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looking for a new bike

samuelh

New member
Hey forum,

:type

Last october I traded my G650GS with 20,000 miles, for a Kawasaki Concours 14. Price figured into the deal, I wanted a bike with touring credentials, and the Kawi was a lot of bang for the buck.

Ive put 3000 miles on it. I've dropped it 3 times, and had it lowered. I'm short, 5'9" with a 27" inseam.

The bike is massively fast. It scares the crap out of me a lot of the time, especially combined with the weight. I look down and I'm going 90, without thinking about it.

The weather has been really nice this winter, but I haven't gone far. I took the G to portland maine and back in 2 days, massive rainstorm, totally fun. Sort of scared to take the kawi on that kind of trip.

I have a buyer for the bike, and I guess I am thinking about getting something else. Things I'm looking at are the suzuki burgman 650 exec scooter (underpowered), the low version of the r1200r (more power and weight than I need) and the f650gs low.

What else should I be looking at / thinking about? Part of the reason I bought the kawi was for the traction control.

On the G650GS I had a russell saddle, which was awesome. The ergos were great. Hated the chain, but didn't think about it a lot of the time. Never dropped it. Kind of scary on the highway passing trucks where the kawi is just planted. Fun bike, easy in the city and parking at work. The gas mileage on the kawi sucks.

thoughts?

Sam
 
Just get a bigger GS. You would probably enjoy either the F800GS or the 1200GS. I think both are shaft drives, and better suited for highway riding since they are heavier. A 27" inseam is not really short either unless you are comparing it to a 36" inseam.
 
My shop does have a 2010 low 1200GS for sale. I sat on this bike, and while I can flat foot it barely, I am not sure I could comfortably put a russell day long saddle on it, which is ultimately what I want to do. Maybe one of their sport (unsprung) saddles. Seat makes a big difference in what kind of long rides are fun.

It also doesn't have ASC, but I guess that could be added? http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=32342&highlight=traction+control&page=3
 
How about another G650GS ?
F650/800GS are sweet bikes
Low seat low suspension F650's can be hard to find
1200GS is a little top heavy though excellent on the road
Just my 02 cents

1200GS
 
I bet the 1200's are sweet on the road. What about the R1200R? Not as tall as the GS, and a bit lighter.

My feeling is that going from 156hp to 110 is going to bring me back, though marginally, into the sane zone.
 
Just get a bigger GS. You would probably enjoy either the F800GS or the 1200GS. I think both are shaft drives, and better suited for highway riding since they are heavier. A 27" inseam is not really short either unless you are comparing it to a 36" inseam.

F650GS & F800GS are both chain drives, as is the F800R.

A lowered (suspension) F800ST might be the ticket as its seat is lower than the G650GS (a tad higher than the lowered G650GS) and would give you the sport touring feel that you went looking for with the Connie. It would not give you nearly as much power, and it would give you a belt drive instead of a chain.
 
A ridding buddy that put a bunch of touring miles on his R1150RT decided he wanted a lower, lighter touring bike. He went with an F800ST with the expandable saddlebags and uses a BMW waterproof duffel for a topcase.

He's done a few pretty long trips since he got the F800ST, through lots of different weather (heavy rain, hot, cold, strong cross winds). Last time I talked with him, he was glad he made the switch.

Might be worth taking one for a test ride.
 
I rented an F800ST for a week last year in Arizona. Overall I liked the bike, and I liked the quickness. I didn't like the ergonomics at all though. Even on the C14, I've had to install bar risers. I still don't love the position.

You know, it's not out yet, but the C650GT scooter looks pretty interesting. At 60 hp it's slightly more powerful than my old G650gs. It doesn't have a chain, and it's low to the ground. Doesn't have TC though.

I love to ride long distances, but the reality is that day to day, I am just riding to work and going out to dinner. The thing I noticed about the C14, is that it gets atrocious gas mileage with this kind of riding. The C650GT would be a lot more fun in that respect. Also I think I would be less neurotic about carrying passengers on a 650cc scooter than a 1400cc touring bike.

Never ridden a scooter though. Are we looking at Fall for these bikes?
 
Dealer told me looking at maybe October, I am at least interested in looking at them too. besides this, the only think I would really like to see (which this is fantasyland stuff) is if they would take the K1600 and cut the engine in half and make a triple again.
 
You should test ride the bikes with the 800 cc engines, including the F650GS. It has a very smooth throttle response and sits fairly low even in stock configuration. It's also considerably lighter than most if not all of the 1200 cc bikes.
 
I bet the 1200's are sweet on the road. What about the R1200R? Not as tall as the GS, and a bit lighter.

My feeling is that going from 156hp to 110 is going to bring me back, though marginally, into the sane zone.

I have an R1200R & a R1200GSA. I'm 6' 4" and can flat foot my GSA, my R1200R is flat footed with significant knee bend. Both have normal seats & suspension.

I ride with someone who also has an R1200R and is significantly shorter than 5'9"... closer to 5' 1". He has a low seat and at his height can't flat foot the bike, but can touch both balls of his feet down (he hasn't lowered the suspension).

I would guess looking at those extremes that at 5' 9" with low seat & suspension, the R1200R should be pretty easy to flat foot. Most of the R1200Rs I see in dealerships now come with the low seat. Should be pretty easy to try one of those on for size & then figure an extra inch with lowered suspension.
 
Try to test ride an F800ST. These bikes are surprisingly nice. Lightweight, reasonable power, simple to maintain.

IMG_0189.JPG
 
Sam, you seem to be leaning towards the GS and I think you would like the 800GS but you may have to consider lowering it. The newer 650 GS's are nice too. The 1200GS, while heavier, is still easy to maneuver and comfortable to ride. I don't see why you cannot put a Russell saddle on one. Sounds to me that you like the upright position of the GS as opposed to the more forward leaning ST. Regardless of what you ultimately end up with, give them all a test ride.

Also check your PM's. I will PM you about an upcoming event that you may be interested in.
 
The F800GS is a tall bike. i added a Rick Mayer saddle (reworked stocker), and that gained me some ground reach due to the way Rick builds his saddles. however, that'snot why i did it though, the stock saddle is a likely a medieval torture device created for the German Inquisition, and needed fixing.
i have a 30" inseam, and i am on the balls of my feet on that one, which is all i really need. flat footing is over-rated, touching ground is necessary. at 27", I think it would be a major struggle to get it low enough for you to feel comfortable on one.

A R1100S, although not a "new" bike, can be brought quite low without compromising its suspension. i know 2 gals, neither above 5'3", who ride those. both have Rick Mayer saddles on theirs, with no other height mods. it is one of the best & most versatile bikes BMW has ever made, and low mileage examples can be found for relatively little cash.
 
Consider the factory lowered R1200RT. My buddy (who rides a Harley DynaGlide) has a very short inseam and was very impressed with the bike. He could flat foot it with ease. The RT doesn't weigh a whole lot, perhaps 100 or so lbs. over my /6.
 
Lots of great input, thanks.

I am going to the dealership to test ride an R1200R tomorrow. I'm leaning in one of two directions, either the lowered R12R, or potentially a C650GT in the fall. I cancelled my russell day long saddle order for the connie, it's just too tall already.

I'm trying to talk myself into the idea that a 650cc scooter might not be terrible on the highway. That's probably dumb. The G was OK, pretty fun, but didn't really have the power or the weight to be all that good. I probably just need 2 bikes, one for commuting and one for touring. Can't really swing that though.

There is a 2007 burgman exec 650 for sale here in philadelphia that I am going to try to take a look at though.

Fun process. Wish I were a Rockefeller.
 
Jump

My only comment would be going from a Concours to any kind of a scooter would be one heck of a big jump. I would think the research you are doing on the mid size bikes is the route to go. A scooter is still a scooter no matter what size.
 
My wife is scheduled to get the first c650sport whenever it finally comes ashore at long beach BMW not your grandmothers scooters, these will be a hot ticket item. Sat on one at the long beach show impressive;)
 
As someone who has fought the same battle

that you are going through, (I'm 5'5" and 29" inseam), i think that i can add something to the discussion.

My first question is what kind of riding do you want to do? The F650GS twin is a great bike that probably is more like the riding position that you are looking for. Add some saddle bags and you can tour pretty comfortably on it and get wonderful gas mileage to boot.

If you are really set on traction control (not sure why BTW), then the scooter is a decent choice, but doubt that you will be as comfortable on the roads less traveled.

If you are interested in more touring, i would go with the R1200R. The BMW Roadsters are wonderful bikes. Any of them... the R1100R, the R1150R, or the R1200R. With a windshield and saddlebags, they can take you just about anywhere that you might want to go... and some places where it has no good reason to be.

Hope that helps.


sdc
 
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