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I ride a 2013 R1200GS, and am looking at a 2012 with a sidecar. Any advice?

mustangguy

New member
I have been wanting a second bike with a side car for a long time, and I looked hard at the Ural, but they just don't have the power or the distance I would need. I ran across a 2012 R1200GS, which is like what I already ride which is a 2013 model. The price is high for the bike at just under $25K, but the miles are low and it looks like it has a very nice custom sidecar with custom paint over the whole bike. This would be a ferfect bike for me, but is there anything I should worry about with the 2012 R1200GS?

Here is a picture of the bike I'm looking at:
AV9fBeW.jpg
 
The 2012 was the last year of the Camhead series of bikes and they were an evolution of the Hexhead. I believe the Camheads are excellent bikes that are sorted out.
 
This is not like your 2013. Yours is liquid cooled the 2012 is oil cooled. Mechanically there are significant differences.
 
The 2012 Camhead is a great bike. That said, sidecars can be hard on clutches, driveshafts and final drives. Make sure there are no issues.

As for similarities between your bike and the Camhead, I would be more worried about your experience with a sidecar. They do not ride like any normal 2 wheeled bike, and can be dangerous if you have no experience or training with them.

Jim :brow
 
The bike has under 10,000 miles and about half are with the sidecar. Set-up by Claude Stanley (Freedom Sidecars) who is about as good as you can get.
 
I am in the process of transferring my sidecar from a 2010 GSA to a 2012 GSA. The 2010 has 54k miles on it - all but 2500 of them with the sidecar attached - and with the exception of having to replace a leaking final drive seal at 28k it has been absolutely trouble free. The hack was originally on a GS, but as I traveled further from home I ran into issues with limited range, especially out west. On one trip over Lake Superior I found all the gas stations closed late Sunday afternoon and ended up camping at a pump till they opened Monday morning...and that was with a pair of Rotopax gallon jugs. You mentioned the speed of the GS as something you found attractive. The GS is certainly faster than a Ural and I've crossed deserts in low triple digits several times...but that comes at a fuel premium. At 55 on US Highways (my preference for crossing the country) I get in the high 30mpg range. Crossing Montana at 90mph with a headwind I got 18mpg; the extra weight and sail area comes with a significant fuel economy penalty, especially at speed. Fuel capacity was the main reason I switched to a GSA. Aux fuel tanks or jugs are an option but they take up luggage space and since I travel with a dog I need space for his gear.

BTW, I'm swapping to the 2012 GSA for two reasons. First, it has low miles and will last me well into my retirement years. Secondly, the 2010 has ESA and the 2012 does not. I like ESA on a solo bike but find it a pain on the sidecar rig. Changes to the ESA setting most often must be fine tuned with changes to the sidecar's camber control. I've always found that more trouble than it's worth, so these days I never touch the ESA settings.

Can't tell from your photo but if Claude built the rig it most likely has one of his swaybars. That comes in very handy on twisty mountain roads! That also looks like an RDL saddle. I'm not a fan of tractor seats on solo bikes (the wings interfere with my riding style, especially off road) but on a non-leaning sidecar rig they are simply incredible!

Lastly, Jim is absolutely correct. Years of riding motorcycles will NOT prepare you for driving a hack! No leaning, no countersteering, pulls one way on acceleration and another on braking, there's a third wheel to remember when trying to go around potholes, etc. Steering a rig is a lot like steering one of the old 4x4 ATVs with no power steering. Or as my wife mentioned after my first year with the sidecar, "Your shoulders are a LOT bigger!" Looking at the geometry of the front end in your photo it looks like Claude installed a trail reducer; that will ease steering somewhat but don't expect it to be effortless.

Pete and Glenlivet

GillyGMR2.jpg
 
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