Weird Glee review in MCN

[Mitch]

I think their YouTube outcome is accurate for once. Its a lot of bike for the money and is great for those just having passed their DAS wanting a medium sized bike or a fun commuting tool .Its not as rugged or ugly as a Strom.I'd still have the Strom anyday due to the gem of an engine its blessed with.
I'm supprised they didn't crown ze German one the winner. They normally do for some strange reason.???

[nelmo]

This months issue of "Bike" Magazine has given out its "Bike of the Year" award to ....... wait for it ...... the new GS. I think anyone could have guessed that. Whether it's the best or not doesn't seem to be the point, it's just the one feigned over and hyped to oblivion, where there was a massive launch party somewhere hot. So predicatable.

Sorry, I'm going to have to disagree again  

I'm a Bike subscriber and they've had numerous group tests over the years - if the GS is in, it almost always won, despite the writers desperate attempts to hope it wouldn't (they often actually say that). The group tests are done by the mag, riding around Britain with no involvement from any manufacturer and if you look through Bike mag, there is maybe 1 or 2 adverts from BMW - far more ads are for Suzuki, Kawasaki, Triumph etc, etc, so they're not just trying to keep BMW happy for that reason.

Doesn't every manufacturer do a launch somewhere nice and hot and pay all expenses? Suzuki launched the Glee in Croatia - not exotic but I bet they paid all journos expenses...

Basically, you may not like the success of the GS but it cannot be that successful on hype alone - there has to be some substance behind it. Personally, I'd buy one tomorrow if I could afford it  

[MartinW]

I will agree to disagree with you Nelmo. Charlie and Ewan were the hype.

[frez]

Unfortunately reliability and on-going costs do not appear to factor into it.

[loggamatt]

The thing is... and this is the point I was trying to make, though I don't think it came across...

I don't care if the Honda won. If it's the better bike it should have won, that's fine... I'm not one of those people who thinks his bike is the best bike in the world just because he picked it.

What I find odd is 2 of 3 reviewers (1 of them was presenting, not reviewing) in the video picking the Glee, the text of the article saying the Glee is better in most ways than the Honda, but them then going "Verdict - Honda wins!"  

If the Honda is the best bike then great, but say that in the video and article. If it's not the best bike, don't declare it the winner. Seems a no brainer to me

[nelmo]

I will agree to disagree with you Nelmo. Charlie and Ewan were the hype.

That was years ago and I doubt that a load of hard-nosed bike journo's would be swayed by what a couple of actors said or did. Just the opposite, in fact - they also probably hated the hype around the trip. But they still write great things about the GS...

Ewan got the rich bikers hooked on the 'lifestyle', maybe, but not the more down-to-earth rest of us...

I agree with frez about reliabilty but then, when does any review take that into account? Not possible on a 2 day test ride. And if you can afford a £13k bike, ongoing costs aren't your main concern  

[findoutnow]

think the Honda tyres wider than the wees mind.

[geekay]

think the Honda tyres wider than the wees mind.

it is - it's a 160 section!

[Jacko]

As has been said the big GS wins every test because it provides the best experience, and, taken in the context of a weekend test, is the best bike. It just is. They don't do a 'what's it like to own for 4 years test?' though so we only get the nutshell test. It pays for it's winning ways with complex chassis components and expensive and, for some, prohibitive maintenance. It's too complicated for its own good, but none of that matters on a short test, so it wins hands down.

As long term riders we need to take far more into account than capability, and this is where other bikes make inroads.

I think they should run a long term (4/5 years) test of current big bore tractors and see how things go then, I suspect the Beemer might not be winning that one.

[geekay]

what makes you think it wouldn't?

anyone I meet with one LOVES it!

I really fancy one I really do - my only concern is the size and weight of the damned thing!

[VCH]

Something to take into consideration regarding the Honda CB500x (and the other two versions with that engine), which put me off instantly when I was looking into them the other week. Apparently they require a valve check costing £200 to £300 on their 600 mile first service !
There's no way I'd shell that amount out so soon and it doesn't instill massive confidence in long term reliability.

VCH

[Jacko]

what makes you think it wouldn't?

anyone I meet with one LOVES it!

Yes, anyone I meet with one also loves it. Then you ask what's gone wrong with it since they've had it and they start churning stuff out that, to them, is minor, but to everyone else in the real would, isn't. I spoke to one bloke who reckoned a crown bearing failure, costing £1500, wasn't a catastrophic failure, citing that wheel bearings go in all bikes, (albeit ones that cost £15, delivered) these are your 'LOVE it' blokes.

Bottomless bank accounts and a blind eye turned by the owners aren't the same as the scrutinising eye of a bike journo.

I'd love to be earning the kind of money it takes to keep one of these on the road, sadly I'm just a normal working chap so I have to make do with brand new Suzukis instead.

[stevee_p]

think the Honda tyres wider than the wees mind.

it is - it's a 160 section!

On the cb500x? Or the nc700x?

[loggamatt]

On the BMW GS ownership issue... a lot of blokes who can afford that sort of bike trade their bike in every 2 or 3 years. Obviously, that sounds extravagant, but it makes a bit of sense as you spread the financial cost of owning a bike, rather than owning it for 10 years until its value drops completely and then having to stump up almost all the cash for a new bike then. Often makes more financial sense to buy a new bike every 2 or 3 years and just pay the depreciation each time.

And with that in mind, I'm sure the GS plus an extended warranty is great to own. Sure, bits may break, but if BMW repair them for free each time it's not the end of the world. By all accounts, BMW are pretty good with lending you other bikes while yours is in for repair anyway, so probably wouldn't be too annoying.

Of course, if it has a catastrophic failure halfway through a big long tour, that's another issue... but assuming that doesn't happen, maybe the reason a lot of the GS blokes don't mind that expensive things keep breaking is that it's BMW picking up the bill, not them. Then when the warranty runs out, they sell the bike and get another.

If I was in a position to buy a GS (which isn't impossible... just would have to make savings in other areas of my life, so maybe one day I will) I would be buying it with the intention of running it for 2-3 years then trading it in for another new one (or nearly new, ex-demo one if I'm being smart).

[Juvecu]

I wouldn't buy it if I had the money. Riding around with the thought in the back of my head that anything can go wrong at any time is not what I call an enjoyable ride. On the Strom I can ride it like I want, where I want and how I want without ever needing to worry that it will breakdown because is some overcomplicated design "feature".

[geekay]

think the Honda tyres wider than the wees mind.

it is - it's a 160 section!

On the cb500x? Or the nc700x?

Cb500x. I didn't look at the 700 specs.

[Jacko]

Matt, you've actually started down the road to BMW ownership already, the mindset is there, is trading in every 2 or 3 years to keep ahead of inevitable mechanical failures the mark of a premium motorcycle?

'Ahh, 30 months old now, best get rid of it before it falls apart, - 'Good morning sir, how can we help? A brand new GS please smarmbag'.

I just don't get the whole thing, forgive my cynicism.

[loggamatt]

Hehe... yes Jacko, I know, I know  But, when you think about it, it actually makes some sense! I mean, how much would you lose in depreciation on selling a GS with average mileage after 3 years keeping in mind they hold their value well? I don't know, £3k? £4k? Maybe £5k? I can probably afford to spend that every 3 years on biking. Whereas if you keep it forever, at some point it'll stop working or you'll just fancy a new bike, and if it's worth peanuts then you'll have to suddenly find almost £14k from somewhere to buy a new bike in one big hit which is a lot more painful unless you've been very good about saving for bikes in the meantime.

I can very much see myself defecting to the GS side at some point, if I'm honest  The thing that does put me off though is the thought that I could halfway through Europe when one of those catastrophic GS failures happens. Will be no consolation then that BMW will fix it for me under warranty if it means I have to abandon a trip halfway through.

[geekay]

I'm a big BMW fan. Driven their cars for the last 13 years, mostly the 3-series but currently on a 530d - which I won't keep past the end of the warranty. I'll swap it for another one.

They are amazing vehicles and very reliable. The 3.0ltr 6-cyl diesel and 8-speed auto is an amazing unit. Really unbelievable - powerful, economical and reliable. However, if something does go wrong with it, the bills (out of warranty) very quickly become eye-watering in size. No really.

So I love BMWs and I have to say that the only thing putting me off a gs is the physical size of the thing!

[alan29]

I wouldn't buy a GS - I am not a herd animal.