Help planning a budget for a R1200GS A

Hi,

I am currently selling my motorbike and car so that i can make the transition to purchase a GSA.. I am VERY excited about it and feel that it is the right thing for me to do to get to experience more freedom of riding..

Some of the things i was hoping to be clear on prior to making a purchase..

1) What should i expect to pay for what year ( i would like LOW mileage)

With a new bike costing $20k, I was thinking that $17k would be a good budget for a 10' seeing as their are very limited amounts of used GSA's on the market, I imagine my best bet would be to purchase an ADV Premium and factor in a budget for add on's such as..

2) What budget should i factor in for getting the gear necessary so that i will be happy to just ride the bike after purchasing

Full Akrapovic Exhaust (twin) $1600 (labor cost? $140?)
Adventure Jacket/ Pants/Boots and Gloves (what gear do you ride with Socal year?)
Top box (hopefully will be coming with but just in case $500?!?!)
Michelin 2CT's
Windshield Extension
Aux Lights ? (Vision Solstice)
Insurance 1 year ($1500)
Any add ons you would reccomend as MUSTS?

A bit all over the place but hopefully it will come together the closer i get...

Look forward to hearing from you...

Regards, LukeinLA

I think you'll get a good 2010 for well below 17.

Craigslist is your friend - look all over the country - maybe a fly-in & ride-home could help you snag your dream bike at a great price - with an adventure thrown in for good measure.

I would plan on getting the bike and riding it for a time to see what your needs are. You may find it needs nothing for the way you use it. After all it's a great bike. I'd put good gear and comfort items first and then add other stuff as needed. Some Roc straps and a Dry Bag work well for that once a year big trip.
Shop for a bike that is well farkle, and remember these bikes will run for a long time if maintained (get the paperwork). So a bike with 25k or more miles is just starting to run in.
For me a non factory exhaust system would be very far down on any list I made, less mpg, more sound and less low end, but very cool looking !

Use searchtempest.com and search for "R1200GSA" at the appropriate distance from your ZIP CODE.

Using 3500 miles will return ALL GSA's in the country on Craigslist.

Good luck with search.

I really like cycletrader.com for finding bikes. I found my 2012 Triple Black there and then link back to dealership and now she's all mine.....

I would think unless your very tall that the stock wind screen should be just fine.

Good luck...half the fun is the hunt.

Well, Luke in LA, you probably don't believe what the previous post said, but, yes: +1.

You don't need to plan all your stuff in advance, though selling your car is an impressive sacrifice.
Presumably, your bike will come with all accessories you need - at least for a while. The tires will be there, so will an exhaust.

A must?
Insurance, of course.
Riding gear: well, whatever you find (not that I want to start a hijack, but Rev'It makes nice gear for reasonable cost.)
That is it!

Anything else? Why? Why? Oh, why?
(Especially exhaust - what does Akrapovic do that BMW OEM does not?)

My own bikes are farkled to death, but I do recognize that it is all fun accessories, basically motorcycle jewelry. Nothing is really required. Where are you going to need those extra lights, for example?
Top box? How about just a soft tailbag? Cheap.

Just get a nice bike and enjoy. Thinking and planning too much will only make your head hurt (and, your wallet...)

Figure out what you are going to on spend aftermarket parts and goodies and then double that and you will be done!

I havent found a lot of information re' removing smog and airboxs that slow the bike down..but I am new to Fi. On my current bike aftermaket exhaust, air box removal, o2censor, smog stuff and aftermarket air box and you were talking A LOT of added HP! but with the GSA it seems in terms of modifying the engine or 'un-corking' it their is not much to be done?

Do NOT change a thing, for two reasons. #1 doing so will likely make it run worse, decrease mpg, be less reliable, or any combination of the three. #2 You'll be wasting money. Keep in mind you're not buying a Harley!

I would head this advise. I worked in the service department of a BMW/Triumph dealership for 5 years. More times than I can count folks would get a killer new bike and straight away "make it better" with this and that, i.e. aftermarket exhaust, CPU modifications, etc... And more times than I can count a stock bike would wipe the floor with the modded bikes.

+1..Most aftermarket exhausts, not all, do very little with respect to horsepower and torque gains. The added benefit of a little weight reduction certainly does not justify the expense nor the headaches down the road. The 2010 and beyond GS exhaust sounds awesome.

First thing I asked the previous owner after I test rode the 2010 (that I bought) was - "Is that an aftermarket exhaust?" - it did not sound anything like previous GS's (or boxers) I'd ridden before.

I'd join the choir here and suggest saving your dough - and using it instead to pay for a couple of extra long weekends - and get out and ride that thing.

WOW this is really going to be a whole new beast to me then, I have had three KTM's and the more money you put into aftermarket performance the better it ran so needless to say its been a very expensive riding career..maybe thats why Akrapovic have not made an updated exhaust for the GS if you look at all other bikes they are well on their way with the hexagonal Akra's whereas the only option GS's currently have is the REALLY old circular can (no offence)

Its kind of a relief to here that I shouldnt pump money into the performance but having seen how expensive the BMW jacket is?!! NO BLOODY WONDER ha

I sat on one in the showroom on Honda of Hollywood..it was sold and waiting for delivery brand new $26k with all the whistles..felt a bit like siting on a mythical bull... on steroids

No chance for a test ride from a dealer I only have my UK license and they said for insurance purposed they can't

I like the idea of saving the money so I can do a trip, its just not how my brain has been wired yet having a bike that i havent felt equipped to do that with..

Buy the most bike you can afford. Spend money on farkles thereafter when you're broke--you'll learn to prioritize money in terms of food, shelter, love, and bike. It's interesting to see what people sacrifice to get TT gear.

HAHA..

Would like to find out about Touring gear, I see a lot of people riding with XD type helmets, why do people prefer this over other helmets? What foot wear do you guys ride with?

its weird i am used to find out a lot of information about 'mods' and gear with bikes but with the GS(A) its really hard..is that cause you are all too busy out riding?!!

Is their another specific GS forum that people use as well? I would imagine ADV would be the main place but compared to Orange Crush you guys don't seem to post a lot..(see the 950 SM chronicles)

+1
there have been several '10 to'12 models in the flea market, with a few farkles to boot for a good price. You can build the bike the way you want not the way somebody built it for themselves. Ergonomics was most important for me, you gotta be comfortable.
You will not need any stinking noisy exhaust as it sounds great/plenty loud with the newer motor and exhaust valve and has plenty of power as it is stock.

It looks like i will have about $1500 left after the purchase of the bike. Here is my priority list..

1) Touring Gear (incl. insulate stuff) Need Help..have no idea about this type of gear- jacket/pants/gloves $?
2) GpS (Nuvi 550 seems pretty affordable) $250
3) SeatConcepts to do some work on the fabrics of the seat..maybe padding $160
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf8d2lhwmQA $?
5) BMW cases - $790 for sides or $439 for top alone..eek

The mount for the top case is another $180!

Got an eBay sale pending..and a GSA on hold