www.boxertrix.com

hi ,
im thinking about changing my r1150r into either a 1200gs or a 1200st about 2005 ish , that era, at the moment im slightly leaning towards the st , and was wondering if any one has owned one , im still too young for an rt , but im looking at the st as a replacement to the 1100s , im keeping my 12s , but ,,, well , you know what its like ,,,, it is the summer . although the nights are drawing in.

Yep, that'll be me! I've had mine for 5/6 years now, and although I keep thinking about swapping it, I've yet to come up with anything that'll do what the ST does, as well as it does it, without costing me a fortune!

Mine is a non-ABS, non-ESA model, which will hopefully help me to avoid some major bills as the mileage racks up - its now on 29k, and the only 'big' bill I've had is for a new fuel strip last month, which cost just under £200. Other than routine servicing in my ownership, that's it, so its been a fairly economical bike in that respect - I do it (nearly) all myself each year, the only thing I've paid someone to do being throttle-body balancing, which at £20 a time doesn't really break the bank! Its good on fuel, I never seem to get less than 50mpg, which equates to an easy 200 miles to the tank.....my backside gives up before then though, 150 miles at a time is do-able but I don't need to do that these days, and its more of an age thing than an uncomfy seat anyway, its quite good really!

Mine has MV bar risers that were on when I bought it - they give around 60mm rearwards movement and a lift of around 25mm, meaning that weight on the wrists is virtually non-existent. The adjustable, 2-position screen is pointless, a gimmick more than anything - theres only around 1.5 inches difference between the low and high settings, and I can't tell the difference, but at 6' 2" it may be just me it doesn't 'work' for. I fitted a BMW-supplied dark-tinted one, which looks much nicer than the stock version.

I had the 'Hilltop' remap done on mine - it really improved the low-speed running and pickup.

I'd thoroughly recommend one - its lighter than the RT, its not a GS ( ), and its unlikely you'll ever see another one coming towards you!

Pete

I had two ST's (one written off by and Australian driving in London) the second I kept for 3.5 years covering 37k miles - now have an RT. (its an age thing). The ST was a great bike but the RT is better in so many ways - the weight of the RT makes no difference I can still lead club rides at a good pace. I am about 6ft tall and the mods I did were to lower the foot pegs, raise the bars to above the yokes and fit a taller wider screen. I still say the seat is too hard for long distance. However the stats during my ownership:

37323.80 miles 673.52 Gallons 55.42 MPG

Tyres:
Tyres On Off Mileage
Michelin Pilot Road 10,672 18,286 7,614
Michelin Pilot Road 18,286 23,858 5,572
Michelin Pilot Road 23,858 29,381 5,523
Michelin Pilot Road 29,381 34,585 5,204
Michelin Pilot Road 34,585 40,400 5,815

If you can find one at the right price with a lowish mileage you'll have a keeper. (note they seem to be significantly cheaper than GS of the same age/ mileage.

many thanks guys ,
yes they can be had for realistic cash , and with the great details provided its certainly giving food for thought , as much as i like the gs , its nice to be a tad off the beaten track ,
The only down side of them being so thin on the ground is theres little chance of seeing one over here in Northern Ireland , so its a fairly big commitment to even throw a leg over one.
thanks again for the replys.

Well , I tried , but in the end i couldnt go past a gs1200 ,,,, i did try , and with only a couple of hundred st left , it was tempting , but in the end my head ruled my heart ,,, and a gs won the day.