BMW Adventure
 

Hi ;

BMW distributor here , claims that 1150 Adventure is very capable of handling off-road, you can take it to even Africa. The ratios of the gearbox is with small intervals ( sorry my english is not so good for correct desription ), its ground clearance is increased etc.
But i dont see how a bike with more than 250 kg. can handle off road as claim. I tested the bike myself. Its really heavy. Although people will get use to it eventualy, i still dont think Adventure is a off road bike. At least not much as they claim.
Its more like - more off road looking and more off road oriented than 1150 GS.And thats all.
I would like to get the ideas of the users if possible.

Thanks,

having been around in bolivia in august 2001 when the pictures for the gs-adv brochure were shot, i believe this bike to be a 'european/north american highway offroad-lookalike poser with a high disposable income' bike and NOT a serious offroad bike.
ChrisB

Guess it depends on your definition of the word "offroad".

Africa has been crossed several times on the "old" 1100GS and 1150GS so I can't see why it shouldn't be possible.

It's better with a light driver and a heavy bike then a heavy driver on a light bike Your choice ;-)

I have a GS Adventure and a KTM LC4; both are very different types of bikes.

So, the BMW is really a large go anywhere touring bike, with good off road manners (for bike of its weight/ size) Now, the KTM is pure focus bike, designed for Hard Enduro, and major offroading.
I am starting my RTW, in Dec...
I am taking the GS because it can go 90% of the places I plan, very well, and comfortably. (its handles amazing well in twisties as well!)
I recently did the Enduro course in Barvia offered by BMW. I came impressed what one can do with a bike as big as the GS.
If you are doing lots of sand and jeep trails, hard core off roading, pick the lighter bike.
If you are going to rack up miles, on a varitey of roads...pick the BMW.
(Carry too much luggage and passager--maybe)
Its very much up to the user style and the places your planing on going. I love both bike, the BMW I can use in more situations.

My 2 cents.

I ride 2-up and rode a Elefant to Tierra del Fuego, a GS 1100 in Africa, and am taking a GS Adventure to the Silk Route of China next year. All worked well. If you are solo and going for mostly dirt opt for a KTM Adventure or especially the LC8 about to be released. I recently watched Paris-Dakar ace Jimmy Lewis put a GS Adv throught its paces in the American SW desert and was impressed with what a BMW can do. I cheated and rode my KTM, but that BMW will go anywhere with the right talent!
Allen.

i think you could say, the bigger the bike and the worse the 'road', the better the rider has to be. just because jimmy lewis can put a big gs throught its paces doesn't mean that mere mortals, like most of us, can take a big bike (with luggage and passenger?)to where it gets ugly.

it might be worth mentioning that big bikes are heavy (not just to pick up when you've dropped them) and hence freighting them across oceans and around no-go areas is very expensive...

a new or newish gs-adv is not cheap... so the cost of your carnet de passage will also be dearer than with a cheaper bike.

big bikes also tend to less fuel efficient than smaller bikes. so again a higher cost...

i'd say a big gs-adv depends on your budget and your ability in relation to the terrain.
cheers
ChrisB

Like Allen I have seen Jimmy Lewis do wonderful things on a GS and other bikes as well.
After talking to Jimmy at lenght I purchased an F650 Dakar. So far after Baja and Copper Canyon Mexico that was the right choice for me. It is all I can do to pick up the Dakar after a fall.

Hi ;

What i make from the replies ( and thank you all for it );

1- Ýt is a very good bike for touring ,
2- For a bike of its size, its off road capabilites are ok ,
3- It can go everywhere with the right talented driver ( exp. : Jimmy Lewis can ride through Sahara with the front whell up )
4- If riding on variety of roads is the preference --> BMW is good : If sand, mud or trails --> BMW is too heavy ( for normal drivers )
5- Its not a off-road bike, but can cope with certain amount of tough trails,

For what it's worth Helge is doing African tours on the GS and just completed one himself on the GS Adventure that was written-up in the BMW MOA journal ON (Owners News)...So I guess there is some empirical evidence supporting the claim made by the BMW rep...I personally use mine mostly off-road or on poor quality jeep trails/dirt roads and find that it handles well fully ladened evenin snow and ice...Just my opinion...

I have an old R100gs which I've spent a fortune on making ready for a RTW (I could have bought a new GS for what I've spent on the bike and mod's, but thats another story) Last weekend I rode an Adventure to see if it was possible to buy a BM ready to go. In my own, very humble, opinion the bike was great on the road, but over geared, too big, too heavey, too high, too complicated and too expensive (if dropped, which would be inevitable) for the average rider, on anything more than on an unmade road, who is not a 'Paris-Dakar' God. I have a little off-road experiance and for serious off-road this is not the bike. My last bike was a KTM Adventure. This IS 'THE' 'out of the box' adventure bike which will handle any terrain. Sadly it wouldn't handle both mine and my wifes backsides!

Yes, the cost issue really rules out these new adventure-touring bikes for most people. Not simply the cost of the bike and any pre-emptive spares or repair costs, but i should imagine any insurance and carnet costs would be much higher.

Would you really want to be in the middle of Sudan on a bike worth tens of thousands of times the average persons annual income?

Why focus on Sudan? I'm never sure my bike will be there when I return to it in the UK (or anywhere else for that matter) and Sudanese people are noted for their hospitality not enviousness or dishonesty.

All over the world - in each country - there are people who are richer and poorer than yourself; worrying about whether your bike fits into an acceptable value category is silly.

Hi, I've got the GS Adventure and here are some of my thoughts:

The GS has the best aftermarket products for RTW travel. The choice of accessories is superb.

It is very capable off-road. As a test I went trail riding (not racing )with 6 Enduro bikes (XR's & KTM's) & easily kept up with them. No-one could believe it would be able to even go along let alone keep up. It is a very well balanced bike and most people form an opinion just by looking at its size. Anyone with previous off-road experience certainly wont have a problem with a GS off-road.

It is very comfortable and does 350km to a tank of fuel.

Less than 10% of my routes on my recent African trip were off track. Most of my off road riding was from my own choice. You will find most roads are tarred or dirt tracks.The only problems I experienced were a few heavily flooded dirt tracks in sub -central Africa. All the other bikes with me also got stuck -even DR350's.

I didn't have to freight my bike and I didn't have any engine failures. Ultimately the best thing would be to try and get a test ride on the bikes you have shortlisted. The BMW will probably be very easy to get a test ride on. I'm planning another trip later this year and have no problems using my GS again. Hope this helps.

- or indeed many other places. When i travel in Southern Africa i am very much aware of the fact that there is now an organised and international trade in stolen vehicles. My experience is that it's the brand new Landcruisers (or other shiny expensive machines) that get taken, not our 15 year old bakkie. The parts can even get shipped to Europe.

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 14 April 2003).]

Hi:
I have a GS 1150 BMW Adventure (2002), Works great but actually looks more enduro than it is, worse if you put the dual purpose tyres that are more for highway use than for off road. Breaks are excelent and new gear ratios seem to make it a dragster for the road. Front suspension seems little soft when braking entering turns. I dont know if all germans are that height but I had to buy the "low seat" accesory seat to touch the ground more confortably not just with with my toes its good but hard, use sheepskin. For the rest, its the best bike I ve had. I think BMW built it thinking about mexican and latin roads.




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MOROcycler