The GSA is an outstanding bike and it does a lot of things really really well, especially for a bike that size. There are thousands of ways to attach your luggage and stuff, wind protection is great, fuel economy and range is great, and it's plenty fast enough for the thing you need to do. It doesn't have the "recreational speed" that purpose built sport or supersport bikes have, but it's about as practical as a bike can possibly be.
Im sure you know this by now but...: The pro mode is just tuned differently for knobbies and disables the ABS...I'm sure you're good enough for that mode lol. I bought one last September and loved every km on it. Not as fast as a S1K but the excitement is still here !
Hi Tom, nice meeting you at finish in Bairnsdale last week, long time follower first time poster!.. Glad you liked the "big girl". I had 4 hours total on my new gsa1200 (blue) as I rode into the off road course at Oberon and 3 of them was getting from Sydney's northern beaches to Oberon. I had a ball on the safari never came off once which I put down to the excellent coaching of Chris and Shane and the electronics package on the BMW, I'm waiting for the dates of the level 2 off road training to build up more skill sets....oh and I'd never ridden off road before :-) If anyone is contemplating buying any of the GS range Do the course with BMW you will be amazed what these things can do, its not how fast you can ride these things over rough terrain but how friggin slow you can ride up or down steep rocky terrain... take it easy
They are brilliant bikes. Even my R100GS 98 model is still going strong. Have a mate that moved to Aus and told me that the BMW's are crazy expensive there? He is kicking himself for not taking his GS over.
I'm completely with you on this. I always thougt "Nah, the GS is too heavy, too big, not enough power.. That can't be fun." Then I had to ride one, because my bike broke down. What can I say? 20.000km later I'm still loving every single minute on my GS. Comfy af for long distance-trips, very very easy to handle in every situation and very agile and pretty fast as well. Switch to some decent road-tires (the standard Michelin Anakee are pretty crappy) and get yourself a second set of rims with knobbies and there you go. One bike that does it all, and does it all pretty good. PS: I got the standard GS, not the Adventure. The Adventure, imo, is overrated. The standard model is around 30-40kg lighter which makes it easier to handle and you don't need the extra fuel-capacity.
I did try an S1000XR. It was a fantastic sports bike, but buzzy as hell and no way to see out of the mirrors at highway speeds. I just bought a GS. :-)
People here comparing them to dirt bikes again just because the term "off-road" is used, they're over landers not dirt bikes, slightly different, I've ridden a GSA for a few years now, love the dam thing for all the same reasons this guy states , only thing I noticed was your slight eagerness to over Rev it , do you ride a sports bike too ? Chasing revs is not the way to ride a GS, they're low revving torquey motors , you'd have moved along just as fast being two gears higher but hey ho you enjoyed it that's the main thing 👍
Tom , infectious enthusiasm. Really good to watch that ! Maybe the traction off road would be improved if you selected higher gears . A lot of the time you had 2nd with 7000 rpm, ! maybe try 3rd or 4th off road too ? Best rgds Maybe post an update? Did you buy one?
You stand on these off road and they behave well. Different to a dirt bike where you put your leg out. Good video :) did that BMW experience a few times. Ducati should not organise an enduro experience for their new MTS ENDURO.
it's easy to thumb your nose at a bike that big with a weird engine like that from what you know about riding off road. but that engine is just bullet proof. although off road i'd still take the KTm based off suspension. downside to the KTM is chain drive
Is the quickshifter fast enough on the downshifts? Or were you using the clutch and blipping the throttle? Thanks! PS: I am asking because my GSA is on the way and I can't wait!!! :)
I love BMW, BUT what do i think of this bike... to heavy, not proper for enduro and not 100% proper for road, then it's to expensive. I prefer buying a KTM like yours and change the wheels when i want to. And transforming in to a supermoto. That's a bike that can do both :)
+The Kruxed Yep, I had an F800GS for 2 years. They are fantastic bikes. Fun, cheap to run, nimble but can also cover vast distances. Very much underrated. Also very easy to sell when you want to change bikes! (funny how many motorcyclists forget about that important benefit ?)
despite what you say about the weight being manageable, nicely balanced etc, I could still see you were handling a big bike in the low speed manoeuvring eg going from stopped onto the road. I've had some gs1200 fanboys really annoy me, I guess I shouldn't hold it against the bike but man, some real dickheads out there ride them, who feel the need to preach the gospel of BMW at you and the filly and damnation of your own bike when all you're trying to do is rude and have a good time. They seem to be the same online as well. But yeah, they seem like nice bush-barges
Hey tom i am 16 and trying to get my motorbike licence but dont know which is the best starter bike so what do you suggest as being the best starter bike?
+Trent Pickett Actually I did buy a GS as a starter bike. That's quite unusual but after the test ride at the dealer I was --- what's the proper english word for this --- in love?
+RidingWithTom I imagine they'd be a hand-full on serious stuff, especially with luggage. Like trying to restrain a naked BBW covered in baby oil. Fair play if you've had a go, mate. I'm a manlet, so i'd need a step ladder to even get on one of these things, and a crane to pick it up if i dropped it.
Of course the R1200 is better than the F800 in nearly every respect. Why would people buy the F800 over the R1200 though? Because it's 70% the cost of the R1200GS. $4500 is a lot to some people. That being said, that's about the only reason. That and maybe smaller people, although the F800 in show rooms is intimidating too.
I currently have a 2003 BMW F650GS Dakar, now I'm looking into the 2013/2015 KTM 690 Enduro R. It's really hard to stay with my BMW cause it's so HEAVY! But I love it to death! Just getting over how good all the BMW's are on the road and trading it in for the off road capabilities that the KTM excels in. Can anyone give me $10.5k for it? Lol
Was that a dealer sponsored ride? Because that was awesome! No way in hell would a dealer do that here. Just search youtube and find lots of dorky no-skill pussyfoots babying their GS as they "adventure". Have you ridden the big V-Strom? Just wondering because the GS seems so similar and the V-Strom felt incredibly top-heavy to me. I didn't like it at all. I haven't tried the GS but I want to.
No one gets what the GSA is like to ride until you are on it. It is an amazing machine. I hope there are more Safari videos to come.
Just did a test ride on this monster yesterday, and it feels so LIGHT! feels like lighter than my r nine t
y'all were getting after it on them big ass bikes
Da hell?? New profile pic dude 😂
Twice as heavy as your WR! Probably fricken 6 of your groms haha!
The GSA is an outstanding bike and it does a lot of things really really well, especially for a bike that size. There are thousands of ways to attach your luggage and stuff, wind protection is great, fuel economy and range is great, and it's plenty fast enough for the thing you need to do. It doesn't have the "recreational speed" that purpose built sport or supersport bikes have, but it's about as practical as a bike can possibly be.
Massive fan of the larger adventure bikes! Great video!
Love the sales guy going on the back wheel.
+MyRandomLife247 The sales guy is the Australia marketing manager for BMW Motorrad ;)
Robert Bailey That's Straya
Im sure you know this by now but...: The pro mode is just tuned differently for knobbies and disables the ABS...I'm sure you're good enough for that mode lol. I bought one last September and loved every km on it. Not as fast as a S1K but the excitement is still here !
Hi Tom,
nice meeting you at finish in Bairnsdale last week, long time follower first time poster!.. Glad you liked the "big girl". I had 4 hours total on my new gsa1200 (blue) as I rode into the off road course at Oberon and 3 of them was getting from Sydney's northern beaches to Oberon. I had a ball on the safari never came off once which I put down to the excellent coaching of Chris and Shane and the electronics package on the BMW, I'm waiting for the dates of the level 2 off road training to build up more skill sets....oh and I'd never ridden off road before :-)
If anyone is contemplating buying any of the GS range Do the course with BMW you will be amazed what these things can do, its not how fast you can ride these things over rough terrain but how friggin slow you can ride up or down steep rocky terrain...
take it easy
My next GS video will be of me doing the level 2 BMW off-road course so you'll see it soon!
That road looked amazing. Bet it was a blast going through those corners. :D
They are brilliant bikes. Even my R100GS 98 model is still going strong. Have a mate that moved to Aus and told me that the BMW's are crazy expensive there? He is kicking himself for not taking his GS over.
Wow, great vid Tom. Looked like so much fun on and off road!
I absolutely LOVE My BMW R1150GS ADVENTURE BEAST!
I'm completely with you on this. I always thougt "Nah, the GS is too heavy, too big, not enough power.. That can't be fun."
Then I had to ride one, because my bike broke down. What can I say? 20.000km later I'm still loving every single minute on my GS. Comfy af for long distance-trips, very very easy to handle in every situation and very agile and pretty fast as well. Switch to some decent road-tires (the standard Michelin Anakee are pretty crappy) and get yourself a second set of rims with knobbies and there you go. One bike that does it all, and does it all pretty good.
PS: I got the standard GS, not the Adventure. The Adventure, imo, is overrated. The standard model is around 30-40kg lighter which makes it easier to handle and you don't need the extra fuel-capacity.
Mad respect for jumping on a large, unfamiliar bike and riding like a nutter! LOL. Those are awesome bikes.
Someone just put a post up on my FB page with a conspiracy theory that we are the same person! Funny stuff. By the way, love the big GS!
I like the look of the Triumph Tiger 800 XRX...
Go test ride one ( it HAS to be a blue one ) for me and let me know how it goes.
You need to test ride a BMW S1000XR......
Yeah he should thats even better
yes he should, hopefully he doesnt get the dreaded vibby bars. other than that one of the best bikes ever made
+xboxgamingduff Nah, not really.
I did try an S1000XR. It was a fantastic sports bike, but buzzy as hell and no way to see out of the mirrors at highway speeds. I just bought a GS. :-)
The S1000XR was tops on my list. But with BMW's reliability issues i bought a 2016 Kawasaki Versys 1000LT in July
That actually IS a test drive 👍
Seems like the traction control was really aggressive but smooth.
Thats him being agressive cuz he can't ride
+HJZ75driver have you ever been on a motorcycle? I'm guessing not..
+Joel Woolley You guessed wrong. I ride every day. I dont ride like that because if i did...I'd end up on my arse.
+Piston Slap Yeah, on the road there was a lot of traction control going on. Most likely because of the nobby tires.
+Mesonix with all the cool stuff on that bike it looks like a blast to ride
hope the next adventure is on one of them bad boys!
In the twisters you were way above the torque curve and up on the power curve...because you were revving it like a four.
good riding tom
People here comparing them to dirt bikes again just because the term "off-road" is used, they're over landers not dirt bikes, slightly different, I've ridden a GSA for a few years now, love the dam thing for all the same reasons this guy states , only thing I noticed was your slight eagerness to over Rev it , do you ride a sports bike too ? Chasing revs is not the way to ride a GS, they're low revving torquey motors , you'd have moved along just as fast being two gears higher but hey ho you enjoyed it that's the main thing 👍
Yeah I'm definitely revving it way too much (I'm used to an inline 4) after spending a lot more time on a gsa I now know the low rev torquey goodness
love how traction control just stays on most of the twisties LOL
i think you should get one.. you seem super excited riding it
+Rex _ Tom gets super excited to ride any bike haha, including my 125 ! :)
RidingWithToms GF lol good ol tom is ggreat
Ahh reminds me of the long way 'round :) Amazing bikes
7:17 "Ayy what about the bike" VROOOOOOM lol Love it!
Tom , infectious enthusiasm. Really good to watch that !
Maybe the traction off road would be improved if you selected higher gears . A lot of the time you had 2nd with 7000 rpm, ! maybe try 3rd or 4th off road too ? Best rgds
Maybe post an update? Did you buy one?
Such a sick video dude! Nice bike as well!!! 😎
Because of you Tom im buying a adventure bike next year! Looks like im missing out on to much fun! :P
Adventure riding is the best type of riding!
+RidingWithTom Did you record footage of your 800gs ride? Would love to see some of that as well Cheers!
T0BBi94 its a year later so...??
You stand on these off road and they behave well. Different to a dirt bike where you put your leg out. Good video :) did that BMW experience a few times. Ducati should not organise an enduro experience for their new MTS ENDURO.
would love to see more vids on your s1000rr mate D;
That American trip must have had some impact on you - stryin' into the right lane a few times there ;)
Shame you and Nerby weren't intercomed up.
it's easy to thumb your nose at a bike that big with a weird engine like that from what you know about riding off road. but that engine is just bullet proof.
although off road i'd still take the KTm based off suspension. downside to the KTM is chain drive
My buddy +TurdBucket tells me those things are bad ass :D and have torque for days :D
"My Face is in the germans" - no Problem ;) :'D
That was very funny to watch :).
faith man, he meant faith haha! good effort though
Ups :D. That make sense :D.
+xX12VincEXx haha little bit more aye! 😂
+xX12VincEXx hahahha wtf, no sense ^^
its faith
would love one of these. might be too big here tho
Great riding Tom. I want one..... :-)
Hi tom love your videos
Have mine for 2 years and a love it. Super video thanks!!
When you`re gone to ride the Yamaha MT09 (in Europe) or FZ09 ???
Damn. When you were off road, the traction control was shitting itself.
Hi, great video great ride, espec the dirt road part. One technical question: what camera and video editor were you using?
them roads are beautiful looks fun😀
Brilliant video like always!
Great review Tom
That was great riding :D
Was that a 1st or 2nd gear wheelie?Awesome video by the way bud!!
You should try the Honda VFR 800 X !
sweet road! Nice review
Is the quickshifter fast enough on the downshifts? Or were you using the clutch and blipping the throttle? Thanks! PS: I am asking because my GSA is on the way and I can't wait!!! :)
just reaffirmed..its all about the rider..but man...u were hustling!
Thank you for the great video! Which tyres do you prefer?
Sane people take first rides slow. Not Tom. Thrashes it right away. That's why I like you. LOL
u should have more subs ur a great utuber
I wish the windshield is clean. So i or we can see clearly 😐
Good stuff Tom 👌🏼
everyone check out yammie noob. guy is really good and new. So for those who want a bike, he is a good watch on what it's like for beginners
So heavy, so EXPENSIVE!!!!
But so good!
Buy used!
so how does he get to do all these crazy test rides?!? the only way i can test ride around here is if i have a down payment on the bike haha
Im not an expert but isn't he hitting the rev limiter quite often ? or is that just how one does off road riding ?
i got one of them jes they are smooth
I love BMW, BUT what do i think of this bike... to heavy, not proper for enduro and not 100% proper for road, then it's to expensive. I prefer buying a KTM like yours and change the wheels when i want to. And transforming in to a supermoto. That's a bike that can do both :)
I was expecting more to go wrong :p
Any take on BMW G 310 GS? Will it give the feels of 1200GS?
That wind screen done seen some shit.
0:12 is that a bare knee? man, you're much tougher than i am
DUDE YOUR AWESOME
what is your dream bike or car?
So when are we seeing you on a 1190r or 1290SA Tom??
did you get to ride the standard GS to compare to the GSA ?
Where's this taking place? NSW?
Hi ya tom
I won't ever have the balls to off road an adventure bike. Dirt bikes ftw!!!
How many bikes in total have you rode so far Tom? (Including your own, test rides and friend/subscriber bikes)
Easy over a hundred different bikes
where are you?
I'm considering a gs600 as my next bike (still learner license) anyone had one ?
So are you going to buy one now? :D
Way cool!
Off road where?
did you try the F800Gs ws thinking about getting one but they do not have 800gs test bikes here :(
I did a 2 day off-road course on the 800 that I will be posting soon, after the two days I really like the 800 :)
Nice :) will be waiting :D
Where is that road?
2010 bmw 650gs 2 cilinder
If you want to see what a GS is capable of offroad, check out Isaac Feliu on UA-cam.
He knows how to handle the big boxer offroad.
The 800 is like half the price, so theres that reason ;-)
+The Kruxed Yep, I had an F800GS for 2 years. They are fantastic bikes. Fun, cheap to run, nimble but can also cover vast distances. Very much underrated.
Also very easy to sell when you want to change bikes! (funny how many motorcyclists forget about that important benefit ?)
ride safe
despite what you say about the weight being manageable, nicely balanced etc, I could still see you were handling a big bike in the low speed manoeuvring eg going from stopped onto the road.
I've had some gs1200 fanboys really annoy me, I guess I shouldn't hold it against the bike but man, some real dickheads out there ride them, who feel the need to preach the gospel of BMW at you and the filly and damnation of your own bike when all you're trying to do is rude and have a good time. They seem to be the same online as well. But yeah, they seem like nice bush-barges
Every brand has them.
what tyres are you on?
Hey tom i am 16 and trying to get my motorbike licence but dont know which is the best starter bike so what do you suggest as being the best starter bike?
GSA
+Trent Pickett I think you have to sit on a few to know which one really suits you and feels right for you :)
Zx10r
+Trent Pickett Actually I did buy a GS as a starter bike. That's quite unusual but after the test ride at the dealer I was --- what's the proper english word for this --- in love?
I'd hardly call that offroad.
Would do proper offroad on one?
Done. Safari will be coming out later :)
+RidingWithTom I imagine they'd be a hand-full on serious stuff, especially with luggage. Like trying to restrain a naked BBW covered in baby oil. Fair play if you've had a go, mate.
I'm a manlet, so i'd need a step ladder to even get on one of these things, and a crane to pick it up if i dropped it.
bmw nine t test ride? :P
Of course the R1200 is better than the F800 in nearly every respect.
Why would people buy the F800 over the R1200 though? Because it's 70% the cost of the R1200GS. $4500 is a lot to some people.
That being said, that's about the only reason. That and maybe smaller people, although the F800 in show rooms is intimidating too.
How much BHP and torque does it have?
+MartinnMartin
Rated output110 hp (81 kW) at 7,750 rpm
Max. torque89 ft-lb (120 Nm) at 6,000 rpm
With around 5.0L/100, lower if just highway.
I currently have a 2003 BMW F650GS Dakar, now I'm looking into the 2013/2015 KTM 690 Enduro R. It's really hard to stay with my BMW cause it's so HEAVY! But I love it to death! Just getting over how good all the BMW's are on the road and trading it in for the off road capabilities that the KTM excels in.
Can anyone give me $10.5k for it? Lol
That's awsome
Was that a dealer sponsored ride? Because that was awesome! No way in hell would a dealer do that here. Just search youtube and find lots of dorky no-skill pussyfoots babying their GS as they "adventure".
Have you ridden the big V-Strom? Just wondering because the GS seems so similar and the V-Strom felt incredibly top-heavy to me. I didn't like it at all. I haven't tried the GS but I want to.
have you played fallout 4? :D
Dat windshield is making me cringe!!
epic
Damn son most polish name ever ahaha
MartinnMartin Thanks? :|
Just kidding
mot ay iH
Looks like a really nice bike, but damn it's so ugly!
+BBQ Rider haha believe it or not in person it's actually super pretty!
RidingWithToms GF
Reminds me too much of a bloated rhino, but I'm an uncultured swine anyway