point. I don't miss the shitty fuelling of the 1250 EU4 or having to go/up down constantly on back roads, when instead I have tongue flexibility that pisses on the huffing 1200. Add to that the 1200 flat spot at 5-6k, and the roll-on capability of the 1250. It's still a boxer, and not silky smooth but I find it a big improvement. That said, I only upgraded when I could get some of the things on the 1250 that weren't on the 1200, tft, heated grips that are actually useful, heated seats etc

Have to agree about the rear suspension, does seem a little softer than the 1200, and I think I prefer the 1200 in that regard.
 
the difference in performance of the 1200 to 1250 is light and day

the grunt is much closer to the amount you need, where you need, on the 1250 - on the 1200 LC might as well get off and walk
there is no realistic comparison - what I did notice is the 1250 seems to have very wrong gear ratios - which might be to cover for the fact its not got enough grunt even now - hence the 1300 engine they still haven't released yet

and I got cooked in traffic riding it today - got on a K1600 and has less heat and enough grunt - quite shocked how much I preferred the k1600 over a nimble 1250GS and desperately needed the extra go (of the k1600)
 
Out of interest, what is the approximate cost for an extended warranty? My bike will be 3 years old in June 2022 and will have covered about 30k miles. I'm weighing up my options and of course, one choice is to keep it and buy a warranty...

Last time I bought it (Last year) it was shade under £400 which was warranty and recovery.
 
I just upgraded from an air cooled 2008/9 GSA Hexhead to a 2019 1250 GSA and the difference in performance and refinement is huge, but the cost for me to change was £11k so I won't be doing it often, thats my Covid savings pot almost emptied.

For me this was worth it, I intend to enjoy this bike for many years just like my last bike (which is still going strong). If I had owned a water cooled 1200GSA however it wouldn't have been worth it to change IMHO.
 
the difference in performance of the 1200 to 1250 is light and day

the grunt is much closer to the amount you need, where you need, on the 1250 - on the 1200 LC might as well get off and walk
there is no realistic comparison - what I did notice is the 1250 seems to have very wrong gear ratios - which might be to cover for the fact its not got enough grunt even now - hence the 1300 engine they still haven't released yet

and I got cooked in traffic riding it today - got on a K1600 and has less heat and enough grunt - quite shocked how much I preferred the k1600 over a nimble 1250GS and desperately needed the extra go (of the k1600)
well I went from a K1200GT (150hp) to a 1200GS (125hp) :blagblah yes the top end power isnt as much, but "get off and walk" ? the torque and power is more than enough (unless all you want to do is scream the nuts of the engine, in which case the GS may well not be the bike for you, in either version) :p the K1600 is barely more power than the K1200 (and a lot more weight) and less power than the K1300 (still a lot more weight) so really I dont follow your reasoning ?
 
well I went from a K1200GT (150hp) to a 1200GS (125hp) :blagblah yes the top end power isnt as much, but "get off and walk" ? the torque and power is more than enough (unless all you want to do is scream the nuts of the engine, in which case the GS may well not be the bike for you, in either version) :p the K1600 is barely more power than the K1200 (and a lot more weight) and less power than the K1300 (still a lot more weight) so really I don't follow your reasoning ?

that's the whole point I can't be bothered to wait for a 1200LC to meander up to 7500 rpm and begin to realise there is some power there somewhere

the 1250LC you can snap it open at 3000rpm and something actually happens - not (it feels) as much as my air cooled one does, but enough to cope - 3000 to 4500 rpm on the 1250 is pleasant enough, then there's a nasty dip, then it goes really well until a bigger nasty dip after 6000 rpm, I presume at the cam swaps, then 7000 to 8000 it makes some real go. If they'd done the map like Honda would they'd better mask the dips and you probably be quite happy with a 1250 - until you rode a KTM and realise there's another 45 bhp you could have for free (particularly if you're playing variable valve timing !!!)

either way where's all this heat coming from - I got cooked in a permanent heat source being blasted at the riders upper legs and abdomen - it was almost at bad as the Triumph 1200 tiger - I don't get that heat hitting the rider on from my air cooled one ?
 
that's the whole point I can't be bothered to wait for a 1200LC to meander up to 7500 rpm and begin to realise there is some power there somewhere

the 1250LC you can snap it open at 3000rpm and something actually happens - not (it feels) as much as my air cooled one does, but enough to cope - 3000 to 4500 rpm on the 1250 is pleasant enough, then there's a nasty dip, then it goes really well until a bigger nasty dip after 6000 rpm, I presume at the cam swaps, then 7000 to 8000 it makes some real go. If they'd done the map like Honda would they'd better mask the dips and you probably be quite happy with a 1250 - until you rode a KTM and realise there's another 45 bhp you could have for free (particularly if you're playing variable valve timing !!!)

either way where's all this heat coming from - I got cooked in a permanent heat source being blasted at the riders upper legs and abdomen - it was almost at bad as the Triumph 1200 tiger - I don't get that heat hitting the rider on from my air cooled one ?
sounds like a "you" problem :beerjug:
 
that's the whole point I can't be bothered to wait for a 1200LC to meander up to 7500 rpm and begin to realise there is some power there somewhere

the 1250LC you can snap it open at 3000rpm and something actually happens - not (it feels) as much as my air cooled one does, but enough to cope - 3000 to 4500 rpm on the 1250 is pleasant enough, then there's a nasty dip, then it goes really well until a bigger nasty dip after 6000 rpm, I presume at the cam swaps, then 7000 to 8000 it makes some real go. If they'd done the map like Honda would they'd better mask the dips and you probably be quite happy with a 1250 - until you rode a KTM and realise there's another 45 bhp you could have for free (particularly if you're playing variable valve timing !!!)

either way where's all this heat coming from - I got cooked in a permanent heat source being blasted at the riders upper legs and abdomen - it was almost at bad as the Triumph 1200 tiger - I don't get that heat hitting the rider on from my air cooled one ?

I’ve read some shit on these pages….but that is pretty much the funniest of all.

I politely suggest you feckety feck offski and buy an S1000XR, the current GS has the perfect amount of power for a dual sport bike. Usable both on and off road without doing 38mpg. If anything it needs a bit less power and more fuel economy.
 
more fuel economy.

Easy, talk to the hand, the right hand:D
As an experiment I tried to be as economical as possible (helps that I don't have 40kg of crap mounted on the bike and I am only 72kg), managed 62 miles to the gallon according to the the display. Not exact science but is possible to do minimum 55+.
 
I’m on a 1200RS not a GS, but the song remains the same.

Today’s 200 mile ride convinced me once again that I don’t need to Trade Up - at a 5 figure cost - to a 1250.

At no time did I think that a shiny new bike with a snazzy TV screen would let me ride faster, better, more economically (60 mpg anyone), or anything else.

Not A Jot.

Having got this bike sorted to suit me, in many ways, I think I’ll run it into the ground.

Or until my dear wife bans me. Or another heart attack finishes me off.

I’ve never fretted over warranties and at 7 years the bike is still going strong with normal care and attention.

Most of us are juggling many balls in this crazy world so life’s a compromise and shiny new bikes aren’t for everybody every 2 or 3 years.
 
The 2019 1250GSA I bought from Bahnstormer a few weeks ago sounds really quite rattly from the LH cylinder between 2-3000 rpm regardless of engine temperature.

Its an approved-used bike so has a two year warranty. I shall compare it with a couple of mates younger model 1250GSA's and if theirs are much more quiet than mine I shall speak to my dealers about it and see what they can do. I expect a bit of mechanical noise and never having owned a 1250 they might all be like it.
 
The 2019 1250GSA I bought from Bahnstormer a few weeks ago sounds really quite rattly from the LH cylinder between 2-3000 rpm regardless of engine temperature.

Its an approved-used bike so has a two year warranty. I shall compare it with a couple of mates younger model 1250GSA's and if theirs are much more quiet than mine I shall speak to my dealers about it and see what they can do. I expect a bit of mechanical noise and never having owned a 1250 they might all be like it.
I have read somewhere that a new camchain tentioner can fix the noise
 
I’m on a 1200RS not a GS, but the song remains the same.

Today’s 200 mile ride convinced me once again that I don’t need to Trade Up - at a 5 figure cost - to a 1250.

At no time did I think that a shiny new bike with a snazzy TV screen would let me ride faster, better, more economically (60 mpg anyone), or anything else.

Not A Jot.

/QUOTE]

Why would you think having a tft would allow you to ride faster and better? Or even a 1250 twin cam, for that matter? But if simply being faster rider is what you are looking for in a bike, then I agree the 1250 isn't the bike for you. I'm not that fussed by being a faster rider, but I do enjoy having a more linear, smother, more progressive, and more flexible engine, and in this regard the 1250 is a significant improvement on the 1200.
 
My business partner bought a new GS1250 in March, we went for a ride out together on Tuesday & swapped over for a while so I was able to contrast it with my 2014 GS1200 (with 2016 warranty replaced engine). I was very impressed, not that much more powerful, but the 1200 was clearly less refined. I also liked the TFT screen.
I had a dealer test ride on Wednesday & ordered one for myself.
 


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