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GS - ‘12 GSA vs ‘95 GS - what to do???


szurszewski

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Happy Monday BMWSTers!

 

I know there are already a bunch of similar threads on the internet (here, even) but I guess I think I’m special enough to warrant a new one of my own. 
 

I’ve got a car up for sale or trade, and I’ve had two GSs offered as possible trades: a 1995 R1100GS and a 2012 R1200GSA (3x black). I’ve set out to buy a GS maybe four times now and always ended up with something else, but maybe this time I’ll actually get one - but which one?

 

Both bikes have about the same miles, seem to be well maintained and have nice - though different - assortments of accessories. The ‘12 has a branded title - supposedly all the affected bits were replaced and it’s been ridden many miles since. The other contributing factor to them being in the same ballpark price range is that the ‘12 has the scratches and dings of being ridden in a “GS” fashion - with an emphasis on the “G” part ;)

 

The ‘95 has the appearance of being in excellent shape particularly for its age and mileage (both bikes are high - about 70k). 
 

I think the 1100 is probably at the bottom of its market value and will likely increase in value in the future - though maybe the miles are too high for that to happen; for the 1200, with the miles and the title issue, I assume it’s probably worth now about as much as it will ever be. Neither is a high dollar bike, so that’s not really much of an issue to me. 
 

 

I won’t see either unless a deal is made (neither is local), and I should throw in that I’ve never ridden an example of either model (though I have lots of miles on an 1100RT and several thousand on my 1100S - and come to think of it have ridden both models - but only a bit each and both with sidecars attached). I thought I preferred the look of the 1100/1150 over the 1200s, but this summer when driving a friend around to look for a GS I was really taken with a 1200 he checked out (he passed and I almost bought it...but didn’t). 

Assuming both are current on service and have no mechanical issues, what random bits of internet armchair shopper advice have you got for me? 
 

thanks!

josh

 

 

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I'm gonna split the difference with you and go with a thirteen for comparison purposes. :classic_biggrin: The TBs' are my favorites and the 12 Camhead will impress over the 1150 I can tell you that much. 

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Just my $0.2...

 

Everything depends on everything else...

 

You do not mention if you have other bikes in the stable.

If, for instance you do  have a regular rider/touring bike and the GS is for the occasional off road adventure then that is one thing.

If you have and will have in the future only one bike then that may lead in another direction...

If you like fiddling with your bikes and doing most of your routine work then the earlier bikes may have an attractions based on their (relative) simplicity and availability of parts and advice from others

Etc.

 

And remember... what you see depends on where you stand.

 

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41 minutes ago, hopz said:

Just my $0.2...

 

Everything depends on everything else...

 

You do not mention if you have other bikes in the stable.

If, for instance you do  have a regular rider/touring bike and the GS is for the occasional off road adventure then that is one thing.

If you have and will have in the future only one bike then that may lead in another direction...

If you like fiddling with your bikes and doing most of your routine work then the earlier bikes may have an attractions based on their (relative) simplicity and availability of parts and advice from others

Etc.

 

And remember... what you see depends on where you stand.

 


Thanks for the reply!

 

These are all valid points, and I’ll address them in a second, but first I want to clarify that I’m asking for random internet advice, so please don’t be too logical or practical about this! ;) :dopeslap::rofl:

 

Currently in the garage is a 2004 R1100S (actually two, but I think I’ll be cleaning up and selling one this summer) which will most likely be staying (unless in the future I find I’m not riding it at all). I’d like the GS because I like riding gravel roads both locally and on tours, so it will be used for that sort of thing. For instance, I’ve been to Torrey once and had a great time but I was on the S and there were some gravel roads I would have liked to ride fully and the S was only fun for a few slow miles. Same with Death Valley - I rode through once on the LT sidecar rig and I want to go back, but when I do I’d like to be able to comfortably ride some of the unpaved scenic loops and stuff. 
 

Would I do anything rougher than dirt/gravel roads accessible to regular type cars and soccer mom SUVs? I don’t know - I have zero dirt bike experience...

 

I do, and plan to continue, all my own service/maintenance work and as much of the repair work as I’m capable of. I’m very comfortable with the 1100/1150 series. Is the cam head going to be beyond me? I know it’s more electronically complicated, but I think I can probably do most things - I guess I’d probably want a gs911 at some point. 
 

 

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I vote for the 1100 as in who really needs the overhead cam and it looks like the 1100 is in better overall condition whereas the 1200 has maybe been rode kind of hard and put away wet.

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I like the 11/1150 look for the GS series for sure (interesting because I don’t really like the looks of the RTs of that era, which I had one of for many years) - the newer look is really busy/cluttered with all the layers and angles and such. 
 

That said, the logistics for the 1100 just didn’t want to work and at this moment I  am waking/warming up in a rest area - about 2/3 of the way to see the 1200...

 

Now, Larry, if you wanted to trade YOUR GS for a station wagon, I could detour toward Colorado, because I think that you’ve got the best looking of all of them so far. (Either yours or the same model in yellow/black...)

 

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Stopped to visit A&S in Roseville - never been but have perused their website online many times. Nice shop - lots of new bmw Ducati and triumph. But, more importantly, they happened to have the same bike I’m on my toward - I was worried it was going to be way tall, but I spent a bit sitting on the one on the showroom floor and it feels great :)

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9 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Did the seller mention why no crash bars on the 1200? :dontknow:


Yes. They were crashed into something ... along with the rest of the bike!

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7 hours ago, Marty Hill said:

A&S are good folks.

That's certainly what I found today. Spent a little bit of time walking around and drooling and a LOT of time talking to a couple of the sales guys who knew I wasn't there to buy and seemed happy to chat. And give me a bottle of water from the special tiny fridge in the back. And sell me a USB adapter. :)

 

 

4 hours ago, greiffster said:

I’m digging the kalahari yellow. 

Hello! That is the much better looking bike for sure.

 

...but this one worked out better - and it's so un-pretty I won't worry too much about dropping it!

 

IMG_9391.thumb.jpg.14fd33159edd6ecb5575d4ba83f74727.jpg

 

Met up with the now former owner outside a Bass Pro about 4:30pm, chatted until almost 7pm and then jumped right on the bike and onto the freeway (yikes!). He was already there when I arrived and then left before I did...and I didn't even try to start the bike until then...and as I made the second of two quick right turns to get on the highway it occurred to me that maybe I should have spent a bit of time practicing in the parking lot first...but then it was too late! Made it 45 miles of super exciting I580 or 880 or something, and into a friend's driveway for the night - so I guess I lucked out. Bike is LOUD and feels great. On the freeway. In a straight line. It's probably good off the freeway too, but it was one block to the freeway and literally two blocks from the freeway to my friend's house...so I don't know yet! 

 

Tomorrow - sometime - I'll start back north. Looking forward to it!

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  • 4 weeks later...
szurszewski

Well, I guess I could add a few things here - a pic of me and the former-GS-now-Sportwagen owner:

IMG_9394.thumb.jpg.bdebae5e04e6418f3b943abae2177413.jpg

A couple of glamour shots on the ride back to Olympia,

IMG_9411.thumb.jpeg.1046391436acf968c4956a2331ed33e9.jpegIMG_9413.thumb.jpeg.1f343bbc35bd19227201bed4e0553cc3.jpeg

The bike resting with its cousins,

IMG_9416.thumb.jpeg.7fcbfe38b806527a59452e24be25d9a4.jpeg

And a pic from a ride-for-meat trip earlier today.

IMG_9563.thumb.jpg.a87ebfb307644f4995dd97258c980687.jpg

I'm having a great time trying to figure out all the suspension settings and what not, and today I ordered a new set of shoes (*cough, cough* need to get those mounted up sometime in the next couple of weeks @Shane J. ;) ). Looking forward to bonding with the bike and exploring some of the many gravel roads in the area and elsewhere :)

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
szurszewski

With much thanks to @ShaneJ new shoes have been mounted :) 

 

IMG_9586.thumb.jpg.55a5fed55aa263917db4a09b6b81a6a5.jpg

 

I got to help a little bit, but having not used a powered tire machine since I was 15, I mostly just tried to make sure I kept my fingers out of the way. Not wanting to seem completely useless, I did leave some presents behind and tried my best to keep appropriate social distancing!

 

Back in the garage, I set out to simply mount up the freshly shod wheels, but somehow this happened:

 

IMG_9596.thumb.jpg.a07cc83b3c7d2d2180ecd9575bc3abd2.jpg

 

I honestly don't remember exactly how I got to here - I really was just going to put the wheels back on, but of course I checked the brake pads and while I was doing that some of the accessory wiring up under the beak caught my attention...and then I caught myself thinking, it can't be that hard to get the gas tank off (it's really not! the QDs for the fuel lines are on TOP and super easy to get - like exactly the opposite of the 1100S!), and then since that was off I figured I might as well take apart ALL the added wiring (skene controller, LED light pods, LED bulbs for high and low beam, two powerlet ports, and a coax lead....each one with its own leads to the battery AND each with its own very nice but also pretty bulky sealed in-line fuse). 

 

I'm going to try to clean it all up and replace the bevy of fuse holders with a fuse block. I did also pull the fancy lithium battery out - first time I've held one and they really are crazy light - and added some spacers so it's not quite so loose. I should have taken a "before" shot of the battery area with all the wires, but I did not. Oh well. 

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szurszewski

That’s what I’m told - bike came to me minus the factory fog lights but plus the upgraded main bulbs and these tiny little cyclops accessory lights. 
 

image.thumb.jpg.2b39ab0b96c6ff26c385e2ad1bc1e81b.jpg
 

 

The first time I flipped the lights to high I was in the southern redwoods - there was suddenly so much light I laughed out loud. 
 

I need to work on getting everything aimed properly. Even on the low beam setting (50% power to the accessory lights) I’m still putting too much light into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

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On 3/15/2020 at 1:20 PM, szurszewski said:

With much thanks to @ShaneJ new shoes have been mounted :) 

 

Hey! I resemble that remark.

 

I got to help a little bit, but having not used a powered tire machine since I was 15, I mostly just tried to make sure I kept my fingers out of the way. Not wanting to seem completely useless, I did leave some presents behind and tried my best to keep appropriate social distancing!

 

 

 

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I already  kind of committed to the new Dunlop Trailmax tires but out of curiosity, what did you mount up? :)

 

The Dunlop...A fifty/fifty tire with a few good reviews. :dontknow:

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szurszewski
33 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

I already  kind of committed to the new Dunlop Trailmax tires but out of curiosity, what did you mount up? :)

 

The Dunlop...A fifty/fifty tire with a few good reviews. :dontknow:

I opted for a Shinko 804/5 set - I went back and forth a bunch between those and the 704/5s which look more like the Dunlops you mention. I’m sure those would have been sufficient for the riding I plan to do on the GS, but since the Shinko are inexpensive, and I have another bike with sticky touring tires if I need to carve pavement ... and, well, the knobby look just goes so well with this scarred up GS. 

 

I’m about to take the bike on a supply run to fuel up and test the new tires and wiring. I’ll grab some pics of the rubber and add them later. 

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szurszewski

I took a ride around town yesterday to pick up some supplies (mostly potato chips and some bits and bobs for the bike from the hardware store, but I did also take -sanitized- boxes of tea and aluminum foil to my mom - it was her BIRTHDAY after all!) and got a couple tire snaps:

IMG_9613.thumb.jpg.58dda374768b38c017336e8ee1c21802.jpg

IMG_9612.thumb.jpg.85967ec5d5b607c53b44b1be789aa7f7.jpg

In the little bit of backroads, in town and freeway riding I did, I'm very happy with the new tires. Of course, it's easy to feel better than the nearly bald knobby that was on the back - as @ShaneJ said when "we" were mounting the new rubber, when aren't practically ANY new tires better than the worn out rubber they're replacing???

 

This morning I got to take them for a few miles of gravel and dirt logging roads - they seemed great there too ;) ...now I just need to learn how to use half of the capabilities of this bike and these tires and I'll be doing well. Next up on the learning path is figuring out the traction control and ABS settings...

IMG_9625.thumb.jpg.8ec02227345354153b1867aa7f9b47e1.jpgIMG_9626.thumb.jpg.2298e884e91c661f663b4abf315425c3.jpg

(that's like maybe a 20 minute ride from my driveway - bummer living here in the PNW for sure... ;))

 

We're just about self quarantined here, but that doesn't mean I can't go for a ride every day, right? Until I can figure out how to justify riding ALL day every day, I'll probably just stick to an hour or two...or three... - and I'll need to mix up routes so the S will get some road time as well. To keep me occupied in the garage I've found a few things to do:

 

Replacing some random hardware with more appropriate bits (I swear the pieces he used to fasten the tank were somehow neither metric nor SAE - one side came out ok with a 5mm allen, but this one I had to cut a groove in, try an easy-out on and then finally just drill out the head a bit more and hammer in a T35 torx bit...):

IMG_9614.thumb.jpg.b8e6f793eab7b70163102293ffcd9ef6.jpg

 

Sliding in some new front pads,

IMG_9618.thumb.jpg.d0a1505320b655c0b0a5ebd2f7d9307d.jpgIMG_9619.thumb.jpg.7339841bb5524083c6f146706898a059.jpg

 

And trying to adapt my favorite tank bag to work on a GIvi Tanklock base. I got the base plate to work, but the bag won't fit with the Flex bars. Well, I guess it works fine as long as I don't need to turn the bars... I'm not sure any regular tank bag will work with these bars, so I'll probably see about making a plate that will offset the bag back a bit from the filler area.

IMG_9621.thumb.jpg.8e0262c6bf393fdbadab0dcf0d0ef627.jpg

 

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Wow, rugged looking tires, and an interesting looking set of bars! :thumbsup: I’ve never seen anything like that. :4316:

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3 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Wow, rugged looking tires, and an interesting looking set of bars! :thumbsup: I’ve never seen anything like that. :4316:

 

Looks nice,......like an accessory mount bar set.

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szurszewski
5 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Wow, rugged looking tires, and an interesting looking set of bars! :thumbsup: I’ve never seen anything like that. :4316:

Those are Fasst Company Flexx bars - I only know a little bit about them (it's on my "stuff on the bike I need to learn more about" list) but they are among the handful of nice accessories left on the bike by the PO; I'm pretty sure there were a few more fancy bits, including a nicer touring saddle and 21" Woody's front wheel that he took off to sell separately. 

 

I think basically they are designed to absorb shock and vibration with as little decrease in control/feel as possible. You can kind of see in the tankbag platform pic the red elastometers/bushings - there's another set inboard of the mounts so they have some rebound and some compression damping, and one can change those out for various degrees of squish. Here's a pic from their site:

image.png.5443a198e04f107f31dc14f2a81e4e74.png

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Rougarou said:

 

Looks nice,......like an accessory mount bar set.

 

I hadn't been to the site before going to get the link above, but while there I found this:

 

image.png.cf8113e30e4c2f30c634fd3eb03be105.png

 

So apparently they had the same idea! There is also just a solid plate that mounts there, which would actually be a nice place to move my phone - currently on a Ram bar clamp with a Perfect Squeeze. Actually, I've got a very old iPad Mini that I was thinking of putting on the bike and it would fit there perfectly...hmm....

 

I suppose it would be pretty easy to make my own plate, but their's is only $25.... thanks for helping spend my money! ;)

 

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szurszewski

The boy actually asked to go for a ride today - it might be the first time he’s ever done that - so how could I refuse? 
 

Really enjoying the new tires and all the suspension travel (makes the logging roads much more pleasant than on the Ducati ST2!). I think I’ve even got the traction control and ABS settings figured out. 
 

We did about ninety minutes through the Capitol Forest and then rode back around the outside to get home. Perfect weather here today :)

 

 

trying to smile:

A4D51AD1-9A1C-440D-A9ED-CB4E1E719019.thumb.jpeg.3a6df3ba7ba4f867eee99b141bd6e405.jpeg

 

doing a much better job smiling after dad says, damn it boy - stop trying to smile!

720EFEFF-52FB-4E87-A90C-64D5F21E1E72.thumb.jpeg.22c23dc38dcb5ecc71bae2ae1613dc63.jpeg

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roadscholar
On 3/18/2020 at 11:58 PM, szurszewski said:

This morning I got to take them for a few miles of gravel and dirt logging roads - they seemed great there too ;) ...now I just need to learn how to use half of the capabilities of this bike and these tires and I'll be doing well. Next up on the learning path is figuring out the traction control and ABS settings...

IMG_9625.thumb.jpg.8ec02227345354153b1867aa7f9b47e1.jpgIMG_9626.thumb.jpg.2298e884e91c661f663b4abf315425c3.jpg

(that's like maybe a 20 minute ride from my driveway - bummer living here in the PNW for sure... ;))

 

 

You may (or may not) know this already but the #1 key to riding a big bike off road is to stand on the pegs and let the bike move around under you. It's almost the opposite of riding a streetbike. Obviously not always necessary on smooth hardpack or gravel but in the tough stuff slow down, stand up, and ride like it's a giant trials bike. That's what it's made for, it's very well balanced and the wide bars give you a lot of leverage. Practice (it may take awhile) until it feels natural then you can speed up some.  

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szurszewski

Thanks Bill - I've been working on that (I've done that with previous bikes too, despite their lack of things like appropriate tires and suspension, or bars you can easily reach while standing, back to my first proper bike (a /7) which I rode on all sorts of unpaved things up in AK; I haven't tried it with a passenger yet though, so yesterday was all sitting down (and occasionally bombing through not seen until the last second potholes - poor kid did a great job holding on!).

 

There are lots of roads and some true jeep trails and single track up where we were riding yesterday - I'm planning to work my way through as much as possible, though I'm starting with the larger logging roads and plan to progress slowly.

 

PS: I just noticed - I'm quick like that - the title for this tread is WRONG; should say '12 and not '14! Sheesh - I feel silly. Maybe I can get @Whip or @chrisolson to edit that for me since we simple users don't seem to have that power? Please?

 

 

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  • chrisolson changed the title to GS - ‘12 GSA vs ‘95 GS - what to do???
42 minutes ago, szurszewski said:

should say '12 and not '14!

 

done ...

 

 

42 minutes ago, szurszewski said:

simple users don't seem to have that power

 

a window for changes exists, but is only for the first 24 hours after the initial post

 

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12 minutes ago, Whip said:

I like the cam heads 

I like all of 'em!  Pretty sure its some type of illness...

 

By the way, nice bike szurszewski!

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roadscholar
3 hours ago, szurszewski said:

Thanks Bill - I've been working on that (I've done that with previous bikes too, despite their lack of things like appropriate tires and suspension, or bars you can easily reach while standing, back to my first proper bike (a /7) which I rode on all sorts of unpaved things up in AK; I haven't tried it with a passenger yet though, so yesterday was all sitting down (and occasionally bombing through not seen until the last second potholes - poor kid did a great job holding on!).

 

There are lots of roads and some true jeep trails and single track up where we were riding yesterday - I'm planning to work my way through as much as possible, though I'm starting with the larger logging roads and plan to progress slowly. 

 

That's great, I knew you were a 'figure it out on your own' type. I think a few of us were riding airheads and RT's offroad when one day a little light came on : ) and as you know there is a whole other world out there, especially where you are. 

 

Another thing (not trying to be overbearing), when exploring the outback ditch those big metal bags before they ditch you, or worse Jeremiah. Evidently the prevailing thought is they protect the bike when you go down but not really, it just bends up all the mounting hardware and is likely more expensive. When, not if, you go down they act like a plow sucking anything nearby into and under them (like human appendages) and have sharp corners and edges. Broken ankles aren't uncommon.

 

And last, don't be afraid to crash cause it'll happen, just dress for it.

 

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There are a couple more pics that go with that one. I can't seem to find them at the moment. ( must be slipping ) pun intended :grin:. Anyway, Bill was leading a group of us Merry Flat Landers until he wasn't. :4317: 

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roadscholar

Think that’s my back tire after ‘we’ picked it back up, can’t really tell but it was flat too had a big spike in it, at least that’s my story. All I know is it happened real fast, but then it usually does. And it’s ok if Pat can’t find those other pics, they probably aren’t that exciting anyway : )

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  • 4 weeks later...
szurszewski
On 3/21/2020 at 10:26 AM, roadscholar said:

Another thing (not trying to be overbearing), when exploring the outback ditch those big metal bags before they ditch you, or worse Jeremiah.

 

Just at the beginning of our shelter in place time I nearly bought a used semi-industrial sewing machine (has been on the "want" list for more than fifteen years...) partly to try putting together my own soft luggage system. DIdn't end up making the purchase, though maybe I should have as the "fun" project list is getting short and I may have to resort to things like yard work and general cleaning...

 

I'd been looking around at bags and was thinking about these

 

https://www.nelsonrigg.com/motorcycle-luggage/dry-bags/deluxe-adventure-dry-saddlebags-detail

 

image.png.ca77b1d32615007eaa19e2c46fa7d930.png

 

or maybe the similar Tusk Pilot panniers (that seem to be perpetually out of stock). Amazon had the Nelson Rigg bags for $150 (ish)... I don't have the budget for anything fancy and I don't really want to have the same Mosko bags everyone else around here has anyway. (I don't think they're necessarily over priced, but I could buy a good industrial sewing machine used, or a decent one new AND the material to make bags for what they charge per set.)

 

Then this morning on ADV someone posted a link in a thread to a sale on the Riggs - just ordered a set for $39.99 on closeout from Iron Pony in Ohio. Added a couple bits to the cart to qualify for free shipping, and they are supposedly on their way to me for a total of $54.29. I'm not a great light packer, but I think at supposedly just over 25l each I can get by. ...and if they don't work it's just $50 I'd probably have spent on something silly like more quarantine punch*.

 

 

 

*this is just tequila, but it sounds more like fun and less like a problem if you give it a festive name

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Been following your post ,looks like some nice bags for the money,I'm only about an hour away from pony in Ohio they have some great buys on occasion,post some pics when you get them mounted.

take care 

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  • 1 month later...
szurszewski

...and I mounted them up. Going to have to do something to make that more convenient as I don't really like having the straps over the seat, they don't fit under the seat (rear strap is right where the seat clips in), and my quick and dirty method using tri-glides was a pain to get on. 

 

IMG_0185.thumb.jpg.d7db9f718a4ca38ae1b5305c6a193b42.jpg

 

I tried them out shopping yesterday - they worked fine but they're SOOOOO much less convenient than the hardbags. Good thing I have both ;)

 

Curious to see how long my sticker stays on there. 

 

...now, the zipper on my tailbag died and fellow offered me a free one (to replace the now dead one someone else offered me for free - must be my winning smile!); going to pick it up on Friday and considering buying some crashbars from him, since this GSA is missing the factory ones. He's got BOTH an Altrider set and a SW-Motech set - I don't know much about either, but I've been looking them up. Price to me is about the same - any thoughts?

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