General topics » Well, I tried a 1250.

I rode the 50 miles up to Carlisle on Friday, to take a R1250GS out for a spin. I was interested in how the 1250 motor compared to the 1200 and I also wanted to check out the modified drivetrain (my bike is a 2015 that frightens primary school children when I select first gear).

I came away with thoughts that were nothing like I expected. I did see the R1250R’s in the showroom, one of which Graham rode the following day. They weren’t yet available.

Having ridden the RS North on the A6 in a ‘spirited’ manner I had an RS smile when I arrived. I love how that a little bit of upper body positioning on the RS balances the front end neutrally in a corner. The RS is a joy in terms of feedback if you have a gentle touch and relax….

So the GS. First impressions weren’t brilliant. I was half wondering if the ride would change me (back) into a GS owner. I immediately felt ‘plonked’ on the thing. Footrests too low and too far forward to easily take my weight, far too much weight on my arse and the bars seemed overkill in terms of width. The engine was definitely smooth and the selection of first when cold was quiet!

Onto the motorway to get down to Hartside. The screen was as high as could be and there was a lot of buffeting. I’m very tall in the body so I sit high on the bike. Suspension seemed okay, set to Road with Auto for preload. I do like the TFT display but I’m not so keen on the Menu system over the one button for each item on the RS.

Once on the more interesting A6 the bike seemed a little vague. I pulled in, set the screen to its lowest setting, a worthwhile improvement (I have a standard height screen set to low always on the RS). I put the suspension to Dynamic too and the suspension now made the bike a bit less ‘woolly’.

Heading off to the The Village Bakery in Melmerby for lunch the GS did its job well but in a less engaging way to the RS. I felt sat on as opposed to in. The GS needed more effort to turn in and didn’t respond as well to body position. I gave the motor some work to do but nothing jumped up at me saying ‘Wow’. It was smooth, the gearbox once moving was just like the RS as was the gearshift assist.

If I were looking to ride over 300 miles in a day yes, the GS would probably be more comfortable.

After a fine lunch of pie (very Northern) and salad with Jersey potatoes (very not) my favourite local road Hartside beckoned. The GS could be bossed around with those bars and the motor was impressively smooth and responsive going up but again it didn’t feel ‘night and day’ over the RS. The GS style of riding, perched on, a bit vague and lots of countersteer, worked well but the RS feels like a scalpel by comparison.

The new brakes have a little more feel I thought but the RS ones work well enough for me.

So I came away realising how good the RS is for me. Getting back onto mine it felt tiny and ever so cramped for a few minutes. The 1200 engine in my RS also feels more visceral than the 1250 which is definitely smoother. I don’t ever ride with a WOT so I could argue that the 1250 motor does nothing for the roads and riding that I do. I gave the RS motor some work to do and it was great. More power is fine but if the power you have does the job???

When hot the GS still makes a fair old ‘clonk’ when you select first stationary. It’s not as bad as the earlier RS though.

The day just showed me that there’s not actually a huge drive in ‘upgrading’. Yes the new motor is better, smoother and more tractable but it’s not the leap I was expecting.

As far as changing to a GS? It just showed how much better for me the RS is. The difference in rider feedback is the thing. The GS is the mainstay on UK roads. I felt that it was certainly a bit blancmange. It did its job a bit like a Toyota.

Peter

Oh and an official rumour. The R1250RS might be arriving a little earlier than September.....

Nice summary.
I've not ridden a 1250 as yet but they are certainly less agricultural sounding for sure. I rode the 1200GS before buying the RS and just cannot get on with the vague front end feling that exists on all the adventure bikes, too tall and with wide-spread arms seems to take weight off the front and lose some feedback. The RS is a great road bike.
A recent exhaust and remap has certainly made the 1200 seem smoother and more spirited and according to another thread my 1200 is now where the 1250 seem to sit in terms of torque and power so go and treat the RS to a bit of bling and tlc.

Zitat von Fugly im Beitrag #3

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according to another thread my 1200 is now where the 1250 seem to sit in terms of torque and power.

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Zitat von Sanemancured im Beitrag #2

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official rumor. .

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Zitat von Sanemancured im Beitrag #1

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I rode the 50 miles up to Carlisle on Friday, to take a R1250GS out for a spin. I was interested in how the 1250 motor compared to the 1200 and I also wanted to check out the modified drivetrain (my bike is a 2015 that frightens primary school children when I select first gear).

I came away with thoughts that were nothing like I expected. I did see the R1250R’s in the showroom, one of which Graham rode the following day. They weren’t yet available.

Having ridden the RS North on the A6 in a ‘spirited’ manner I had an RS smile when I arrived. I love how that a little bit of upper body positioning on the RS balances the front end neutrally in a corner. The RS is a joy in terms of feedback if you have a gentle touch and relax….

So the GS. First impressions weren’t brilliant. I was half wondering if the ride would change me (back) into a GS owner. I immediately felt ‘plonked’ on the thing. Footrests too low and too far forward to easily take my weight, far too much weight on my arse and the bars seemed overkill in terms of width. The engine was definitely smooth and the selection of first when cold was quiet!

Onto the motorway to get down to Hartside. The screen was as high as could be and there was a lot of buffeting. I’m very tall in the body so I sit high on the bike. Suspension seemed okay, set to Road with Auto for preload. I do like the TFT display but I’m not so keen on the Menu system over the one button for each item on the RS.

Once on the more interesting A6 the bike seemed a little vague. I pulled in, set the screen to its lowest setting, a worthwhile improvement (I have a standard height screen set to low always on the RS). I put the suspension to Dynamic too and the suspension now made the bike a bit less ‘woolly’.

Heading off to the The Village Bakery in Melmerby for lunch the GS did its job well but in a less engaging way to the RS. I felt sat on as opposed to in. The GS needed more effort to turn in and didn’t respond as well to body position. I gave the motor some work to do but nothing jumped up at me saying ‘Wow’. It was smooth, the gearbox once moving was just like the RS as was the gearshift assist.

If I were looking to ride over 300 miles in a day yes, the GS would probably be more comfortable.

After a fine lunch of pie (very Northern) and salad with Jersey potatoes (very not) my favourite local road Hartside beckoned. The GS could be bossed around with those bars and the motor was impressively smooth and responsive going up but again it didn’t feel ‘night and day’ over the RS. The GS style of riding, perched on, a bit vague and lots of countersteer, worked well but the RS feels like a scalpel by comparison.

The new brakes have a little more feel I thought but the RS ones work well enough for me.

So I came away realising how good the RS is for me. Getting back onto mine it felt tiny and ever so cramped for a few minutes. The 1200 engine in my RS also feels more visceral than the 1250 which is definitely smoother. I don’t ever ride with a WOT so I could argue that the 1250 motor does nothing for the roads and riding that I do. I gave the RS motor some work to do and it was great. More power is fine but if the power you have does the job???

When hot the GS still makes a fair old ‘clonk’ when you select first stationary. It’s not as bad as the earlier RS though.

The day just showed me that there’s not actually a huge drive in ‘upgrading’. Yes the new motor is better, smoother and more tractable but it’s not the leap I was expecting.

As far as changing to a GS? It just showed how much better for me the RS is. The difference in rider feedback is the thing. The GS is the mainstay on UK roads. I felt that it was certainly a bit blancmange. It did its job a bit like a Toyota.

Peter

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I got some flak from my friends Ged. Most of them ride GS's. The GS is a great bike and my comparison comes on the back of someone who loves the RS and the way it goes about its business.

My own, 1st variant R1200GS covered over 20K in 3 years so I have a good feel for em. I just find the RS more focussed and a very different bike.

Peter

Zitat von Sanemancured im Beitrag #8

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I got some flak from my friends Ged. Most of them ride GS's. The GS is a great bike and my comparison comes on the back of someone who loves the RS and the way it goes about its business.

My own, 1st variant R1200GS covered over 20K in 3 years so I have a good feel for em. I just find the RS more focussed and a very different bike.

Peter

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Really, the 1250 will arrive early! I traded-in my R1200Rs last December and pre-ordered one for April delivery. When BMW delayed production start to meet R1250GS demand the dealer offered to return my bike and give me CHF500 and I was far from amused. I told them a was happy with our contract and a more acceptable variance was required or a fecal-fan moment would occur once they were in breach. After involvement from BMW Schweiz I now have a near cost free rental brand new R1200RS sitting in my garage to be returned in October or earlier if my 1250 arrives in September. If it doesn’t arrive by then the dealer will keep it over the winter and I’ll have it first registered in 2020.

I comparison shopped the GS and RT, but ended up purchasing am RS back in 2017. My impressions of the GS was very much as described in the original post. The RT felt similar to the GS, but the wind protection was stifling in the Florida heat. The light weight and feedback from the USD forks give the R/RS bikes a much better feel. I was averaging 393 miles a day on a recent trip out West with my RS. The bike never felt uncomfortable and confidently handled twisty roads and bad weather. It was the right choice for me.

As far as I am aware, the 2017 and onwards 1200s had a bigger hole in the torque curve to meet the Euro 4 emissions. Certainly my 2017 feels dead in the mid range compared to the 2016 demo that I test rode back then. I think that is what the 1250 is supposed to address, so maybe someone coming from a Euro 4 bike would find the 1250 more impressive than someone coming from a 2015 1200?

Zitat von Gerry Hatrick im Beitrag #12

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As far as I am aware, the 2017 and onwards 1200s had a bigger hole in the torque curve to meet the Euro 4 emissions. Certainly my 2017 feels dead in the mid range compared to the 2016 demo that I test rode back then. I think that is what the 1250 is supposed to address, so maybe someone coming from a Euro 4 bike would find the 1250 more impressive than someone coming from a 2015 1200?

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Zitat von Gerry Hatrick im Beitrag #12

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As far as I am aware, the 2017 and onwards 1200s had a bigger hole in the torque curve to meet the Euro 4 emissions. Certainly my 2017 feels dead in the mid range compared to the 2016 demo that I test rode back then. I think that is what the 1250 is supposed to address, so maybe someone coming from a Euro 4 bike would find the 1250 more impressive than someone coming from a 2015 1200?

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Zitat von GordonH im Beitrag #14

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Zitat von Gerry Hatrick im Beitrag #12

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As far as I am aware, the 2017 and onwards 1200s had a bigger hole in the torque curve to meet the Euro 4 emissions. Certainly my 2017 feels dead in the mid range compared to the 2016 demo that I test rode back then. I think that is what the 1250 is supposed to address, so maybe someone coming from a Euro 4 bike would find the 1250 more impressive than someone coming from a 2015 1200?

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I had exactly the same experience.......but just put it down to my 2017 being brand new and the 2016 demo having loosened up a bit. The difference was quite noticeable.

Does anyone know if the Hilltop tune fixes this?

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