1,100 mile 1200GS evaluation...

[revkev]

Folks,

I have have had the 2008 1200GS in blue for about two months and have now put on about 1,100 miles. Here are a few comments FWIW...

I love the bike and now that it is "broken in" I have pushed it a little more. IMHO it really takes off in 3-5th gears. I have not redlined it and have only pushed it up to about 6,000 RPMs. It is much smoother than I had anticipated and with very, very minimal vibration on the handle bars, etc.

The 600 mile service was done at about 800 miles because of the driving distance to the dealer, about 140 miles one way. The service manager said that 800 isn't a problem. He also said that they changed the oil in the drive shaft and that even though BMW doesn't recommend changing it again they do usually suggest changing it about every 12,000 miles. I think that is what he said. I believe the 600 mile service was $295.

I have added the following to the bike, give or take a few things: pegs, oil cooler guard, various electrical and fluid guards, from Touratech. A lifting arm (for center stand), fork stop, shifter lever, and a few other items from Wunderlich.

I purchased BMW panniers, a side set, and one on the back, behind the passenger. Also from BMW...crash bars, and head protectors.

I have replaced the factory windshield with two winglettes from the 1200GSA model for side wind and have also purchased a Parabellum (clear) windshield (the tallest model). I am happy with this set up and am glad I did it, after much pondering and information gathering. I am a tall person, 6'4" with a tall torso so the tallest Parabellum could still be a couple of inches taller but it is much better than the factory set up. I wanted the look and feel of an "enduro" type bike so I am not against a little wind noise. If I had wanted more quiet I would have chosen a different model or brand. The Parabellum is very solid and does little vibrating even at higher speeds.

I am very happy with the BMW Santiago boots that I bought. They seem to have very good protection, snap up tightly with velcro and latches. The look pretty sharp IMHO and they are easy walking boots as well. I am glad I purchased them as well, once again, after a lot of reading and listening. My wife bought them for my birthday so that took a little of the sting out of the price!

I bought the Shoei-multi-tech (flip up) in silver as my helmet. I am very happy with that as well.

I purchased the bike from Mischler's in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. I would highly recommend them as a dealer for anyone in the Midwest. Two friends of mine suggested them when they knew I was in the market for a BMW and I can see why they have a lot of happy customers. I believe they have been in the business of BMW bikes for over 50 years. (I have no connection to the dealer BTW) The owner, Art, and all of the staff are very knowledgeable and customer friendly.

I have ordered a Touratech (made in Germany I believe) pack for the passenger seat when no one is riding. I wanted a little more storage space when I take a trip in a couple of weeks. I didn't want a tank bag. I also ordered from Touratech the between the handlebars bag for small stuff.

One thing I would still like to get when it is available is a set of matching sidepanels to go along with the blue tank color. Touratech has them on backorder.

I like the bike because I want to and will do some gravel road driving, some pretty long highway trips, and also because I like to be comfortable having my vehicles get and stay a little dirty and used. This type of bikes fits that multi-role need.

So, perhaps that is much more than anyone cares about but I wanted to share it because I learned so much from reading on this site and asking a few questions. Thanks for your help and safe riding to all...

REVKEV

[knary]

:thumb

Good stuff.

[Burnszilla]

It only gets better. You'll notice that engine loosen up more after 15,000 miles.

[losaltosclem]

Welcome to the fold ! I bought a R12GSA about a year ago and I'm coming up on 12K, getting ready for the service. I love the bike as well; it does everything I ask it to do and more; a real going machine.

Two things you might want to consider in the future. First, installing a set of Wilbers Shocks. The difference is unbelievable and it's worth the investment. Really makes the bike come alive and offers a wide range of adjustability. When the shocks were set up, I had the bike lowered 1" to make the stand over height a little more to my liking. Even though I have a 32" inseam, I found myself standing pretty straight legged at stop lights and occasionally fighting for my balance when fully loaded on a tour.

The second is a custom seat. I went to Bill Mayer in Ojai CA and my rear end is very happy now. The stock seat had too much foam in the middle and after a 400 mile day, I was very uncomfortable. Now 400 miles is no problem at all. The best way to get a custom seat is find a manufacturer in you area that you can ride to, have them fit the seat to you and build it while you wait. It was about a 3 hour process for me at Mayer's.

Engine protection (crash bars) and head protection are a wise things to install. A few weeks back, I went down on the pavement doing about 20 mph after hitting some moss. Other than a few barley noticeable scratches on the crash bars and head protection, and a few scrapes to my Areostich Roadcrafter, everything turned out fine. With the proper protection installed on bike and rider, low speed get offs don't seem to bother these bike at all. Needless to say, you can expect to tip the bike over on it's side now and then when your leave the pavement for the allure of the road less traveled.

Enjoy your bike and ride safe.

[jasonTDI]

Sorry for getting you hooked on a expensive habbit Kev! :p

Glad the wife has been a sport about it though.....Got to do something with your $$ since the kids college days are done! :buds

While I reallllly like the new ones it's easier for me to justify older bikes. That way I can have LOTS of them....Going to need a bigger garage soon. If I get the dirt bike I'm looking at I'll be full up. You know you're full when you have to move one or more outside to get another one out. I need a long shallow garage on the side of the house for them, pull up back in......hmmmmm.......

[Polarbear]

At 9000 miles now and I am feeling the engine get better with miles. I have the Parabellum also and a NEAT add on for us taller guys is the "Laminar Lip", I added to my Parabellum and now I have smooth air indeed:). Rocky Mayer seat here, too and a great improvement. I rode in for mine(to Ojai) and it was well worth my time. The Laminar Lip runs about 90$ and is working really well. My GSA needs better mpg's however as 36-38 mpg is less than I had expected, especially when my last KLT1200 got near 50 mpg and even over 50 on some days and a clear 300 lbs heavier bike. I hope the miles adding up will provide better in this category. Happy Trails, Randy:D

[revkev]

Jason...I can't "blame" you for leading me to the bike :) but I can thank you for having your 1200GS sitting in your VW shop one day last fall. That did inspire an old dream for me and as you know I went to look at a used RT (?) you had seen at Mischler's and found my body too big for it and then saw the new 2008 GSA and really liked the way it fit me...so that's the story. It really runs great and is smooth. I just finished up the basic rider safety course, three long partial days, put on by the state of Wisconsin through the technical colleges. ($170 soon to be $210) I was "assigned" a 250 Nighthawk and my knees were up by my chin for hours on end as I "learned" to corner, stop, shift, etc. The instructor apologized to me at the end and he said I looked like a big gorilla sitting on the thing. I have done quite a bit of biking in my past but not recently so it was a course worth taking. The only reason I took it was to be able to enter Army bases, notably Ft. McCoy. I really do like the looks of the upcoming 800GS and who knows, I might end up with one of those as a second, more local bike. Don't tell my wife...

Thanks for all the other input folks. I will check out your suggestions and buy accordingly. If I can figure out how to post a picture I will take one and share it with the group.

I leave on the 20th of May for an 8 day trip to visit one son in Milwaukee, another in Danville, Illinois then perhaps to southern Illinois, Missouri, SW Iowa, NW Iowa, SD and then back to Wisconsin. I have no plans other than being gone by myself for 8 days. I will hope and pray for safe travel and no EWS! Perhaps I will be convinced in favor of a custom seat after that trip.

Jason, perhaps I will swing by your shop on the 20th to do some BMW and TDI talk!

Peace to all and thanks again for all the input...RevKev

[jasonTDI]

I'll be in the shop doing a turbo/clutch replacement so feel free to shop by.

Jason