I appreciate everyone has their views on what to do, but below is what I am doing in preparation of taking my bike to Africa on my LC GSA;


Why my own bike?: I have a September 2016 BMW R1200GS Adventure sitting in my garage and it has not ventured further than Spain and has under 11,000 miles on the clock. I am fortunate to have other bikes to ride for touring in Europe. I been to Morocco twice on my previous BMW’s ...

(1200GS 2011 model and I nearly ran out of fuel hence the switch to the Adventure model, then on a 1200GSA LC 2014 model which kept jumping out of gear under hard-load off-road. I understand that the pre-2016.5 (aka September 2016) liquid cooled engine gearboxes were weak and were subject to a recall which mine subsequently had. This recall was for a software update which protected the gearbox, or so I was lead to believe. BMW revised the gear box selector etc for the 2016.5 + models)

... and apart from gearbox issue I was very happy with the capability of the BMW's on and off the tarmac.

So my driver is to take my own bike is to get some use out of it and I do not want to buy another bike. This is what I have already done or intend to do in preparation is as follows:

Already on the bike/completed:
- BMW Recall to fork tubes – collars to fork tube tops fitted by dealer
- Full under body bash plate
- Bracing strut added to lower engine bars
- Plate added to lower crash bar to help prevent any penetration to the cylinders
- Steel stone grills added to radiators
- Side stand switch stone guard
- Rear drive shaft vent extender (waste of money I think)
- Machineart fender extender front and rear
- Foldable gear shift lever
- Frame rubbing guards around boot areas

To do:
- Add clutch and brake lever aluminium protection bars
- Head light guard
- Fit a TCK80 tyre to the front and a Mitas E07+ Dakar to the rear. I wanted a Motoz Tractionator GPS for the rear but not readily available.
- Get the rear shock absorber overhauled… The internet is full of reports of the standard LC (only?) shocks failing from anywhere from 11,000 – 20,000 miles. I have a local contact who can overhaul and upgrade the existing shock internals for under £200 and fully dynamically test the units on the bench… I may do this for the front as well as insurance.
- Fully service bike and do the valve clearances so it is good for another 12,000 miles. I have done all the maintenance myself on my BMW's once out of warranty.
- Add bladder filter inside the fuel tank to add a second layer of protection to the fuel pump.
So apart from the shock overhaul which is a pain to remove, all easy stuff.

I will also take;
- Soft panniers (I will not use the aluminium ones)
- TomTom Rider 550 GPS – Garmin are absolute rubbish (my opinion as a owner of one) but I will use it for displaying engine data and as a back-up.
- I will take my MotoScan Ultimate software and associated connection for fault diagnosis etc.


Any BMW 1200/1250 Liquid Cooled Adventure riders who have any additional advice or comments on these models, welcomed

Could you change a fried clutch out there and would you have the tools and parts and know how to do so alone?
That was a question I was asked once. and one which made think really hard and conclude I'd be best to take my F650 Dakar instead.

I did own R1200GS and these images speak for themselves when my clutch fried.

My 2 pence- select another moto or prepare to have a) parts sent to you by Motorworks, put lots of money readily available on a card and do your homework as to where there maybe a few mechanics capable of helping you- they are few are far apart so your moto could spend a large part of its trip in the back of one or more lorries (if you have enough strong strap/rope)

So I was VERY glad I left the 1200 in my garage back home- Best decision ever- I never missed anything about it on my trip.A simpler motorcycle and accessible like an F650 Dakar is good for Africa- my own experience.

I know of an excellent independant BMW mechanic (to prepare your moto properly) in north Kent.
He changed my clutch on the 1200 - and he will even lend you a loan bike for you to get back home and back to him- get in touch if interested

Toyark, thanks for your view.

As already explained and for the reasons stated, I plan to go on my R1200GSA there is no way I wish to buy another bike. I am not shy on the mechanical side so I am not fazed even if I had to change a piston, tools and parts would be the issue however. I will do a complete service on the bike before I go.

What would your mechanic in Kent be able to offer?

One member on this site had the F650 Dakar and sold it in Botswana due to reliability issues and got a brand new Yamaha 250cc bike... however she was not mechanically minded.

Fried clutches are generally due to inexperience of desert riding, wrong tyres and an overloaded bike. I have no idea of your circumstances/skills etc so no offence meant and I appreciated you are offering advice with best intentions.

''twas just my 2p!
Glad to read you have the skills. Happy trails

No problem, thanks for the good wishes.

I have also had several years of desert riding experience which included a international 5 day desert enduro event during which I finished in a very respectable position, so I am fairly comfortable riding off road. However I appreciate a 1200 adventure bike is ‘slightly’ heavier than a 450cc enduro bike, lol.

Anyway it will be interesting for me to experience riding a GSA in an environment that it was supposedly designed to cope with. If the bike gets destroyed, then at least it has been used but I think it is going to be more than capable.

Hi RedZed.
The rear shock went on my wife’s 1200LC with 30K miles on the clock. She too got it overhauled (possibly by the same chap, who was excellent). I will get mine done over the next year, even though it’s fine at the moment - it’s a twin cam with 50K on the clock. The only thing I will do is get a heavier weight spring for my weight (100K stripped) and luggage.

Good luck with the trip - which bike to take is a difficult decision but I sometimes wonder if one is just better off taking the bike you know.

Keep us posted when you go