RE: 2019/12/2 INFO MOTO - 11

I have been given a 1250 GS for a loaner bike today as the RS is in for its first service. The GS has a low seat option.

The last loaner I had from Doncaster BMW was the R9T scrambler, which left a lasting impression of just how uncomfortable a seat could be.

The GS cradles you, like sitting in a pocket. My Corbin is much flatter. My butt is used to the Corbin.

Obvious differences to me compared to the RS are:

Wider handlebars which (maybe by itself, maybe because of the telelever) makes low speed steering "lighter" and shoving it around the parking lot is easier. I guess I agree with TMF on that one. For a rider who is not fully confident, the GS would be "easier". The RS, at low speed, is a handful in comparison.

Much more buffeting from the screen in the lowest position

Noticeably lower gearing in 6th. I think in a roll on, it would be quicker than the RS, but that may also be a product of that GS having more kays.

More of a swing to get your leg over.

The telelever feels "softer" or more compliant than the telescopic forks on the RS, but the GS had done a few thousand kays.

Surprisingly, the telelever "dives" more than I recall my R1100S on braking.

I couldn't feel the application of the rear brake from front brake application as clearly as I can feel it on the RS, I believe it is there - it is just that I am "set up" to notice stuff like that on the RS after so many years of riding that type of bike.

The GS is wider, if only because of the engine protection bars fitted to that bike. The handlebars make it more difficult to "filter" between the lanes, I guess. It wasn't my bike and I was in no hurry to find out in rush hour this morning anyhow.

The riding position is more relaxed on the GS. You could actually be on a traditional UJM from the 70's with regard to the pegs / bar / seat relationship (once you are aboard).
You get a feeling of "command" when you are sitting up that high.

The standard mounting position for the GPS is streets ahead of the standard position for the RS.

Would I buy one? No.

1. I don't like the look. Never have.

2. I was surprised that my dislike of its appearance included the view from the rider's seat. I had not thought about that before. My dislike of its appearance was viewing it "from the outside".

3. It is too wide for commuting. The RS is not terrific in that task compared to, say, the GS 310 or any small Japanese 400 or below, but it gets by ok.

4. I like the more "committed" riding position of the RS, with more weight on my wrists, even at the cost of having a commanding view of the traffic.

Got the RS back from service.

What a welcome change. The RS is so much tighter.

My trip back to the dealer was in VERY HEAVY traffic. I suspect the GS compensation is the sit up and beg position copes with a lot of 1st gear work.

There is no hiding the width of the bars, and the increase of width with the crash bars.

There is no easy way for an old bloke to swing the leg off the bike. I could cope with getting on.
Getting off left me with my right boot hung up on the pillion seat.

I couldn't do anything stylish in that position, so I just barked like a dog and hoped any observers would forget what they saw.

Zitat von Aussie Import im Beitrag #152

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Got the RS back from service.

What a welcome change. The RS is so much tighter.

My trip back to the dealer was in VERY HEAVY traffic. I suspect the GS compensation is the sit up and beg position copes with a lot of 1st gear work.

There is no hiding the width of the bars, and the increase of width with the crash bars.

There is no easy way for an old bloke to swing the leg off the bike. I could cope with getting on.
Getting off left me with my right boot hung up on the pillion seat.

I couldn't do anything stylish in that position, so I just barked like a dog and hoped any observers would forget what they saw.

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Zitat von Aussie Import im Beitrag #152

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Got the RS back from service.

What a welcome change. The RS is so much tighter.

My trip back to the dealer was in VERY HEAVY traffic. I suspect the GS compensation is the sit up and beg position copes with a lot of 1st gear work.

There is no hiding the width of the bars, and the increase of width with the crash bars.

There is no easy way for an old bloke to swing the leg off the bike. I could cope with getting on.
Getting off left me with my right boot hung up on the pillion seat.

I couldn't do anything stylish in that position, so I just barked like a dog and hoped any observers would forget what they saw.

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Zitat von DeadllHead im Beitrag #153

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Zitat von Aussie Import im Beitrag #152

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Got the RS back from service.

What a welcome change. The RS is so much tighter.

My trip back to the dealer was in VERY HEAVY traffic. I suspect the GS compensation is the sit up and beg position copes with a lot of 1st gear work.

There is no hiding the width of the bars, and the increase of width with the crash bars.

There is no easy way for an old bloke to swing the leg off the bike. I could cope with getting on.
Getting off left me with my right boot hung up on the pillion seat.

I couldn't do anything stylish in that position, so I just barked like a dog and hoped any observers would forget what they saw.

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Thank you for confirming what I thought about the GS when it comes to commuting and though not the perfect commuter bike I think the RS handles this better. I'm in heavy traffic everyday to work and find the RS perfectly fine.

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At 5'6'' and 73 I often caught my boot on the pillion seat of the RS. Had the pillion pad lowered by about 20 to 25 mm at a cost of £50. Much easier for me getting on and off and my wife prefers the lowered position.

Here's another. This time from the Bike Show in South Africa. I quite like their reviews and find the banter between the 3 of them good fun. Chubby Dom rides the RS...I think he quite likes it

Thanks for posting the Bike Show video, great to see the bike in fine weather.
Here's a review from London's only evening paper.

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/mot...s-a4314421.html

See the RS in fine weather! Indeed!!

Today in Melbourne it was a brisk 43 degrees.

No....Wait. It is bloody Celsius.

43 is so hot that when I got home and took off my jacket, the jacket was hot to the touch.

My eyeballs feel like soft boiled eggs.

At least the dribble on my chin dries off before it becomes embarrassing.

Here is a link to a review of the R1250RS published by motorcycle.com: https://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/...50r-review.html

I'm getting a little worried - with so many positive reviews the RS may start to become fashionable! We need to keep its position as BMW's best kept secret!

I would have bought an RS sooner, but I was waiting for it to catch up with the suspension and electronics packages available on the GS which is now the case on my 1250. I changed from the GS to the RS, mainly because to me it feels a more involving ride and looks nicer, but also because I was tired of being part of the sheer ubiquitous presence of the GS. You see hordes of them everywhere, and I just wanted something a little more exclusive and anonymous. That could all change if lots of GS riders realise what they are missing and start changing to the RS!

As near as I can tell from looking at on-line BMW dealership ads in the SF Bay Area, there are plenty of R1250R models to be found, but RS versions are as likely to be located as hens teeth. I don't know what is going on here, unless BMWNA or the factory decided that the R's would be easier to sell than the RS and made (or imported) a lot more of them and is now dumping the Rs on their dealers to sell. I do note that the reviewer of the motorcycle.com article seemed to be saying that she liked the roadster more than the RS when she got a chance to ride it for a few hours.

I used to have a 2016 R1200R. The roadster. It's a great bike and I loved it. But, over time, I felt the desire for a bit of wind protection. Especially in the winter months.

I waited for the 2020 R1250RS and, based on reviews (particularly TMF's vlogs), I tried one at the local dealer. Great experience. It felt like what I wanted. I ordered one and took delivery in late November. Winter being what it is hear in Utah (a four season state), I've not been able to ride too much. We're getting our fair share of white stuff this year. The weather man is happy and it doesn't look like this will be a drought year.

I got the RS broken-in the first half of December and can't wait for some snow-free weather. So far, it's everything I hoped it would be.

The RS doesn't handle as quickly as the Roadster (which is about as nimble a bike as I've had). Its steering is a little slower, lending it to a little more stability (it is, after all, supposed to be a Sport-Tourer).

I particularly like the "cant-forward" seating position, the gearing/transmission, and the character of the engine (plenty of grunt, but a decent top end with the ShiftCam). It's certainly a noticeable step forward from the engine in the '16 R.

For me, the RS is a great bike--both for short rides and touring.

I don't agree with all journalists as they review bikes. But I have appreciated some of the reviews done by TMF. He has a '14 GS and so do I. In the long run he liked the GS a little more than the RS. For me it's now the opposite; I like the GS--and even preferred it for a time--but now find myself enjoying the RS a bit more. YMMV

Just a roll on with my buddy on his 1250 GS an me on my 1250RS. We tried Second third and fourth roll-on’s. RS was quicker in all three, not by much and we are about the same weight and size. We traded bikes and did it again and the RS was still a bit faster. GT

Zitat von GT im Beitrag #164

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Just a roll on with my buddy on his 1250 GS an me on my 1250RS. We tried Second third and fourth roll-on’s. RS was quicker in all three, not by much and we are about the same weight and size. We traded bikes and did it again and the RS was still a bit faster. GT

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