Anyone here gone from a 1200GS to a 1200S?
 

I'm getting the urge to change toys and just can't make up my mind. I ride every day, in all weather and take long trips on my GS. But I won't take it on serious offroad trips anymore. It'd be cheaper to buy a beater dirt bike than what it's cost me to repair all the damage I did on a hardcore desert dirt ride in November. And so my GS is a little too much bike for strictly street purposes. I'm drooling over R and K 1200S's. Boxer engine are in my blood, so the K bike would be a stretch for me. But how is the R1200S on long trips? I'm a little concerned about luggage capacity, but it's rare that I need more than a tank bag. How's maint.? How do your wrists and back feel after a 600-800 mile day?

More here have gone the other way I believe. :)


I have an R1200S that I love. I rode up to CO last summer and was on the bike every day for a week. The last day I was ready to get off of it but most days I was fine. I did a 500 mile day on the way up. I have done 650 mile days before but never several in a row. My wrists did not hurt nor did my back. Sometimes I get a little numbness in the right hand, I would like a throttle lock so I can take that hand off and flex it a little. I am 5'10" tall, about 190 LBS, and 37 years old.

As far as luggage goes some have the BMW bags, I did not get them because I don't want to drill the body work to mount them. I have a Hattech luggage rack that I can easily put my camping gear and enough clothing for a week. some info in this thread.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/bmw-r1100s-r1200s-tech-forum/416938-hattech-r1200s-luggage-rack.html

Good luck with your decision.

Rob

I am going back and forth... does that count?

That's called cheating Ralf. CHEATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guilty as charged... but wait til you ride a GS, Brent.... just wait!

Yet, every now and then it is just plain fun to hop on the 12S and just let it all out... and get tickets... sigh.

Do it you wont regret it
 

I recently did 2200 km over 4 days in the Snowy Mountain region of Australia on my 12S and felt no pain. The bike is an excellent tourer and all I had for luggage was a BMW tank bag (huge) and tail bag (Ventura).
The roads for the most part were very engaging which takes your mind off num bum syndrome and it was only on the boring drone home up the freeway that I felt a bit sore. Mind you I was pretty knackered from the four days of riding as well as the evening refreshments. Maintenance wise the 12S is no different to most boxers in that it is simple for the average home mechanic to keep it in good nick. I went with three mates one on a 12S one on a Duke ST3 and another on a new 800GS; now that bike is pretty special. Dont know about off road ability but it can scratch with the best and has bags of go for an 800cc motor. Very impressive.
Cheers, Haggis

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1234950734.jpg

Rick,
I went from a 12S to a 12GS. I LOVED the 12S but I'm getting to old to be riding in the "Sport Bike Position" (picture a monkey f*cking a football). There was just too much pressure on my hands and wrists on longer distance rides. Maintenance is similar to the GS. Change the oil, check the valves, ride the p*ss out of it.
If you're a young whipper-snapper, then the 12S is a HOOT. Go for it.

Frank

I just turned 60 and went from a 99 1100S to a 07 1200S back in 07. I have no problems with my wrists or back. Works great on the twisties or just touring. I do a lot of commuting with mine also.

Tacodog and delwilli, you're giving me conflicting vibes. I'm 37 and am very comfortable on my GS. But I am lusting for an R1200S.

You will love the S!!

I see they have a used HP2 Sport at goaz BMW in Scottsdale (formerly Euromotorsports).

http://www.goaz.com/showroom/used_bikes.php

That HP2 Sport has 800 miles on it and they want $22k for it. The owner of that dealership takes the really nice bikes that come in for himself, rides them for a few weeks and then puts them back on the floor for sale. He's a gazillionaire.

Check out the paint job on this R1200S. It was silver last year and they couldn't move it at $17k out the door. So they painted it up, tacked another $3k to the price and so it sits next to that HP2 Sport.

http://www.goaz.com/showroom/bike.php?bike_id=111&brand=bmw&offset=0&return_typ e=new

Rick, I am 47 and I do have both bikes... I do enjoy a good romp on the 12S but find myself more and more drawn to the "swiss army knife" like abilities of the GS. I can hang with most every bike in the tight stuff and I have no desire to race along on the straightaways.

My constant riding buddy and I have toned it down a ton (since I can not afford a ticket for at least 2 more years!) and the GS is a bike that the Cops just simply LOOK THROUGH... they can't see you! And the GS fits the bill almost perfectly.

They group I ride with (see Triple Crown) usually has quite a few GS's and here and there the odd 12S (Steve, Tomasa, Rob S. Tim and I) there are a couple of HP2S's and the rest is a mixed bag of all years, makes and models. The GS in capable hands (i.e. IvanTT) is as good as the 12S and overall, it comes down to one thing:

HOW MANY BIKES CAN OR DO YOU WANT TO OWN!

No bike can do it all 100% but IMHO, the GS comes as close as any bike I ever owned has come so far. I love it and I have made the decision that it is going to be my keeper as a street and touring bike... I have a decent sized road trip coming up in which some remote areas will be explored... I would not want to push the 12S through such a scenario - the bike is to beautiful and to valuable for such an endeavor... I would hurt me to ride that bike over gravel roads and see the piss chipped out of it...

Go and see if you can find someone who lets you ride his/hers while they ride your bike... you might be able to buy one after that ;)

gazillionaire is an accurate description, he is the same guy that owns godaddy.com.


I bought my bike at that dealership from the previous owner, when the BMW shop and Ducati shop were run by two brothers, and the Dad was there to help out. I loved going in there, and they made me a good deal on a new bike. I have not been in there since last summer for my 6K service, and the new guys seemed nice, and let me thrash a new GS demo that had 6 miles on it.

Has the dealership gone down hill? It sounds like it from your comments.

If so let me know before I have them do my 12K this summer.

I don't know everyone at that dealership, but the ones I've talked with all seem very nice and the new service mgr. has been very helpful with my kombi issue. Though BMW NA is telling me to go pound sand and there will be no goodwill replacement. If you haven't seen my other thread on that issue, my odometer went to 999999 miles four mos. out of warranty, it's a $1000 to replace it and the original mileage cannot be reprogrammed. So I'm a little sour on my GS and BMW NA at the moment.

My experience with the local dealer is that a lot of their clientele have very deep pockets and are not price sensitive. I am not one of those guys and even if I were, I still DIY all non-warranty work on all my vehicles. So I'd never take my bike there for service, which doesn't make me their most valuable customer.

I'm still gonna push this issue with BMW NA a little more to see what they'll do for me. If the dealer would give me a good trade-in deal, I'd consider another bike they have for sale. But I can't decide what the hell I want. And since there's no sales tax on private party sales in AZ, they'd have to be at least 7% better than anything else I can find private party.

Okay, thanks for the info. I will stick with them for my 12K.

I don't have deep pockets either but I am getting the 6K and 12K done at the dealership (minus fluid changes) so if I have warranty issues the bike has a service history in the BMW system. Most other things I do myself, and after the warranty is up I will do it all myself unless it requires the BMW computer to be hooked to the bike.

[edit]

Did you see this one?

http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/2007-BMW-R-1200-S-93770303

Ooooh. That's a nice one. But if I go that route, it will need to be black. There's one on BMWMOA's site now.

I am pretty sure the consensus around here is Silver is faster, and the candycane ones get you the most tickets. Steve/Ralf, is that correct? :D

BBBBUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

...yes, but only because they are the fastestest... Craig, back me up here...

Steve has a black one and he swears it's faster... but I get more tickets... that proves that mine is faster... BLAH!

Black is cooler, but not faster because it's a dirt/dust magnet and eventually the added weight slows it down. It was a big problem with my triple black Carrera.

Rick,

IMO after 600-800 miles in one day you'll be wanting again your GS.

I've had both and for covering that kind of mileage you should stick with the GS.