Alrighty. This GS is pretty neat. I rode it around my friends yard to see how it handles on wet grass and mud. It wasn’t terrible but the bike would definitely benefit from more Offroad oriented tires. I did a nice power slide while getting used to the throttle.... I wasn’t expecting that to happen. This thing has loads of torque down low.

Tonight I went for a brief ride on the street. The heated grips are awesome. I am falling in love with the boxer engine. It gets up and goes when you twist that throttle. The big BMW surprised the heck out of me with the torque and power. I was expecting it to be much slower but it is surprisingly sporty and has fantastic torque down low and a meaty midrange punch.

The turn signal switches on both sides of the handle bars will take some time to adjust to. I’m going to have to figure out what the hell the previous owner did to the horn and make sense of the accessories that were added to the bike and are now either disconnected or missing.

The bike is from NOVA and has a lot of surface rust and corrosion but I think I can get it looking proper without too much work.

I completely understand why BMW sold so many of these things. It’s a big bike that feels quite controllable and nimble once you are rolling. The gear indicator is also a very nice feature I wasn’t expecting.

My first street ride on a BMW did not disappoint!

Once used to the turn signals I think you’ll come to like them. There’s a reason boxer GS’s have been BMW’s best sellers in the US and globally, they just work. Most BMW dealers have demos, next time you stop in one demo a Wethead R1200GS or the new R1250GS!

Wait till you take it to some twisties......

Question for the GS owners. Does the bike need to sit on its side stand for a bit before it will give an accurate oil level reading? It seems like the bike needs to be on its side stand for a bit after being warmed up to check the oil level. I put it on its center stand right after a ride the oil level read considerably lower.

After cooling off on its side stand the oil level was right in the center of the glass. When it cooled down on its center stand it read just barely inside the red circle or basically just barely registering in the window.

Quite a few people online are saying it needs to be on the side stand briefly so all the oil will drain and give an accurate reading.

On my S1000XR, I check the oil when the bike is upright by using an inspection mirror. I do this because that is the level the engine operates at, not the side stand angle.
But I may be in error doing it that way.
And I hate the sight glass oil level thing!

Gotta agree that they’re pretty fun bikes. I don’t live terribly far from Morton’s BMW in Fredericksburg. They do a demo day twice a year and I make a point to ride as many of their offerings as I can. One of my favorites is the GS. I’ll eventually own one, probably well used but I think they’re great handling with plenty of power.

The only thing I don’t like so far is the weight. I really don’t feel comfortable taking it far offroad because if it broke down I would struggle to push it very far. My super light 400cc sport bikes and R1 have spoiled me in regards to weight. I’m pretty used to bikes that weight just over 400 lbs.

I’m back to considering a cat delete and full exhaust to replace my badly rusted and dented factory exhaust and shave weight.

On one hand I’m tempted to clean it up and flip it but on the other hand I kinda want to keep it and have the ability to ride something way different from my other bikes for a year or two.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Question for the GS owners. Does the bike need to sit on its side stand for a bit before it will give an accurate oil level reading? It seems like the bike needs to be on its side stand for a bit after being warmed up to check the oil level. I put it on its center stand right after a ride the oil level read considerably lower.

After cooling off on its side stand the oil level was right in the center of the glass. When it cooled down on its center stand it read just barely inside the red circle or basically just barely registering in the window.

Quite a few people online are saying it needs to be on the side stand briefly so all the oil will drain and give an accurate reading.

Checking the oil level cold could lead to an false low oil reading. If the motor doesn't heat all the way up so the oil cooler thermostatic valve opens there can be up to a quart of oil in the oil cooler and lines. You have to go for ride, then put the bike on the side stand to allow the oil to drain out of the oil cooler, then onto the center stand for the final reading.

I have a Yamaha Super Tenere with 75k and love it. I have ridden it to almost every state except LA,MS,FL and HI. I have a background of dirt bikes and sport bikes and these bikes are great for just about everything. They handle pretty good in the twisties can handle off road competently as long as you keep in mind your skill level and their size. They are truly the Swiss Army knife of motorcycles. When this bike hits 100k I plan on downsizing to a KTM 790 adv with cruise control.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Question for the GS owners. Does the bike need to sit on its side stand for a bit before it will give an accurate oil level reading? It seems like the bike needs to be on its side stand for a bit after being warmed up to check the oil level. I put it on its center stand right after a ride the oil level read considerably lower.

After cooling off on its side stand the oil level was right in the center of the glass. When it cooled down on its center stand it read just barely inside the red circle or basically just barely registering in the window.

Quite a few people online are saying it needs to be on the side stand briefly so all the oil will drain and give an accurate reading.

Sometimes oil will hang up a bit and putting on sidestand might release it. BUT you read it with the bike straight up. On center stand easiest. If I thought mine was hanging up I'd start it on center stand for a short bit. Got in the habit of parking it in the garage on center stand so I could easily check it before each ride. Also simplifies tire pressure checks.
Lots of GS'S will use a touch of oil. Especially when flogged.

The more I ride the GS the more it strikes me as the jacked up pick up truck of the motorcycle world. I don’t mean that as an insult. The brush guard, high seating position or feeling of sitting more elevated, the storage as well as utilitarian look and feel reminds me of a truck.

Well, Hitler did call it a "two wheeled dumper truck."

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
The more I ride the GS the more it strikes me as the jacked up pick up truck of the motorcycle world. I don’t mean that as an insult. The brush guard, high seating position or feeling of sitting more elevated, the storage as well as utilitarian look and feel reminds me of a truck.

Depending on the tires you use it's also the stealth sportbike of the moto world. It doesn't have the raw power of the Busa\ZX14 type bikes, but it has damm near unlimited cornering clearance and a very stable suspension.

Before you sell it, be sure to attend a BMW MOA or BMWRA rally! I see you are on the right coast so RA would be my choice. More fun than a huge family reunion and they seem to have beer if you are prone to enjoying that beverage. You will find all kinds of really fun and interesting folks. Probably a few Iron Butt types and most likely someone that has taken a similar bike to places you would not consider. Fun groups. I used to belong to both when I rode. I found the RA to have smaller more personal rallies. Check it out.

Those behemoth mastodon bikes will grow on you if you let them.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtGold:
Checking the oil level cold could lead to an false low oil reading. If the motor doesn't heat all the way up so the oil cooler thermostatic valve opens there can be up to a quart of oil in the oil cooler and lines. You have to go for ride, then put the bike on the side stand to allow the oil to drain out of the oil cooler, then onto the center stand for the final reading.

Does that mean checking the oil before a ride is out of the question?

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

Does that mean checking the oil before a ride is out of the question?

No. I just made a habit of leaving it on the side stand for at least 5 minutes or so after riding to let the oil settle in the sump. Next time you want to check the oil level just lift it on the center stand before starting.

Now I understand; thank you.

I thought for a minute that would be something [else] I could pick at the BMW riders at work about.

LOL yeah there are plenty of things about Beemers you can "point out" to your BMW friends. Probably the price of parts is my biggest gripe but in all honesty I can say that about all the brands, BMW just happens to be a bit worse.

vthoky, if you want to give GS riders a hard time mention the design of the frame/engine which uses the boxer engine as a major stressed member of the frame (the bike actually has little tubular frame) yet still manages to weigh close to 600 lbs....the beauty of German engineering...

Oh, these guys are touring-bike riders (K-series?). The sort of guys who bundle up to the max on 15-degree days, raise their frozen noses a little when they arrive at work, and say things like, "Well I rode in today... what's the matter with you guys?"

The difference, of course, is their full fairings, heated suits, heated grips and seats, etc as compared to "the rest of us," riding fat V-twins or things like my VFR (not much fairing to get behind when it's that cold).

I made a smarty-pants remark one day at one of them, something like "well, good grief! With all that gear, you've probably got a latte maker built into those saddlebags, too." I thought it was funny. What I got in return was a very haughty, "I've never had a latte in my life!".