£4-5k on an FJR1300 or a R1200GS?

[Reardy Mister]

Which would you have and why?

Riding is:

A daily 40mile commute (round trip) into central London

Occasional day or weekend trip with the missus on the back

Annual continental sojourn.

I'm 6'1 and 85kgs and last bike was an R1.

[Reardy Mister]

CaptainSlow said:

Neither, Sprint ST.

Ok, I'm open the Trumpet idea. But in what grounds? What does it do the others don't?

[Reardy Mister]

MrB1obby said:

I would say r1200, but that's purely because I dont like the fjr for no reason - gtr1400 if you upped the budget a bit?

Although, surely a sportsbike is slimmer for the filtering, more fun on the open road etc which makes it a better commuter.

Weekend jaunts will be more fun because sportsbike and you can just get one of those £20 Groupon 'spa days' and then ask for forgiveness when it only lasts 20 minutes.

And the annual trips, you want to be on something light and agile for those alpine switchbacks, dont you?

05 ZX10r is the perfect bike sir.

Hmmm, GTR you say?

Something like this?

http://goo.gl/IrT7gf

I think I'm about done with sports bikes for a while. A sports bike won't be a good central London commuter (the R1 wasn't so nothing else will be!) and I want a bit more comfort, a bit more protection from the elements and a bit less frenetic. Plus the Mrs needs to be a little bit comfortable.

I was thinking r1200GS for times when I need to kerb hop (parking or traffic dodging), for sitting up quite high in traffic and because I think I might still be able to hoist the odd wheelie on one. No reason I can't track it either. Should be ok for the missus, maybe a little light on protection from the elements. And I get to wear one of those cool dual sport helmets....

[Reardy Mister]

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.

[Reardy Mister]

Hooli said:

J B L said:

Hooli said:

Someone on here goes into the London everyday on a FJR & reckons they filter fine. Only GS I ever see filtering has the world tour handbags on & gets in the way a lot.

I also remember someone (could have been the same) mentioning that they clear most vans and cars mirrors nicely.

I'd like one as I'm facing an occasional long commute soon but I still can't decide whether it's for me or not.

That rings a bell. Normally in the same thread myself or Wedg1e mentioned van mirrors are just the right height to get in the way on a Pan Euro.

That was my thread as well, re a FZ1000 as a commuter. Same conundrum its just that the budget has gone up as I dazzled the Mrs with some man-maths as I spoon fed her melted chocolate and promised increased QT on weekends by having a bigger bike.

[Reardy Mister]

fergus said:

I commute around 40 miles each way from Amersham into central London, along the A40 and then down the Marylebone Road, Farringdon, etc on an 05 GS1200. Width isn't an issue at all. Other than guys on sportsbikes who fold their mirrors in to go through small gaps, I've never really been held up filtering.

If you go down the GS route, there are a couple of things to check depending upon mileage. First is the final drive and second is the driveshaft. Other than that, mine gets an annual wash, 4 oil changes a year and is bomb proof. Now on around 90k miles.

Useful to know, many thanks. I work near Farringdon myself.

[Reardy Mister]

A993LAD said:

Neither

Fjr too bulky/heavy/agricultural

R1200 too slow

Try a vfr 1200. Dirt cheap 2nd hand but more fun than your suggested options.

I'm biased because I own one but I have also had the other 2

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.

[Reardy Mister]

Great responses, especially on the commuting practicalities.

To be fair, I don't NEED more power than the GS but then, who does? But after the reports here which accurately reflect what I've seen on some owners forums, it seems like a bit of a reliability lottery with the GS. Much as I love the look of them and their image, I don't think its enough to overcome the roulette of drive train issues and electrical gremlins. An *adventure* bike with numerous reports of malfunctioning in wet weather is unforgiveable and reinforces some of my opinions on BMW formed since owning my E92 3 series. The ownership experience does not stack up to the image or marketing message.

With 175hp. and a comfy riding position, the VFR is ahead I reckon. Its just a bit of a stretch over an FJR.

[Reardy Mister]

Horse power wont be the defining factor (to a point). If the thing can do 120mph, Im happy. If its gets to 100 ok and wheezes slightly to 120 but does other things well, thats still ok. So horsepower schmorsepower.

I couldnt ride a TDM. Its capability would in no way compensate for its looks. Being given to me for free couldnt compensate for the way it looks. Same with the V-strom and the Varadero, all designed by the same blind man I think.

[Reardy Mister]

black-k1 said:

RizzoTheRat said:

If you're considering a VFR1200 then it might also be worth looking at the K1300S as a pretty capable long distance sports tourer.

I currently commute into London on my K1300S. I do a total of 75 miles each way which is mixed between country A and B roads, motorway and town roads. It's superb for the job. Comfortable and quick. I change the ESA between comfort, normal and sport a few times in each journey according to the road conditions and how I want to ride. I can filter as well as any bike bigger than a moped and regularly catch other bikes up when filtering. While it’s not a light weight it’s not bad either with a low CoG and a seat height that lets me get both feet flat on the floor.

For touring it has hard luggage that is easy to fit/remove, does 50mpg, 200 miles to a tank and pulls top gear from 25mph to 175mph without batting an eyelid.

For sports riding it’s a quick on the road a pretty much any sports bike, having decent power and torque but the ESA allows it to use that power on a number of different road surfaces that would have sports bikes struggling. The handling is solid and secure with the “funny front end” allowing the rider to take some pretty serious liberties with regards to late hard braking.

Theyre s superb looking thing but not sure it'll be any good for a pillion(?) Especially long distance. Probably out of the budget too.

[Reardy Mister]

Perhaps a R1200RT

Edited by Reardy Mister on Thursday 18th June 13:22

[Reardy Mister]

Renn Sport and spare parts said:

Handbags handbags handbags

As I said, for the requirements of this thread 100hp is enough anyway.

[Reardy Mister]

black-k1 said:

It's not a Goldwing or a R1200RT but it's pretty good.

Just remembered these myself and there are plenty in budget, including heated grips, seats, Radio/CD, elec sreen and some with ESA

[Reardy Mister]

spareparts said:

Renn Sport said:

This is utter tosh. I know my own ability and it cannot be demonstrated over a forum. Not only that you are in no position to judge my ability! This just your arrogance being displayed.

I do need more training as do the majority of us riders, I have failed to meet a rider even those riding in the fast group who didnt need or couldnt benifit from further training. We all need training as do you.

The fact I think the GS1200 could do with more power is shared by many. Just because you like the bike and have a different opinion doesnt mean I am wrong.

Hang on a second....
Yep, training is always good! But take it from me that over normal mixed roads, a sportsbike may be faster over certain sections of road, but a GS will easily keep up except for when the sportsbike rider rides at very illegal speeds. I think this is the point you're missing. My sportsbike is a lot faster on any straight, any smooth A-road, but there's not much to brag about when it's doing 100-160+mph. Throw in some twisties, even some hairpins, and some broken tarmac, and the GS is quicker than the Ducati. How do I know? Well, I've ridden both over the same roads in England and here in the Pyrenees (where I am right now) and I can assure you that the GS is faster overall. I've also ridden the same combination of roads on a K1300S and the GS is still faster. I just did the N260, N240, C26, C16, BV-4241 (Google is your friend) over the past 3 days from Olot to San Sebastián via Andorra, and the GS is the fastest and easiest of all 3 bikes.

A Multistrada may be even quicker, but I doubt it. The suppleness of the Telelever front end over broken roads is sublime.
I'm not the fastest of riders, and continue to get rider training every year, but I'm quick enough to push bikes to their limit on the roads. So arrogance? Perhaps. But I speak with 1st hand experience of these bikes over the same roads both in England and abroad. I'm telling you my experience with these kinds of bikes over distance - ie, 100-300+ miles a day. Tell me yours, not what internet hearsay says.

Generally speaking I find that whole angle far too subjective. This business of "this bike is faster on this road cause I tried it with a mate once" is all a bit woolly for me. If for your riding style, ability and requirements you find the GS faster, stick with it and more power to you. No one can really argue that.

So, moving on...

Edited by Reardy Mister on Thursday 18th June 21:00

[Reardy Mister]

Reardy Missus has pre-approved the R1200RT and prefers it in blue. Insurance for a 2008 example fully comp is only 167 quid per year.

st just got real. Now, where to find the folding....

[Reardy Mister]

Renn Sport said:

OP: Whats the list down to now?

VFR1200
FJR1300
Cross Tourer
BMW K1300S
BMW RT

Sorry trying to keep up. All of those seem cracking. The FJR is the oldest in terms design I guess.

It does seem like there are no bad choices in that bunch. Add to that the cracking looking Kawasaki GTR1400? About the only green machine I'd consider owning, other than a ZX12R.

At 37yrs old though, heated grips, seats and a CD player are winning the day. Should I be worried?!

[Reardy Mister]

Renn Sport said:

I didnt realise the GTR was in budget?

Get that!! Make sure its green though.

To be honest, a good one is a little outside the budget. Prices are very comparable with the VFRs. But they are a really desirable thing.

[Reardy Mister]

RizzoTheRat said:

Reardy Mister said:

At 37yrs old though, heated grips, seats and a CD player are winning the day. Should I be worried?!

Not considering a 6 cylinder engine to go with all that yet then?

Stop it.

[Reardy Mister]

4-5k on a GS or FJR turned into 9k on a R1200RT after a lot of squinting and some very shonky man-maths.

Picking it up Friday.

[Reardy Mister]

Benbay001 said:

Reardy Mister said:

4-5k on a GS or FJR turned into 9k on a R1200RT after a lot of squinting and some very shonky man-maths.

Picking it up Friday.

Haha
Well done
Did you try £9ks worth of FJR?
The latest fly by wire one?

Nope. My brain was fried after researching only one bike to death, let alone two.

Every reviewer anywhere says the RT is top of the class. It's not perfect but I've always liked the looks, it's comfy, has loads of gadgets, I love the colour and the bike I found has a few extras like 49l top box, gps holder (yes holder, the actual gps is 600 quid!) and is specced right up.

Probably should have ridden it first, mind.