Happy to return to the 12R society! After riding an 1150R followed by an 07 R12R I thought it might be good to ride a GS. Went to a 13 GSLC and love the technology improvements and the ride is certainly very good. Now, I don't know if this is very common, but I found that one attractive feature that drew me to the GS is the ability to get off road now and then, but I never did that! So I'm riding this taller (I'm only 5'8") GS with all the comforts of home and despite an ancient motocross history, never took advantage of the off road capability - three riding seasons and 17,000 miles. So I'm back on a 2016 12R and wondering what percentage of GS riders actually go off road. If you want to get technical if you just ride a GS on the roads then why not get the RT? Wanna buy a GS?
R1200R - I'm back!
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Good to have you back in the land of the sane.
In answer to your first question, you wouldn’t look like Ewan and Charlie on an RT.
In answer to your first question, you wouldn’t look like Ewan and Charlie on an RT.
Joined
·
1,908 Posts
Welcome (back?) to the Forum.
Post up a pic of your new-to-you Wethead Roadster.
Ride on!
Post up a pic of your new-to-you Wethead Roadster.
Ride on!
Joined
·
81 Posts
I would say most GS's around my region do not go off-road. I like the GS for its ergos, more so than its off-road leanings. I still have an R100GS that I love but it was used for long distance travel but not off-road. A '07 R12R is now used for the long distance tours.
You are a brother from another mother. I had a 2010 R1200R and then went to Ducati Multistrada and then a 2016 R1200GS. 42+K miles and none were off-road.
Picking up my new 2020 Pollux R tomorrow morning. While I loved the GS, I'm excited to get back to the great R experience.
Very nice! Enjoy!
Joined
·
26 Posts
Hah! Sounds familiar. I was an owner of an R1150GS, but unlike most I actually did take it off-road. I have a lot of stories about that bike and that time in my life but suffice to say I eventually "got that out of my system" and found I wasn't doing a heck of a lot of offroad any more. In fact the most I did 99% of the time ended up being gravel roads.
When I decided to go for a more road-style bike (the R1200R) I decided I would buy the R, ride her until the itch caught me to go offroad and then rather than trade it for a GS I'd pick myself up a KTM or something that's actually more suited to off-road. 5 years later I'm still rocking the R1200R and don't have a KTM in my garage, so you can figure the rest out for yourself
The GS is a great and capable bike, but people buy it more for the appearance of the thing than for actually taking it offroad. Sure, I know SOME people who offroad even a new R1250GS, but I wonder if they're rich or insane or both. I couldn't fathom the idea of taking something that expensive off-road. Other people got them because of Ewan and Charlie. Well, you know what? I would NEVER undertake a trip like theirs on the modern GS's because they're too bloody complex now just like cars. There's no jury-rigging a solution by the side of the road on these new bikes because of the integration of these things any more. Oil-cooled and simple? Yeah. But even once they went to water-cooled GS's I knew then that they had lost their way. Too much to go wrong, frankly.
When I decided to go for a more road-style bike (the R1200R) I decided I would buy the R, ride her until the itch caught me to go offroad and then rather than trade it for a GS I'd pick myself up a KTM or something that's actually more suited to off-road. 5 years later I'm still rocking the R1200R and don't have a KTM in my garage, so you can figure the rest out for yourself
The GS is a great and capable bike, but people buy it more for the appearance of the thing than for actually taking it offroad. Sure, I know SOME people who offroad even a new R1250GS, but I wonder if they're rich or insane or both. I couldn't fathom the idea of taking something that expensive off-road. Other people got them because of Ewan and Charlie. Well, you know what? I would NEVER undertake a trip like theirs on the modern GS's because they're too bloody complex now just like cars. There's no jury-rigging a solution by the side of the road on these new bikes because of the integration of these things any more. Oil-cooled and simple? Yeah. But even once they went to water-cooled GS's I knew then that they had lost their way. Too much to go wrong, frankly.
Hey, great to hear your history. I raced motocross I’m my early 20’s and still feel that a 1200 is not the ideal dirt bike! But in any case, the 1200R is a great machine and does fine on dirt roads if you can ride it. Be well and enjoy tour R !!
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
