I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the Gen III and wondered if I shouldn't give the BMW a test run. Since these bikes are direct competitors, wondering if any of you blokes on the other side of the pond have had a chance yet to ride both and compare.
I like the new GS TFT screen and especially the fact it can apparently link with phone GPS and I believe provide written instructions. Also read the motor has received some updates to further smooth it out. One negative comment by a reviewer was about the lack of feel from the front end vs the Tiger.
You should definitely take an extended test ride to satisfy your curiosity. You might love it, you might hate it, both fine bikes.
Definetly testride the bmw it is a superb bike as is the tiger, they both excel in different areas . I was initially looking to purchase the bmw rallye and after several testrides had even agreed the price, I took a ride on the tiger as a bit of a wildcard and fell in love with it . For me what stood out with the tiger was the quickshifter, gearbox and throttle delivery, plus I didn't keep banging my shins on the cylinder heads.
Interesting, since I don't feel like off-roading a $20k bike, not a problem, thanks!
I found the GS engine to be a bit crude, and the available rev range was very restricted compared to the TEX. The S1000XR was a much nicer bike, but had a very low weight limit for luggage.
This was the 2018 GS? I rode a friends 2015 and came away with more or less the same impression, torquey but a little buzzy after about 4500 and somewhat agricultural shifting. Was wondering if the claimed refinement for 2018 really made much of a difference.
No, it was a 2017. It's possible that the 2018 is smoother, but they are stuck with the narrow rev range.
Well took a test ride yesterday on a new GS, not overly long, about 30 minutes, through a little city traffic and then out onto a nice winding road, not a long ride but enough to tell me what I needed to know (at least for me).
Engine - Very nice, smoother than the 2015 of a friend, seemed slightly soft when starting off in first but quickly got into the power band, strong up to 6k but also linear in a non-inspiring way. Not as fun as the Tiger to wind up, fueling felt slightly lean and noticed a very slight surge at light throttle. Overall though felt solid and responsive.
Transmission - This was excellent, light shifting, snicked through the gears effortlessly, at least as good as my 2017 Tiger if not slightly better. It was a treat to use and a big improvement over the 2015 GS of my friend.
Chassis/suspension - Nice ride but not quite as smooth as my XRT, and the damping balance seemed off just a little. It had a kind of subtle hobby-horse motion that I noticed immediately, and just didn't feel quite a planted/controlled as the Tiger. I think the rear was very slightly under-damped. Not as nimble turn-in through curves as the Tiger but easier to maneuver in the parking lot, which we all sort of know since the BMW is about 50 lb lighter with less weight up top. If I get to the point (age) where the weight is a problem, I would be quite happy to be on this latest GS. Salesman said they make a low version which I was not aware of and for pure street use would be a strong consideration.
Windshield - Not too bad for wind protection but a little small, and not as quiet as the stock Tiger shield, and had to be cranked up or down by hand.
Brakes - Good feel, linear, but didn't try any hard stops so not too much more to say on these.
Price - The GS comes in at a lower base price of $17k, but by the time you add in the $3700 premium package for LED lights and all the other bells and whistles to bring it on par with a Tiger 1200, it was up to $22.5k (plus tax and license fees), so about $2500 more than an XRT which here in the US has a price of $20,050.
That's a very fair comparison pcarnut. Both are great bikes of course so someone buying either would be very pleased no-doubt. For me there is something about owning a Triumph which makes all the difference. All the best.