BMW R100GS:

Chosen because we considered it to be the most suitable for a 2 up trip from the UK to Cape Town (21 years ago).

Still loved for it's comfort, simplicity, reliability and pure charm.

Lots of other bikes have passed through the garage in the intervening years and many are still there but the GS is the best all rounder.

I have an F800GS. I bought it new, as I want any issues to be my doing! Not the cheapest, but I don't drive so it's my only transport; this, in my mind, justified the expense!

I bought it for a range of reasons. I'd seen many GS's around, but preferred the 800 to the 1200 having ridden both. Mine does 60mpg, even if I ride with more spirit; in my mind, this is really important if I'm riding 1000's miles. I like the fact that there's lots of Farkles already available, so I can choose from plenty of toys if I wish. With a replacement seat, it's very all-day comfy. I love this bike. In the past, I've thought about changing bikes often. Not this time. I'm going to ride it until it won't work any more (no jokes!).

Another main consideration is that my BMW dealership is excellent; they're very helpful, offering help well above what's required. It's for this reason I'd happily buy from them again.

Motorcycles are like wives.Some men are happy with just one .Some have to trade in from time to time as newer models come on the market and requirements change .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

One is never enough. Bikes, that is.

Yamaha XT600E: simple, reliable as a rock, easy to fix. Bought as a winter hack to save a beautiful Ducati from the ravages of a winter commute, but has been a well-loved 'second bike' while several 'best bikes' have come and gone. Downside: runs out of puff too soon, and not all-day comfy. Can't see myself ever selling it. A) its cash value is tiny, and b) it would be like kicking a puppy out into the snow.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

Xt600z 3aj,

PROS:
Reliable
Big fuel tank
Very low tech= easy to fix
Parts easy to get
Relatively light weight
Cheap
Takes you anywhere
My heroes from the 80's dakar rally drove it


CONS:
Not very good for highway use
Some models have gearbox issues
Checking the oil is a nightmare
Rust quicker than a french car



.

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Christian

Yep, that's me.
I go out and pick up whichever "slut" takes my fancy, where ever I happen to be at the time.

Putting that another way, I get a bike local to where I happen to be in the world and ride that - then walk away when it is over.
I think this is a growing trend with the price of intercontinental shipping and the associated paperwork and miscellaneous costs (such as a CDP). Whether it be a local purchase or a hire bike, it makes sense to me.
Besides, there is so little time and so many rides out there.
As for which bike - well there is a forum for that, right here, but I like to play the field when overseas, but I have my regular rides in the garage back home

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Dave

Hi,

Dont make jokes like this. In other forums you can read more and more about the F800 is having serios engine trouble with only very little kilometers. When you go to change the oil on a japanese bike you have to change the engine on F800

800GS.de - Motorschaden an meiner F800GS mit 17.000km
F800-Forum.de - F 800 GS - F 800 R - F 800 S - F 800 ST • Thema anzeigen - Motorschaden an meiner F800GS
Motorschaden F800 GS

The 1200GS seems not to be much better. Its engine even broke down with less then 50.000 km while a magazine took it for a test drive:

BMW R 1200 GS Dauertest : TOURENFAHRER ONLINE

Its not that i think BMW cant make good bikes i think they just dont want anymore. The old bikes like R80 etc. were really good. Now I think its like with the bulbs when they specialy reduced the live of a light bulb down to only 1000 hours to sell more of them:

Obsoleszenz – Wikipedia

Even TV stations start talking about companys who specialy reduce the live of there products now (just a quick google search):

Kaufen für die Müllhalde 1v5 - YouTube
'Verfallsdatum' für Konsumartikel und -geräte - Plusminus 29.03.2012 - YouTube
Kalkulierter Ausfall (Obsoleszenz) - was! 25.04.2012 - YouTube
Obsoleszenz: Elektrogeräte eingebautem Verfallsdatum - YouTube

I would only take a new bmw if i would get it for free like in long way round/down

Hope all your "only transport" bikes reach more then 150.000 km too, Tobi

Yamaha XT 600 E: TOURENFAHRER ONLINE
Honda XL 600 V Transalp: TOURENFAHRER ONLINE
http://www.adventure-travel-experien...22.07.2011.pdf

.
For many of the reasons I will not buy a BMW motorbike.
Japanese every time.
I could go as far to say, that the reliability of almost all the Japanese bikes would be better than any of the BMW bikes.
Sure there are exceptions to every rule, but in the general run of things, the Japanese bikes win hands down.

Now the Africa Twin is sold, I have a hankering for the Varadero.

vette

I have been owner of few BMW (K75,K100,gs100,900,115GSA,1200GSA) and many more jap bike and even KTMm , triumph and ducati , I love all of them but for ease of maintenance and reliability my jap bikes were the best of all . as far as price/reliablity/maintenance you cannot beat them . Sure my BMW looked better and have a better ground clearance , but they were also heavier and way more expensive . for my next RTW I will most likely choose Suzuki or Honda .

That problem was solved back in 2008 with new pistons, and also this problem didnt really affect the gs just the s ans st models which really suffered. All of which providing you have a full service history you are very likely to get bmw to pay for most or all of the repairs.
If there is a problem with their bikes and you support the network by using aftersales for servicing then you are likely to be treated very nicely if a problem arises.

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Christian

Horse power to weigh ratio. I bought a new BMW F650GS in 2007 and rode to Tierra Del Fuego from the USA. That bike is single cylinder, chain drive, tube tire machine that gets 25km per litre, 62 mpg, at 100 kmh day in and day out. It has a 400 km range with no extra tank needed. It comes with heated grips, abs, and a good saddle. I rode it stock, including the chain. 52 hp, single disc brake, 380 lbs +/-.

In 2011 I bought a used BMW F800GS. I am short ( 30 inch inseam) so I lowered it myself. Had all the cool stuff on it. After 5000 miles I had a tank slapper wobble at 75 mph on the flattest, straightest, smoothest piece of asphalt in the world on the interstate at Lexington, Nebraska and destroyed the bike. I survived because the bike had crash bars and I wear all the gear all the time. The next day I went to the see the bike. It started right up and was rideable - barely. I had bent the frame - so I junked the bike. It was smooth, got 50-54 mph (so not good for RTW distance), stock saddle was comfy! I do not know what caused the wobble. It could have been the knobbies in wind. It could have been wind shear. It does not matter now.

I have purchased a new 2013 factory lowered F800GS. It arrives here shortly. I have kept my old F650GS single. They take money to maintain - but I am emotionally attached to a pile of metal and rubber. The F800 bare is 82 Hp, 415+ lbs. So I have voted with my pocket book. It still amazes me that I rode 18K miles to Ushuia Argentina without a scratch, but got dumped in Nebraska 5 miles from a hospital.

I live by these rules on adventure travel. Simple is best. One gets exactly what one pays for. I saw a lot of Honda transalps in Argentina because the rental agency rents transalps. Lots of BMW's in Chile, because they have a dealer in Santiago and the tour companies all use BMW. One should look to see what bikes the tour companies use for their guests. My observation is that BMW is used because they are durable and dependable.

My BMW's have broken from time to time. And I am not always happy with service or dealers. But the fact is that the bikes are tested, reliable, and German. Nuff' said.
Fritz

My bike of choice for the big tour was the Suzuki DR650SE. Why?

First of all I sat on it and had fun. And there are other reasons which compelled me to try the bike in the first place. Things like:

-the bike couldn't be any simpler. No electronics. Single cylinder. Carburetor. Tubed tyres. If you find a way to start her, you don't even need the battery.
-she's in fact so simple that even I can maintain and service it. Which means everyone can
-her design hasn't changed since the mid 90's. So she's well proven and weak points are all pretty much known and figured out.
-lots of aftermarket stuff is available to make her even better
-it's one of the cheapest 650ccm bikes to buy brand new
-she's one of the most light weight 650ccm bikes available...
-...but her frame can still hold up with a lot of luggage weight
-she runs even with crap fuel (85 octane) and cheap motoroil
-she can cope with pretty bad roads and even some off-road, even with me as a newbie rider.

The DR650 is only the second bike I've ever owned. On her I went all the way from Australia to Africa to Europe. And brought her back to Australia. And she's still running well. Apart from the regular service bits to replace every now and then the only extra replacement of parts she needed were new fork seals after 40000km.

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no risk - no fun

The same for me and my '91 80GS, it is not the best at anything but is an excellent alrounder. There might be more up to date bikes out there now but for the price of one of them I can spend 6-12 months travelling on what I already own.

KTM 990 Adv

PROS
Its awesome

CONS
Its awesome

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www.seeyouwhenwegetthere.com