Big BMW 1200GS

I'm bias to BMW motorcycles, having owned a BMW F650GS myself just recently, but after test driving the fabled, exalted, and seemingly untouchable BMW 1200GS I'm not impressed. There, I said it. I refuse to follow everyone off the cliff and say it was god on wheels, because it wasn't, but boy did I want it to be. For close to $18,000 out the door it better be stunning. First, it was impressive in that the boys in Germany have done a lot of thinking about where to put the switches, how to position the rider, about what little thing that you've ever wanted on a bike shows up. But that's just it. There's too much going on. It's 100 butlers trying to make you happy at every bump, throttle, and corner. All talking at once it was white noise. It felt spongy, and wide. It was powerful, but not exciting power (I've ridden the BMW K1200R so I know the BMW boys can make power galore.). I was less than expected and without soul, and as I drove around the city, then on the highway I never was able to get what I wanted out of it. An odd duck it was. I wanted so bad to enjoy the ride and start getting the loan in place to call this legend my own, but the ride convinced me otherwise. The king is dead. That is, unless the BMW F800GS due out this fall as learned from the mistakes of the big daddy BMW 1200GS. My wallet still waits to see if the German boys out think themselves.