I don't do Dakars. As far as I remember this thread was started round the question of whether BMW GS's is a good choice for a round the world tour based on its reliability. I believe a bike for touring on real bad road conditions in third world countries must be chosen for more than only it's reliability. It does not matter how reliable your bike is if you keep falling down somethings are bound to brake down at some point. This is hardly the fault of the bike manufacturer but rather the rider himself. Other things to consider is fuel range, luggage carry capability and this go two ways as you need the system for the luggage but the frame and the suspension must also be able to carry the extra weight.
BMW's go very far in this regard and this is why their bike do so well with long distance travelers.
I still do not believe they are the best bikes to use for more remote traveling because of all the high tech, making field maintenance and repairs nearly impossible.
The suspension is not made for hard off road conditions and even though weight is down somewhat on newer models they are still very heavy.
These three aspects in my mind is the biggest reason for not choosing the latest BMW models and why I believe the HPN concept to be so great.
The HPN BMW is based on the low tech mechanics of the 80's and 90's models but are making use of the latest quality suspension and developments making this hardly a bike out of the "stone age".
With the HPN you have the perfect balance between serviceability, weight, fuel range, luggage carrying ability and brilliant off road capability with ultra reliability.
If you can afford, this is the bike for the true adventurer and this speaks for it self when you meat people like Werner and Claudi on their HPN models that have spent the last 7months traveling down Africa and only had flat tyres to repair as well as the odd mirror and crash bar indicating that they have had a rough enough time to prove that these bikes hold up no mater how bad the conditions get. Check out their site and many photographs.Claudi und Werner reisen durch die Welt For those that do not read German click on Bilder to take you to the image gallery.

Now I've eaten all my popcorn reading this

I still keep coming back to have a ironic laugh at the BMW-hate club, the myth-advertisers.

It's all been intensly discussed and agreed before, in multuple threads, it's not about the makes, bikes, reliability etc, it all lives inside the people, the riders themselves. Yet some of them keep coming back to bash BMWs again and again.

What does it really mean? ...think!




















Cheers, Margus@off to ride his trusty BMW

Amen!!!!!!!!!!

Why all these lies Mollydog?



Well they won in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1999, 2000. Your statement is wrong!
I think it’s the only manufacturer that has won with three different motor-designs (airhead, oilhead and single)

Peterhansel won in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998 (Yamaha also won in 1979, 1980 with Cyril Neveu),
So again, you are totally wrong, that makes five victories for Peterhansel – not nine!


On extreme tough roads you might be right, and that’s probably why they still make 250’s. Have you forgot that BMW also makes 650 and 450?
It has nothing to do with RTW (which is what this thread is about).

Baja means nothing here in Europe (as far as I know it’s a single days race?). Anyway BMW (or HPN) has a class victory and some other good positions.


HPN has made close to 700 bikes, 90% of the bikes is still own by the original customers.
I use my bike in tight woods, but I’m not keen at rallies. We don’t ride our bikes to the pub where I live…

Why all this stuff about rallies? Going RTW is a complete different task, if you wonder how it is there is a film of three novices doing it on BMW’s. It can be done on all kinds of bikes.

Well you messed up Peterhansel, you messed up BMWs victory in the Dakar Race and you messed up the point about HPN… Guess you have answered that by yourself.

Hmm, at second thought you also messed up about the diagnostic tools for BMW in another thread which also was full of …..

Nice icons by the way.

Edit:
I forgot to mention Baja in the list above...

Nice guys, very nice. A real input to the website. "ass puppet?"

__________________
"And I think to myself, what a wonderful world..." L.B. Armstrong. www.davesgreatescape.net
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readme...e&id=661274218

My thoughts exactly - let's try and keep it polite guys!

You may not agree with what's being said, but that doesn't give ANYONE the right to call anyone else nasty names. I'd like to think this was a good debate down at the pub - that didn't end up in the back alley or the drunk tank!

I can delete this whole thread if need be and that would be too bad.

Anyopne who wishes to clean up their act (as in edit their posts) - would be in less danger of banning. No ones there yet but some are collecting points!

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Right, wrong....

For whatever reasons, and I've seen this often, experienced travelers can become antsy when stuck at home and not moving. Something eats at them. There's no easy fix, and there's frustration.

Never a moto parked in front of a shrink's shop.
Trade some knowledge and ideas here.....and then ride.....

Jeez Grant, there must be times when you feel like a kindergarden teacher- am I wrong? Sad I think- and we're all supposed to be on "the same side!'' Hope to see you in June, Hook. (With the faded orange Jesse's!).

__________________
"And I think to myself, what a wonderful world..." L.B. Armstrong. www.davesgreatescape.net
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readme...e&id=661274218

Thanksyou Grant, as ever the voice of calm and reason. Godwin's Law still applies, Patrick, even after all these years.

Kind regards

Nigel in NZ

__________________
The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

So, in fact, Godwin's Law does not apply here...as I was refering to the glory
days of BMW when they were world speed champions. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe since both BMW and NSU were state sponsored companies they were compelled to wear the insignia on the motorbikes?

Patrick

__________________
Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Since you know so lot about rallyes, how many Dakar rallyes Suzuki has won then, Patrick?

Spot on, for somebody here BMW bashing has been overused - mainly one guy bashes and multiple guys try to "defend" it. As I've sayed before it's always much easier to bash than to defend.

"Godwin has argued,[2] that overuse of the Nazi/Hitler comparison should be avoided, as it robs the valid comparisons of their impact."


For Patrick, BMW represents jews that must be wiped off the planet Earth then(?)

If the good bashing options run out because of the good argumentation job done by the "defenders" then:

"Pathetic, stubborn, teutonic, ass puppet" etc etc bashing words start to come into play. So which particular human psychological phenomenenon we're dealing with here?

From the observational point of view it is also interesting to note that: you don't hear BMW users bashing other makes, if you somehow do, then it's some 90% probability they're doing it on defending it once they've been already been attacked with an "argument". BMW users intensly bashing jap bikes by their own initiative seems to be very rare case. But vice versa it's very common in the forums. It somehow reminds me PC vs MAC computers "issue".

Jelousy, one black sheep among dominant whites, "BMW users are rich bastids, screw them!", "short-penis" ego, or any other (mythical) reasons you can think of...?

To avoid further hassle, the interpretaion(s) I leave for the rest...

Cheers, Margus aka who's just curious.

Grant,
I don't start fights....I finish them.
If you reference the post by Mr. Ali Baba where he calls me a liar then you've
found the source of my reaction. I am sorry if my response has offended the gentle readers here.

I believe if you read back through Mr. "Baba's" posts you will see a history of
unrelenting inflamatory oratory throughout his short history on HU.

Grant, regards your Pub reference..... if someone calls me a liar in a Pub, they end up with a broken nose, never knowing want hit them. Nothing ends up in the back alley or drunk tank...its over right then and there.

Cheers,
Patrick

__________________
Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Not really my place to interfer, but where exacly did AliBaba called you a "liar"?

"Lies" and "liar" are completely different things, at least in the context he used to make his thoughts clear. Liar & lie: one of them is more personal intent, other is just a describing word for wrongly stated fact(s).

From this reaction, it looks to me you're taking it all VERY personally if your bashing is somehow "rejected" by valid arguments? Is BMW bashing "down to the drain" your life's motto, some sort of personal quest? I'd rather recommend doing it for fun if you really want to do it, otherwise it consumes too much of your time, and nerves...

That's my understanding as a non-english speaker, anyways. No fence was ment.

Come on guys/girls, it isn't rocket science, do your homework, choose a bike that YOU will be happy with, and ride it We will ALL learn this way,no?

Trophymick