owner's forum new 1200 GSA

[norbert and francoise]

hi colebatch,

thanks for ur msg, but I wonder how much a cost would it have been for BMW to develop differnet final drives ratios ... adapted to each type of bikes ... I think its just because 95 % of the buyers use all the diff bikes ... in the same way ...
If you have a solutions please let us know.
I am thinking of the idea developped by tourateg concerning an automatic clutch (will come end 06 for GS1200). More and more enduro top riders tend to try/use them. So instead of having a clutch lever on the left, you have your ... brake lever ... which leave your right hand totally free to control accelaration !
But go slowly in the beginning ...
And then the clutch will take the diff where you need a lower ratio in off road (like an auto gearbox in a car). Only lesser torque. But there is plenty here.
CU
Norbert

[colebatch]

Nice to talk to someone else with the same problem.

Firstly it isnt the final drive that I have a problem with. BMW have developed 3 slightly different final drive ratios for the R1200 series of bikes: 2.62 for the RT and ST, 2.75 for the R and S, and 2.82 for the GS and GSA ... minor differences (only a 7% change between the tallest and shortest). My problem is the gearbox ratios, which I think for a bike like the GSA are much too close. All 6 of the R1200xx bikes (listed above) use 2.28, 1.58, 1.26, 1.03, 0.90, 0.81 as their 6 gearbox ratios.

However .... A police bike, the R1200RT-P, has a first gear that allows clutch free riding at walking pace. So the reality is BMW already have developed a different first gear. My idea is to put that first gear into the GSA gearbox. Thats my idea of a solution, thus my other post looking for a gearbox guru. If you know someone in Belgium or NL who is good, please let me know.

[Dean de St Croix]

Followed the thread from the start and just wanted to say - I too love my new 1200 ADV... Not more I can say about the bike you guys don't already know but agree will all the good and a few of the bad. First gear is not too much of a problem for me as of yet. I don't mind and have experience slipping the clutch a little to ride around the problem. I do not have experience as to how the clutch will handle this on anything longer than a few occasions that I came across. If I was to spend a few days riding in loose sand or mud then maybe the clutch might be fried.... I have a suggestion from my racing days - NOVA racing in the UK make incredibly strong and precise transmissions. I have experience racing a number of them including the Isle of Man - which as you know is pretty tough on bike parts. I think the url is www.novaracing.co.uk - they will custom build you a first gear to suit - perhaps if a few guys got together to make a bigger order you could work the price down... keep me posted as I might want to get in on that one. Thanks for the post and talk to you guys soon.... LOVE the Bike

[norbert and francoise]

Hi Dean,
Hi Colebatch,

Me to I love this bike, its so polyvalent. I was 15 days in south of France and last weekend I did St Tropez - Brussel (1250 km) in heavy traffic and rain in less than 10 hr (3 refueling stops incl). And I was not at all tired. I would not achieve this with my previuos 1150 RT without driving constantly over 160 km/hr.
I now have done approx 10.000 km on all sort of road incl 50 km real rough off road with full lugage on mountain trials dring my rtavel in France (btw near Sisteron the location of the first HU French meeting 2007)) . And yes, the first gear is really too high for heavy off road driving. Exactly what I suspected. The bike is incredibaly agile for its weight and size (with 50 kg lugages) on difficult passages, down to 3 km/hr. No problem in town with a slipping clutch, but, its not at all easy to dose the torque on a loose rocky terrain. I think BMW will offer soon a 1200GSA with optional low first gear as they did for the 1150 GSA.

May be cu next saturday on the belgium HU meeting ?
I am the organiser ...

[colebatch]

Dont think I can make it this weekend ... but should be passing thru belgium with the bike in about 2-3 weeks ...

PM me your contact details and I will drop by.