The All New LIQUID COOLED R1200GS threadfest

Indeed. Before people actually ride it.
This is still a vote up for me, not a vote down.
To its, his own.

I've not perused all 472 pages of this thread - but I have not seen this before. Too cool methinks!



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Indeed as explained there is pulsing. NOT seen with naked eye (which is what matters to me - I don't care if there are tiny people lighting candles inside the assembly).
You can also see it in HUD warning lights.

I seem to remember it had a yellow tint to it last time I was there, which must be about 7 years ago.

Surely KTM would be the orange people, not the yellow people? we weren't referring them though honest.

Thanks. I hadn't thought about the dimming requirements, hence the pulse modulation. So the same process Clearwater does (and probably many others) to dim their LEDs. Thanks for the thorough answer.

Ditto.

I know you know who I mean

The only text I can find in English were they mention the dimming on DRL is th following (in the legislation part..) it does not mention here it is mandatory. Can find the mandatory dimming only in Geman texts
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/dft-information-sheets/daytime-running-lights.pdf

In Poland it is required by law that the DRL turns off automaticaly when the low beam is on.

Picked up a white one today, premium package w/alloy wheels. It has everything I want, not a light guy so don't care it doesn't have led headlight. Don't think the $1k upcharge to get the led is worth it anyway. Have not ridden it yet (30 degrees and snow here). I got the vario bags and the new mounting system is much more solid than the previous version. The gps mounting set up is very clean so I bought the navigator IV even though I was not planning to. So far am quite impressed with the apparent build quality of the bike. Hopefully will be even more impressed when I get to ride it.

Has anyone had the chance to hang a pair of Stitch Tank Panniers on the new bike??

I saw the new GS at the Cleveland bike show and I'm headed to my nearest dealer Saturday to check out the accessories and availability for what I want along with a trade deal on my 2005.

Kinda hard to fall in love with that bright plastic GS sideplate that I guess covers the sides of the radiators. Wonder if one of the aftermarket companies might come out with something that looks better to replace it.

Hey 2xr, congrats on the bike. How about some pics. Figured I better say congrats since the rest of these guys will continue to debate LED's, DRL's, stitched panniers and wouldn't even notice if you posted the winning lottery numbers. Let's see it.

Jerry Skene uses PWM on his intelligent dimmer controllers, ingenius:

http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/IQ_175.shtml

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nLnPTsdUfng" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

OK, had a chance to do my first test ride on the new GS...it's been a long time waiting and how many dozens of posts on this board.... My dealer received their first two bikes on Tuesday. The red one is the demo bike and it has almost no options...just cruise control and heated grips and no dynamic suspension or ride modes. Here are my thoughts and a few pictures...lousy ones at that. Not sure I really have anything to say which hasn't been said by others in one form or another but here goes. As a point of reference, the bike I'm comparing it to is my '11 camhead GS.



Poor stripper bike...not even a set of handguards Notice the empty spot where the DRL normally sits....outlawed by DOT for some reason. And speaking of DOT, look at those massive North American turn signal stalks.... If you have really good eyes, you can see there is a 5 watt 'city light' in the reflector of the main beam...the bike is a little less attractive with the screen in the fully raised position

This bike is virtually brand new...just ridden by a few others...only 100 miles on it. The first thing you notice at startup is how easily it turns over..certainly the valve decompression feature at work here and then you get a wonderful burble from the exhaust and immediately you notice the much subdued vibrations...it still has boxer DNA, but it's not your Father's boxer folks...it's like your Dad's airhead mated with a young S1000 and out popped a wethead boxer ...a slight twist of the throttle and wow that tach just flies up the gauge and the engine is spinning up like a sport bike. Woohoo! And no vibration in the mirrors at idle...Oh YA.....Nice, liking this so far. I really like the look of the mirrors..no more mickey mouse ears...much better rear and side view with this mirror shape and gives the bike a sportier look.



Away from the bike show lights and the studio photography, the cockpit looks a little less sexy in person in real daylight. Sitting on the bike you see a lot of plastic....for example the wind deflectors but they are functional. The gauges are nice though and the new hydraulic fluid containers are a step above the screw top pee cups of previous models I couldn't even find the time on this display...where is it? Giving me a good excuse to stretch that 30 minute demo ride

Easy enough to shove the bike off the center stand while stradling it and the bike is narrower in the saddle while standing over it. But the basic ergonomics will feel very familiar to GS riders. Leaning the bike side to side you can tell it carries it's weight lower than the camhead. The saddle is comfortable and softer than my Bill Mayer. How it feels after an hour or so in the saddle is always the acid test though. I then raised the screen to max height and I'm off...OK there is a pretty big clunk when going into first gear, as others have reported but that's normal for wet clutch bikes so I hear. The clutch has a very light feel to it (good) but a very late release (not so good )..don't like the release so much but wow does this engine rev fast and easy. First impression...this bike just rips...it takes off like a hooligan bike. Seriously you better be holding on. Very surprising feel of power...much more than suggested by the torque and HP curve. Part of what I'm feeling is throttle mapping I'm sure and later in the ride I confirm it...much more throttle opening in the early parts of the grip twist than in the later parts and the throttle only has perhaps 80% of the movement of the previous GS. Not sure this throttle mapping is very conducive to offroad or slight modulations sometimes needed for technical riding, but it sure is a hoot. I can't imagine what a dynamic mode would be like if this bike was essentially in 'road' mode. I sure hope the ride modes on the dynamic suspension model wiill allow me to adjust the throttle mapping without having to go into a lower power rain mode. By the way, this bike had NO off throttle/on throttle snatchiness which is so common on bikes it seems.

Gearing in 6th is identical to my camhead...4,600 rpm at 80mph. The windshield looks good and provides decent smooth air...I'm tall and although this shield is several inches shorter than my Wunderlich Vario screen it does a nice job. I think I could live with it...which at 6'2" I've never been able to do in the past. For kicks I dropped the screen all the way down and got a blast of also clean air...will be nice for hot summer days or tight twisties.

The seat adjustment/latching mechanism is an improvement...no fiddling required to get it into place, although you do have to remove the pillion seat first like before.





Shifting is very nice...a slightly shorter throw than my camhead...never missed a shift and no issues finding neutral...definitely not a clunky transmission. Chassis and suspension wise, the bike felt very light and tossable but planted at the same time. If I didn't know better, I'd guess the bike was 75 lbs lighter than my camhead. It tipped into corners very easily and handled undulations and bumps very well. The suspension felt at least as comfortable as my camhead in comfort mode, but at the same time the handling was crisp and not wallowy. After a mix of city streets, some curvy roads and a few exits on the freeway, my time was almost up.

Back at the dealer, the side stand is a little bit hard to find at first without looking down, but it never got in the way of my size 12s while I was riding. Bike popped up on the center stand with ease....easier than my camhead GS.



No dynamic for you! Old fashioned hand crank on this one. I wonder why they shipped all the demo bikes without dynamic or ride modes?



This one is loaded but with the exception of LED lights and TPM...salesman offered to swap the red plastic onto this bike if I wanted it!

So......will I get one? :huh

Edit: I recently did a more extended test ride and I do agree now with others that say the transmission is clunky. Not really any more so than may camhead, except for going into first gear, but I was optimistic that the integrated Japanese made transmission would be slicker....

EJ, any of these two had low suspension there?

I don't think so, but they have one that is in build (at factory) right now that has low suspension.

Great review!
Even appears to be objective. Considering you're a fanboy that's no small feat!

Is that speedometer both miles and Km? Scale looks crowded or is that just me?

Yes, the scale is a little bit crowded, but not bad. MPH on the outside, KPH on the inside...same as my camhead. Oh and forgot to mention, no tank slappers or head shaking on the ride, but that chapter needs to be closed BMW!