I used to have an 1150 gs and it was always great I rode until it had around 90,000 miles on it before it got hit by a car. To replace I upgraded to a beautiful 1150 gs adventure a couple years newer and with only 23,000 miles on it. It's a great bike. It seems to have more oomph then my slightly tired gs. However, I'm short, and I trimmed my sargent seat made it work but its still a lot to move around. The big tank is nice but usually I don't do the kind of riding where I need that much fuel. I love the metal cases, but I can get those on a gs as well. The other issue is comfort, despite my set up on the seat I'm ok driving it but it's not ideal, however my passenger who is with more than half of the time liked my GS so much more. I had a thread going that I should check out about comfort. A lot of people suggest switching to a gs seat on the adventure, but it seems if I don't need the adventure stuff why I don't just... Thoughts?
yup - my GS has all the bells and whistles i need in a bike - and if I were to be truly honest about it, I also think she's way better looking than those big Pamela Anderson adventure rigs - with their huge, oversize tanks - all pushing up and out and all over the place.... goodness sakes. Seriously though - if I were to be contemplating a two year, multi-continent ride - maybe the adventure would be bring a little more to the card table ..... but I use my bike mostly for commuting - day trips when I can - and the occasional weekend away .... The GS is way more than enough bike for me ;-) and as Nyuscdjs just suggested - it's all about preference. I'd encourage anyone to move towards the bike that calls out to you.
For some of us, the bike is more like a canvas than "ready to hang" art. :huh You know, some people buy their trucks with factory lifts or tow packages. Some people do their own, that's all. Preference thing. Or Zen if you're into that. Obadiah
was that i thought the wind-coverage was better than on the GS. Of course, in the warm (read HOT) weather, that doesn't matter.
A GS is a step up from a GSA if anything! Better handling, faster in the twisties, more nimble, lighter, better looking, plus you can stick your adventure luggage on. The only thing the GSA gives you is a bigger tank and more weight. And a twin cam 12GS will be night and day compared to your 1150GSA.
Definitely something to think about. I do have a lead on a way to switch my seat to the old gs seat so I may just do that and ride what I have. Seems like a lot of work to find someone to trade with and deal with when I have a great bike that still runs great.
Maybe the right thing to do is to ride this one until I can afford the 12GS... as my gsa seems to have better resale then the gs.
I've owned three GSs: R100GS, R1100GS and R1200GS. R100 was cool and simple but in today's world, slow heavy and poor handling. The 1200 is a much more responsive, quick, light (relative) bike compared to the r1100. The 1200 is a true do all bike and a less than very competent sport bike rider will have a hard time shaking a 1200 in the twisties. The 1150 is a great bike but it is more of a touring adventure bike than sporty adventure bike. Hope that gives you some comparison.
Easy enough to put GSA winglets and windscreen on a GS. I put GSA winglets and an aftermarket windscreen on my GS and I have about $200 in all that and get as good (to me, anyway) protection as a GSA.
And slightly more ground clearance and a lower 1st gear. Not that I found either of those to be a reason to go GSA. Just adding them for the record.
I just traded an R1150GS (not even a GSA) for an R1200GS and I can really feel and appreciate the difference in weight, power, and the better, less top-heavy feel of the 1200. And my 1150 wasn't even a GSA. No offense to those who ride and love their older GS's. I just know from having orthopedic and back issues that 60lbs. and a somewhat different frame and design that the 1200 just seems easier to balance and handle. I'll bet you would really feel the difference moving from the Adventure. If you haven't thrown a leg over a 1200 yet, you're in for a pleasant experience. (Different enough for me to buy the 1200 the same day I first rode one.) Best wishes, Curt
I just put the smaller GS tank onto my 2004 GSA. Ive rode both the GS and GSA versions of this bike and feel the GS handles better and I never liked the big bulbus adventure tank look. I bought the GSA bike because it was used and found a good deal. Now I have all the perks of the big bikes performance but with better handling of the smaller GS in my opinion.
