Well I had a test ride for an hour on Saturday, it was instantly a success only rode the GSA1200xe for half a mile and every thing just clicked, very responsive throttle on dynamic mode, good riding possition. It accelerated like a spirts bike none of that Boxer lumpyness. Played with the screen to get the best air flow past myself, you can also set the riding style from sharp dynamic to rain on the move to ajust the sharpness of the accelerator and make it smother in slippery conditions. You can also switch off traction control and ABS on the move, good for me I thought. In slow moving traffic the bike felt very light and noticed unlike the pre 2014 gsa's which lift themselves off the side stand to the right with a sharp twist if throttle this new toy dresses to the left and pushes to the left.
Went back BMW offered me 8500 for my 2010 with 19300 on the clock. I could have walked away with the XE but would have had to buy a thousand pounds worth of panniers and GPS as the GSA has the mount plate and toogle wheel wired to go and is linked into the bikes electronics. The TE version which has all the toys would cost me £247 a month for four years.
Nice bike but I can live with clunky gear box and a but ugly looking face fora long time yet.