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MCN: Japanese Sport-Touring Showdown...BMW R1200GS Wins

ExGMan

Active member
The August MCN arrived today at my house. Cover article was a model comparo of the Kawi Concours 14, Honda VFR1200F, and Yamaha FJR 1300. In that article, Kawi came out on top.

Immediately thereafter on page 24, MCN decided to add an R1200GS to the mix...and the beemer came out on top in every category except for one (Engine, Transmission (tie for 2nd), Suspension, Handling, Ergonomics and Riding Impression). Seems the GS was just along for the trip to cart stuff around.

Tester Don Searle said: "What a delight! Among all the four bikes in this comparison, the GS came in first in fun factor; grunt factor; comfort factor; sound factor; bells and whistles factor, and just plain ability to ride-fast-in-any-conditions factor. For my hard earned dollars this is the only one of the four I would buy, and probably comes in as my number-one pick for all-around best bike in the world.":dance
 
Wonder why the GT was not included in the test?
Quite amusing though that the Dual Sport GS was found to be superior:stick
 
They liked it for a 100 lb weight savings. Too bad they did not have my ride in mix with more power and another 100 lbs or close less than a 2010 GS.
 
Even more telling is this statement:

"As we finally rolled toward home, the bike we were all most eager to ride when it came time to switch motorcycles was the GS."


It is really funny that a boxer twin manages to best the multi-cylinder rocket ships! :clap

Another quote:

"When we happened upon world-class twisties, the GS rider routinely disappeared, leaving Boxer envy in his wake":nyah
 
BMW makes motorcycles? So, that is what is on my LIFT in the workshop awaiting parts from das Vaterland.

Beats the heck out of my HD...:doh
 
Yes, but...

I read both articles in MCN about a week ago.
I was pleased that BMW, although an "add on", did so well.
But if I am not mistaken, David Searle's primary bike is an R12GS and BMW as the marque has had much ink in MCN over the last few years.

The fact is that many people buy the R-GS's for touring rather than technical terrain riding. Perhaps they buy the R-GS rather than the K-GT because of pricing.

I think the article may have started off as a bit tongue in cheek originally, but evolved into the current one as various testers rode the GS.

In any event, it was nice to see the GS do so well.

I would like to see an article in about 50K miles to see how the various final drives have held up.

My 2 cents.
 
I thought the article was interesting. But, regarding the final drive comment, I must remind you that there is no final drive system that is problem free. Chain drive is the worst. Always adjusting, lubricating, and you still end up replacing sprockets and the chain. Belt is probably the best in terms problems free. But I don't think it is too good for anything but all highway riding.

Shaft drive is good. But it is mechanical and every one of them will eventually fail. BMW's shaft drive system has had its share of problems. I'm told they have stood behind theirs unless shown to be misused.

I read somewhere BMW says they have corrected a production issue that may have led to many premature failures. Let's hope so.
 
I get a real kick out of my internet chatting on a couple of forums. Sometimes it is really neat to listen to the different takes folks have on things, depending on their perspective. Not criticizing, here......just find it interesting. There is a long thread about this report on the GL1800riders forum. There was momentary passing mention that one of the testers liked the GS. Most of the focus has been on how the Connie blew away the rest of the competition, which (as is common on that forum) has degenerated into a slugfest. Take note, many of these folks own both Goldwings and Connies. I guess it's all in how you look at something............:D
 
I read both articles in MCN about a week ago.
I was pleased that BMW, although an "add on", did so well.
But if I am not mistaken, David Searle's primary bike is an R12GS and BMW as the marque has had much ink in MCN over the last few years.

The fact is that many people buy the R-GS's for touring rather than technical terrain riding. Perhaps they buy the R-GS rather than the K-GT because of pricing.

I think the article may have started off as a bit tongue in cheek originally, but evolved into the current one as various testers rode the GS.

In any event, it was nice to see the GS do so well.

I would like to see an article in about 50K miles to see how the various final drives have held up.

My 2 cents.

Few motorcycles have the load carrying capacity to support two up camping/cooking touring. The GS is one of them.

We have an RT and a GS. The RT will support touring and camping, but it isn't too stoked. The GS, however, is exactly built for that type of role and offers even greater room for rider and pillion.

And the fact that they kick ass on backroads, particularly really gnarly ones, is icing on the cake.
 
I...The fact is that many people buy the R-GS's for touring rather than technical terrain riding. Perhaps they buy the R-GS rather than the K-GT because of pricing...

Actually, I had two 1200GS bikes before my K1300GT. I rode the K13GT for about 9 months and put 10,000 miles on it. I just traded it in last week for a 2010 R1200GS...I'm happy again... :)
 
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