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Upgraded from a used Tiger 800 to the BMW R1250GS: Experience so far

25th March 2024, 09:05 by Ananth Iyer

GS is almost stock. Accessories on the bike as of now are - lower crash guard, headlight protector, fork sliders, shaft slider (all from SW Motech) and TFT guard (from BMW).

BHPian prasanna_indaje recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Motorcycles double the enjoyment quotient of any journey. But, they are also a trap. More one tries to come out, the more one gets sucked into it unknowingly.

I started doubling the enjoyment quotient of my journeys in 2013, with a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500. While it doubled the enjoyment, it also doubled the worries of being stranded on a lonely highway. However, it took us to Leh and back successfully, with some drama and struggle !

Sold the Thunderbird off in 2017 and thought that's the end of motorcycling for me !

But, NO. I was slowly getting sucked into the art of motorcycling deeper and deeper.

Years rolled and we were in 2021, and the lust for a motorcycle slowly started creeping in. Started search for a pre-owned motorcycle and ended here

Tiger 800 XRx introduced me into the world of reliable touring with the bonus of agility, comfort and safety. It stayed with me for slightly more than a year and ~6000 kilometres.

Sold the Tiger off in mid 2022 and thought that's the real end of motorcycling for me !

But, I proved myself wrong faster this time. It was mid 2023 and I already had a booking for a Duke 390 Adventure in hand. Further analysis and company of good biker friends led me to JSP Motorrad and there was no turning back !!!

An auspicious day in November 2023 saw us taking delivery of our GS 1250 and riding 380 kilometres back home !

The first ride was, of course, home. But, this time, home was 380 kilometres away!

We took an early morning flight to Bangalore. Reached JSP around 10 AM, after a quick detour to Malleshwaram for breakfast at Veena Stores.

All requested accessories were fitted well in advance and the bike was ready for delivery when we reached JSP. Delivery formalities were completed by noon and we started our maiden ride on this motorcycle. Managing the motorcycle of this size with a pillion rider in streets of Koramangala bustling with mid-day traffic (all-day traffic, rather) was a task.

Took E-City flyover and then NICE road to exit out of Bangalore and the GS started growing on to us by the time we covered our first 100 kilometres. Initial 'psychological' feeling of difficulty in riding vanished and things started feeling natural.

My wife voted the pillion seat as best in comfort (compared to Tiger 800 and TB 500 that we have used in the past). Kept pace below 3 digits and reached MTR near Yediyur by 2.30 for lunch !

After a good 'full' meal, we continued our journey and stopped again at Sakleshpura for some rest and refreshments. It was almost dark by the time we started from there and the remaining 3 hours of the ride home was a test for the lights and suspension. While the suspension was excellent, I felt the need for a good pair of auxiliary lights for any night rides in future.

We reached home at around 9 PM.

Took the GS to nearby temple and prayed god to bless us in abundance.

The motorcycle is an attention seeker ! A group of enthusiasts will surround it within 5 minutes of parking it, anywhere.

There was a small group of people armed with questions by the time we finished formalities inside the temple and came out. Completed the pooje, answered all questions and returned home.

Service intervals for GS are very simple : First one at 1000 kms (or 30 days) , second one at 10000 kms (or a year) and thereafter at every 10000 kms interval (or every year). To keep things further simple, there are no 'free' services.

Odometer reached the 600 kms mark by the time I finished a couple of short spins and the motorcycle was ready for first service. Rode the motorcycle to JSP Bangalore on a Friday morning and left there for first service with odometer hovering around 950 kms.

Ride took about 6 hours. Had a couple of pit-stops for breakfast and some fresh tender coconuts.

Had to ride inside the city for about an hour and the heat was very manageable and so was the ride and handling. Collected the bike next day from JSP and the cost was around 9500 rupees. Included oil and oil filter change.

JSP had apparel and riding gear on sale and I picked up GS Adrar riding jacket at a little over 30% discount. This jacket has excellent fit and finish compared to my old Alpinestars. And also better ventilation.

Started from JSP by 11.30 AM, navigated out of Bangalore via Electronic City flyover and NICE road.

Reached first 1000 kms mark on the outskirts of Bangalore.

Followed by stupendous lunch at MTR

And a pitstop for tender coconut water.

Reached home around 7 PM.

I love good food. Saw a video featuring Annapoorna Restaurant in Coimbatore a few years ago while casually browsing YouTube.

This video made such an impact on my palate that I decided to visit this restaurant sometime in future.

Years rolled by and now that I had a good means of munching miles, I decided to do a solo ride to Coimbatore, just to taste the vegetarian food options and to visit G D Naidu museum. Planned to travel during the Christmas weekend and booked accommodation in advance.

Day 1

Started early on Saturday, the 23rd of Dec, and stopped at a small hotel, Prakash, on Mangalore - Mysore highway, near Sampaje. This hotel serves simple and homely South Indian breakfast and my choice of the day was, no prizes for guessing, a plate of idlis.

Continued my ride after breakfast and it was fun to ride through Sampaje ghat and gain altitude. Reached Madikeri in no time and continued towards Mysore. Its is from here the long weekend traffic started showing its true colours. Had to encounter 2-3 lanes of oncoming traffic of 4 wheelers from the opposite side, on a 2 lane road. Managed to filter out slowly and crossed Mysore around 12 noon and stopped on the outskirts for some tender coconut water.

Continued my ride towards Nanjangudu, Chamaraja Nagara, Dhimbam Ghat and Coimbatore. Reached Coimbatore by 6 and checked into the hotel. Selecting dinner venue was very simple.Annalakshmi next to my place of stay was the default choice !

Dinner consisted of some free munchies, rasam vada and a super sized masale dose.

Dose was irresistible, and I remembered to take photograph only after nibbling a corner !

Day 2

First stop of the day was Annapoorna. And the breakfast lived upto the expectations. Sambar - Vada, Sambar - Idli and ghee roast masala dose made up my breakfast, along with filter coffee which carried its own calibre !