BMW GS as a commuter

BizAngel

I have had a VFR800 since 1998. Time for a change. Thinking of a GS 1200 as I've read that the visibility makes them a great commuting bike...thinking of safety. So I have 2 questions:

1. Are they a suitable commuter bike for moving between traffic etc.

2. At 5' 10" would I find them too high for pulling out of parking spaces etc.

Any feedback appreciated.....

The other option I am considering is a Pan

AgileMyth

I've an 1150 as my only vehicle for the last 18 months. Love it.

The weight disappears as soon as you start moving. Its a little wider than what you have but your handlebars are the widest point so its no issue in traffic.

I'm 5' 9". Never found that to be a problem.

colm_c

I've been commuting on my 1200 GS for the last 5 years, high position is excellent in slow moving traffic. The bars are wide, but not as wide as you think. As said previously it's heavy, but the weight disappears when moving.

Cienciano

Yep, they're a great bike for commuting. I used one for years. The adventure model is great because you get extra protection from the elements.
Good seating position, fairly tight turning circle, luggage for carrying gear. I commuted with top box and side panniers, but as AgileMyth said, handlebars are the widest point even with panniers, so it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. Also, shaft drive is handy if you're doing a lot of milage.

fenris

Recently changed from commuting on a 1200 GS to a XT1200z.
I was happy enough on the GS once I changed the can for an Akrapovic, the stock exhaust is too quiet so people tend not to know that you are there, the Akrapovic fixes that and relieves the annoying little bit of throttle lag that you have with the stock can.
The GS brakes felt a little bit fluffy and while they worked well the always felt as if they wouldn't.
The small tank on the normal GS is a pain in the tits, but on the plus side the miles left meter was pretty good, but because of the small tank you would find yourself deep into reserve fairly often. I generally got about 240km out of a tank going down to 15km left on reserve for a daily greystone to city centre commute of about 35km each way.
I would suggest the GSA for any kind of decent commute rather than the normal GS as it has a bigger tank and has driving lights and luggage as standard.
I couldn't find a GSA when I changed bike recently so I went for a Super Tenere and it is actually a much nicer commuter, far nimbler in traffic due to the weight being lower and more central, power delivery is very linear and quite deceptive in terms realising what speed you are doing at first, same high position, brakes are nicely progressive, I do miss the engine braking of the GS, I get an average of 360km from a tank. I was thinking of it as a stopgap until I found a nice GSA but I am really liking it and have popped an Arrow can on it and stopped GSA hunting.

galwaytt

fenris wrote: »

Recently changed from commuting on a 1200 GS to a XT1200z.
I was happy enough on the GS once I changed the can for an Akrapovic, the stock exhaust is too quiet so people tend not to know that you are there, the Akrapovic fixes that and relieves the annoying little bit of throttle lag that you have with the stock can.
The GS brakes felt a little bit fluffy and while they worked well the always felt as if they wouldn't.
The small tank on the normal GS is a pain in the tits, but on the plus side the miles left meter was pretty good, but because of the small tank you would find yourself deep into reserve fairly often. I generally got about 240km out of a tank going down to 15km left on reserve for a daily greystone to city centre commute of about 35km each way.
I would suggest the GSA for any kind of decent commute rather than the normal GS as it has a bigger tank and has driving lights and luggage as standard.
I couldn't find a GSA when I changed bike recently so I went for a Super Tenere and it is actually a much nicer commuter, far nimbler in traffic due to the weight being lower and more central, power delivery is very linear and quite deceptive in terms realising what speed you are doing at first, same high position, brakes are nicely progressive, I do miss the engine braking of the GS, I get an average of 360km from a tank. I was thinking of it as a stopgap until I found a nice GSA but I am really liking it and have popped an Arrow can on it and stopped GSA hunting.

A friend of mine was talking about those today. His BMW's broke his heart, so he's going back to a Japanese bike.

How many litres in the Yamaha tank?

fenris

galwaytt wrote: »

A friend of mine was talking about those today. His BMW's broke his heart, so he's going back to a Japanese bike.

How many litres in the Yamaha tank?

I normally put about 19 to 19.5L in at about 360km
I think the theoretical useable volume is about 21L but I don't fancy walking enough to push it closer to empty, the yamaha doesn't estimate remaining distance, it starts a reserve trip meter. The L/100km avg figure gives the other part of the frantic maths between petrol stations!

Cienciano

If you hate petrol stations the adventure tank capacity is 33l, you can do close to 600km on one tank depending on roads.

suasdaguna2

I've a r1200GS 07. Never has given me a days problem, great vis in traffic.......I don't have issues with the fuel tank size, more than sufficient. Brilliant commuting bike

fenris

My weekly milage is approx. 350km so only having to fill up once a week or less makes a difference to me as I am time constrained on both ends on my commute (widower with young kids so childminding arrangements rule my life) and having to stop just messes with the flow of my favourite parts of the day :-)
600km - I could live with that, twice a week was just too often for me.

suasdaguna2

Cienciano wrote: »

If you hate petrol stations the adventure tank capacity is 33l, you can do close to 600km on one tank depending on roads.

Must be a dog to ride with all that fuel?

DiscoStu

My GSA strangely feels a little better fully loaded. Something about the slop in the drive train not feeling as abrupt on and off the power due to the added momentum from the weight of the fuel load. Yep its more top heavy, and chugs a little more with the extra weight but it just feels tighter. Weird.

Its great as a commuter bike though. Great on the motorway, suspension will eat any pothole, it's far more nimble that its looks imply and the wide bars and huge steering lock mean it has a really tight turning circle. Only drawbacks are the height and size making some parking a bit more difficult than with a smaller machine. Its also quite fuel efficient for the size of it, significantly better than the CBF1000 I had previous to it in city traffic.

I'm 5.10 and I can flat foot it in boots and normal shoes as long as the seat is in the low position.

Cienciano

I'm also 5'10, bike feels tall when you start, but i can reach the ground handy enough.

suasdaguna2 wrote: »

Must be a dog to ride with all that fuel?

Once you're moving it's grand. Almost every time you fill up you get some comment from the person in the garage. When they see you with a helmet and bike gear, but you've put in €50 of petrol.