Let me just set it straight, this is not brand bashing, purely a logical consideration.
Are BMW and their clients not getting ahead of themselves slightly?
My knowledge of Bikes and Engineering tells me that a GS is a great piece of equipment. Itâ??s versatile, comfortable and designed and built using the most modern technology and design elements available.
Itâ??s probably the BEST commuter on 2 wheelsâ?¦â?¦â?¦ but definitely not an off-roader!
It IS an off-roader - it might not be the best, but it's very capable under most circumstancesThe fact is that a complex and heavy bike, that is restricted in range and self-serviceability, is no good for off road abuse and long distance exploring.
No bike is good for 'abuse' - Not good for long distance exploring?? I think there are thousands of people all around the world that do epic journeys that will disagree with you.Those that do choose to use them mainly off road have suffered suspension issues, component fatigue, electrical malfunctions and serious damage as a result of falls. These are things that I have personally seen.
Again, this is not a reflection on the bike, anything that weighs 220+ kg, is covered and supported by modern plastic and light die cast parts, and has complex electronic systems will suffer this fate.
The logic is that when exploring off-road, you WILL fall, you WILL end up in Water, mud and sand and the equipment must be able to handle such.
They do handle all this. Yes, some suffer, some make it through. It doesn't mater how much marketing or hype BMW puts into their campaigns. if the bikes were crap people would not be buying them.In my opinion, its fair to classify the GS as an 80% Commuter 20% Adventurer bias machine, thatâ??s it!
In this context, is there even a road handling section to the GSC and is it proportionate to this bias?
When they built this bike, primarily for the European market, they must have been thinking â?? good commuter and occasional little gravel road â?? of which there are few and far between in Europe.
Now, its in the hands of South African marketers and cowboys that want you to use it as the ultimate off road adventure bikeâ?¦....I mean, afterall, Charlie and Ewan did it!
Why are they advertising and portraying it like this and does it make financial sense to entice clients to trash bikes and incur exorbitant service and repair costs?
How many bikes entered the GSC? How many were trashed? I'm guessing most of the bikes handled it well and weren't trashed or pushed beyond what the bike was capable of.My concern is��....is it sound business���and utmost, is it SAFE?
Also, a company can have a brand identity and try and market that - but ultimately a brand is created by what people think. It exists only in the minds of people.
and so if BMW has a 'unstoppable, go-anywhere, do-anything, etc.' image, it was not created by them, but by their customers. And it is their duty to live up to that brand.
Topic: This whole GSC thing! (Read 5626 times)
