Best bike you've owned and why...

[David]

B25SS Goldstar...unreliable, a bugger to start, but I lurved it.......

[Bigjawa]

Best looking GS were the original R80G/S, the 1100 was better looking with the single big light rather than the squinty ones that came after.

How about the 2025 R12

It's nice, but I know it's designed to resemble the old bike rather than an original design.

[KungFooBob]

Best looking GS were the original R80G/S, the 1100 was better looking with the single big light rather than the squinty ones that came after.

How about the 2025 R12

Is it just me, but that pic has not quite right AI look to it?

[ChrisW]

Is it just me, but that pic has not quite right AI look to it?

It does - made me look it up too. It's used here on the Bennett's site https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r ... 025-review

All the official shots have the same feel.

I don't think they AI but I do think they might be renders.

[Pirahna]

Best looking GS were the original R80G/S, the 1100 was better looking with the single big light rather than the squinty ones that came after.

How about the 2025 R12

Is it just me, but that pic has not quite right AI look to it?

It does but it's been lifted straight from BMW's site, the bike is available to order. There's a few vids on YouTube as well.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Most marketing promo material is CGI now to be fair, cheaper innit? Even TV adverts are, they have been for a while, although not so much with bikes for obvious reasons.

It doesn't have a front tyre track, despite have a prominent rear one. I think that's what setting off my AI-dar.

Bike looks great BTW, I'd love one but they probably cost £27k.

[Count Steer]

Most marketing promo material is CGI now to be fair, cheaper innit? Even TV adverts are, they have been for a while, although not so much with bikes for obvious reasons.

It doesn't have a front tyre track, despite have a prominent rear one. I think that's what setting off my AI-dar.

Bike looks great BTW, I'd love one but they probably cost £27k.

Starts at £14.4k.


...and heads north with all the available options.

TBF that's not bad cf what I paid in 2003 for mine.

[Pirahna]

Most marketing promo material is CGI now to be fair, cheaper innit? Even TV adverts are, they have been for a while, although not so much with bikes for obvious reasons.

It doesn't have a front tyre track, despite have a prominent rear one. I think that's what setting off my AI-dar.

Bike looks great BTW, I'd love one but they probably cost £27k.

Starts at £14.4k.


...and heads north with all the available options.

TBF that's not bad cf what I paid in 2003 for mine.

The base price is €17,830 here. I'll be window shopping bikes this week, I'll stop by the BMW dealer.

[Count Steer]

Most marketing promo material is CGI now to be fair, cheaper innit? Even TV adverts are, they have been for a while, although not so much with bikes for obvious reasons.

It doesn't have a front tyre track, despite have a prominent rear one. I think that's what setting off my AI-dar.

Bike looks great BTW, I'd love one but they probably cost £27k.

Starts at £14.4k.


...and heads north with all the available options.

TBF that's not bad cf what I paid in 2003 for mine.

The base price is €17,830 here. I'll be window shopping bikes this week, I'll stop by the BMW dealer.

Would you ask them what the available luggage options are? I can't find a single pic with panniers (or top box ) fitted. It's looks like there are slots below the seat that might be for panniers but the back end is pretty bare otherwise.

Ta.

[Dickyboy]

How about the 2025 R12

Looks bloody awesome in the standard black colour, but I fear the seat height will be too high for me and not forgetting that I already have a lighter, more powerful, lower seat height, maybe less reliable.. faux scrambler, in the shape of a Morini 1200 which is easily the best bike I've owned.

[Count Steer]

Looking at some of the pics of it it looks like they've done their best to keep the seat height down. In fact, sideways on, some of the photos make it look like the back end has slumped somewhat which rather spoils the stance of the bike.

It also looks like they've assumed (probably correctly) most bikes are ridden solo/riders need the long seat for their manoeuvres. Pillion accommodation doesn't look like it figured in the design cf the 1150.

[Pirahna]

Starts at £14.4k.


...and heads north with all the available options.

TBF that's not bad cf what I paid in 2003 for mine.

The base price is €17,830 here. I'll be window shopping bikes this week, I'll stop by the BMW dealer.

Would you ask them what the available luggage options are? I can't find a single pic with panniers (or top box ) fitted. It's looks like there are slots below the seat that might be for panniers but the back end is pretty bare otherwise.

Ta.

I've just gone through the configurator and the only luggage options are soft luggage, they offer a thing called the "adventure collection". I'll check with the dealer later in the week.

[Taipan]

Best looking GS were the original R80G/S, the 1100 was better looking with the single big light rather than the squinty ones that came after.

How about the 2025 R12

Wow! That looks lovely!

[Count Steer]

Ah, that answers my about the pillion seat.

[Pirahna]

Starts at £14.4k.


...and heads north with all the available options.

TBF that's not bad cf what I paid in 2003 for mine.

The base price is €17,830 here. I'll be window shopping bikes this week, I'll stop by the BMW dealer.

Would you ask them what the available luggage options are? I can't find a single pic with panniers (or top box ) fitted. It's looks like there are slots below the seat that might be for panniers but the back end is pretty bare otherwise.

Ta.

I've been to visit the dealer, he knows as much as anyone else at the moment, so only what's on the website. He's expecting delivery of one for the showroom in a month or so, I don't think they've had the official launch yet.

In other news the F900 looks nice in both R and GS versions.

[Count Steer]

I've been to visit the dealer, he knows as much as anyone else at the moment, so only what's on the website. He's expecting delivery of one for the showroom in a month or so, I don't think they've had the official launch yet.

In other news the F900 looks nice in both R and GS versions.

The F900 may be different but I didn't like my F800GS at all!

Well, apart from it looked ok.

[Pirahna]

I've been to visit the dealer, he knows as much as anyone else at the moment, so only what's on the website. He's expecting delivery of one for the showroom in a month or so, I don't think they've had the official launch yet.

In other news the F900 looks nice in both R and GS versions.

The F900 may be different but I didn't like my F800GS at all!

Well, apart from it looked ok.

We've all bought bikes that seemed like a good idea at the time. What didn't you like about the GS?

[Count Steer]

I've been to visit the dealer, he knows as much as anyone else at the moment, so only what's on the website. He's expecting delivery of one for the showroom in a month or so, I don't think they've had the official launch yet.

In other news the F900 looks nice in both R and GS versions.

The F900 may be different but I didn't like my F800GS at all!

Well, apart from it looked ok.

We've all bought bikes that seemed like a good idea at the time. What didn't you like about the GS?

Having been invalided off bikes for a while (knackered knee which resulted in me selling my bikes) and repaired/back in action again - a mint s/h F300 came up via a friend. It had all the trimmings, metal luggage etc as it had done a trip down to and about N Africa. That was the total mileage I think.

Couldn't resist and a lighter (slightly!) bike seemed like a good idea.

I found the engine to be totally boring, twist the throttle, induction noise goes up, bike goes faster but it all happens in a slightly underpowered sewing machine fashion, the ABS implementation was awful* and it wasn't particularly comfortable (especially 2-up).

I think it was just the wrong bike for me tbh. I'm sure it was very capable (hence the Africa trip which it coped with admirably apparently although the bloke was tatered by the time he got there!). I'd been riding an 1150GS and a K12GT before the knee thing. I'd probably have been better getting a bike for touring and a Yam YZ250 for larks

Test ride's the answer. Might suit you/your location perfectly.

* ridden a fair few BMWs with ABS before, never had a frown about any of them. Maybe it was a one-off. Dunno. First time I'd wished I could turn it off permanently.

[Pirahna]

* ridden a fair few BMWs with ABS before, never had a frown about any of them. Maybe it was a one-off. Dunno. First time I'd wished I could turn it off permanently.

I onced owned an R1100RS with broken ABS, it would work when the bike was started then stop working with a clunk as soon as the front brake was applied. I advertised it and two blokes in full MCN regalia turned up and tried to get it for silly money. They failed to intimidate me.

I was given an R1150 as a loan bike whilst my non ABS R1100S was on one of it's many visits to the workshop. I rode it home on a road I used regularly, on the approach to a bumpy corner which had never been a problem before, the ABS decided it didn't like it. I still have no idea how I managed to get round without crashing.

[Rockburner]

* ridden a fair few BMWs with ABS before, never had a frown about any of them. Maybe it was a one-off. Dunno. First time I'd wished I could turn it off permanently.

I onced owned an R1100RS with broken ABS, it would work when the bike was started then stop working with a clunk as soon as the front brake was applied. I advertised it and two blokes in full MCN regalia turned up and tried to get it for silly money. They failed to intimidate me.

I was given an R1150 as a loan bike whilst my non ABS R1100S was on one of it's many visits to the workshop. I rode it home on a road I used regularly, on the approach to a bumpy corner which had never been a problem before, the ABS decided it didn't like it. I still have no idea how I managed to get round without crashing.

I've had similar happen. It's why the ABS module on the Ed80 is coming off very soon.