The GS is worth considering if you think the K-series is too complicated.

I also own an R80GS Paralever. Easier to work on should anything go wrong. I've just removed & re-fitted both top ends. Took about 4.5 hours per side but this included installing new stainless pushrod tubes & grommets, new valve springs, de-coking the cylinder heads, cleaning the valves on a lathe and lapping the valves back in to the head. No special tools or knowledge were required, just common sense & a good selection of regular tools and a heat source for heating the head to allow removal & installation of push rod tubes. Also replaced the Paralever pivot bearings in the bevel box. As with the K-series, regular lubing of the splines is essential.

The rest of the bike is relatively uncomplicated and everything is easily accessible.

One point worth noting is that for a large-ish bike, the distance from the seat to the footpegs is not great. I'm 5!10" / 1.80m tall and my legs are slightly more squashed than I would prefer. I know of others who have lowered the pegs slightly, there is possibly a kit available (in Germany?).

My girlfriend has the same bike also. On a 3,400 mile trip to Portugal and back last year, we each averaged over 55mpg (UK gallon = 4.54 litres) at 75mph fully loaded. At this speed, I managed 223 miles before hitting reserve (rarely below 200 miles)on 20 litres with 4 litres left in reserve.

May be a better choice if the roads you intend using are not so good. The GS is also a lot lighter (215kg v 260kg for my K100RT). Some GS' also come with an optional kickstart.

Have a good trip.

Steve

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