The BMW 1200 GS
Now, anyone reading this will instantly know who I am as I seem to be the only person in the world who doesn't like them.

I should probably start of by saying that I'm an avid biker and I've ridden motorbikes for years. I love them, I think they're sexy as hell and really good fun.

However, everything the BMW GS 1200 is, everything it represents, the crowd that follow it, really leaves me cold.
It's ugly - it's probably the only motorbike I've ever seen that's been designed to look like someone's taken an elephant to a motocross bike, and then strategically melted little bobbles of plastic over inappropriate places for an abstract artistic effect. It's looks are not logical, nor are they sexy. About what you'd expect from a german company.

In fact, it doesn't even sound that nice - just sounds like a commuter 125 with the pitch dropped a couple of semitones. It's underpowered for a 1200. It's just not attractive.

Aha, I hear you say, but wasn't it designed to go around the world?
Perhaps, but you can take a lot of bikes around the world - and the 1150GS was the one that went around the world (barely - anyone who saw it watched one of the frames break). The 1200 went on the african journey. This also doesn't explain the popularity amoungst the stupid city commuters in London who ride all the way from Balham to Bank on their pristine 58 plate BMW 1200 GSs, only to return it to the safety of their garage in the evenings.

And why is it so popular? Because two actors took this motorbike through africa. Oh wow, you saw it on TV and now you want to buy it because you think it's the most reliable bike in the world. Anyone who's ever ridden a Yamaha Diversion or a Suzuki Bandit would have something to say to that! Bunch of conformists - the people that own them should learn to think for themselves.

Oh, and one more thing - it's really really ugly.
(once_upon_a_time, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 20:45, 15 replies)

bikes
seconded, cant stand bmw motorbikes!!! CBR600 girl myself tho id really like i gixxer 1100.
(Serbitar Has a furry shit canon called Whitey., Sun 18 Oct 2009, 20:49, closed)

Nice
I was thinking of getting one of those. Got a suzuki bandit 1200 (engine's based on the gixxer 1100 I think)
(once_upon_a_time, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 20:54, closed)

..
im too small for bandits!! my little cbr6 has been specially lowered for me. its tiny lol
(Serbitar Has a furry shit canon called Whitey., Sun 18 Oct 2009, 21:39, closed)

I had a Honda 50
when I had pimples.
( The Scrunt Wants a Dozen Pints, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 21:13, closed)

I would take...
... my old Honda CD200 Benly across Africa, before I'd consider it on a BMW.
(gordonjcp, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 21:29, closed)

you should.
its easier than you think.
( zulu eh?, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 21:33, closed)

i concur
i'm a biker too. And i.ve done some overlanding. 2 continents, thousands of miles offroad and through deserts, mountains and the like.

And i wouldnt use a beemer if you paid me.

Too heavy and complicated. The gearing is road biased, shit for deep sand. And as for all the fucking luggage? Twunts.

Get yourself a ktm 640 and you'll have much more fun ;-)
( zulu eh?, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 21:33, closed)

Its nice to hear a few
bikers who agree. When I went to the NEC show last year it was dominated by the BMW stand. I felt like they were brainwashing everyone, I could almost feel myself being brainwashed. I felt like the BBC journalist who shouted at the scientology guy.
For that reason alone I'll never buy a BMW motorbike.
(once_upon_a_time, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 21:46, closed)

yeah
the biggest marketing budget does not mean the best bikes...
( zulu eh?, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 22:13, closed)

I think most modern beemers are a bit crap
Bollocks to this integrated sat nav, fag lighter, kitchen sink, you've just bought half a car!
Having said that, september I pottered oop north to Lancashire on my bantam, and met two blokes going to the same event on their 70's beemers, an R65 and R90 bored to 1100. Beautiful, shiny black things with a gorgeous exhaust...I really want one.
As to my bikes, a 76 Honda CB400/4, a standard 68 bantam and a bantam cafe racer project. I'm not interested in bikes that are younger than me :D
( Greenbat, Sun 18 Oct 2009, 22:18, closed)

Why am I so surprised that we have so many Bikers on B3TA?
I ride a 1998 600 hornet most days (very light and nimble with a very good power to weight ratio), a 750 VFR at weekends (awfully thirsty) and a KMZ K750 Combination when it works.
Bikes? Fantastic!
( blaireau69 , the Cumbrian Travis Bickle., Sun 18 Oct 2009, 23:31, closed)

,,,
mine a 1998 too!! lol....*facepalm* does anyone get up the HorseShoe Pass much?
(Serbitar Has a furry shit canon called Whitey., Mon 19 Oct 2009, 0:03, closed)

Snap on the Hornet
Want a VFR800 too.
(MJPerry was crude but clickable at, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 1:24, closed)

Agreed
Came first in Performance Bike or Bike's top 100. WTF.
(MJPerry was crude but clickable at, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 1:24, closed)

BMW do seem to be working hard at resurrecting the ugliness of the early seventies in their recent bikes, it ends up looking like someone threw a box of meccano at them and kept the bits that stuck.
(Benzyl, Tue 20 Oct 2009, 16:52, closed)