• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

2013GSA Last of its kind!

Polarbear

Polarbear
The GSAs are still sold as 2013 CamHeads, until the new GSA(water cooled) gets here around 2014. The new GS1200(standard) water buffalo is almost here, very soon now. LOTS of changes we all read about by now. We're thinking of buying another GSA1200,2013 before they stop production later this year probably. Our family biggest topic has been the mpg's and even the newest 1200 water cooled has not improved on this according to BMW Literature. HP jumped a ton to 128! That is not even a consideration of selling the new bike to us, as HP has been a non issue a while now. BMW is a runaway train in this regard, beat the Japanese,English,Austrians,etc??? As a very long time GS guy, I've been selling my younger family on what Ive done all these years and the right bikes to buy! One has settled on the GSA currently available2013. We shop very soon and probably buy another. My "beef" with BMW is still the mpg's for a 1200GSA to improve and its a thorn in my side. When you try to "sell" the GSA idea and get around to the mileage conversation, you can almost hear the gears turning "why"? Its getting to be old and as a life long guy at this with BMW, you'd think somebody would listen up! Still the most fun, best bike ever bought for whatever I do(my GSA1200'07). My gasoline bills will always be bigger apparently. Randy PS; I do indeed look at the smaller GS lineup these days, more and more for two reasons; My age and the mpg's:). The GSA gets bigger every year and I let it fall on me the other day! Still got her up, but not much more of that left in me:). Heavy!!!
 
Look at a GSA head-on and you will see why it gets relatively poor mileage compared, say, to a RT with the same engine. The GSA aerodynamics absolutely suck. Big square cases dragging in the wind don't help either.
 
Another factor lowering the GS (and R?) gas mileage is a lower final drive ratio compared to the RT.
 
Look at a GSA head-on and you will see why it gets relatively poor mileage compared, say, to a RT with the same engine. The GSA aerodynamics absolutely suck. Big square cases dragging in the wind don't help either.

Depends on what is sitting on the bike too. I never get the mileage some get with the RT. The best I have done is 51, but that was an anomaly. usually it's 38-40 in the winter and 42-44 in the summer.
 
Look at a GSA head-on and you will see why it gets relatively poor mileage compared, say, to a RT with the same engine. The GSA aerodynamics absolutely suck. Big square cases dragging in the wind don't help either.

But if you drop a big ugly GSA it doesn't change a thing. The bike simply can't get any uglier. Drop an RT and the gouge$ in tho$e beautiful aerodynamic part$ bring tear$ to your eye$.
 
But if you drop a big ugly GSA it doesn't change a thing. The bike simply can't get any uglier. Drop an RT and the gouge$ in tho$e beautiful aerodynamic part$ bring tear$ to your eye$.

Drop the GSA and you'll cry trying to right it. :eek
 
800:)

The 800GS, new one is winning the arguement here this day in our family! I had a K1200LT alongside my GSs in recent years. Its 800+lbs. vs. 600lbs for the GSA. The GSA is indeed a flying brick in the air, vs. the smooth LTs, Rts and so on. The weight differential is huge though and even the pig KLT at its weight, was the BEST mpgs of any BMW owned here, frequenting 50+ mpgs. You'd think the lighterGSA would do a tad better? Nope! Anyhow, went, test rode three BMWs yesterday; The 700, 800 and new 1200GSA, all GSs and the 800GS has won the arguement for one kid, the other(Daughter) picks the 700GS. Me, im not buying another quite yet:). My current GSA1200 keeps me going a while yet. The new 800in the family may enlighten me. Last gripe! Even BMW cars now are approaching 40mpg's, so the arguement for BMW bikes is poor, regarding gas mpg's on their part and 1200GSAs...Give mea diesel GSA:):):)LOL.
 
The weight differential is huge though and even the pig KLT at its weight, was the BEST mpgs of any BMW owned here, frequenting 50+ mpgs. You'd think the lighterGSA would do a tad better?.

It makes sense to me that the LT gets better mileage. The LT fairing and bags have a much more slippery shape compared to the bags and windshield of a GSA.
The COD of a GSA is about the same as a barn door.
 
Me neither:)

I still pick my GSA1200 up from many falls, as its an offorad used bike in this family:). It does, however get a tad tougher at 61 years old now! My KLT comment was one of weight comparison mostly, not the slip stream thing. They never compare their indeed. 800+ vs 600LBS is a significant difference though and the weight alone is real apparent, NO big deal in weight/mpg management. Its all gearing and fairing. I just ran a mountain run on the GSA, average speed was 47mph for 100 miles, the mpg hit 44.5:) on BC. I LIKE the 40mpg and up thing on this bike:). Its rare. Randy
 
FWIW, the BMW rep at yesterdays bike show indicated that the 2013 GS is the 1st to go water cooled with the 2014 GSA then the 2015 RT.

0.02
 
Airhead ruminates on watered 1200GS

Curious after reading about new water head GS as to what airheads think about the new bike, the tech and the layout.

The new GS is trick, a mechanical bender, wet clutch in front, alternator buried, potentiometer instead of a throttle cable, power taken through a hollow balance shaft back through the engine, and so forth.

OTOH, Honda's new 1100 appeals to a demographic that seems to have been growing for some time, that is, a simpler rendition of a very cool 70's UJM, a bike, BTW, that's becoming hard to find in streetable condition. Not that I want one, just asking airheads opinions on trends.
 
Airheads are still trying to come to grips with the newness of brakes that work, alternators that produce electricity, motors that produce power, and lights that let you see down the road. Please don't confuse them with that thar new-fangled water-cooling. Maybe in another 10 years or so.....
 
Hmm, high tech and GS and remote areas....

I like my R100gs due to it's simple design and ease of repair. No computers or sensors to go wrong in the middle of nowhere and no water pump or cooling system.

My kTM is much the same except water cooled and I go where you don't want to have to walk out of. It is a simple carburetor design that I can likely fix with little resources.

Two seasons ago I purchased a husaberg with fuel injection and all the high tech sensors that make it a mean lean trail killing machine... I don't take it places I take the simple carburetor KTM... Too complicated to fix on the trail.

For remote I want simple and less, for areas that support the technology I would love the performance it brings.
 
Airheads are still trying to come to grips with the newness of brakes that work, alternators that produce electricity, motors that produce power, and lights that let you see down the road. Please don't confuse them with that thar new-fangled water-cooling. Maybe in another 10 years or so.....

:laugh Love it.

I'm sticking with my 2009. Not for reasons of less complexity. Just because 125 HP isn't enough greater to get me to move up.

Now if they would put the K1600 engine in a GS, that might be a different story.
 
Back
Top