I've only just passed my test and I'm looking for a Bike. It has been suggested to me that the BMW R1200GS is too big and too powerful for me as a new rider and that I should get 12 months experience on a smaller more managable bike.

It's also been said that the orientation of the engine makes for a difficult ride, which is made harder by being shaft driven.

Obviously the BMW salesmen feel that these are minor problems that I would overcome quite quickly and are keen for me to take a test drive.

Any opinions would be helpful, thanks.

I would have to agree with the crowd saying to start with something a bit smaller and USED first.There is a very good chance in your first year or so of riding you may tip over your bike....for whatever reason. Parking, backing up,
slick pavement, or God forbid a real crash. If you've done your homework on your learner's bike then you should be past most of this.

Still, the GS, any GS, is a big and very expensive monster to start on.The power is not a worry really but weight, size, height and balance are.

If you're a big guy then it would be easier, but its not at all a learner friendly bike, IMO.

If you like trailies, nakeds or Supermoto type bikes, well, there are tons of
choices out there for you. I would lean towards a 2nd hand (2 to 3 year old)
650 single like a DR650, XT, or Honda XR-L.

If you want more street oriented then maybe a DL650 Vstrom or SV650.

Actually the SV is one of the best all round bikes in the world and makes an
excellent novice bike but is also able to handle track days and VERY spirited
riding. Buy a nice used one. It will give you room to grow.

Here in the US tons of kids get straight on a Hayabusa or ZX14 Ninja and off they go. No restrictions here. Most, actually buy 600cc sports bikes. But those bikes make 120 Hp. Typically, what happens is they crash within a few months (at the most) and never, ever come back to motorcycling. They've scared the crap out themselves. Young guys tend to have more testosterone than brains and certainly lack maturity or experience in this area.

Start small. You can always move up. Survival in the long term is what its
all about.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

If you a beginner, not important how experienced you feel or you are, it kills.
When I got my licence at the age of 32 I thought I can manage and ride 800 kms at the very first day when I got my bike. It was an F 650.
No way, it doesn't work.
You need to get experience by making somu mileage within some certain period. Yeah I think it is true: 12 months.

Start with a smaller one like 400. If you will go for 1200 GS don't go to race bikes.
If you trust yourself too much than go for 600 or 650.

Spend some time on it. And see yourself.

Self confidence is ok but can be dangereous.

Be on the bike and on the road and enjoy.

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"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "

I figured that they were right, but it's nice to get it confirmed. I've been offered a kawasaki ER-5, which is the bike I learnt on, so I'll stick with that for 12 months.

Thanks.

As a BMW motorcycle salesman, I'd rather sell you a used F650GS than a new R1200GS.

As others have correctly said, the chances of dropping it in the first year are high, best do this with a cheaper used bike.

You'll also learn more & a quicker pace on a lighter, more manageable bike. There's a chance that buying too big a bike too soon can lead to you feeling intimidated by the sheer size, weight & performance of the larger bikes. End result - you don't ride, sell it sooner rather than later & take a big loss. I've seen it happen.

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My photos: www.possu.smugmug.com

Near enough a perfect bike........ only thing better would be a 350cc Enfield in a grass field.

and if you get the chance do some riding in a field somewhere ( get permission from the landowner) What you learn there will likely prolong you life considerably. try figure of eights, fast and slow ( walking pace) learn to feel the rear wheel spin/slide and control it. What you learn early on is what your reactions will be later. always wear a helmet...

If water feels like concrete at 100mph, what does concrete feel like ??

Just to let you know that it is possible to go straight onto a big BMW.

I have held a car licence for 10 years and, after watching the LWR i decided to buy a bike and copy the LWR.

5 minute decision....5 days of lessons and 55 minutes after passing my test i rode my GS to get it MOTd and then spent the sumer terrorising the UK countryside!!

Yes, i dropped it once or twice....yes, i put it in a ditch off road.....and being 10 stone and 5'10" did build up a sweat moving it around car parks. But you soon learn where not to park it, how to pick it up.

Then....i went and did it.... www.etribes.com/markstowe

Max66, just had to say that - as a new rider, the fact that you went to a riding community board to inquire about the kind of bike you should get shows admirable forethought. I'm sure that if you show equal dilligence as you gain riding experience your skills will be considerable and your enjoyment and safety equally so. Riders of all experience can certainly take a lesson from you.

Mollydog... I practically blew cofee through my nose at your picture of the early Guzzi adventure bike. I've gotta do my next enduro on one of those!

Yea, that three wheeler is for real. Guzzi made these things intially under a
military contract in the late 50's I believe, then sold them as some kind
of tractor for farmers. This is a lousy pic, you can't really see the engine.
I've actually seen them in the flesh at bike shows, along with the old Bacon Slicer singles, Guzzi V-8, V-7 Sport (first Guzzi two wheeler to use the V motor) and other Guzzi classics.

Many Italians feel very strongly about Moto Guzzi. Moreso than any
other Italian brand. Not sure why this is but its kind of like their Harley....they
get real teary eyed and nostalgic when Guzzi comes up. Serious. A wealthy plastic surgeon friend collects Alpha Romeo's....and Moto Guzzi's. (he's Italian).

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Just spent the last half an hour reading this entire thread and the various points that were made in it. As I have just joined the forum I dont want to annoy anyone (yet!) but I feel like I have to put my little bit in as well!

I started riding when I was 23 as I was supposed to be getting a bike for courier work in Edinburgh. As it happened I stayed on four wheels as it was the winter!

I moved out to Dubai a few years later and there was very little choice in the bike market. My first bike was decided by what was in the showroom at the time, so I bought a new Triumph Daytona T595. Now this goes against all the comments I have just read about starting small, but I had the money and there was a good group of riders who met every weekend for breakfast runs.

I never had an issue starting with a 1000cc bike and I learnt very quickly what the bike could do, and what I could not! I kept the bike for about four years and travelled around 20,000miles in the UAE and the UK. In that time I had a number of scares that would have happened on any size bike (usually caused by cars/trucks/camels etc)

I did have one big 'off' which I still cant remember much about but it never diminished my love for two wheel travel. When I returned to the UK in 2002 the first thing I bought was another Daytona and proceeded to tour Europe on it and use it everyday for commuting until I blew the engine on it!

I am back in the UAE now and looking for something to entertain me. We are lucky here as the bike culture has grown and there is an FIA track less than 15 minutes from office which has track days a couple of times a month. I would go for another 1000cc as I have a mental block about going smaller but the current 600's are looking very attractive, especially for the track!

So I dont believe that going for a bigger bike is to waste to your time. You will learn on it as you will learn on something smaller. You may also avoid the trouble of arriving at a corner on your new 1000 a hell of a lot faster than you did on your old 600, panic braking and making a lovely hole in the hedge/wall/car the same shape as you and the bike.

Its depends greatly on the rider and the way they approach the bike and their riding. Any bike can be a handful. Buy what you feel comfortable on, but make sure you get your riding kit sorted first.

There are two types of riders. Those that have crashed and learnt, and those that are learning to crash.

Cheers

Hi ;

Falcon Rust wrote .....

"One thing i have noticed, like in advrider.com is that not many people of my age are interested in long distance travelling. i am 30 years young, any one else of that age? "

I am 44 years old and have started long distance travelling when i was 38.

I rode from Turkey to Jordan, St.Petersburg, Ulan-Bator, Katmandu, all the balkans and Morocco (up to Mau. border) during the last 6 years.

Planning for a trip to Poland next year.

Dreaming to ride up to SA, starting from Morocco -->SA-->Eth.

And your question, for the first time ever, made me think " I am old for such things or what?"


Just joking of course ... see you around the Globe somewhere ..

Cheers,

It takes 5 minutes for someone to show you how to operate a motorcycle.
It takes 5 days to run the gauntlet and complete a motorcycle course.
It takes 5 weeks before you can start to become overconfident in your skills.
It takes 5 months(if you're lucky) to completely heal broken bones.
It takes 5 years(through close calls, near misses, your stupidity, the other guys stupidity, expected, unexpected, risktaking, - have I left anything out-) before your brain goes on "Auto Defend". It doesn't take long to aquire the skills necessary to ride. It takes 5 years of experience to aquire the survival skills and "awareness" to keep you out of trouble.
That being said, I would not advise you start out on an R1200GS. It's a great bike down the higway. Maneuvering at slow speeds in tight quarters can get you into trouble on the GS and you need to develop the awareness of what you can and cannot do with the bike at your skill level. It's a whole lotta bike for a beginer to handle. If you get a motorcycle that's too small, you'll become bored with it pretty quick. If you get a motorcycle that's too big, it might get you instead. Try something in the middle range. A 650 was suggested. It's way easier to handle and you take those skills with you when you move up to a bigger two wheeler. The people I ride with that have the better motorcycle "Handling" skills usually started out on smaller displacement bikes and or dirt bikes. Stands to reason ( although some will argue the point). Anyway, whatever you choose, be carefull and enjoy. Best... Smitty

Though beginning with a small and a managable size is ok, there's no rule that the size of the motor increases with experience. After twenty years and 1300s I ended up with a 600 and I am longing for small managable bikes in the city traffic. BMW 1200 is not a problem if you are to hit the road for long distance travels but it will always be a pain under your butt in the city, no matter how experienced rider you are.

cozcan

If you have the money to buy a R1200GS, you can easy buy a F650GS. For traveling alone, it is all you need.

I am riding for more then 30 years on all kind of bikes (have a look at my website) and I am very happy with my F650GS now. The only reason to buy a much bigger bike is for riding with a passenger.
If one of my kids would like to get a bike, I would rather have him or her ride a BMW F650GS then a Jap 600cc sportsbike.

If you buy a used F650GS, you can ride it for two or three years and if you think you need something bigger, go to the BMW dealer and trade it for a 1200.

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Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

I would not recommend jumping onto a big bike straight away, chances are that you will have some form of accident, even if it just the bike falling off the side stand (we have all done it!).

I would also be wary of leaping onto a sports 600 as these are very fast and not very forgiving to any errors a novice may make.

I would get something like a GT550 or GPZ500 ER500 for the following reasons: All these bikes are cheap to buy and repair, all very reliable esp. the GT550, all are capable machines that will allow you to develop your road skills, good economy for fuel, cheaper insurance ect.

With the money you save over a new Beemer treat yourself to an advanced riding course (lowers insurance again) and an off road school to further improve your skills. Also invest in the best leathers, lid, boots and gloves that you can afford.

Give it a couple of years and then think about a big bike. You may not be the coolest kid on the block but you are less likely to end up in a bad way. Ride safe and enjoy!