R1200R vs GS

Since we have a recent thread with the GS vs GSA I figured I might as well throw in the R1200R comparison since I am hoping to pull the trigger if a good deal can be found at the dealer. Feel free to comment on anything below, it will help me make up my mind:

1. I never ride offroad, just graded dirt roads
2. The GS can get Aeroflow windshield if I feel the need for top notch wind protection. I wonder if the R1200R can keep the helmet in buffet free air with a Scout fairing?
3. The GS can take Jesse top loading luggage, a big plus over the BMW bags on the R1200R.
4. The R1200R handles better on pavement
5. The R 1200R has a better headlight
6. The R1200R is supposedly very stable in cross winds, the GS is supposedly not. A big deal to me since I am one of the few who has been blown off the road.
7. I like practicing some of the motor cop parking lot drills, which means I am definitely going to drop the bike in a parking lot. Availability of crash bars etc. is a factor.
8. The riding position on the R1200R is a little better for me than the GS.
9. The R1200R gets slightly better gas mileage
10. The R1200R is a little cheaper
11. The GS has better resale value

I don't see the point of an answer to this question in the abstract. I have owned both R and GS models (1150) and the differences are big in handling, ergos and aesthetics. Go ride them both and see which pleases. How do they handle given your skills, preferences etc?

How tall is your inseam? Mine is 30", and I can not reach the ground on ANY adventure bike. Go test ride them, but be warned, the R is a fun ride.

Of course, I am a bit biased.

TinyTrains said:

How tall is your inseam? Mine is 30", and I can not reach the ground on ANY adventure bike. Go test ride them, but be warned, the R is a fun ride.

Of course, I am a bit biased.

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30" inseam. F800GS. ground is close enough. not flat footed, but it's there.

bikerfish1100 said:

30" inseam. F800GS. ground is close enough. not flat footed, but it's there.

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Wish I had a 30" inseam...................................................

R vs GS

Actually I would be interested in any comparison especially from someone who has owned both.

I love my GS but at 60 I am not getting any more limber and it a little difficult getting on. I have wondered if I might not have been more satisified with an R

I just went to a 2010 Roadster from a 2005 R1200GS.

I have an inseam of about 28" to 29" depending how it's measured (or is that junk settles?). The GS was a standard height model as is the Roadster. Only adjustment was a "lowered" aftermarket seat height on both.

I loved the GS but it started to feel big as the knee felt weaker. With a bad left knee I hate precarious balancing. On tours when you are fairly loaded any stop out of the ordinary became cause for concern. Eventually I just longed for a bike that was easier to handle when not at speed. I looked at a lowered new GS but I kept coming back to the wonderful overall light feeling of the Roadster. It was not only easier to handle when stopped or parking but at speed it was just so much more responsive. Quite literally "refreshing" feeling.

I am getting prepared for what I hope is a nice 2,000 - 3,000 mile tour in the spring so I am trying to get the air management worked out. I finally got that figured out on the GS but I went through many screens and finally added the GS Adventure wind deflectors and a CeeBailey screen (higher than normal screen height for my size) tilted way back with a "Tobinator". Finally had clean air up to 85 mph.

CeeBaileys is coming out with a new redesigned windscreen for the Roadster in a few weeks to address known issues brought forth by riders with severall years of experience with the old shield. I am hoping that this will be the ticket to making the Roadster truly touring worthy with no more improvements.

If I were to do it again I would like to have a lowered GS and a standard Roadster with a low seat to test side by side. I doubt that it would change my mind though. I loved my GS but it came with more and more conditions. I love my Roadster and it seems to come with fewer and fewer conditions.

I have not heard of an issue with crosswinds on a GS. I have faced very stiff prolonged crosswinds around Dayton, NV and across Arizona and feel that the GS behaves admirably. It kind of dips a bit then seems to lean itself but then crosswiinds don't bother me.

I'm 5'-6" with almost a 30" inseam and Ihave no problem riding any of the standard R's and most of the GS models. The Adventure would be a stretch but I could handle it. My daily ride is a stock height 94 R1100RS with a Corbin seat and I never have any reach issues to the ground.

I have ridden a bunch of GS models and they are all very comfortable. I have not yet ridden a R12R, perhaps out of fear. Everyone I know that has one said they rode it and it sold them on it. I'm in the bike market in a few years but not right now, so I'm avoiding the R12R.

FWIW: I have chased a bunch of guys on various dirt bikes and several GS's and the only real problem I had was downhill on a gravel road with an "S" turn at the bottom. The ABS decided it would not brake at all, which required a quick downshift and engine braking used judiciously to avoid squashing a guy in front of me on a F650. Switchable ABS on the GS's avoid that problem altogether if you switch it off before doing off road stuff.

If you want to see what a RR is capable of, come over to the R1200R board and index "Chitown" in the search box to see where Joe takes his RR. (Quick answer is: anywhere he wants to go!) Sometime to places that GS's would fear to go !

Board is here:

http://www.r1150r.org/board/viewforum.php?f=20

I sold my R1200GS and bought an R1200R, largely because the GS's high center of gravity made it awkward during slow speed maneuvers and while moving the motorcycle by hand. The R1200R feels 200lbs lighter under these conditions.

I studied them both and went with the GS. At my age, 74, I just didn't think I could pull 8 gallons of gas off the side stand very often. I've had no problems with the 5 gal. I do have and I haven't noticed a problem with my legs being in the wind draft. But that said, sans the weight issue, I think I would be riding the GSA.

My favorite description of an "R" rider: someone whose next bike will be an RT.

To think the aftermarket can accomplish wind protection to factory levels is wishful thinking only.

"R" bikes are great bikes but if you're obsessed about wind protection they're not for you.

lkchris said:

My favorite description of an "R" rider: someone whose next bike will be an RT.

To think the aftermarket can accomplish wind protection to factory levels is wishful thinking only.

"R" bikes are great bikes but if you're obsessed about wind protection they're not for you.

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I've had a couple of airhead RT's and for humid Midwest summers they had TOO MUCH wind protection. I've test ridden the R12GS and found it to have a better balance of wind protection for cold, wet weather vs. good air movement for hot, humid weather. The R12RT is a wonderful bike, but too much wind protection in summer for me.

I find my R1100RSL to have a perfect balance of wind protection when I need it vs. more air in the summer. I ride year round and it works. The R12GS is at the top of my wish list for my next bike. The R12R is a close second partly because they are not as abundant as the GS.

R1200r

lkchris said:

My favorite description of an "R" rider: someone whose next bike will be an RT.

To think the aftermarket can accomplish wind protection to factory levels is wishful thinking only.

"R" bikes are great bikes but if you're obsessed about wind protection they're not for you.

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Definitely not true in my case that I am looking to buy a RT. I had a R1200RT and switched to the R1200R. The reasons:

The R1200RT is too tall for my 29" inseam, too top heavy, too much wind protection in the summer in the South with the fairing and much more difficult to maneuver at low speeds (especially if its high seat puts you on tiptoes).

The R1200R is like a R1200RT that went to weight watchers and then shed its funky "plastic raincoat."

I won't go back to a R1200RT.

Just my opinion.

Bill

I pretty much agree that the R bike is an RT light version.

I ride a 1985 R80 with a Parabellum wind screen good wind management,
had the opportunity to ride an R1200Rt and a R1200R back to back along with my own bike all in one day.

The RT was real nice but felt bulky and over weight compared to the other two.

If I were doing a cross country trip I would probably favor the RT due to the electric windscreen, but most times I prefer the more naked look of the plain R bikes.

osbornk said:

Wish I had a 30" inseam...................................................

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28.5 here= zero GS's and besides I'm too old for off road pickups of a 500#+ bike & if I had the legs and youth I'd by an MX bike for dirt. Go for the R & no tupperware!

Adding a comment here: I have been riding a 2011 RT dealer demo to put some miles on it, and presently have most of the 1200 miles or so in it. For those coming off any other bike, the RT takes a couple of hundred miles of riding to finally "get" what it is about and how well mannered a machine it really is. A quick hour or so on the bike will not do it, and really, a minimum of 300-400 miles is required.

Back when I first test rode a 2007 RT, I was not particularly impressed with the bike, and a major objection was the fairing behind the cylinders was hitting the armor in my riding pants causing issues with foot placement at stops that really bothered me. After thinking about it and really getting into knowing the RT's, they really are outstanding machines. I personally do not find them to be heavy or hard to maneuver at low speeds, and at cruise and in the twisty bits, they ride as nicely as my 2007 RR which is a fantastic bike. I really love the looks that I get from sport bike riders that look over their shoulder and see me on the RT or the RR with all the cases on pressing them a bit.

Only real problem I have ever found with the RR is that, as many have discovered, if you put cases, windscreens and all the extra stuff to set it up as a tourer, the cost quickly matches or exceeds the RT cost. The counter argument is that the RR is better in hot weather due to lack of the fairing, but I actually have ridden the RT in very hot weather, and do not find it that bad. The RT adjustable windscreen is outstanding, and I play with it a lot. Cruise control is cool too; throttles on both grips !

My SO actually loves to ride pillion on the RT as compared to the setup (large top case) on the RR, so we may just end up adding the RT to the stable to keep the RR company. Best of both worlds

The real problem now is that there is a RT in the Light Magnesium / Magnesium Beige tri-color that winks at me every time I walk in the dealership

It also happens to match my Platinum Bronze X5 which my wife says is "Cute". Cute is a code word that means she approves ! I have a great wife who has put up with me for 35 years now.

Oh... I am 5'!!" with a 29" inseam and have no problem getting feet down in single rider mode. Two up ESA setting gets interesting unless loaded, kind of like riding the GSA on tip-toes! Yikes !!

ka5ysy said:

The counter argument is that the RR is better in hot weather due to lack of the fairing, but I actually have ridden the RT in very hot weather, and do not find it that bad.

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That's interesting to read, coming from a Baton Rouge rider. How much very hot weather have your ridden the RT in? Are we talking hot and humid Louisiana weather? It's hard to envision how you get much airflow over your torso even with the windshield all the way down. I've test ridden the R12RT in hot-humid St. Louis weather and concluded it would be too hot on a long ride, but it was not a long enough test ride to get really uncomfortably hot. Maybe I need to spend more time on one next summer if the dealer is agreeable to letting it go for a couple of hours.

MarkM said:

The R12GS is at the top of my wish list for my next bike. The R12R is a close second partly because they are not as abundant as the GS.

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I have a R12R & just picked up a R12GSA to complement it. Very different feel between the two bikes. Each has their strengths. I am very impressed with the slow speed handling of the GSA, it's better than the R. I'll have to get some more mileage on the GSA to fully compare it to the R, but I don't see myself parting with either bike.