[Ajaybiz]

Folks I am in the process of picking either of these bikes and the dilemma is due to few advantages and disadvantages with both the bikes as below.

R1200GSA-Plus point's.
Getting hefty 4L discount on onroad price, comes fully loaded with all safety guards which is easily worth 2.5 L, 30L big fuel tank, perfect windshield
and no need to replace, beefly suspension which is rated 20 KG extra load bearing capacity against GS, legendry blue and white combo which is not available anymore.

Negative points-Its has the old 1200 cc engine against 1250 cc variable valve timing engine, heavier by 20 KG against GS, 2018 production model.

R1250GS-Plus point's.
Cutting edge VVT 1250 cc engine with more torque and power across the RPM range, Lighter by 20 KG hence easy to handle, latest 2019 production, will be getting more resale value against 1200 after couple of years.

Negative points-No discounts, have shell out 2.5 L just to procure safety guards, bigger windshield is required, not getting that old beautiful blue and white combo.

Need inputs as I have to take a call ASAP.

[killjoy]

More powerful, lighter is always better. But the price difference makes it very tempting to go in for the older one. IMO, it depends on how long you intend to keep the bike. If you are going to keep the bike for more than 5 years, then the older one makes sense. If you are going to sell within 3 years, then the newer one will lose a little less. End of the day, let it be what you are comfortable riding. All the best.

[imp!]

VVT will come into its own when the bike is fully loaded with two up touring. The new engine is nicer by all accounts and would be the one to have. Having said that, I'm not certain how much real world difference it will make.

The weight will be equivalent once you add the crash protection.

Have you looked at after market accessories to try and save some money?

I'd personally pick the 1200 and save those 6.5 odd lakhs up front. Perhaps try and push Tusker for a larger discount. I guess you plan on doing serious hard touring? If not then no point getting something like this.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Folks I am in the process of picking either of these bikes and the dilemma is due to few advantages and disadvantages with both the bikes
Need inputs as I have to take a call ASAP.

My 2 cents having owned a 1200 GSA with low suspension for over an Year and riding 1250 GS in Europe for a week including Stelvio pass with my adult son as pillion.

GS is lighter even after adding guards, easy to manoeuvre and if you are not strongly built or not accustomed to riding large bikes, go with 1250 GS in 2020 when they start getting fresh models. No point of picking something from outgoing year at NIL discounts.

The only advantage of the GSA is extra range and the discounts you are getting. Personally, I didn’t felt much difference in 1250 and 1200. Boxer engine has its own characters and is not like an in-line 4 or 3 even with new changes to engine. If you have strong muscles and can handle the extra weight, go with GSA. Your height has to be over 5-11 if GSA is without lowered suspension. Otherwise, you are going to have problems later in city run/ slow traffic.

The guards that comes with GSA are super useful and must on GS so factor those added expenses mandatorily should you go with new GS.

[Randhawa]

If you are tall, can handle the extra weight and you are going to do some serious touring then go fo GSA. GS 1250 is a better in power and quite nimble to drive. What safety guards are you talking about? They are definitely not that expensive. All GS comes with engine bash plate, what you need is the engine crash bar. There is no limit to how much you want to spend on accessories.

[Ajaybiz]

Originally Posted by imp!

Have you looked at after market accessories to try and save some money?
I'd personally pick the 1200 and save those 6.5 odd lakhs up front. Perhaps try and push Tusker for a larger discount. I guess you plan on doing serious hard touring? If not then no point getting something like this.

Yep as another friend picked 1250 and just for crash protection he ended up spending 2.5L, currently the plan is to keep this as long as I'll be riding(the same was planned with tiger so we never know when we end up changing ourselves), I do near by overnight trips(400-1000 kms round trip) every alternate months and couple of long rides in a year covering 4-5000 kms, planning on doing cross continental rides post 2021.

Originally Posted by killjoy

If you are going to keep the bike for more than 5 years, then the older one makes sense. If you are going to sell within 3 years, then the newer one will lose a little less. End of the day, let it be what you are comfortable riding. All the best.

Thanks, Not sure how long I am going to keep but current plans are till I'll be on two wheels.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Your height has to be over 5-11 if GSA is without lowered suspension. Otherwise, you are going to have problems later in city run/ slow traffic.

Thanks, I tried both GS1250 and GSA1200 and didn't felt much difference on their weight and being use to tall bikes, I was pretty comfortable even with Dynamic pro setting with two up which is the tallest suspension setting, handling the weight, height is not an issue, being Indian just the price quote is tempting and pulling me towards R1200GSA .

Originally Posted by Randhawa

If you are tall, can handle the extra weight and you are going to do some serious touring then go fo GSA. GS 1250 is a better in power and quite nimble to drive. What safety guards are you talking about? They are definitely not that expensive. All GS comes with engine bash plate, what you need is the engine crash bar. There is no limit to how much you want to spend on accessories.

Engine crash bar, Tank protection bars, wider foot pegs, small things here n there easily adds up to the 2.5 L figure. I am good with GSA's weight even though it's heavy it felt easier than my Tiger which is top heavy and pain to ride in traffic, curves and steep ghat sections.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Yep as another friend picked 1250 and just for crash protection he ended up spending 2.5L, currently the plan is to keep this as long as I'll be riding(the same was planned with tiger so we never know when we end up changing ourselves), I do near by overnight trips(400-1000 kms round trip) every alternate months and couple of long rides in a year covering 4-5000 kms, planning on doing cross continental rides post 2021.

Thanks, Not sure how long I am going to keep but current plans are till I'll be on two wheels.

Since you are looking at keeping the bike for atleast half a decade if not more, the additional cost on buying and accessorizing the machine will more or less even out over such a large duration and you get the additional advantage of having the latest engine tech and specs with the GS. Also, by the time you do sell this bike the 1200 GSA would probably be two generations older which itself will be frowned upon in the used-bike market.

Personally, I feel that if you are spending THIS level of money on a machine, might as well go the whole hog and get yourself something which is latest. Saving that 6 odd lakhs might feel like a feel-good factor right now but 2-3 years down the line you will feel the itch of not having bought the most recent tech from the brand.

However, all the above logic goes right out of the window if you are not going to keep the bike for atleast 5 years. As suggested earlier in this post, if you do forsee selling this in under 5 years then pocket that discount and pick up the GSA. For all other reasons, go with the GS.

[//M]

If your are comfortable with spending this much, you might as well consider the R1250 GSA with all standard safety kit. The additional 2.5L that you foresee spending on accessories for a GS can be spent to increase your budget to get the latest GSA variant. You will have the added tank range, essential safety kit and the latest tech - all in one single package.

I would definitely recommend you to wait for a few more months till discounts creep in on MY19 models of the R1250 GSA and then take the plunge.

[nasirkaka]

For someone considering PAPA GS, those few extra lakhs may not be that big a factor, provided the choice of model justifies it. Or in this case, DOES IT? 6L is almost 30% of the overall cost which can not simply be ignored. 1250 is definitely lighter and better and more feature rich,does not mean the 1200GSA is a slouch. At that level, i doubt you would ever feel under-powered or under torqued with either of those options. At that level, some weight difference will not make that big a difference, both bikes are heavy - period. 1250 visually looks slimmer and i am sure it is, but even the 1200 is pretty manageable.

Last week i got a change to ride one and with low seat, it felt lower then the baby gs as well. Boxer configuration makes riding at crawling speeds very nimble and balanced. My boss in Dubai had a 1200 which he traded for 1250 and says the 1250 feels lighter and agile. The difference is there but not that stark (not wirth 30% for me). If there is so much price difference, and if i could push for a bit more, i would settle for 1200 as even if i have to sell it, the present discount would negate any value reduction. Sharing pic of me on 1200. I am 5'9" and could flatfoot easily. Overall, the bike does look big and bulky but in reality, i found it easier to ride in city and on highway, then the versys 650.

[navpreet318]

Had this been a discussion about choosing the old oil cooled one vs the new Water cooled one, I would have sided with the old.

Right now, I'd side with the new bike. New engine technology which is incremental from the past which means it's only going to get more reliable. Cycle parts are mostly carried over and I'm sure they've learnt a thing or two considering the weird failures in the past so it has to be a more reliable machine.

You'll never use the 100% potential of either bike ever, but it feels good to know you own the latest. Especially when a couple of years down the line, you'll smile and look at it and say- good thing i didn't save those 6L.

[A_v_i]

I was in the same boat, and I went for the 1250GS. The 1200 GSA (all GSA for that matter), just seemed too bulky to me with the 30L tank, and i did feel a difference in how nimble they were.


I am hoping to hit the trails and for me the GS seemed the right mix of on road touring comfort and offroad nimbleness. End of the day pick the bike that fits your riding style and scenarios.


I think saving money went out the window when we decided to look at a GS

[Jaggu]

No brainer, the new one. The advantage of being lighter plus a better engine itself are two big plus. Add to that the better resale you look at. Go for it!

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Folks I am in the process of picking either of these bikes and the dilemma is due to few advantages and disadvantages with both the bikes as below.

R1200GSA-Plus point's.
Getting hefty 4L discount on onroad price, comes fully loaded with all safety guards which is easily worth 2.5 L, 30L big fuel tank, perfect windshield
and no need to replace, beefly suspension which is rated 20 KG extra load bearing capacity against GS, legendry blue and white combo which is not available anymore.

I would suggest 1250 over 1200GS. I was tempted with a similar offer but then realized that 10-12% discount on an year+ old bike doesn't sound tempting. Ideally the value of the bike should be down 15% due to depreciation and the discounts should apply on top.

Might as well spend on the latest tech. considering 3 year ownership, you should be able to recover at least 50% of the extra moolah while selling it

Infact the offer on 850 is much better - some 3L on the 2018 ones

[nasirkaka]

Right now, I'd side with the new bike. New engine technology which is incremental from the past which means it's only going to get more reliable. Cycle parts are mostly carried over and I'm sure they've learnt a thing or two considering the weird failures in the past so it has to be a more reliable machine.

You'll never use the 100% potential of either bike ever, but it feels good to know you own the latest. Especially when a couple of years down the line, you'll smile and look at it and say- good thing i didn't save those 6L.

Yes, money would be secondary for someone considering GS, but 6L discount for a bike is too much to let it go considering out value conscious mindset. Especially in the context where the changes are only incremental and the old 1200 itself is been proven very reliable. Anything newer is always better or more reliable is also questionable (not necessarily in this case). For eg., I strongly feel that the new 900cc liquid cooled engines of the latest bonnie variants are a bit subdued in comparison to outgoing 865 air-cooled engines which had more character.

I was in the same boat, and I went for the 1250GS. The 1200 GSA (all GSA for that matter), just seemed too bulky to me with the 30L tank, and i did feel a difference in how nimble they were.

1250 is definitely the way forward, just that the huge price difference is tempting. Also once we add the engine and tank guard along with other accessories, the weight difference reduces. Bigger tank also works in touring context considering the average these big bikes give. Off the road (i dont mean fire trails) both these would be big and heavy to handle for an average rider unless someone is skilled enough/trained to handle these monsters on technical terrain.

No brainer, the new one. The advantage of being lighter plus a better engine itself are two big plus. Add to that the better resale you look at. Go for it!

I would suggest 1250 over 1200GS. I was tempted with a similar offer but then realized that 10-12% discount on an year+ old bike doesn't sound tempting. Ideally the value of the bike should be down 15% due to depreciation and the discounts should apply on top.

Yes,Yes!! Good case to push for further discounts as in few months, with BS6, they may not be able to sell it. And why are we giving so much importance to the re-sale part? GS is almost at the top of the pyramid. What will we buy if we sell the GS? and even if we have to really consider selling it in few years, all these big adventure bikes have terrible re-sale value anyways. In the adventure context, they all end-up experiencing a few tosses and topples with visible battle marks in due course. Even mid-range adv bikes like versys is pretty hard to sell. I have a friend who is been trying to sell his tiger for a while without success and the offers which he gets are ridiculous.

In this case, 1250 is definitely seems like the right choice, i am only trying to think of counter points which at times helps in making a pick.

[Axe77]

My personal opinion is that its a very specific decision whether someone wants a GSA or the GS based on intended use, comfort etc. That should be the primary guiding force behind the decision instead of price, re-sale etc.