The All New 2013 LIQUID COOLED R1200GS threadfest

[Gros Buck]

Originally Posted by Midnullarbor

Nothing inherently wrong with dry-clutch & separate gearbox.

Have you ever changed your clutch on a 1200GS ??? At least 8 hours. It will now take minutes to swap.

Nothing wrong with wet clutch as well. Clutch pack and brake pack on our 90 tons loaders are all wet type. Handle far more heat and friction. In fact, dry type have become inexistant on this type of machinery.

Paul Jr

[tallguy-09]

Originally Posted by Gros Buck

Have you ever changed your clutch on a 1200GS ??? At least 8 hours. It will now take minutes to swap.

Nothing wrong with wet clutch as well. Clutch pack and brake pack on our 90 tons loaders are all wet type. Handle far more heat and friction. In fact, dry type have become inexistant on this type of machinery.

Paul Jr

No, actually I have never ever changed any of my clutches, not on cars nor motorcycles. I'm riding since 1986.
I've noticed that burning smell on the GS when you use the clutch, don't like that.

[GrahamD]

Originally Posted by JNRobert

Compared to what, the old one? Looks like any bike of the last 20 years

No its way better..The new model always is.

[Moronic]

Originally Posted by JNRobert

Compared to what, the old one? Looks like any bike of the last 20 years

Compared with the old one, yes. Which is a bit of a stretch since I don't think I've ridden one since putting a few hundred km on an '06. So perhaps just getting over-excited or fooled by the camera angle. It is not as though the bikes are being ridden particularly hard, so what was I reacting to?

Well, to my eye the bike in the vid looked more comfortable and precisely steerable at lean than I'd have expected to see in the previous model in similar circumstances. Wider tyres, longer swingarm that pivots further forward, weight placed a bit differently, less rotating mass ... I know they say the geometry is barely altered but there looked to be a rightness about it that I've never associated with the GS, good as they have been in their own way.

Not a point I want to defend - it is just a video, after all. Merely my impression. But it does make me want to try one.

More generally, the sense I got from BMW's pre-release guff was that they had tried to improve the bike dynamically - to make it feel more like, say, a Ducati (my example, not theirs) in the way it went, turned and handled. Big challenge, given the layout they were working with. The early reviews did not leave me with any sense that they had got far with that project, laudatory comments notwithstanding. The video, rightly or wrongly, I found much more encouraging.

Glad you asked.

[tallguy-09]

Just seen the new online 2013-2014 Touratech catalogue
http://www.touratech.de/en/catalogue...downloads.html
Page 166.. shows new GS accessories, that didn't take long.

[bonox]

they do stuff in conjunction i guess, which gives them a heads-up over everyone else.

Aren't they responsible for the metal bags for the previous models?

[Montauk]

Originally Posted by RichBMW

That has to be the worst English I've ever read. I gave up after the second paragraph

I lost interest after 1st paragraph. Initially I thought I was tired and couldn't make out what the author was trying to say. Then I decided to read more carefully some of the paragraphs in parts. Started to wonder, where is this guy from, was English his primary language or what. I agree with you Rich, the worst composition, couldn't entertain his readers. I feel sorry for him as he was taught by the worst English teachers in his school.

[Montauk]

Originally Posted by Gros Buck

Maybe ...

But try to use the same abs in Winter ... It will stabilise those who do not know how to. And you will brake in a much longer distance ... For some people, it may be ok, but personnaly, I pulled the ABS fuse years ago.

Paul Jr

I have driven with and without ABS in heavy snow of varying texture. If you break on a straight line, ABS undoubtedly increase braking distance, however, it will not slide your car out of control. Out of control = accident. On the other hand without ABS, if you don't break carefully, pump etc., you will increase the breaking distance.

My Toyota's in the past have done over 150,000 miles, ABS still working when I got rid of it. Current cars ABS working side by side with traction stability control, some wheels spinning more than other ... all the technology that Mercedes and BMW provides, I'd say such technology is a stellar in my books.

... back to the tread ... about 2013 R1200GS.

[Flightar]

Originally Posted by markjenn

Wow, when I think of motorcycles having "soul", I don't tend to think of things like gearbox location, clutch type, and alternator type/location, but whatever floats your boat.

To my mind, all the changes in these areas are positives that don't affect the "soul" or, for a different word, "character", of the bike one iota, but do make the bike more resistant to abuse, more serviceable, and more reliable. The only drawbacks I see are clutch debris in the engine oil (which doesn't seem to be a problem with 98% of bikes on the road) and somewhat reduced alternator output.

For me, the only reason I'm not on a GS now is previous sketchy experiences with the dry clutch with respect to oil control, and nagging worry about the spline issue. If these issues are solved with the new bike, it's on my list again.

- Mark

The soul of a motorcycle...what exactly is it? Well fortunately, or unfortunately, whichever way you choose to look at it more than likely means, quirky, or just simply different. Ah la Moto Guzzi's. (not that they are bad or less good mind you) I have owned and ridden many bikes over my lifetime and the soul aspect always comes down to some quirk, fault, or other thing(s) that seperates a bike from the herd and enderes it to owners. GS's have always had it for these reasons, and the new one will too...it will now be for different reasons than the A/C GS's.

The new wasserboxer being more like every other bike does not diminish soul IMHO. My current VFR 800 has soul...but it comes from the engine and its V4 character. There really isn't another bike out there like it. The ST and the Aprilia are different in their feel. The Triumph Tiger Explorer I demo'ed also had character. Again, it came from the engine, in its tripleness, its sound, rough idle, rocks in the crank case feeling, but at the same time managing to be very smooth and powerfull. The new GS will be much the same in that its critical essence flows form the boxer layout and its feel...I think it'll be a winner and a great bike.

[NLS]

Originally Posted by duitswes

Better check with a moderator before posting a scan

Well I am not planning to post a scan. I am requesting for one.
And no, doesn't have to be in public.

[NLS]

Originally Posted by tallguy-09

Just seen the new online 2013-2014 Touratech catalogue
http://www.touratech.de/en/catalogue...downloads.html
Page 166.. shows new GS accessories, that didn't take long.

Why would it take long. They had the thing from back when it was "beta".
Their US CEO has already gone to Madagascar with it (check the catalog the story is in there)!

I never doubted actually that Touratech and possibly Wunderlich have inside info.
(happened before)

[Rauven]

Originally Posted by NLS

Well I am not planning to post a scan. I am requesting for one.
And no, doesn't have to be in public.

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one too. I hoped there would be an option to buy a digital copy of MCN, but nope. Only paper, only by mail :/

Unless any of You knows a legit digital source for this article ?

[velimlje]

Forgive me , I lost track which one were listed so far , I hope it would not hurt if we have them in one place

Test reports

http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests...?c=100&i=27020

http://canadamotoguide.com/2013/01/2...h-bmw-r1200gs/

http://www.ridermagazine.com/top-sto...irst-ride.htm/

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufactur...iew-91507.html

http://canadamotoguide.com/2013/01/2...h-bmw-r1200gs/

and here is nice video , Laos tour in One World - One GS competition ..

[velimlje]

and 2 for the price of one at that ?



wait til 1:19 ....

[NLS]

Nice. So the guy has his youtube channel set up... I am sure the selection was totally random. :P

---

Anyway, about the bike... I love it. I feel almost the same feeling as when I read the first rumors about a 1200GS coming to update the 1150GS. I fell in love and got one custom ordered 3 years later (2007) because my finances didn't allow earlier. It was a version "1.5" as I like to call it (rear system already updated a bit, first model with ASC... just before 2.0 or the first face-lift).
With the crisis in my country (and in smaller degree the whole planet), I might be lucky to get the new one (probably version 1.1 or 1.5 of the LC model by then) in 3 years.

There's one thing that shadows the whole new thing though. At least two journalists reported bad reaction to certain repetitive path obstacles. That can even be dangerous they hinted (and not said directly). Add to that what happened to Kevin... which we don't know yet any details. It makes people (or at least me) think... I dunno.