| Author | Message | ||
     Smac |
So, a friend of mine wanted to demo the GS12. He wants a bike that is also very capable of getting off the tarmac. I figured I'd tag along and demo the bikes with him. I was a little worried that I might end up falling in love with the GS and end up parting with my XT. I always thought that the Beemer was the premier sport touring bike that was also very good off-road. To my surprise, I didn't like it one bit! The engine had a weird side-pull when you blipped the throttle (boxer engine characteristic I'm sure) and at 80 mph in top gear, the rpm gauge was about 700rpm higher than my Buell...& the GS has a 6th gear! It also vibrated a lot more than I ever thought it would. I would say the vibration was just as much if not more than my Uly. I did however enjoy the suspension setup on the GS, but that's about it. Needless to say, I'm glad I did the demo ride to get that ugly thought out of my head! I thought I'd share my experience in case there is anyone else out there that had the same perceived notion! My buddy has rode my XT plenty of times and likes it a lot. Next on the agenda...a trip down to the local HD/Buell dealership so my friend can demo the Uly X! I now know why the BMW sales guys did NOT like by Buell resting in the parking lot!!! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Did they feed you brats or just regular old hot dogs? | ||
| Scallywack21 |
Perfect timing. I have been thinking about a test ride myself on the BMW. I really love my Uly but have been considering the GS mostly because of the available ABS. After reading your post, I may just reconsider! THANKS. | ||
| Sayitaintso |
A friend bought a 12GS not too long ago. He and I traded bikes for a 25-30 mile ride. When we got back he was all grins and kept going on about how the Uly was a "hooligan" bike. He loved it and I have a sneeking suspicion he will get rid of one of his other 4 bikes to get one. For me on the GSA.... it was kinda boring. To me it wasn't any more comfortable that a Uly, seemed much heavier (even though I know the specs are close enough that the difference should be just about unnoticable), and felt like a "land yacht". If I had to compare them to cars... the BMW GSA would be a Lincoln Town Car and the Uly would be a BMW 5 series. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Every once in awhile I stop by the BMW dealer here in Omaha, NE. It's a small shop in a mini mall. I feel sorry for them because the place is usually void of customers and quiet as a tomb. The bikes are cool looking but the prices show that BMW is very proud of their bikes. This particular dealer always makes me feel like I'd better be buying something or get the heck out. Can't imagine asking to demo one of those bikes of his without having put money down. The bikes are sweet looking though. | ||
| Alchemy |
I took a test ride on a R12GS (I think it was) at Americade last year and other than a Uly that would be a prime candidate. I liked the "tug" when the mill was rev'ed. It has some personality and lots of bells and whistles. Looked impossible to keep clean however with too much disorganized "junk" around the instrument pod. | ||
| Scallywack21 |
I agree.....they do look good (better then my Uly??) And how do they really compare to my beloved Uly? Comfort, performance, maintenance and PRICE wise ?????? !!!! They have some pretty good incentives right now and I'm tempted, but am having a hard time justifying it. | ||
| Lars1974 |
i too have ridden a 12er GS, but i bought a Uly.... every since Ewan McGregor did his long way round things they have become very common and every guy seem to have bought... makes me laugh when i see them on their fully kitted GSA's with all extra to then just use it on sunny days for a 10mile commute...what a waste.... Anyway, i thought the 12er GS was a good bike, but too clinical...no soul... hence i bought a Uly! i still have 3 other BMW's in my Garage (R1100S, F650, R75/6) and they all have good and bad points, but between the ULY and GS I'd choose the Uly any day!  (Message edited by lars1974 on August 25, 2009) | ||
| Chadhargis |
I owned an 1150GS, and I've ridden the 1200GS. In both cases, the Ulysses is a much better bike for the way I ride. In fact, there is a gentleman looking at possibly purchasing my Uly who's currently riding an 1100GS. Said he's tired of paying to fix the BMW.  | ||
| Hooper |
Yeah, the BMW wing of Battley HD/B/Suzuki/Ducati/BMW/Yahama (that's the kind of dealer a Buell belongs in, IMO) is deathly quiet too. They even have a legendary European salesman and some of the COOLEST riding clothes, but there's never any action in there. Bob's BMW in the DC area is a wonderland, and even features a bunch of very valuable old BMWs, but I really do like pulling up on the Uly there. I think I heard "scoffing". I rent BMWs from time to time when I travel, and I like them, but I think their "soul" resides in the highly engineered design and technology. Owners tell me I just didn't spin that R1200RT up high enough to see what it can do, but I think I did. It was a sedate, fairly sporty tourer that was perfect for traveling in the rain. I'm tempted to rent a GS next time, but I already know what the engine can do and would rather try something different, like a 1300ST or FJR. | ||
| Chas1969 |
Test-rode the r12gsa at BMW MOA rally this year and rev-per-rev the boxer really vibes more especially more than 4.5k rpms. Still a nice engine with more pep high up but love the Uly with hard core torque!  | ||
| F_skinner |
If you think a multi brand dealership is the answer here is one for you. PPHD/Buell. They carry MV Agusta, Buell, Hyosung and KYMCO, BMW, Ducati, OCC, and HD of course. Here is the link: http://pikespeakharleydavidson.com/ Go down on the page to see Pikes Peak Powersports or something like that. I would not buy anything from these guys. They effectively have every brand covered save, Victory, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha. They are counting on you not riding to Denver to buy anything. When they were all in one store the Buells where located behind the scooters and the sales people did not know the difference between a XB12X and XB12XT or a Blast and a Firebolt. Just because there are many brands does not mean Buell should be there. The difference between a great Buell dealer and a poor one is a few enthusiastic people supported by their management and a good understanding of customer service. The brands that are sold have very little to do with customer service or product support. I ride to Denver 110 miles North for everything. | ||
| Dr_greg |
I, too, came close to falling under the "spell" of the BMW stuff. Bought '06 Uly #044 back on 10/1/05, then demoed an '06 R1200GS. Brought me right back to my senses: 1. Too damn BIG!!! 2. Harsh suspension 3. Miserable seat 4. Way too many $$$ Yes, much can be remedied by aftermarket, but I'm not gonna shell out for the bike then get reamed for parts to make it what it shoulda been in the first place. I recently had a brief "relapse" but '06 Uly #564 has me firmly back in the "good guys" camp again. --Doc | ||
| Court |
>>>but too clinical...no soul... Best description I've heard. | ||
| Galloper |
My dealer is a multibrand dealer. They have besides Harley & Buell, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Piaggio, Suzuki, Suzuki, Triumph & Yamaha. The Harleys and BMW's are on the second floor. Somehow that seems to work pretty fine... considering that these brands are very popular with the local doctors, lawyers and other self employed bottomless chaps or BMW apperal wearing folks  Honest you'll never see a Hells Angel type at this dealer. Comparing a Uly with a 1200GS... I'm very fond of the 1200GSA but I find €20000,- a bit much. Two friends of mine both have a (his & hers) 1200GS and they speak very highly of them. She took my Uly for a 100mls ride before she got the GS. She found the Uly too much hooligan for her but loved the looks. Another thing is that almost on every streetcorner there's a GS parked or moving, those things are freaking everywhere. I like the more exclusive Uly | ||
| Wbrisett |
Recently I the local BMW shop had my '09 RT in for a "quick" repair. My wife and I had lunch next door, she went back to work, I walked back to the dealership and they hadn't finished. The tech ended up pulling an '09 RT off the floor to get a part that they needed (needed a left and right grab handle. BMWNA sent two lefts). After another 45 minutes, the tech went to lunch. I was chatting with the owner and mentioned I had a meeting at 2 PM, he told me "no problem, I'll loan you a bike." He gave me a 12GS. I really expected something different from it. The reality is other than the windscreen, it felt and handled just like my RT. I didn't notice the vibration that the OP mentioned, but it certainly isn't a Uly. I have fun on both my bikes, but I really enjoy riding my Uly around town. When I have the Gobi bags on it, a lot of people think it's a GS. What they don't realize is it is a whole lot more fun than a GS. Wayne | ||
| Choyashi |
Rode my friends GS, It reminded me of a Kawasaki Voyager I once rode. The front end sticks out a mile! It feels like driving a truck.Can't see how anyone could call this an adventure bike! The big adventure would be trying to pick it back up if it fell over in a rut! I guess all your 60+ year old engineer type buddies could whip up a fulcrum out of stuff laying around the trail!! | ||
| Skinstains |
I was in San Francisco in the spring of 08 for business and happened to have a day off. I went down to Dubbleju to rent me a F800GS. Aparently they had not yet been released to the public. OK so lets get one of them there adventure models that you have mental images of on the top of Everest with the rider pulling on a no filter Camel and his friend next to him in his 1960's land Rover. Or they could be in the Sahara somewhere. Or the Amazon. Or anywhere else that you couldn't possibly get to without the BMW GS. Well I rented a brand new R1200GS and expected my life to start getting really exciting starting immediatly. How gould it not ? I am after all on a BMW GS ! What a hunk of sshhiitt ! My hands were numb at 18 miles and everything after that I seem to have a mental block of. Did I mention that it was a beautiful day spent riding the PCH ? If someone gave me one of those junks I would trailer it to the nearest cliff (i'm not riding it, that's for sure) and shove it off. | ||
| Kimberley |
Riding a BMW and twisting the throttle reminds me of flying a small plane........ | ||
| Froggy |
 Paint it blue and I am sold! Oh wait, someone did... FML. (Message edited by froggy on August 25, 2009) (Message edited by blake on August 26, 2009) | ||
| Rubberdown |
Hey ... I've got both of those... | ||
| Swampy |
Look, they mounted the front rotor like the Blast! | ||
| Blake |
I don't care what any of you say. I dig the big GS. But if I can find a proper set of knobbies for the big Uly, I may forget about the beemer for a while. | ||
| Ourdee |
Only thing I like is the luggage. | ||
| Hooper |
With the point about the multi-brand dealers, I guess what I meant is that Battley isn't a strictly HD-and-Buell shop, which means they get racers and squids in there for the R1's, metric cruiser types for the V-Stars, the well-coiffed Ducati guys for the rattling clutches, and the invisible BMW guys for the...well, whatever they buy. So, I guess what I hope is that the diversity of the shop brings in some of those folks who would never ever walk into a H-D dealer and therefore would never see a Buell in a showroom with a salesperson on-hand to pitch the brand and offer a test ride. The cool thing is that they have a "sportbike guy" who has ridden all the sport-oriented bikes in the store and can compare them for a buyer. He's not a Harley salesguy who has rarely ridden a Buell but has to sell it anyway. | ||
| Atoms |
The front end sticks out a mile! It feels like driving a truck. Can't see how anyone could call this an adventure bike! That is the dealbreaker for me. On the Uly it is like we are flying along with the bike. The GS has so much crap way out front (like the much more hideous vstrom) that its more like riding a tractor or yes, a truck. I reserve the right to get one some day, but I don't see it happening any time soon. | ||
| Mnrider |
The nice thing about the Uly is it looks kinda racy,the GS looks slow. | ||
| Rubberdown |
I held my GSA at 125-130 indicated for over a mile the other day, 2-up with luggage. Solid as a rock. I got 401 miles out of that tank of gas. Did a little dirty-2up riding as well on some steep rocky powerlines. I like bikes. This one's a sweet ride; quiet, strong, versatile, comfortable, very little heat, and agile. The ESA is SWEET! | ||
| Woodreaux |
Thanks for starting this thread. I had wanted to buy a GS for several years until Buell made the Uly. On the very first ride on the Uly I knew the Uly was the right decision. Haven't thought about a GS since. Passed a few though | ||
| Chadhargis |
I loved my BMWs, except for when I had to buy parts for them. |
