New 1200 GSA from US to South America or beyond?
 

I'm considering to fly to the US pretty soon, buy a new or near to new 1200 gsa and go from there, now i was just wondering who's done similar trips on this bike, i just love the way it rides, and i would like to know from personal experience if this bike is up to it? and or go all the way around the globe for an extended period of time, and do some offroad with no horror story's

I know that sounds easy, but maybe i would like that for once in live....
second choice would be to me to totally rebuild one of my two xtz 750 super tenere's on which i've ridden far away trips, less easy, but they are just very valuable to me the way they sit in my storage unit now with many stories written all over them.

Or third choice would be to get an older Africa twin here in Europe and just ship it to the US or somewhere's else.

No i'm not considering klr 650 or f800 or new s10 or new at, its just personal preference.

Who has some personal experience with the LC doing what the Bavarians claim it to be?bier

such a long trip on big, heavy, expensive bike with not the best reliability records? good luck, you will need it.

haha, that's a clear statement lol, is this from personal experience?:D

And I don't think the new 1200GS runs on regular fuel. or even worst, on shitty one. Definitely not the bike I would use, especially a new one off the dealer's showroom.

What about bringing your own "old" RD07 Africa Twin. They are bulletproof. Just prepare it for reliability (Mosfet regulator, new fuel pump contatcs, new sprocket and chain kit, handguards) w/ full crashbars and racks and Mitas E07 tires.

Never met a GS1200 overlander that wasn't broken.
Met several who were...

Thanks guys,

Buddy of mine who rode for bmw is coming over for a visit next week, coming from the BAM, or road of bones, but he's riding an 1150,not sure why he didn't take a new one, but now i know probably, i've seen bwm's broken down as well, where i should be, and expecting to, or more or less counting on, but didn't, on 25 year old 3LD's.
But seen guys running forever without troubles on some, but this a few years back.
I guess it all makes sense in a way, expensive vehicles probably aren't ment to be reliable.
RD07 would probably work best, or heck maybe even a klr...

I'm a BMW Technician...

I spend five days a week fixing them.

I wouldn't take one.


However, you should always ride the bike you love. No matter what people say.

If you have the financial luxury to buy a brand new one then why not. They're fast, comfortable and easy to ride.

Don't buy the GSA though. It's a f**king tank. So big, heavy and cumbersome. There is just no need for it. Most pointless bike on the planet.

Buy the standard GS which has all the fuel range you need and it's significantly lighter.

Also buy the simplest model you can. It's all the add-ones and the gimmicks that go wrong all the time.

Forget keyless ride, RDC pressure sensors, alarms, Electronic suspension etc etc.

The bonus you will get with a new GS is the Two year unlimited warranty and free roadside assistance. That will be great in places with fully stocked BMW dealers who can have most parts shipped in the next day..

"South America and beyond" is where you don't want to be on a rolling computer that needs a specialist diagnostic computer to fix it with special parts and tooling that is unavailable to anyone. When they go wrong, 90% of problems can only be fixed by a specialist..

Thanks very much for your comprehensive explanation Ted....actually i was thinking about getting a GSA, but then again, i have to sell some stuff, lots off stuff actually, no deep pockets here, so would the GS be a better bike? is it less complicated?
Or how about a HP2 enduro, the seem to be more affordable where i live, i like travel of the beaten path, the longer the better.
I already have the bike i love, but have to go through it completely to get it travel ready and not sure if i want to ship it again to North America, and there's no parts for it there.

Thanks for sharing your experience:thumbup1:

Hi Hookeniggy

The 1150GS is bulletproof if previously well maintained. It is simple and has no electronic gizmos (just get one without the servo. The weak points are known and easily fixed. Final drive crown bearing, final drive pivot pins. But damn they are heavy, especially if you have a GSA. Remember how Ewan and Charley suffered with theirs. So much that Boorman had to fake shoulder muscle problems when they did the Summer Road to Madagan and then put the bikes on a truck. South America's wet jungle roads will be worst. In short, BMWs are reliable bikes if you know how to work on them. I sold my 2006 R1150GSA SE (the white one) with 240,000km and the buyer told me it sounded much better than his other 80,000km GSA.

As I said before, an old Africa Twin will do the job to go around the world. A KLR will also go a long way, but you won't attract as many chicks as with a shiny BMW...

.........haha, you might be right Massive Lee, just sat on a plane just a couple of weeks ago next to a bunch of Spanish beauties, they all agreed they just loved a GS....quite an eyeopener...

i don't have the RD07 anymore, just two very dirty super tenere's left, of which of one i completely wore out in the Maritimes.:scooter:

Its just a lot lighter and do everything a GSA will do. The final drive gearing is a little different though..

If you haven't got a blank cheque I'd be looking at something a lot cheaper and simple. Especially as you say you want to go off the beaten track in South America.

Don't forget that dreaded Hall Effect sensor. Carry a spare. And lower coils if you have a twin spark. I'd carry a spare bearing and seals for the rear too. There are people in South America who can fix them. Like Javier at Dakar Motos.

Proper heavy bike though isn't it. And the stock rear shock is junk...

"No money, No Honey" kind of girls ??? haha.

If a women is more into a Shiny bling than the character and charms of a weathered and well travelled trail bike, then she ain't no woman for me :cool4:

ted what do you think about the sertao?water pump?any other problem?

Well tested motor and its a good one. Water pump os no different as far as im aware but i haven't seen any bad ones brought into our place. Excellent economy and light weight machine.

However... Its built very cheaply. Wheels, suspension, bars, chain etc are all budget rubbish.

It could make a good foundation to improve on.

Why not look at an x-country or x-challenge if you like the BMWs. Same engine but better made.

Sent from my G7-L01 using Tapatalk

thanks ted,i don't like the beemers at all,sevral years ago i had the dakar which was great bike ,next year i'm going to ride from usa-alaska to south america & i'll just wait for the new xtz 700 or buy a wee xt(i own now 2012 wee)which is a great all arounder bike. i was looking for efi thumpers but the options from ktm- husky- bmw or swn means less realibilty on the way.

How about buying a bike in Texas and riding it down there ??