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Honda or BMW in South America?
Hey guys,
I need help. What you buy? Honda Transalp (2008) 37000km 650ccm BMW f650 dakar (2007) 47000km Have someone experience for witch brand it is more easy to find pars and cheaper parts. Normally I would say Honda but I am in the moment in Santiago and 50% of the bikes are BMW. How is it in other parts of South America? Tom |
The Dakar is the lightweight model choice out of those two..
Mostly because it sheds weight as it falls apart... doh |
Definitely go with the Honda. Sure there are BMW's in Santiago, BsAs, Sao Paulo. But there are certainly little to no BMWs anywhere else. Kawasaki KLR 650 should be your first choice, then a Yamaha, then a Honda, then a Suzuki.
You will be repairing your bike for sure, at least get one that: 1) can get parts in most any decent sized town 2) does not require specialized tools to work on 3) does not require a specialized mechanic 4) when you do find parts, they are not more expensive than a new bike All four of those eliminate BMW. |
Honda
out of this two models: get the Honda
first choice for SA (as gunt86 put it correctly) is the KLR650 or the DR650. saludos desde Bolivia mika |
Dread,
Are you Chilean? I'm surprised to hear that "half the bikes in Chile are BMW". I did not realize there were so many rich folks! :helpsmilie: I see many small Chinese, Indian or Japanese import bikes. About 80% small bikes 400cc or less. Only BMW's I ever saw in Chile were ridden by RTW travelers. Has something changed? My guess is that in Chile you will pay a premium price for either BMW or Honda. I'm guessing you may be able to buy a NEW Chinese 250 for price of the Dakar or Transalp? I would try to buy a used bike from a foreign traveler, make it legally yours and do your ride. As mentioned, many many KLR's and DR650's end up there for sale. By the way ... what is your ride plan? The type of ride you want to do really dictates what bike you should buy, no? The Transalp in general is a very good bike. But Used ones in Chile are usually beaten down into junk. Use you best judgement. No bike lasts forever. bier |
my experience
All bikes need service on a long trip. In my opinion, buy the best engineered motorcycle that you can afford and you may reduce the number of visits for service. I am happy with my choice and was spared the need for major work at any point. Not sure if you can find an impartial source of mechanical failure rates for these motorcycles.
I rode Central and South America with a relatively new F800GS. Left New Jersey with 3200 miles on the odometer, came home 32,500 miles later. Around the 20,0000 mile mark the front chain sprocket sprocket chipped a tooth (replaced both sprockets in Sao Paulo, with a new chain.) The oil heat exchange box caught a rock and needed to be replaced due to slow drip (replaced in Buenos Aires.) In southern Bolivia the chain separated, perhaps due to poor attention on my part (fixed with the most basic tools imaginable.) A Honda dealer in Cusco, Peru, replaced the rear wheel bearings with a generic set. I purchased a lamp bulb, sprockets, chain and oil heat exchange at BMW, and yes they were expensive in South America. If I was more experienced I could have purchased and gotten the sprocket work done anywhere. The oil heat exchange box was replaced by a private mechanic. Any imported parts get hit with high import duties, and I bought them in perhaps the two countries with the highest tariffs. I'll carry my own replacements sprockets and chain on future adventures. Think about buying a sprocket set, chain (plus a chain tool) and extra inter tubes. I took several oil filters with me and was resupplied several times, and bought one in Bra$il. Generic brake pads and two rear tires were not purchased from BMW. A guy I rode with in Venezuela had a hard time getting a replacement vender for his Kawasaki as we went from shop to shop in Caracas. Another guy I know needed to had parts flown in from Japan to Cusco for his Suzuki. I think you will see more Honda dealers. Does the Trans Alp automatically adjust for high altitude? The two rider I mentioned had ls of issues with their carburetor needles...something I didn't have to worry about. There are one or more BMW dealer in every country in South America, except the Guyanas. That said, the dealer in Caracas didn't have the oil filter I needed, but there are a lot of problems with inventory in Venezuela...and a lot of other countries in South America (I'm talking about more than just moto parts.) You might want to look at this comparison: BMW F 650 GS vs. Honda Transalp vs. Kawasaki Versys vs. Suzuki V-Strom DL 650 It looks like the BMW gets significantly better mileage, is more powerful, has higher clearance...and takes slightly longer to stop. |
There are many more Honda dealers in South America than any other major brand. I would look hard at the Honda 400 Falcon, made in Brazil so relatively cheap and parts and service available everywhere.
Of the two you list, I would still go with the Honda, because as a former BMW owner, I have not found them to be any more reliable than a Japanese bike, and much more expensive to buy and maintain. |
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Change the oil! Check the valves Clean/change the air filter. If you do those 3 things you can put off the full service. Even put it off to the next next (yes 2) full service. I'm not including the frequent service items - oil and adjust chain! Nor the ware items of tyres, brake pads, globes etc. You can save a good deal of time by doing things yourself. beer |
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As an owner of two Honda XR650Ls and two KLR650s, living in and riding them in South America.... I have had MANY BMW riders stopping by our place in central Peru, and even with new bikes, it is amazing the problems they have had. We tried to find a spark plug and a rear tire for an F800GS in a large city with 80,000 motorcycles.. Not a chance. The owner had to travel a day and back to Lima just to pay $21 for a simple NGK plug! Honda XR650L or a DR650 are your best choices. The Transalp may be a Honda but it is almost unheard of in SA. Get yourself one of the above with 18" and 21" wheels and parts that are interchangeable with smaller models that are common throughout SA and is repairable on the side of the road with a screwdriver and a hammer! The XRL is a gas hog, but it will run on the same jet from sea level to more than 14,000 ft. Don't think the DR can do that! |
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A motorcycle trip should be fun. Not stressful. There's enough stress already without wondering if you can keep going with the bike you're on. You mention the XRL being a gas hog ???? Are you running standard jetting ?? I've not experimented with MPG on mine yet but I heard reports of it getting 50 mpg + with sensible riding.. Ted |
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I run #152 with snorkel still in, but an open DG glass pack . Good for 0 to 12,000 but will do higher without much complaining. |
Wow great,
so much good posts in so short time thanks, you helped me a lot. |
Go Yap!!
It's a non-question. Choose a Honda.
There is indeed a fetish for BMWs amongst the rich crew in Santiago (notice how none of them are scratched, dented or even dirty) and also amongst many of the moto tour operators in Chile / Arg. But I've heard (and read here) so many stories over the last year of broken and subsequently stranded Beemers. IMHO the success of Beemer adventure bikes is down to good marketing, not good engineering!! Go Jap, all the way!! |
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A stock DR650 with air box cover off and a fuel screw ... CAN go high. Fiddled ones have more trouble and need to be re-jetted. (like mine) A Fuel screw (pilot screw) would help the XR-L as well I would think at high altitude. |
Honda in South America and BMW in Europe
I have both: a Honda Falcon NX 400 in Buenos Aires, and a BMW G650 GS in Spain. I have done about 40,000km in South America with the Honda and it has been great for me!
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