Xclimation said:
I'm new here and would love to hear a detailed comparison review! Things like....What do you miss about the S10? What does the GS1200 have that the S10 doesn't that you can't live without after this bike? How much of a difference in acceleration is felt? etc.
Afraid a detailed comparison will be tough as I have had three years break from the YST. Also it was a first edition 2010 model. Think I was about first guy rolling in Sweden as a dealer out in the sticks sold me a demo bike he wasn't really allowed to sell
With the YST one of the first things I did (or maybe second, third or fourth, maybe as soon as it became available, can't remember) was send the ECU to Diapason Racing in Italy to get rid of the 4k+ dip. The 4k dip was nasty and had to do something about that. After the ECU re-flash the bike's power ramp was beautifully linear. Very fond memories of the YST and standouts were the extremely smooth parallel twin, very smooth, effortless gear shifts, beautiful tone to the engine. Bike was also very planted. Throttle response was very sensitive especially in S mode, but I got used to it quite quickly. Always rode in S mode 8) apart from when weather was shitty. The down side to the bike being planted was its weight of-course. Was a bit of a handful to maneuver in and out of the garage and I got fatigued with the weight in heavy traffic, town driving scenarios. Even though bike felt much lighter at anything above a few miles per hour I still recall the sense of weight and momentum. It's a beast of a bike after all. Also remember I used to get a bit frustrated with the get up and go, starting off, or what I thought was lack of it. Engine could be a bit grumpy below 2k and would make odd sounds of complaint. GS can also be a bit grumpy below 2k, but not to the same extent, at-least as far as I can tell so far.
So, from one beast to next
. Only had the R1200GS for 3-weeks and still giving myself time to get used to being back on a big, powerful bike after 3 year break. It has only just hit the end of the break-in period so I haven't totally opened it up so to speak, but have indulged in a few good rips on the straights though >
. At-least comparing to my 2010 first edition Tenere, the R1200GS is a more refined product, cosmetically, ergonomically and more features, but at significantly higher cost of-course. The boxer twin feels quite a bit rawer than the YST parallel twin with distinctly more torque in the low to mid-range, more punchy overall. Few times I have gunned it a bit were frankly eye openers and a reminder to take it easy. Yeah, bit different to my old Tenere for sure... On one occasion I had the stability control light go crazy as it activated on perfectly dry pavement and that wasn't with so much effort and in Road mode, never exceeded 7k rpm. On paper the R1200GS is about 50lbs lighter and I do feel the difference. As Gigitt pointed out the steering feels quite a bit lighter than the YST and is more sensitive to steering input. In the beginning I was having more difficulty with low speed balancing, etc., getting better now though with practice. There is one thing showing that I have not been paying attention to the actual user reviews and that is the gear shift on the R1200GS. At-least on the 2016 model it is way more course and clunky that the YST going from 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4. Also shifting from N to 1st at stop lights can give of a real good c-thump! I'm not to bothered and to be honest think it adds to the overall spirit of the bike
, but believe BMW are fixing this for the 2017 models. Also I do think it is improving with break-in. Time will tell. Then of-course there is the gear shift pro where you don't have to use the clutch to shift. In complete contrast to fully manual shifts the assisted gear shift is freaky fast and smooth, both up and down the gears. Pretty slick solution and works fine on up-shift regardless of throttle input and blips then engine perfectly on downshift. The assisted gear shift is so rapid it almost feels like some coughs in an otherwise continuously variable transmission. Well, then there's also all the other features I guess if you buy the premium package, all the different modes bla, bla. Wonder how much I will end up using these? Can't really comment about good and bad with those as I have been in Road mode about 95% of the time so far, and played with ESA settings a bit, but not much. Can't really feel a difference in Dynamic mode which I have tried a few times. Suspension gets harder and throttle response changes a bit, but no feeling of more get up and go for me at-least. Road mode is already more than adequate. Guessing that difference between Rain/Enduro modes and Road/Dynamic modes will be more like the Super Tenere's T and S modes just a finer resolution. Then of-course there are the automatic suspension and ASC adjustment built into the various modes. One other thing is that I find the wind protection with stock R1200GS a lot better than the Tenere with less buffeting. The bike was also very comfortable on my trip to Payson from Phoenix the other day. First longer trip I've been on (about 180 miles round trip). Stunning road btw, scenery, wow! Shame about all the AZ cage lunatics that cohabit that road though. Generally bigger = faster. That's about it for my first 3-weeks of "hopelessly unqualified" impressions of the GS and recollections of my Tenere.
As to the question, "what does the GS1200 have that the S10 doesn't that you can't live without" - simple, don't know. Just wanted to try a GS at least one in a lifetime. The S10 is an excellent bike and arguably hard to beat value for money wise!
