Hi,
I own a 2002 R1150GS with ABS and am currently planning my first trip.
The trip will be for about 4 months and I would like some advice on what spares to bring. The bike will get a full look over, new brake pads, throttle cables, tires, etc before leaving of course. I know you can not prevent and foresee everything but some parts maybe hard to come by in some places.
Better to be safe then sorry and I would like to keep the: , you dumb "beep" moments to a minimum.
Any advice will be very appreciated.
Looking forward to your reactions
Greetings

Wolsly

Hi Wolsly,

The 1150 is a pretty reliable bike and I don't think you need an awful lot of spares. Where are the 4 months going to be spent? That will determine how difficult it is to get parts shipped out if you need them. On our trips we tend to take only wear items like brake pads and cables.

We rode with a fellow on an R80GS who brought a bunch of spares and of course on an old airhead there are lots of things that break. When he broke down in Sudan it turned out to be the one item in the electrical system he did not bring a spare for. He ended up having it sent to Kharthoum anyway.

__________________
Ekke Kok

'84 R100RT 141,000 km (Dad's!)
'89 R100GS 250,000 km (and ready for another continent)
'07 R1200GS Adventure 100,000 km (just finished Circumnavigating Asia)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

www.ekke-audrey.ca

...is the question. Last summer I just did a 3.5 months trip through Europe on pretty much the same machine (2 years older than yours with 93,000km when I started). I anticipated to travel about 16,000km and did just a 1000 less. So I knew I had to give it some service (oilchange) during the trip, therefore I carried an oilfilter and drainplug washer along as I did not feel to look for one when I need it.

Further I carried rear brake pads (did not change them before leaving), an alternator belt, and the big final drive bearing with seals etc. Yes, I was a bit paranoid as I have seen a few fail before. It made me sleep better knowing that in the case of failure I had at least the parts with me. I also had a bunch of more generic stuff such as a variety of nuts and bolts, cable ties, wire, JB weld, silicone, epoxy, loctite, lightbulbs, fuses, sparkplugs, tape, an inner tube, extra tire patching stuff, electric tire pump, tire irons, extra CO2 cartridges, Haynes manual, and a siphon hose. Needed none of these (but good to have). I carried the BMW under-seat tool kit with some minimal beefing up.

In the end I needed the extra oil I carried along and two special bolts I lost which I got easily from a BMW dealership. No further problems, reliable bike. Keep in mind though that I travelled in Europe where BMW parts are easily accessible.

__________________
Matt
'00 BMW R1150GS
'04 Kawi KLR650

I don't have an 1150 and what you carry depends a lot on the bike and where you go. Lot of the other items the previous poster stated I carry:
jb weld/quicksteel
zip ties
gaffer tape
spare bolts
spare (top up) oil
tubes
puncture kit
siphon tube (also useful to fill your stove from the bike!)
fuses
spark plug

I also carried oil and filters (high maintenance bike), mineral oil (previous issue that I had actually rectified but wasn't confident of having rectified). I also carried an air filter. Mine is a foam air filter so a pre-oiled one weighs next to nothing and rolled up occupies next to no space, if yours is this type I recommend carrying a spare.

Some people recommend carrying things like spare throttle cables but IMO if you have changed them recently this is not required most of the time. If its a long trip think about items like wheel bearings, chain (is this a chain or a shaft bike?!) and clutch wear. If you have doubts and value a hassle free trip then check/replace them.

Carrying spare parts is a crap shoot. As much as you want to be prepared, managing it all day-to-day can be a pain.

Prior to leaving, I'd replace all the parts you suspect won't make the trip with new ones. If you do decide to carry spares, I'd pack the used take-offs, if they look good. By installing the new parts, you'll have the investment in the bike, not in your panniers. You'll know the take offs work and fit. You'll also have less heartache should you be forced to dump the used parts, lose them or feel the need to give them to another rider.

If you don't want to carry the parts, sort them out somewhere in a ready-to-ship mode for someone to send them to you, if need be.

daryl

Thanks for the reactions,
My trip will mainly through europe and the caucasus, plans still open for change though....

greetings

Wolsly

also will be riding an R80G/S ... what electrical item broke?

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R90S, R80G/S PD

Last year at the end of summer, I had a little trundle around Europe on my BMWR 100GSPD, its a 1993 reg and just clicked onto 250,000km by the end of the journey.

I serviced the bike about 3 days before I set off and the propshaft was replaced with a rebuildable one a week before ( as it was on its way out anyway.) The usual stuff was checked over and very slightly worn set of TKC 80's were put on.....another brand new set of tourances were strapped to the back as I had a sneaky feeling I might need them.And clutch cable replaced.

I was expecting to do about 3 weeks and no more than 10,000 kms so that would do me more than fine.

I ended up doing just over 5 weeks and just over 18,000km.

The original TKC 80's lasted the entire trip ( they were rather square though ) the bike worked flawlessly at high altitude and hot weather without even a single oil change and the other bits and bobs like brake pads had loads of wear left on them even after going up and down everything that even looked like a mountain during the trip.

The two components to fail were the propshaft/engine output seal which meant a constant top up with gearbox oil and a constantly skiddy rear tyre, and the starter motor decided to die as I was about to head to Turkey ( finally rebuilt in Budapest )...both components were something that I really couldnt plan for and would not have taken anyway!

All lights on bike are LED ( no spares needed )
Lots of tie-wraps
Suguru silicone putty
bodge tape/military tape/harry black
spare fuses
punture kit and slime inflator
standard toolkit with cheap tools replaced by good ones, and gerber suspension pliers, and other select few tools.
spare cables ( spares already located in position )

That is it I think.

If memory serves it was the voltage regulator that failed, not something that is a normal failure item (like the rotor for example) or something you would "tune up" before you left. A similar example is the steering head nut that parted ways with my R100GS, not a normal wear item and you wouldn't think of carrying a spare.

On a longer journey into the back of beyond take some maintenance items, like filters, that would be difficult to obtain and you'll certainly need. But don't bother with spares, they take up valuable space (and weight) and there is no guarantee you've brought along the right parts.

__________________
Ekke Kok

'84 R100RT 141,000 km (Dad's!)
'89 R100GS 250,000 km (and ready for another continent)
'07 R1200GS Adventure 100,000 km (just finished Circumnavigating Asia)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

www.ekke-audrey.ca

I wouldn't worry too much. Others have mentioned the reliability of your bike (which I cannot comment on).

The need is in two parts -

1. Manufacturers specialised/exclusive spares.
You are rarely more than a 100 miles or so from a BMW Motorrad dealer in Europe. Anything they carry in stock should get to your bike within hours. Orders from Germany might add a day or two, but nothing too serious.
In southern Russia the nearest is a lot further, probably Rostov-on-Dom and if they have to order anything this can take longer. DHL can get things from Moscow dealers within a day or so and from Germany fairly quickly although Customs can be the source of delay.

2. General, not specific manufacturers, spares.
These should be available in most moto repairers and auto spares places. There are many throughout Russia Add into the equation the fact that the more remote the location the greater will be the REPAIR skills (not replace). eg. in remote Siberia close to the Arctic Circle, we both wore out brake pads much faster than expected but found a parts shop with japanese car pads which a local guy cut down to the profile of our worn out ones!

Therefore you should be looking at things just to get you going to a spares or repair place. I would carry a clutch cable, pads, inner tubes bulbs and a small pack of stuff with fuses, wire, ties and straps along with a few appropriate tools.

Travelling Light!

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Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

Here is one for ya,

Took the feultank off and one of the fuelline quickrelease male-connectors broke.
The plastic got rockhard and just fell apart.
The replacements are in metal, there are two of them and not cheap.
Lucky for me it was the one in the return line so I did not empty the feultank all over the garagefloor.

Greetings

Wolsly

Take some spare spokes if your Beemer has spoke wheels. Easy to replace and a pain to get. Often each wheel has two different spoke types, make sure to find out. Replace all wheel bearings and possibly the steering stem bearing.
Cheers
Chris

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You might want to consider taking any special tools which are absolutely needed for the odd job. I carry a magneto extractor, as without it I could not change a primary chain, or replace a gearbox sprocket. It will vary bike to bike on what fails and needs special tools to reach.