Which model year??

[brumbackkid]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot. In shoppping for my first GS after years on other motorcycles; is there a model year of the 1200 STD that is better or stands out over say the last four years.

[marc]

The answer depends upon your likes and dislikes.

'04 ~ '06: Original styling with power assist brakes
'07: Original styling, iABS version II (not power assist)
'08 ~ '09: Updated styling, a bit extra horsepower, slightly different gear ratios
'10 ~ ...: New valve train with overhead cam

There are, of course, lots of little changes that occur over the years, too. My favorite would be the '07 as I like the old styling a bit better and an extra 5 horsepower isn't important to me. But I've not yet ridden one of the camheads. Maybe a test ride would change my mind.

Oh, and welcom to the forum.

[ca1ic0cat]

The only thing I can add is to make sure any recalls have been done.

[tlwood99]

Not an expert by any means, but i think the answer to your question is another question: how deep is your wallet?

I would say objectively, and as I think you would expect, the bikes are slightly improved each revision. The market far prefers the new bikes, and older bikes (like all motorcycles) depreciate rapidly.

If money were no object I would by a '10 or '11. However, slightly used '08 and 09 models can be found deeply discounted from new making it impossible im my mind to buy new. Same can probably said about the 07, and the bikes before them.

For the same price of a new bike I bought an 09 with 700 miles and have loaded it up just the way I want it. I'm delighted with my decision. I would start with how much I had to spend, figure out what farkles you really want on the bike and go from there.

Good luck!

[adl]

It's definitely a budget thing. If you've got a wagon load of shekels then buy a recent bike. There is no rhyme or reason to build quality with beemers however, mine is a '04 bike which has been absolutely great and I've heard of new bikes with less than a thousand miles on them needing new final drives. "You pays your money you takes your chances" as the saying goes. Whatever your choice, I guarantee you'll have fun. I would disagree with the depreciation of older bikes tho. I was recently offered £5.9k for mine which is what I paid for it. Go nuts and buy the one that puts the biggest grin on your face