The All New LIQUID COOLED R1200GS threadfest

My advice on the suspension is not to form an opinion too quickly. Initially I thought that Normal was a tad hard on rough roads and would dial it down to Soft. After 3000km in varying conditions what I have learned is that the default settings (e.g. Normal when in Road mode) are very good. You get the road feel but not the jarring. On my 2010 GS I got the same feel but ended up with a sore lower back but not with the LC. Maybe the seat (much better) is helping but I suspect it is the active suspention that is working its magic!

Over here GSes are very common, and most people don't see the difference between the new one and old one. Only other GS drivers tend to notice it. Although the LED sticks out enough for people to notice it just a bit more than my old bike.

BMWs in general here (specifcally meaning in my town) are an exception, with the closest dealer a couple hours away. We have Triumph, Ducati and KTM dealers in town though so the BMW becomes a little more rare. You're right though, only the serious bike fans know the WC model and that it's different. With GS's being pretty rare in the area though, it stands out.

In my region most people use their bikes only for hollidays (not that much congestion), so they don't come out that much. If I go to the area of my office it gets crouded and about 10% of employees drives a motorcycle.
But as my parents told me: we've seen another bike like yours. At least we think so. It has the same LED light.
In my country the GS is the best selling bike (in the +125cc), and on place 3 is the GSA. In the beamer club at least half of the members drive a GS.

I can see me doing the beta test thing for a year and then trading it in on the 2014GSW ADV.

You'd still be stuck choosing between the 2 extremely different bikes. (HD-XR)

Hi guys,

Here are my initial thoughts: http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=125255.msg2419945#msg2419945


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Thanks very good report. Esp. pinpointing how to get the bike to react "weird".
You know you shouldn't go to Enduro Pro without off-road tires? (it's made clear in the manual)
Try that section with "simple" Enduro and tell us what happens.

Thanks NLS, I know but there are so many "stories" on the new GS and the tank slapper, that I wanted to find out how true it is. And I realized that there is no real truth in those "stories".

But for comparative notes, I will go ride that same section in Enduro mode.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

You know what's weird to me? How come we haven't had a full test from any of the U.S. mags? The LC has only been mentioned months ago about the South African intro, and then nada. Why isn't BMW giving the U.S. mags test bikes? This is not normal procedure. Usually, the mags (Motorcyclist, Cycle World) get bikes right away for testing. The bikes are in the show room, so what's the hold up?

Here in South Africa the bikes were on the dealer floors and on the roads before the media launch. This only happened last week, and most mags here will run the report in their June issue.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

The World Media launch of the new LC was in South Africa in January. Since then it's been quiet here in the U.S. on the new bike.

I think at least two Greek mags have made full tests.
Not checking too much nowadays (since Internet covers all and is cheaper).
I am not sure if they have made any comparative report yet.
(have seen in other county mags though - Spanish and German I think? Maybe Italian?)

The magazines are usually a few months behind. Press bikes werent really out much earlier than when they showed up in dealers. This is likely why. Id bet in the next month or so youll see those articles. The mags sre always saying how they have a 3 month or so lead time.

Major comparative review in British mag Bike ..this month...1190 vs Triumph vs GS....4000 plus miles with various riders and terrain and even a pillion review...worth a look...word on the street here in the US is that the LC is sold out 'till Sept..so whatever is on dealer floor now is it...only 2200 or so came to the US apparantly...I wonder if the batch coming is Sept will be 2014's???

Balderdash. Sheer flummery

I was just down at Sandia BMW today and asked them how LC sales were going. The chap whose worked there for a while now said that they've sold a bunch (not specific #s) and were getting more in every couple weeks or so. When the LCs hit the floor, they're typically gone in a week.

Come on man give us a bit more...
Name of magazine, result of review.
Maybe a scan...

He gave you the name of the mag, it's called Bike. Simple but descriptive.

I just saw on the Motorcyclist Magazine Facebook page that Aaron Frank just took delivery of a R1200GSW for a long term test bike.

Awesome, Thanks for the update.

Per June issue of "Bike" magazine....10 different riders/4374 miles/charismatic/burpy/distinct/faster,lighter,sharper than previous model/better do-it-all than Triumph or KTM/"its a brilliant bike". Very extensive article.