Hi all ,
I'm new here and at moment im not an owner but I am looking to be ..Im being swayed towards the GTR for hauling back and forth to Northern Germany ( close to Danish border ) and back a few times a year so ive looked at .. FJR's , ST's , BMW's , Triumph's but still come back to the GTR .. I know itll be a lil bit biased in here but as owners what would you recommend to be looking for whilst im scouring the market ... I've seen a few almost new ( within 4000 mile examples ) and im wondering why anyone gets rid of one so quickly ? is there an issue that no-one wants to tell me about ? will be one of my biggest purchases apart from the house obviously and as no-one will let me test ride any of the above to Hamburg and back id love it if I could get constructive help on why I should choose the GTR ....
Thankyou
Rich
I'm on my 3rd GTR., so probably the wrong person to ask, but I'd guess weight, especially at walking speed is the main issue. Same weight as the FJR and they get moved on at low mileages as well
Ridden to Travemunde (just past Hamburg) two up, you'll love it.
I especially enjoy coming up behind flash twerps in very expensive 4wd SUV's and flashing them to get out of the way on the autobahn. :whistling:
Most comfortable bike I've ever had for distance and good in pouring rain, lots of fairing to keep the worst off.
I did have mine chipped which makes a lot of difference riding around town at low speed. Like most bikes due to emission controls very snatchy throttle otherwise.
Get a lightly used one, they are just fantastic value for money and have a virtually bulletproof engine.
Only owned a GTR, but ridden BMW, FJR and Trophy as fleet bikes.
Loved the GTR but my needs changed and I down sized. The only real negative in my experience was the windscreen on the GTR, compared to the others I mention it was by far the noisiest ride.
Walking the bike around was a pain due to the weight, but out on the road it was great.
Quote from: ray1151 on November 06, 2019, 03:58:54 PM
Ridden to Travemunde (just past Hamburg) two up, you'll love it.
I especially enjoy coming up behind flash twerps in very expensive 4wd SUV's and flashing them to get out of the way on the autobahn. :whistling:
Most comfortable bike I've ever had for distance and good in pouring rain, lots of fairing to keep the worst off.
I did have mine chipped which makes a lot of difference riding around town at low speed. Like most bikes due to emission controls very snatchy throttle otherwise.
Get a lightly used one, they are just fantastic value for money and have a virtually bulletproof engine.
Ahh yeah cool , my better half lives in Itzehoe so I flit back n forth to there but flights have dried up from here to hamburg now so im looking at riding there and back and there isn't even the luxury of a ferry to Germany or Denmark either from uk anymore ,,, don't know whats going on ...
Get one you will love it. On my second one.
welcome along Rich, the GTR will destroy Euro journeys, it is a spectacular machine...... I have owned four since the bikes launch in 2007 right up to 2016,
The only reason I changed to a Versys 1000 is that I needed a lighter bike
If I was able to I would have another GTR in a heartbeat :yes:
Hi Rich,
Welcome to the forum.
I can't comment on the other bikes you are considering but I know the GTR will take on the task without any problems.
I too have done something similar to your journey on the way to Norway in 2017 (the full write up is on this site somewhere if you want some detail).
[Photo: GTR, Plönersee]
It's only a guess, but I suspect that some people let go of the GTR after buying it with touring in mind only to find that they are not doing as much distance work as they hoped. In my opinion it is not an "everyday" bike – it's too heavy and bulky in traffic around the cities and possibly not the ideal tool if you just want to chase your mates on sports bikes down to the local café (although it is quick enough!).
The GTR is an exceptional tourer and the right choice for a regular trip to Germany, but if you also do a bit of commuting or sometimes want to buzz round for an hour locally you should perhaps think about a cheap stablemate for it if your funds will allow.
Whichever way you decide, all the best.
Pete.
I've owned a GTR (2012 model) a BMW K1200RS, and now have a BMW K1300GT. In between I bought a Versys 1000 (as a replacement for the GTR) when the facelift model was launched in 2015, as I was no longer touring over long distances two - up (my daughter bought her own bike and wife was only riding for day trips). All have been good, I only parted with the Versys because following hip surgery, my wife was unable to climb onto the pillion seat easily and, due to its width, lower footrests did not work.
A few comments: The GTR needs more rpm than either of the BMW's or the Versys to move quickly, resulting in me spending lots of time in 5th gear. All of the others would accelerate strongly from as little as 2,500 rpm, the GTR was more comfortable at 3,500 or more resulting in lots of gearbox wok to overtake.
In terms of reliability, the first BMW needed nothing in almost 30,000 miles (not all mine!), the GTR wanted front discs at 7,500 miles (warped), together with a complete new drive shaft assembly(bearings spinning in housing) that cost us a pre - booked (and paid for) holiday in Austria. It also received a new screen (cracked around its mounting points) and suffered from occasional cutting out when changing gear, together with a minor clutch problem. All of its miles were mine, and all repairs were carried out under warranty.
The Versys needed new front discs at 6,000 miles (warped) but was otherwise trouble free. Again, all of its 14,000 miles were mine.
The latest BMW (2010 K1300GT SE, bought with 40,000 miles on and full history, one owner before me) has had both handlebar switches replaced under warranty due to connection problems, otherwise at 45,500 miles now is as purchased.
Other, more subjective views:
The GTR and latest BMW are really good looking bikes, the earlier BMW and Versys perhaps less so.
The build quality on both BMW's is/was superb, with deep thick paint and heavyweight plastics. The K1300GT, at now nine years old looks factory fresh. The Versys seemed to fare well here too, however the GTR was fitted with a flimsy top - box (as standard), poor mounting bracket for it and all of the plastics needed to be handled with great care to prevent damage.
Finally, I have enjoyed all of these bikes and would not hesitate to own any of them again.
:185: to you Rich ... lots of good advice on here .. friendly too :yes:
I bought my GTR in 2011 when I had a bit of a commute to London all year round .. I needed speed comfort protection and luggage ....it was fantastic and I loved it .. very capable with smooth power all the way through. Only by default did I try another bike from a chap at work who was on leave and needed it "ticking over" whilst he was away ... I am now on the dark side riding a bavarian beast but I love that too although a completely different bit of kit ... obviously.
I would not hesitate in recommending a GTR .. it will do your teutonic miles in a flash.
I am on my 5th GTR had them from first launched, every bike will have issues the GTR is no exception but i can say of the 5 i have had no major issues just the usual wear and tear. I have done in xs of 80,000 miles on them and they have never missed a beat, returns between 45 -50 mpg. The weight is an issue at times, after my 4th one i swapped the GTR for an SX for 2 years ( awesome bike cant praise it enough - but not a GTR )as i had knee issues however an opp put it right so went straight back to a GTR. The bike is 99% perfect for me as it is, i would advise you test ride one. I can say most GTRs do seem well looked after by their owners so a big plus on that.
If you can stretch to it go for a gen 3.
If they still made them i would be one my 6th or 7th by now, at the moment nothing else floats my boat.
Quote from: zedmeister on November 07, 2019, 10:57:15 PM
I am on my 5th GTR had them from first launched, every bike will have issues the GTR is no exception but i can say of the 5 i have had no major issues just the usual wear and tear. I have done in xs of 80,000 miles on them and they have never missed a beat, returns between 45 -50 mpg. The weight is an issue at times, after my 4th one i swapped the GTR for an SX for 2 years ( awesome bike cant praise it enough - but not a GTR )as i had knee issues however an opp put it right so went straight back to a GTR. The bike is 99% perfect for me as it is, i would advise you test ride one. I can say most GTRs do seem well looked after by their owners so a big plus on that.
If you can stretch to it go for a gen 3. Mine is gen 3 and brilliant.
If they still made them i would be one my 6th or 7th by now, at the moment nothing else floats my boat.
Quote from: RichGT on November 06, 2019, 02:00:31 PM
Hi all ,
I'm new here and at moment im not an owner but I am looking to be ..Im being swayed towards the GTR for hauling back and forth to Northern Germany ( close to Danish border ) and back a few times a year so ive looked at .. FJR's , ST's , BMW's , Triumph's but still come back to the GTR ..
Thankyou
Rich
I've just seen this one for sale up north which looks pretty good. If it wasn't about 850km away from me I'd probably buy it myself. :wink:
very welcome here :punk: