Video explaining why I bought a low suspension 2017 1200 GSA and why it was the most important option on the motorcycle! Subscribe to my channel for a new motovlog every week!
Nice vid. I'm 5' 7 inch. And I wanted the 1200 GSA. Like you I watched everything on RU-vid. Then I went out for a test ride. I loved the bike. It was everything I have dreamed of and hoped it would be... Apart from one thing. When coming to a full stop (Stop signs, lights etc.) Not all roads are flat. And like you said. Just that few extra inches under your feet make I big difference. So I didn't buy the bike. But then I read that there was the lower version ! I saw it advertised on the internet at a bike shop miles away. So that night, I booked a train ticket one way. While I was on the train I sent them an email saying that I wanted to test ride the bike with the intention of riding it home! And 3 hours later I was at the bike shop. Poring down with rain, I did a test ride for about an hour went back to the shop and paid cash for it there and then. It was perfect! She came with full panniers, bags, and GPS. It's the same has the normal GSA, just 5 cm lower. 5 cm does not sound a lot. But once your on it, it makes a HUGE difference! I don't even have the low seat. I have the normal one. But when you adjust the suspension to how you like it. Perfect!
HI, saw your post.Tell you what i did im 5.7.5 inches i have the adventure 1200. I got the soles of my adventure boots thickened by that i mean another sole added onto them. itmakes a hell of a difference and nobody even noticed? Problem solved
HI, saw your post.Tell you what i did im 5.7.5 inches i have the adventure 1200. I got the soles of my adventure boots thickened by that i mean another sole added onto them. itmakes a hell of a difference and nobody even noticed? Problem solved
Thanks Mr. VMan! My dimensions are identical to yours, and it is very helpful to receive the information you presented on the low suspension/low seat GS. Bob
I'm 5'7" with a 790 Adventure R - I know the tricks from years of dirt biking, but with the additional weight I've decided to do the lowering suspension kit too. I'm sure I'll be much happier too.
Hi David how are you going with the bike? A BMW dealer near me just called to say that a new 1250 GS low has just arrived and I shoukd come to check it out. I'm only 5 ft 1" with 29" inseam and would love to have one! 🍻
Thank you for this video. I am exactly your height and same inseam and the enormity of this bike is ,as you said, intimidating. I ride a r1200r at the moment and been thinking about the next bike ,the gs, which can do about everything. You look very comfortable with the low suspension. All my friends ride the gs and are much taller than i am. Time to join the club. Thank you for the inspiration!
Sorry for the late comment on your video. Very valuable information and a good video. I am about 5'7" on a good day but getting shorter with age. :o) Like you, I looked at the same two bikes you were considering. I have not made my purchase as of this date but I plan to do so this year. I am probably going to instead buy a BMW R1200RT. The reasons are many but one of the reasons is that the bike comes stock from the factory with a lower seat height since it's designed to be primarily a touring bike. I am getting it with the 'low seat' though because with this combination, I can put both feet flat on the ground and as you said, it's this very small thing that adds to your confidence level in riding a big displacement bike. And since I do not plan to ride off road much (I think on / off road percentage would be about 95% on and 5% off road) I thought the bike would be a better fit for me. Add to this, the RT has some comfort features that the GSA does not have which at my age means a lot. Things like heated seats and push button windshield adjustment and a full fairing to protect against the elements. The GSA is an excellent bike and I think you made a good choice but the important point here is that at least BMW gives us riders a choice in seating heights so that we can buy and enjoy these fabulous big bikes. Many of the other Manufacturers don't give us these options so unfortunately, they lose the sale for those of us that are closer to the ground. Thanks again for your informative video.
Glenn MK glad it was of use, yes RT is an excellent choice, especially if you plan on staying on tarmac most of the time, I like exploring places, that is the primary reason I was looking for an adventure tourer..
hey thanks for the video, im 5'9" and im going for the 1250 GSA, the normal height feels too tall for me i can barely touch the floor tried the low suspension and its great
After nearly a year of riding the bike, I must say this is the best decision I made, low suspension is fantastic. I have made off road trips, gravel rides, city traffic trips, totally satisfied with the height of this big bike. People are surprised how comfortable I am on my bike!
Im 5'6" I have the lower suspension and low seat positon, my feet are not flat on the floor just the balls of my feet, but i get on ok, i love the bike, and im doing an off road course later this year.
Michael Williams cool! I am watching a lot of youtube videos and learning the techniques, did my first gravel using enduro mode a few weeks back, lots of fun, infact got a video of it, do check it out!
I'm currently riding a RT for 4 years (35 000 KMS/20 000 miles) and looking for a more trail bike, so between GS and GSA. On the road height is not an issue for me but I ride in the city every days (Paris and around). I'm 5'7 like you so I will now really consider a GSA low. Not so easy to find .. Thanks for your video !
Tim Long yup, although they shrink when they start to move, I literally never come to a full stop at light, just so that I can keep the big boy rolling!
Nothing to do with height, I’m 29” inside seam with 2019 1250 GSA Exclusive, I dropped mine twice until I adjusted seat height with cams. Next time i’d try the lowered version.
I’m wanting to know about ride quality. I’ve owned a gs for years. A lowered Gsa has a shorter shock. I’ve heard that a gs and a Gsa low has a stiffer ride. I understand that if you cannot touch you have to go with the low to be safe. I’m on the borderline. I can touch on the standard Gsa Shorter height will always be safer
Ride quality is definitely stiffer. Lower height makes a big difference in confidence if you want to go off-road, which is my focus. If you are planning on staying on road, I would just get the low seat on a regular GS
Also on the 18 and 19, you can set the suspension to minimum which brings the height down, probably eliminats the need for low suspension. I have not tried it though...
If I remember right, it was 33.5 inches. You should take a look at my 2019 GSA low suspension video. The 19 is an inch lower, thanks to the low seat option available on it
Hi, thanks for the video. It was just what I was looking for. Have you ever ridden it with a passenger on board and luggage? If yes does the low suspension make the bike bottom out on speed bumps etc? Thanks in advance and keep up the good work
I have ridden with passenger, and with luggage, but not both. Never had it bottom out on pavement. The dynamic Esa works very well and is sophisticated enough to handle it. Hope that helps!
Would the 1200GS model, also with low-seat/low-suspension had made more sense (I not a tall guy either), as the GS model for one thing would have been a little lighter and lower, specially without that voluminous tank of the GSA?
I guess it would more so because lowered version of the regular GS is slightly lower than the GSA, but I wanted the bigger tank and when you pay for all the additional stuff that comes standard with the GSA, the differences is just a couple of thousand bucks. Also I think the GSA looks a lot cooler! You should checkout my r1250 review of the lowered version..
@@motovloggingwithvman2188 If you wanted the bigger tank/range then I totally agree on your choice. Personally, the ability of plant my feet comfortably and feeling confident at stops is a higher priority for me. [While not very practical, you can always carry extra gas on the boxes! :) ]
Before you make your decision, I would advice you to try out the 19 version. It comes with a low seat, low suspension which reduced the height even further than my 17 version. Also, I have started using only one feet down, so that helps me get the other foot totally flat comfortably, the skill you need if you want to take your bike offroad..
Nice to hear from you i have only 1 big question in my mind that, IF THERE IS ANY EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE IN ANY WAY ON BOTH OFFROAD AND HIGHWAYS WITH LOW SUSPENSION ? I AM 5.7
You losean inch and a half suspension travel, even with that you have about 7.5 inches which is more than enough for every body other than expert off-road riders. On the street there is no significant difference in handling. There is no difference in performance as the specs are the same.
@@motovloggingwithvman2188 thx for your response a have ordered a gs1250 triple Black 2021 low suspension, delivery early January 2021. I will ride also in duo with the wife. For her comfort is the number one criteria. So does the low suspension is so comfortable on the road than the standard one ?
@@kom2me3 good luck! As far as I can tell there doesn't seem to be any difference in comfort. You can always adjust the suspension settings to your comfort
You are still not flat footing the bike. This is why I did not get the R1200GS, even in the lowered chassis. I still could not flat foot the bike. The 1200 is >500 lbs and with a full take between your legs, it can start to feel top heavy. I went with the F700/800GS model where the gas tank is under the seat. The bike is
Bruce Brown you are absolutely right, you are never flat-footed on this bike, although as I am getting more comfortable, I am beginning to keep the right foot on the brakes and flat foot my left foot, like the way the real experienced Paris Dakar rally riders do. Will keep you guys updated on my progress😁
Lowering suspension defeats the purpose of GSA. Why not go with the standard GS ( which I currently own). I’m 5’10 and if I want to increase further the ground clarance , I just pop up the ESA to max setting. But normall road riding, I set the sit height front adjustment to Low and set the ESA to Minimum.
How about the other way, I pop the suspension to max only when the terrain requires that much ground clearance. I have had no issues with bottoming suspension or ground clearance. Agreed, I am not a super aggressive rider 😄
Man this is my dream bike but it’s huge as I’m only 5 7. I’m thinking about getting it with the low suspension but how does it feel for you with your hands on the bars? Do you feel like you’re leaning forward too much or you’re too far?
Why are people obsessed with height, you can be 7ft tall but if your inseam is less than 28in you'll struggle. Height is irrelevant, inseam is the distance from seat to floor. I have 28in inseam, lowered GSA with low seat and cams on seat to lower even further, I ride on Auto suspension but if I set it to min I'm flat footed.
@@motovloggingwithvman2188 yep, extra short legs here, your 5ft8in with a 30in inseam, I'm 5ft8in with a 28in inseam , its amazing how little difference can make all the differnce.
Great vid I couldn't agree more. I'm 5'8" inner seam around 31". I ride a standard R1200GS which I bought second hand without giving a great deal of thought to seat height ! really ? doh I managed to get the bike home around 80 miles (panniers and top box so getting on it was a bit surreal) but struggled every time I came to have to stop. I immediately bought a lower seat which helps (both balls of my feet or one flat leaning to the side) I went to the local dealer for service work and as you do went to the showroom (allegedly for a free coffee ! Its a chance for them to sell you a new bike loll) . The salesperson attached herself to me (as I was the only person there) and suggested I sit on a low chassis version. I couldn't believe the difference. When I raise enough funds to buy a new bike I will be buying the low chassis version as the confidence only maybe 1" lower gives you. I'm lead to believe that the low chassis version comes with a standard seat (yet to be confirmed) so it may be possible if you are maybe 5'7"ish to get a low chassis/low seat ? Good luck to all lower people ! you are not alone !
I think it is wrong to compare this bike to 750 version because the bikes have totally different central gravity point. I am 165cm 5,4 feet and I felt myself way much comfortable on regular Gs 1200 than regular 750 obviously both were high for me and I could have only one foot on the ground comfortably. Boxer engine gives that bike so low central gravity point that it makes it easier to ride than 750 in my opinion. With lowered suspensions must be even easier.
it's not about height, but leg inseam. what's yours? you sad about 30 but are you sure it's 30 maybe more? your bike it's beautiful, and yes they are intimidating, i saw a few at a dealer ship and once i was near one of them i was scared to even try to swing a leg over. not that i can afford one anyway but who knows.
MotoVlogging with VMan - Your inseam will be longer than that. I wear pants with inseam around 31. Inseam of 30 is still OK really. But if I measure my inseam i get nearly 33. From the crotch to the underside of tour heel. I'm also 5.8 feet. For measuring inseam for seat height you must measure from crotch to under foot or from crotch to the ground if you are barefoot.
I have a question please reply if you can. I am 5'5 and I am mostly into touring and planning to buy the bike. So should I get the low suspension one or the standard one? Also, I am not gonna go much into off-road so will the performance or Feel of low suspension GSA will be the same as the standard one or not?
If I were you I would still get the low suspension. It will have lower center of gravity and unless you are doing serious offroad there is no real advantage of the regular suspension. Hope this helps!
I m 6’03 and i realy hate the hight on my 2011 gsa. Had a several adv bikes in a past but the hight of this one realy bothers me. Put on low seat i can easily put feet on the grond eaven with regular seat but steel i hate that high centar of gravity on such a heavy bike.Also the position of the steering wheel.
Hello there, hope u r doing well i am 5 feet 6 inches tall or short ☺️ i am 22 and have been driving Bikes since 2009 ( the first very bike of my father), i am planning international motorcycle tours like probably crossing into many countries. Which 1 will u prefer in this case. 1250GS or GSA, and i might encounter some off roads but it will not be probably that bigger like made for rallies. PLZ note, that my reach is higher which 70 or 71 inches.
I see some even shorter wannabe GSA riders asking about this bike in the comments so I’ll relay my experience. I’m 5’4”. I own a 2018 GSA Low running the stock low seat in the low position. I love it. It does, however, require some skill and a lot of nerve to get started riding this beast when you’re this short. I’m totally comfortable on it now at slow speed and stops with 1,300 miles on the clock. And I only had about 1,500 miles experience when I bought the bike. That said, I’m older and wiser than a lot of beginner bikers, so I’m very humble and cognizant when I walk up to this bike. While I have had some “less than graceful” moments, I haven’t dropped it yet. I’m sure I will, at some point. I haven’t done any off road, though. That would be a whole different ball game. I wouldn’t exactly recommend this bike to a shorter person, but I wouldn’t tell them to let it hold him/her back either. It is an amazing touring machine, grocery getter, canyon caver, and just about any other sort of riding you can imagine. It seems to do nothing perfectly, but it does everything very well. This is a rare find in life. I absolutely love this bike!
crusing275 l recently saw a video where a short Dakar rally rider handle a tall bike. I think the key is to learn how to stop comfortably with left leg on the ground...
Thank you, that is really helpful, I think I am the same height at you with 29" inseam, nervous about getting a bike like this but really want one. I really don't want to drop it but coming from a Kawasaki Vulcan S that I can flat foot, I would be nervous on hills or uneven ground. May have to go down to BMW to try some of their range out and see how I get on!
Ben Clark Owning a GS is feeling that you get that you can travel anywhere, without worrying about the terrain. My aim is also not just single trails but to explore roads and places. In my opinion, If it was just off-road you might be better off just getting a 250 or 400 dual sport😁!
Bro I am 5 feet 11 can I buy a 890 mm standard seat height r 1250 gs adventure since I live in india the adventure model is not available for test i have to order the bike so I am thinking will i got to have to get low seat option or i can manage
@@movietalkiez5650 The current version comes with a min height setting, which makes it drop down considerably if needed. So much so that even with my height it wasn't too bad. See my later vlog about the 19 low suspension review
The Alpha Man Should be possible, you can lower it further with after market shocks. But you got to try it out and see how you feel before you can make your judgement!
I have a 28 inch inseam and from the looks of the pictures it would be very close to too tall even with the lowest and low suspension. I would love to own one but you never see low bikes at my dealer. From what I understand, if you want low, you can order it but they do not order them for stock. That makes it hard to set on or test drive. It's a shame.
Ron Hunter some dealers do have them in their showrooms, you might have to look around and call. After having the bike for about 6 months and 2k miles later, I have developed confidence in the bike and the height doesn't bother me anymore. The bike is so good at slow speeds because the center of gravity is so low because of the boxer engine, that i am starting to use only one leg at stop lights. If you see the Dakar rally riders flying around off-road, they never try to put both get on the ground anyway.
@@jorgeantunesclaro4450 If factory lowered, I guess it is already adjusted. I wouldn't recommend just changing springs. Along with recalibration, the side stand length also needs to be changed. Not sure what else
You should try to sit on one. I think you should be able to manage as the newer ones come with a min setting that gets the bike down an inch more. Also, It is always good practice to get only one foot down while stopping, hope this helps!
@@bayouboy86441,500 is NOT true. All the parts from BMW will be 8,000. I have a full kit for sale right now for 2500.00. All parts came off of a 2018 factory lowered Rallye. I can install also for a fee. It's a major job. I just did it. I'm in VA
@@andersonfaith Well right now I just put a Sargent lowered seat, so Im going to ride it for the summer with that and see, and then maybe sell and go with the new 2020 or 2021 Rt, Thanks for replying . Stay well.
Ok your confidence is low in the beginning then you get comfortable with the bike. Therefore, why would you base your buying of a 25k bike on your initial confidence level that will quickly change in a week of riding. I am 5’6” tall with a 29 inch inseam and I ride a regular GS. Which is probably equal to your lowers GS. But honestly at 5”8” and 30 inseam you can ride anything.
Not sure if you take your bike off-road or not,I am glad I got the lowered suspension because when you go off-road the ground is uneven and even with a lowered suspension some times I have to be on my toes. I am sure in a couple of years I might become a better off-road rider and would be able to handle it, but right now, boy an I glad I got the lowered suspension. Also I am just starting to go two up and with lowered suspension I have more of my feet on the ground.
MotoVlogging with VMan a fellow club member just recommended I get a pair of riding boots and have the shoe repair guys add a half inch of sole to the boots. Going to give that a try but honestly the height does not bother me at all anymore. Off road I would but a Honda 450 dual for that.,The Gs just costs too much to trash in the gravel. 😃
@@arthurb8631 my aim is to go on BDRs, so I take mine off-road. Do watch my other vlogs on off-road stuff, you will be surprised what a beating the gs can take..
MotoVlogging with VMan my club just played one of those BDR trips whew very intense my friend, good luck looks like s fantastic time. I would seriously make sure lowered does not mean you lose ground clearance that movie i saw they were doing some intense off road.
Your height is irrelevant. You could be 6’2” and find the bike too high. You could be 5’6” and the standard height would be fine. This is because the only dimension that matters is how long your legs are. Know who taught me that? No one. Seeing a video of your bike sitting still without seeing you on the bike is worthless.
