St1300 vs BMW gs1200

Motoandy

Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
16
Location
Myrtle Beach
I just got back from a 5500 mile cross country trip on my st. I have a 2007 bought new in 2009. Prior to that I rode a hd softail for 11 years. I have about 27k miles on the st. Most of my riding is limited to planned trips as I have 2 small kids that take up most of my time and love it. I have Russell day long saddle, risers, and mcl highway pegs. Rest is stock. I love this bike. Smooth , quiet and powerful. All my reasons for wanting one have been made true.

I have always been drawn to the BMW gs 1200. I think I would like the positioning of the seating and would mainly use on interstate and twisties. I can't afford one yet,but who has made the switch? I would like to do a 3 year plan to possibly get one. Any resentment for those that gave up the st for a gs? I am playing what if. I do like the style of the hard bags and dirt bike appearance. Again off road on one for me would be close to never for me. My honda has been loyal and trouble free so far. Thanks for any insight.
 

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I made the switch 2 years ago for pretty much the same reasons. Mine is an adventure model so it has the bigger tank and several other small differences. At 57 years old my hot rod days are over and while the GS is no ST, it still has some pretty good power. I find it much more comfortable than the ST for me. I am 6'3" and always felt like I was leaning forward too much, the GS has a nice upright seating position. One potential downside is seat height, I am tall enough that it fits me, but I would say if under 6' you may want to look at a "low" model. Mine is a 2010 so it is not water cooled, that started in 2013. I feel like with the mods I have made to mine it should be around for quite a while. I liked the idea of electronic cruise on the water cooled models so I installed M/C Cruise on mine. Also installed a RDL seat, that was worth every penny! Now I feel like I have the best bike for me.
 
I test rode a GS a few years ago. There are nice things about it and some deficiencies compared to an ST. Personally, I don't make decisions based on 'cool looks' if the pluses and minus's are not evenly balanced. Looks don't buy me a whole lot. The bike is way too tall for me. At stops I felt like I was doing what the pro racers are doing when they slide far enough off he bike to rub knees, elbows, and even their chins on the pavement in high speed sweeping turns (just kidding about the last).

When my ST came up for sale, everything was right - except the color. My wife thought it was elegant. I wanted red but it was not available in a relatively low mileage, reasonably priced used bike. So I bought it and have grown to love my black bike. So much for looks.
 
I think you should check out the gspot on adventure riders. You will see the good and bad from the people that own them.
 
Currently riding a 2015 GS Adventure with the entire package (ESA, dynamic susp. with 5 riding modes, ESC, Cruise, alarm, keyless, navigation, Gear Shift Assist etc) and I can honestly say it is THE best bike I have ever owned and ridden. Came off of a ST1300 and a BMW F800GS. I loved the 800 off-road, but was lacking highway performance (power and protection for long distance) The new water-cooled boxer is "almost" as smooth as the ST's V4. However, the new GSA engine is very torqy and pulling somewhat better with its new engine than the ST.

What I am the most impressed with is the suspension, which of course with the ESA and dyn. drive modes is light years ahead of the ST.

My intention was to combine two bikes into one, and I really like the result. The GSA is never going to be a 800 off the pavement, but I still took off a massive amount of weight compared to the ST.

If you don't ride off-road any, the GS might be a better choice. It's lighter, your're shaving off 3-4 grand, loosing engine bars, the bigger GSA windshield, bigger tank (I can run close to 330 miles on the GSA tank.)

Good luck with whatever you choose :)
 
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cruiser58 said:
I made the switch 2 years ago for pretty much the same reasons. Mine is an adventure model so it has the bigger tank and several other small differences. At 57 years old my hot rod days are over and while the GS is no ST, it still has some pretty good power. I find it much more comfortable than the ST for me. I am 6'3" and always felt like I was leaning forward too much, the GS has a nice upright seating position. One potential downside is seat height, I am tall enough that it fits me, but I would say if under 6' you may want to look at a "low" model. Mine is a 2010 so it is not water cooled, that started in 2013. I feel like with the mods I have made to mine it should be around for quite a while. I liked the idea of electronic cruise on the water cooled models so I installed M/C Cruise on mine. Also installed a RDL seat, that was worth every penny! Now I feel like I have the best bike for me.
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This comment intrigues me as the new GS has just 1 HP less than the ST and weighs almost a hundred lbs less. Does the boxer engine deliver power differently than the V4?
 
The biggest difference for me would be the wind protection. I looked at a Triumph Tiger Explorer, but went with the Trophy as my main bike because of the fairing. I did buy a Tiger 800 for a second bike, but I can ride 12 hours a day on the Trophy and the Tiger wears me out after 6-8.
 
bmcdonau said:
The biggest difference for me would be the wind protection. I looked at a Triumph Tiger Explorer, but went with the Trophy as my main bike because of the fairing. I did buy a Tiger 800 for a second bike, but I can ride 12 hours a day on the Trophy and the Tiger wears me out after 6-8.
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With all the recalls and stuck-in-shop down time associated with Trophies I wasn't aware that it was even possible to ride a Trophy at all much less all day. :)
 
bmcdonau said:
This comment intrigues me as the new GS has just 1 HP less than the ST and weighs almost a hundred lbs less. Does the boxer engine deliver power differently than the V4?
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I think he's referring to a 2010 GSA, which has ~103 hp/ 84.8 ft.lbs Torque.

2015 GSAW: 125 hp / 92 ft-lbs Torque :)
 
I love my little Vstrom 650 and would easily ride that cross-country loaded up. I was just in the BMW dealer with a friend and I would never, ever buy one... way overpriced and unreliable. Just the GS700 was $11,300.
 
BoSTon said:
I love my little Vstrom 650 and would easily ride that cross-country loaded up. I was just in the BMW dealer with a friend and I would never, ever buy one... way overpriced and unreliable. Just the GS700 was $11,300.
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I have, and it was your bike! HAAAA!!!
 
Motoandy said:
...I have always been drawn to the BMW gs 1200.......Thanks for any insight.
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Although more and more BMW's show up at ST-Owner events; most owners won't post here concerning their BMW/Honda love/ hate relationship. If you really need someone to tell you what you want - ask your wife. :D :bmwkick1:
 
A few years ago, I went through the same thing with the ST. It gave me no issues and dead on reliable. Yet I jumped ship buying both the K1600GT and later a well used R1200GSA. I'll tell you this, my R1200GSA has over 140,000 miles on it and is a beast. I have the RDL seat and just completed a 4000 mile trip on it. Make no mistake, the BMW bikes are for serious riders. The R1200 GSA is world class. I do my own maintenance and it's easy. As others have suggested, it's not necessarily cheap to buy new. Then again you're looking at a BMW so they aren't cheap (buying a demo or used and can save bucks). In terms of reliability, I have two with no issues at all. The GSA is a beast that does many things really well considering its' heft. It is THE bike of choice to travel the world in. The ST1300 is exceptional within it niche. The Vstrom is also a nice bike, but I found it more toy like for my taste and not serious. I wanted the M988 Humvee of motorcycles and the GSA did it for me. Ride them all and have fun doing it. No matter what you decide you'll be on two wheels having fun...you'll have no regrets
 
Bravo616 said:
A few years ago, I went through the same thing with the ST. It gave me no issues and dead on reliable. Yet I jumped ship buying both the K1600GT and later a well used R1200GSA. I'll tell you this, my R1200GSA has over 140,000 miles on it and is a beast. I have the RDL seat and just completed a 4000 mile trip on it. Make no mistake, the BMW bikes are for serious riders. The R1200 GSA is world class. I do my own maintenance and it's easy. As others have suggested, it's not necessarily cheap to buy new. Then again you're looking at a BMW so they aren't cheap (buying a demo or used and can save bucks). In terms of reliability, I have two with no issues at all. The GSA is a beast that does many things really well considering its' heft. It is THE bike of choice to travel the world in. The ST1300 is exceptional within it niche. The Vstrom is also a nice bike, but I found it more toy like for my taste and not serious. I wanted the M988 Humvee of motorcycles and the GSA did it for me. Ride them all and have fun doing it. No matter what you decide you'll be on two wheels having fun...you'll have no regrets
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How bad is maintenance ?? Other than tires and oil ??? I test drove a 08 R1200RT and I loved it. But worry about something going wrong and not being able to repair it myself.
 
Transmission and rear diff fluids along with valve adjustments. Every 30K timing belt. Maintenance is pretty easy even if unskilled. Get the GS-911 to reset codes and maintenance reminders. I had to buy a few tools to help things along, but still not expensive. There are many youtube videos and clinics run by clubs to walk you through everything. No worries. I went through the same decision process, but could not be happier. I feel very confident I can get 300-400K out of this bike without rebuild.
 
dduelin said:
With all the recalls and stuck-in-shop down time associated with Trophies I wasn't aware that it was even possible to ride a Trophy at all much less all day. :)
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Well, not all at one time.

The longer I own the Trophy, the more I miss Honda reliability. I just wish they made something I want to own again.
 
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