£4-5k on an FJR1300 or a R1200GS?
Discussion
Reardy Mister said:
Great call. I love Hondas and the design of the VFR 1200. Slightly concerned about pillion comfort though. And they only just squeak into my budget, if I'm lucky.
Hopefully they are nothing like a Blackbird to ride, because I find that really uncomfortable. Nothing before or since has sent my twig and berries to the Bermuda triangle, like a Black bird does. Strange.
Blimey I've never heard anybody describe VFR1200 has a nice design. When I bought mine it was widely described as the ugliest bike in the world and I have to say I actually agreed.Hopefully they are nothing like a Blackbird to ride, because I find that really uncomfortable. Nothing before or since has sent my twig and berries to the Bermuda triangle, like a Black bird does. Strange.
Riding position is nothing like a blackbird and it's far more touring in its orientation than that.
If I was in your shoes I'd be tempted to stretch my budget to get an early vfr 1200 and that way you'll own something far more modern than the other two options you're considering.
Edited by A993LAD on Wednesday 17th June 07:43
I ride a GS across London everyday without any issues, from the M4 to Canary Wharf and back with ease.
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
As Emerson Fittipaldi once said, if you can't go fast with 100hp, you won't be fast with 1000. Same principle applies to bikes.
I wouldn't bother with an FJR imho - I would prefer a Pan Euro for that kind of bike.
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
As Emerson Fittipaldi once said, if you can't go fast with 100hp, you won't be fast with 1000. Same principle applies to bikes.
I wouldn't bother with an FJR imho - I would prefer a Pan Euro for that kind of bike.
Fleegle said:
spareparts said:
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
A993LAD said:
Reardy Mister said:
Great call. I love Hondas and the design of the VFR 1200. Slightly concerned about pillion comfort though. And they only just squeak into my budget, if I'm lucky.
Hopefully they are nothing like a Blackbird to ride, because I find that really uncomfortable. Nothing before or since has sent my twig and berries to the Bermuda triangle, like a Black bird does. Strange.
Blimey I've never heard anybody describe VFR1200 has a nice design. When I bought mine it was widely described as the ugliest bike in the world and I have to say I actually agreed.Hopefully they are nothing like a Blackbird to ride, because I find that really uncomfortable. Nothing before or since has sent my twig and berries to the Bermuda triangle, like a Black bird does. Strange.
Riding position is nothing like a blackbird and it's far more touring in its orientation than that.
If I was in your shoes I'd be tempted to stretch my budget to get an early vfr 1200 and that way you'll own something far more modern than the other two options you're considering.
Edited by A993LAD on Wednesday 17th June 07:43
http://bikes.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/range/sport-t...
Based on my experience with the gs at that price range commuting on the M4 in to Maidenhead... they're too wide when it gets tight, the mirrors are in the wrong place and hit things, the engine surges and is awful at walking pace, the bike will be generally unreliable and the canbus system will go mental in the rain and randomly turn the horn on.
Apart from that they're very comfortable and easy to ride.
Get a blade... far far better at what you want to do.
Mark
ETA... oh, and the lead time to fix canbus issues at a dealer was a month or two last summer. Got rid of mine sharpish.
Apart from that they're very comfortable and easy to ride.
Get a blade... far far better at what you want to do.
Mark
ETA... oh, and the lead time to fix canbus issues at a dealer was a month or two last summer. Got rid of mine sharpish.
Edited by dern on Wednesday 17th June 10:14
dern said:
Based on my experience with the gs at that price range commuting .... the engine surges and is awful at walking pace
That'll be the throttle body snyc and the valve clearances then. They are also comically lean from the factory which doesn't help them one bit.You end up rowing the bike through traffic though, as the bars hit car mirrors and the bikes mirrors like to kiss van mirrors...
fergus said:
That'll be the throttle body snyc and the valve clearances then. They are also comically lean from the factory which doesn't help them one bit.
Yep, did all that hen I first got it and it improved it quite a bit but it was still very poor indeed. Fitted a booster plug which helped initially but the bike soon readjusted the map and pretty much cancelled out the effects. The next option was to get a remap which sorted out all the problems but the rest of the bike was of such poor quality I wasn't going to spend the money on it. Now I'm back on a fireblade you wonder how bmw get away with it to be honest. I guess there are enough enthusiasts who are happy calling a half finished bike 'characterful'.
Mark
dern said:
Yep, did all that hen I first got it and it improved it quite a bit but it was still very poor indeed. Fitted a booster plug which helped initially but the bike soon readjusted the map and pretty much cancelled out the effects. The next option was to get a remap which sorted out all the problems but the rest of the bike was of such poor quality I wasn't going to spend the money on it.
Hi. Who did your remap? Was it a Hilltop m/c "map"?Agreed, that the bike is very agricultural though....
fergus said:
Hi. Who did your remap? Was it a Hilltop m/c "map"?
Agreed, that the bike is very agricultural though....
I didn't get the remap, that was the next step. Was considering it but the bike cutting out and sounding the horn in the rain in the middle of maidenhead on the way to work put me off Agreed, that the bike is very agricultural though....
Reardy Mister said:
Girth may well be an issue on the GS. So might reliability, looking at some reports....
As I'm going to rely on it for commuting, I want some peace of mind that will start first time every time and get me there. I don't fancy pushing one up the side of the A3 in November.
I commuted on a GS for a couple of years and loved it. No reliability issues at all and cheap as chips for servicing etc if you use an indy. There's a great one on the A3 nr Kingston actually. As I'm going to rely on it for commuting, I want some peace of mind that will start first time every time and get me there. I don't fancy pushing one up the side of the A3 in November.
They are a little bit too wide but I found this only really affected me once a week or so if the A3 solidified - everywhere else, you don't notice the weight.
FJR.
On my 3rd.
120 miles a day, in all weather, all year. It's an amazing machine.
I travel from Kent coast to Central London every day, it's certainly not to big to filter through traffic, I rarely find I get stuck. I currently have a Gen2 (post 2006) bike with bigger mirrors, but they're set a bit lower than early bikes. The mirrors on those were set to Transit height, which was a real PITA! :-)
I rack up 30,000 miles a year and other than standard servicing and consumables it wants for nothing.
Tim
On my 3rd.
120 miles a day, in all weather, all year. It's an amazing machine.
I travel from Kent coast to Central London every day, it's certainly not to big to filter through traffic, I rarely find I get stuck. I currently have a Gen2 (post 2006) bike with bigger mirrors, but they're set a bit lower than early bikes. The mirrors on those were set to Transit height, which was a real PITA! :-)
I rack up 30,000 miles a year and other than standard servicing and consumables it wants for nothing.
Tim
spareparts said:
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
err... sorry to disagree. I know I wont be popular, I recognise you'll be questioning my riding but...The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
125bhp 230kg bike aint quick. Admittedly you may be one of these chaps who rag their bike through london filtering with abandon and if thats how you measure it then I have seen 125cc riders who are faster then sport bikes because they dont give a s
t.However on A roads and motorways the new GS1200 feels spritely but it aint quick! Its a 125bhp 230kg bike!
Where as a Ducati Multistrada feels quick!! Thats 160bhp 200kg.
Renn Sport said:
spareparts said:
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
err... sorry to disagree. I know I wont be popular, I recognise you'll be questioning my riding but...The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
125bhp 230kg bike aint quick. Admittedly you may be one of these chaps who rag their bike through london filtering with abandon and if thats how you measure it then I have seen 125cc riders who are faster then sport bikes because they dont give a s
t.However on A roads and motorways the new GS1200 feels spritely but it aint quick! Its a 125bhp 230kg bike!
Where as a Ducati Multistrada feels quick!! Thats 160bhp 200kg.
laysviolin: We may as well push them along.Renn Sport said:
spareparts said:
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
err... sorry to disagree. I know I wont be popular, I recognise you'll be questioning my riding but...The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
125bhp 230kg bike aint quick. Admittedly you may be one of these chaps who rag their bike through london filtering with abandon and if thats how you measure it then I have seen 125cc riders who are faster then sport bikes because they dont give a s
t.However on A roads and motorways the new GS1200 feels spritely but it aint quick! Its a 125bhp 230kg bike!
Where as a Ducati Multistrada feels quick!! Thats 160bhp 200kg.
It's a quick bike for 99% of people.
toohangry said:
Renn Sport said:
spareparts said:
If anyone thinks the GS is slow compared to other bikes on the road, they probably need rider training.
The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
err... sorry to disagree. I know I wont be popular, I recognise you'll be questioning my riding but...The current LC GS has brilliant handling be it 2-up or solo.
125bhp 230kg bike aint quick. Admittedly you may be one of these chaps who rag their bike through london filtering with abandon and if thats how you measure it then I have seen 125cc riders who are faster then sport bikes because they dont give a s
t.However on A roads and motorways the new GS1200 feels spritely but it aint quick! Its a 125bhp 230kg bike!
Where as a Ducati Multistrada feels quick!! Thats 160bhp 200kg.
It's a quick bike for 99% of people.
Yes I have ridden one. A GS1200 TE spec I believe, in blue. Its a nice bike and it does wheelie off the throttle as it has lots of torque. It has a clunky gear box and I found it was difficult to get into neutral at the lights. The trick seemed to be to knock it into neutral before stopping.
Was it a nice bike. YES IT WAS. I loved the engine and I loved the dynamics, however I found it ran out of puff all too quickly.
I have also ridden a MTS1200 and that with out a doubt is an amazing bike! For me the new S1000 based XR is probably the bike for me.
Renn Sport said:
.. GS1200 TE ... It has a clunky gear box and I found it was difficult to get into neutral at the lights. The trick seemed to be to knock it into neutral before stopping.
I had a 2013 GS LC which had 3700 miles on the clock when I sent it back for a new gearbox under warranty. The final drive was also replaced due to play in the main bearing. The fly by wire on that bike didn't feel particularly well resolved to me. In addition to that, the fuelling is setup way to lean (EURO 6 compliance?) and as such suffers a lot from lean surge even when using the cruise control. I sold it and went back to my 05 bike. Not as "quick" but at least I am in control of the motor and there is no delay when going for overtakes, due to the FBW throttle deciding what to do (even in dynamic mode), or when wanting to crack the throttle 5% mid corner, etc.
The FJR is better at open road riding rather than low speed work / roundabouts.
They tend to tip in at low speed into a corner, it can get tiresome to always have to put pressure on the inside bar.
They are great for mega miles, probably one of the most reliable ways to cross continents.
The Sprint 1050 has plenty of character, grunt and a lovely front end. They aren't great two up though, unless you get the GT version. But then they don't handle as well.
The GS isn't for me. Too wide and crap for filtering, unreliable, expensive and slow compared to the sports tourers.
They tend to tip in at low speed into a corner, it can get tiresome to always have to put pressure on the inside bar.
They are great for mega miles, probably one of the most reliable ways to cross continents.
The Sprint 1050 has plenty of character, grunt and a lovely front end. They aren't great two up though, unless you get the GT version. But then they don't handle as well.
The GS isn't for me. Too wide and crap for filtering, unreliable, expensive and slow compared to the sports tourers.
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