Colyn
Race Dog
Now this post might get some heat but I am curious. I am also referring directly here to the 1200 GS BMW bikes.
As many of you know, I am not a DS rider but I do a lot of long distance riding and I enjoy my tours of South Africa just as much as the next guy. Big difference is that I stay on the tar ... I will tackle 5 or 10 kilos gravel road but only if I must.
On my travels I have seen so many GS riders on the road ... riding flatout from town to town and a vast number of these GS bikes never see more dirt roads than my LT.
Yesterday there was a topic about a failed ABS unit on a GS and some guys posted and suggested that the electronics is too complicated for an off-road machine. I agree 100%. It is my opinion that the manufacturer has allowed market pressure from GS "Tar riders" to influence the complexity of the GS bikes. The GS was designed to be a rough and tough go anywhere bike and it did it well but over time it has morphed into a cruiser or tourer with off-road capabilities.
I am wondering if this is not due to the fact that if any bike buyer walks into a BMW showroom and ask for a bike ... the sales people jumps to the GS without thinking properly. One reason might be the fact that the GS sells itself.
I am convinced that many GS riders would have done far better by buying a RT and would have enjoyed their riding a lot more. The RT is a luxury tourer with all the gizmos to make life easy on the open road and is just as reliable if not more than a GS. The RT is also a more sensible commuter than the GS.
If the brand made sure that prospective buyers were buying the right bike for their application then the GS could have remained a rough and tough go anywhere bike. Sales force has pushed the GS into a segment where the riders wants luxury and gizmos and now the real hard core dirt riders are paying for that with a bike that freaks out if it goes down in a river.
This is my personal thoughts on the issue and I would like to hear what others have to say.
As many of you know, I am not a DS rider but I do a lot of long distance riding and I enjoy my tours of South Africa just as much as the next guy. Big difference is that I stay on the tar ... I will tackle 5 or 10 kilos gravel road but only if I must.
On my travels I have seen so many GS riders on the road ... riding flatout from town to town and a vast number of these GS bikes never see more dirt roads than my LT.
Yesterday there was a topic about a failed ABS unit on a GS and some guys posted and suggested that the electronics is too complicated for an off-road machine. I agree 100%. It is my opinion that the manufacturer has allowed market pressure from GS "Tar riders" to influence the complexity of the GS bikes. The GS was designed to be a rough and tough go anywhere bike and it did it well but over time it has morphed into a cruiser or tourer with off-road capabilities.
I am wondering if this is not due to the fact that if any bike buyer walks into a BMW showroom and ask for a bike ... the sales people jumps to the GS without thinking properly. One reason might be the fact that the GS sells itself.
I am convinced that many GS riders would have done far better by buying a RT and would have enjoyed their riding a lot more. The RT is a luxury tourer with all the gizmos to make life easy on the open road and is just as reliable if not more than a GS. The RT is also a more sensible commuter than the GS.
If the brand made sure that prospective buyers were buying the right bike for their application then the GS could have remained a rough and tough go anywhere bike. Sales force has pushed the GS into a segment where the riders wants luxury and gizmos and now the real hard core dirt riders are paying for that with a bike that freaks out if it goes down in a river.
This is my personal thoughts on the issue and I would like to hear what others have to say.
