depends on what you want to do with it. The G / S is a retro-styled, modern version of the original G / S model, even down to the colour scheme and conventional telescopic forks. I reckon it’ s Old school Cool if you are not interested in going too far offroad with it, want to stick to back roads, ride some gravel + and have around town missions where it’ s a joy to ride, and looks the part with no down side. If you are thinking of more serious dirty stuff, it is Old School. The ergo’ s are dated and the gearing is tall, particularly in first, and the road-biased handling and suspension are not your friend in the real dirt. If you have always wanted an old R80G / S
or similar this will give you the all the feels and vibe without the high buy-in price, worn out chassis / engine, frequent carb tweaks and valve-adjustments every oil change. As a homage to the grand-daddy of the adventure riding market, it hits the spot being far less maintenance-intensive than the original but without the classic-owning headaches. The editor has an old R80GS and has been throwing longing gazes at the R12G / S every time he passes. Retro looks with up-to-date everything else, it’ s the‘ classic bike’ that’ s going to scratch the itch of anyone who’ s ever watched those classic Paris-Dakar races.
74 KIWI RIDER