Best GS? 1100, 1150, 1200 etc

[Walkabout]

The 19th post in the link here, is an excellent recommendation for the 1100GS and the ease of maintenance of this bike while on the road and racking up big miles (thanks Margus!).

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...thread-29606-2

So, what I would like to know more about, is which model of this bike is the best one from the self-maintenance point of view? -- Practical experience and not what the dealers say. Is anyone doing their own maintenance on a 1200 (once the warranty has expired presumably!) - lots of them are exchanged every two years from what I see around me.

While there are lots of posts that try to compare, say, Jap bikes with European (or whatever) and there are other posts about specific maintenance questions, I can't remember seeing anything about the relative merits of the various BMW GSs for maintenance purposes.

I know there are BMW owners who don't consider the F650GS to even be a "proper" GS (on other forums anyway) -- oh boy, what sort of heartache will there be when the 800GS hits the showrooms & roads in droves --, but any views on how they compare with the shaft drive models would be interesting as well!

And, RS/RT owners need not feel left out on this question; the engine/suspension are the same, are they not?!

Thanks,