which bike to choose for RTW trip
 

I am currently planning a RTW trip that is going to take me about 2years. i am planning on starting in canada and going down to south america then across to africa then right across asia. I am looking at these bike.
-KTM 640 adventure
-BMW f640gs dakar
-honda xr650l
-honda xr650r
i have been banging my head agaist the wall on what bike to choose and i am guessing i'm gonna be doing at least 100,000km on the bike?

Ooooh! That's a hornets nest you've stirred up there mate! If it were me I'd go XT600E, Transalp, A-Twin or possibly a Funduro!
Actually , in the end for my big trip (two weeks away, the days drag like centuries!) , I just made a shortlist and bought the first really good example I came across on the list, which happened to be an XT600E. I think you can overthink these things, better just to get a good bike and prep it.
JMHO
Matt http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

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www.scotlandnepal.blogspot.com

[This message has been edited by Matt Cartney (edited 29 January 2006).]

The other thing to thing about is spare parts -
How quickly can you get them? Is the dealer prepard to ship world wide? And will they do it quickly? Go talk to the dealers and people who have owned these bikes regarding parts avaliblity.

You don't want to be waiting in bullamechica for a part to come in for 2 months. Even an aditional week could mean the visa runs out!

Another question you have to ask yourself is what can your body handle in terms of comfort. Although i´ve owned none of the bikes mentioned, if given a choice i would take a 650 Dakar. Most people i´ve talked to with this bike have only good things to say about it, and for your rout aparently parts are not a problem. The bike is also very comfortable to ride. Antilock brakes are a heavy and unnecesary option, IMHO. I met a guy from Korea while staying in Chihaua? He´s going around the world on a 650gs, after 45000km and a few crashes, no problems. A dealer in the states replaced his shock on warranty, but he was severely overloaded! The KTM is an awesome machine used by many, but its very aggresive and uncomfortable, and parts may be a problem in C-S. America. I can´t say anything about the Honda and Yamaha, no experience there. Hope this helps. Personally, i like my old klunky but reliable and comfy airhead http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Mr Ron you met Se-Hwan eh? Pre or post smashed BMW panniers.

cheers

alec

Nothingman, where abouts are you? I'm leaving April 10 for 2 years. Taking a 'slightly modified' R80G/S. Chat over beers?

Kevin

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Kevin

http://www.nohorizons.net

Sticking only to your list (there are many great bikes to concider):

What not to buy: I've never owned one, but would never want one. I'd not buy a KTM. Why? What I've heard and read is that it is really uncomfortable. The seat sucks and the bike vibrates too much.

Still from your list, what to buy: I've never owned one, but really really want one, the Dakar. I've heard and read a lot of great stuff about this bike. Probably one of the most comfortable in its class, but will not shy away from neither offroading or highways.

As for the honda xr650r. I've never owned one of those either, but as fas as I know it isn't street legal. The xr650l is the street legal version with softer shocks and seat, blinkers, etc. My issues with this bike is that its sub frame seems too weak to carry luggage. Even with modifications you might expect it to be fairly unstable, especially offroad. Stock, it seems as though its offroading capabilities would be better than i.e. the Dakar, but with the modifications you would need to do, to carry all your stuff, I bet it would come out much worse offroad than the Dakar. As for riding on tarred roads, just looking at it, it is evident that the Dakar will be MUCH more comfortable. These bikes are motorcross wannabees, a motorcross bike with a big engine. If you want a motorcross bike you should buy a lighter one with a smaller engine. Honda does have some great offroad bikes though: Dominator, Africa Twin, and Transalp (in no particular order).

As my budget is fairly limited I will need to look for a used bike. I have come to the conclusion that the general criterions is that it needs to be a one cylindered bike of no more than 10 years of age and no more than 40.000 kms (among other things). The bikes I am currently concidering are:

BMW F 650 Dakar: This is the bike I want the most, but it is a bit pricey for me. As my wife is going on the trip and she is a bit smaller than me, the GS would be an option for her. This way we could interchange parts (virtually the same bike - only thing really differing being the shocks and fron wheel size). These bikes have not been around that long with only fairly new and pricey ones available.

Honda Dominator: Great bike and one of the cheapest in its class. Here you can find a bike of about 10 years with only a few kms on the clock.

Yamaha XTZ 660 Tenere: I'd say this would be Yamahas version of Hondas Dominator. It is just a hint more expensive than the dominator, but seems to offer better performance and reliability all about. This is the bike I have found delivers the most value for money. Yamaha was the king of this class in the 90's.

Honda Transalp: Great bike but not as Expensive as the Dakar, but in the pricey region for me.

Honda Africa Twin: Great bike, a bit on the heavy side for offroading, but would manage. I bet that it would be one of the better ones on sealed roads though. Also in the upper range of my budget.

Yamaha XT 600 or 350: These are my low budget bikes. I talked to a mechanic who had worked a lot on both Yamahas XT's and the Honda XL's and told me that Yamaha was more reliable.

Honda XL 350 R or 600 R: Also among my low budget bikes, but does not seem to offer the same value for money as Yamahas XT.


In short, my top preferences are:

High budget: BMW F 650 Dakar, probably a Bike of 6 years or less.

Medium to high budget: Honda Transalp or Africa Twin... though, I know that if I would be willing to stretch myself this far, then I would be willing to stretch myself all the way to the BMW.

Mid budget: Yamaha XTZ 660 Tenere, probably a ten year old bike.

Medium to low budget: Honda Dominator, probably a ten year old bike.

Low Budget: Yamaha XT 600. Probably a bike 10-15 years. Honda XL would also be concidered if it was cheap enough.

My most likely choice will be the Tenere or Dominator.


To sum it all up, if you can afford it, buy the Dakar!

[This message has been edited by Wheelie (edited 30 January 2006).]

[This message has been edited by Wheelie (edited 30 January 2006).]

...yeh, thats him. I rolled into Chihouah? late one night and found him trying to find a hotel. I stayed and watched the bikes while he went looking, then we travelled to the Copper Canyon and down to Zacatecas. You should see the panniers he built...from roadsignd no less! Great storey, i´ll try to get him to contribute to the HUBB.

hey there, we too are going on a RWT starting from Alberta in Sept 06.
We have purchased two KLR 650 and outfitted them completely for long distance travel.
did you even consider the KLR?
very reasonable cost, parts available
we changed the seat on our bikes to corbin, bought Happy Trails paniers, etc.

consider the KLR.. it's a bike that has been around for many years.

i figure the ktm 650 adventure is a good choice for me, it's only $12000 cnd and needs very little modifications for the trip and i want a bike that i can take anywhere including the sahara. i just plan on knowing all the places around the world i can get it fixed

Which bike? Well I rode my dominator from the UK and have been in the south island New Zealand for 4 years now where half the roads are gravel or tracks the dominator has been great but they are a handfull off road especially when things go a little pear shaped.
We bought a honda sl230 for my partner and it is a truely remarkable bike smooth on the road and dances off it. I can pick it up with one arm I would very much consider this bike to carry on around the world. As more second hand ones become available from Japan I think it will prove very popular it makes the xt 225/250 feel like an old dog!!! Why try and lug an F650 round the world????

Hi Richard,

I have a new XT250 Serow and reckon there's no way it can be described as a old dog! Have you actually ridden one?

Regards

Reggie AKA The Cameraman

yeah rode a few second hand ones and a brand new one and of course there a great bike and they have more than proved themselves over many years, but they are still punting them out with the same 225 original engine in them and it just doesn't compare. The only thing that has changed is the name. But you climb from the honda to the yamaha and it's surprising how refined a 250 can be.

Bike for value leads me to think the KLR is a good option as well. It is my understanding that there are different versions depending on country of purchase. A search on the web yields a wealth of info regarding all points on this bike.
Kella, My brother and I are planning a RTW from Calgary in 2008 on KLRs. If you can provide any insight that would be great. Enjoy your Ralph bucks!

[This message has been edited by Dylan (edited 02 February 2006).]

From your list, choose the Dakar. I have 75,000km on mine, 2.5 years into a 5 or 6 years RTW. I agree with the above in skipping the ABS. The above Hondas (TransAlp, Dommie, Africa Twins) are awesome, but sadly not available in North America.

I just had a little booth at the Abbotsford Motorcycle Show, too bad we didn't meet. THere is a chance I will be at the Outdoor Adventure Show at BC Place Feb 17-19. I will leave a note here if that comes together.

rene

Nothingman,
Several of the bikes that are mentioned in this topic are not avaiable in Canada. The following are the ones that are available in our country.
The KTM is the most expensive
The Honda XR 650 really tall and more off road than on road and a really poor seat.
The BMW is a awesome bike but your looking at 10 to 11 thousand dollars. (think of your carnet cost)
Again, have you looked at the Kawasaki KLR 650. Read up on them. They are just about bullet proof and parts are available all over the world. They are light weight and easy to handle. There is a limitless amount of accessories you can add to them.
Really your options are limited in Canada, It would be nice to have more choices,

Read Gregory Fraiser's book on world travel. He took a KLR around the world and had nothing negitive to say about it.

Happy searching.
kella

When entering those yahoo groups, don't forget that people often have bias towards their own bike.

I have sold my MC and am now riding vintage Vespas, buying my fourth one today. I am seriously concidering using it for a Trans Africa trip this summer... a bit mad... or stupid. Even though I have some bias towards Vespas, I don't think I can reccommend them for pretty much anything but using it as a lawn ornament or something. They are far unsuperior to anything remotley new on any parameter of comparison (besides style ofcourse)... I guess that is why I want to ride it.

A great thing about both Hondas and Yamahas is that there is a wide availability of parts and know how accross the globe. Over all, Honda is the most sold brand accross the globe, while the Yamaha XT/XTZ was the most sold bike in its class (...or so I have been told).

Hi
On your list of choices i would take the XRL.No doubt at all.
From Mexico to Argentina you will need your first replacement parts.BMW are luxurious,if you find them.KTM more complicated.
Now Honda is available on allmost every city.
Specialy small cc bikes.
Yamaha,suzuky and Kawa much less but still there.
Honda my friend.Now what model do you like...is your decision.The 650 R is very little known here,but the L has the same engine as the Dominator.And they are present here since 89.
Suerte en la ruta!
KH

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http://viento-de-ripio.blogspot.com/

Rather than tell you what bike to take I can tell you what bike not to take. I've got an XR 650 R; its a great bike but bloody uncomfortable over 100kms, nowhere to fit a screen which with a very upright sitting position is a problem, kick start only (with a high compression 650cc piston) which would get very uncomfortable in heat, a standard tank which goes onto reserve at 110kms and a subframe which would definitely snap when you put some luggage on it. There would be ways to fix all its problems but why bother, just choose a different bike.
Ewan

PS Great to hear that Se-Hwan is still going!

Parts availablity will always be a problem unless you're riding what the locals ride. That's a fact.

Reliabilty and comfort in the conditions you will ride are priorities 1 and 2.

My choice would be a sorted DR650.

Good choice, air cooled and screw & locknut valve adjustment - why take a bike that requires shims if you either can't get them when needed, can't do the work yourself or can't find a decent mechanic who can do the work if you can get the shims.

If you're a competent mechanic and can replace shims etc, I'd go for a later F650GS / Dakar of some sort. Large aftermarket & internet based back up for these bikes.

Whatever yo choose, build up a good relationship with a knowledgeable dealer who has internet access and can be relied upon to post parts worldwide, ideally someone who will be willing to go the extra mile really come to your aid.

I would not trust a single cylinder trail bike on a RTW trip.

The KTM in particular. It's on plenty of Net forums about how unreliable they are.
Forget the advertising hype, yeah they do the Dakar, they also have a team of KTM mechanics to fix them, you will not.

I hate to run down any bike but the Suzuki DR 650 is known in Oz as the Hand Grenade...not a case of if it will blow up, only when will it happen.
Have you ever seen a DR with more than 50 thou klicks on it? No, neither have any of us here.

Any twin cylinder bike, even a modified road bike is likely to do a much better job.

Do you want to race across sand dunes or get to the other side of the world?

As an example...an Aussie special of my own design...take one brand new GS 500 Suzuki. Add: Longer suspension back and front. Barkbusters, crash bars, bash plate, off road tires, possibly a larger tank, possibly lower the gear ratio, possibly add Moto-X bars.
There you have it, a perfect all roads tourer.
Famous for reliability and I know couriers with over a hundred thou on their work bikes.
A fave expression here is, if a Suzuki has the letters GS or GSX on it, it will last, if it does not, it won't.

A twin won't notice the weight of the touring gear, all singles do.
All a trail bike has that a road bike does not is suspension travel and lighter weight.
You can change the suspension easily enough.
The weight of your touring gear will make a single cylinder trail bike into a pig off road anyway.

I have met plenty of riders with over two hundred thou kilometers on their twins, I have never met anyone with that on a single.
Singles are just not designed for longevity, sad but true.

Look outside the sphere of single cylinder trail bikes.
If you don't want to modify a road bike have a look at...
The KLE 500 kawasaki.
The Triumph Tiger.
Any old Boxer engined BMW Twin. In the GS range.
(MY 650 Boxer Twin has over three hundred thou on it, never had a major problem, ever.)

A twin probably will get you around the world without any major drama's, I am dubious that a single will.

Good luck, look forward to the trip reports.
Ride safe: Jaq.

Errrrr I've had a twin 'notice' the weight of my touring gear on more than one trip. I've toured with a 175, a 250 (both singles) and two 250 twins. I've also toured with 4 cyclindered and 3 cyclindered bikes.

I can see no reason why a single properly looked after and not thrashed would not survive equally as well as a twin. The main thing is the maintance - that will probably be more frequent than the twin, but also cheaper and less time consuming. I put 42,000 kms on my first bike - a 175 single two stroke. On the original piston and bore. I traded it on a 250 single two stroke - the salesman said it was the best 175 he'd riden - and asked what rebore size it was on.... If you look after the bike it will look after you.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-problems-8481

70,000 miles on a DR ... hummm ... and on this site hummm... that would be 112,700 kms...

If you're prepared to keep throwing money at a bike, anything in the world will keep going.
I got 80,000 klicks out of a Honda NX 650, then the crank went south.
A mechanic who has worked on the NX and XR range of bikes since they first came to Oz said he was not surprised the engine self destructed, he was only surprised that it did not happen until the 80,000 thou mark.
I changed oil constantly, he figured that was the reason it lasted so long.
I've done a fair bit of the world and Oz on a range of different bikes. People's opinions vary. There's always going to be disagreement about singles versus twins.
I have managed over two hundred thousand kilometers on two twin cylinder bikes that I have owned. Original engine parts. No major repairs at all.
I got 80,000 out of the NX, 75,000 out of an XL 250, every other single has started to have serious trouble between 30,000 to 50,000. Strangely enough if you troll thru internet forums you will find that this is quite common. So it's obviously not just myself that has reported it.
Professional London motorcycle couriers won't have a bar of single cylinder bikes, I find that a good indication of their user friendliness.
Guy asked for thoughts, so I gave mine honestly.

I looked at your geocity site Frank, I think you're lugging too much gear around mate.:biggrin:
I used to be guilty of the same thing..the "I better take this in case I need it" scenario.
I normally only travel with a pair of large leather saddlebags and a medium size kit bag now.
I see you do the TTT sometimes? I did it back in the early 90's, I was on the NX 650 then.
I'm thinking of doing the TTT again this year, for some reason the thought of riding along muddy dirt roads in the middle of a Southern Highlands winter appeals to me, not sure why.
If I do we can debate the singles versus twins subject endlessly.:thumbup1:

Suzuki GS 500
 

Jaq
What you have to say about the Suzuki GS 500 is very intriguing to me. Are you saying you actually have one and have modified it to be an off road bike as well as a road bike? Please tell me more if there is more to tell.
Thanks
Terry

Terry: I am in the investigative stage at the moment mate.
The incidentals like the tank, bash plate etc will be an easy install.
I am just seeing what fork legs and rear suspension units from true off road bikes fit onto the GS 500.
Once I've worked out that bit, all else will be easy.
I had a Kawsaki 750 LTD Twin many years ago, I modified that in one weekend...it spent the next seven years touring all over Oz, from highways to desert tracks.
A mate in western Oz did exactly the same mods to his LTD.
At the time they were probably the most powerful motored trail bikes in the country...LOL.
This was back when a 500cc trail bike was considered large.

I would rather modify a road bike I know to be reliable than buy the limited range of Adventure bikes on the market. Half of them, like the 650 v-strom are not really designed for hammering along desert roads and forest tracks anyway.
Neither is the BMW GS 1100/1200 in my opinion. It's a massive beast off road in rough conditions. And when it gets stuck...it's well and truly stuck...LOL.
The original R 80 GS Boxer was more my idea of a good, all conditions, tourer.

I'll let you know how I go with the GS 500, another month and I will have the answers to all my questions. When I have all the info I require, I will probably manage to knock it together in less than a week.

Now there's a strange thing! I have had getting close to a hundred travellers stay with me over the last five or six years, and most of them were on singles. And in fact almost ALL the singles had got them this far (NZ) without major dramas. As had those riding twins (except for BMW GSs of the earlier Oil-Head series who had almost without exception needed major gearbox and driveshaft repairs). How do you supose that's the case? As a point of interest I had the Bike Brothers from the Netherlands stay with me for a week and while they were there, they took the head off one of their DRs to replace the head gasket to fix and oil leak. what's so special about that? Well it was the first time the head had come off and the bike had done about 170,000km!! The other bike had had the head off once before but I guess you could forgive that because that one had done nearly 200,00km. By the time they had both got home, the bikes had done nearly 210,000km. So neither bike had had lots of money spent of them to get them that far. And as another aside, I have two friends who were bike couriers in London who rode XT600s, and a friend who was a mechanic at Metropol Motorcycles under the Vauxhall bridge, and he says plenty rode singles.
I guess what I'm saying is to go easy of the sweeping and judgement statements, as it's a big world out there. There are a lot of exprienced people on the HUBB who have spent a lot of time on bikes too.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

Gs 500
 

I hear Nigel loud and clear and I have to agree with him that singles will do the job. But so will a twin. Which will do best is a matter of opinion.
So Jag, none the less I am still very interested in your idea of a GS modified to become an offroad bike. Please keep me posted. It will be most interesting when you get to the subject of wheels and tires.
Good Luck
Terry

Has anyone experience of using ex-army bikes such as the Harley 350. I know its not a real Harley but part of the attraction for me is that I could still claim to have travelled the world on a Harley! Apart from that they do seem a very robust machine, heavier than a true off-road bike but lighter than the big BMWs even if not as fast. Spares seem in plentiful supply, they should be easy to fix at the roadside but I haven't a clue about reliability on long journeys especially over rough terrain.

350 harley not davidson
 

Harleyrider, guess you know what your bike is, right? Not a harley at all but a collection of Euro parts brought together to sell to the armies.
The heart of the matter is the Rotax engine, a modern design with 4 valvehead, sohc,and full pressure lubercation with a filter.Good stuff built by a company with a good reputation. To their shame it has discontinued the air cooled 350-600 verision.
My personal experience is with a Can-Am Sonic MX 500. I bought it back in 84 to ride with friends in the hills of Ky.and Oh. Most of them rode 2 stroke bikes and gave me greif about my 4stroker , I would just shake my head at them and say that 2 strikes would never catch on!
I rode the C-A in the woods for 15 years and never had to push it out. Keep up with oil changes check the cam belt tension occasionally and you should go far.

I like the last sentence, meant to be kind of a put down I guess.
Water off a ducks back mate.
I expected similar replies before I even posted my thoughts.
The guy who started the thread wanted opinions, so I gave my honest one.
Like I already said, the singles vs twins debate could be debated endlessly.
You just have a different opinion thats all.
Doesn't make you right sport.
Not saying I am right either, just my personal experiences and observations.
I've been riding on and off road in Oz and many other countries for over 25 years now so I guess I've picked up a minor bit of knowledge here and there.
You know of singles that have lasted over a 100 thousand kilometers, almost trouble free. I do not.
You know of air cooled Boxers that have required major work, yeah so do I.
But I know of a lot of Boxers that have not as well.
I'm not going to argue about it.
If you took my post as a personal affront...well that's just too bad mate.
One can always expect differing opinions from ones own on Internet forums, If you can't chill don't chat.
There's no need to make personal observations about other posters.
I made observations about certain kinds of bikes, not the people who ride them.

LMAO mate...yeah I was checking out wheel sizes this morning.
I already realised the tires are a bit on the small side, my thought is with the longer travel suspension I'll obviously be able to change tire size.

Luckily my mate Brett has a brand spanking new GS 500, unfortunate he bought the one with the new fairing, he's not that keen to have me ripping bits and pieces off it to see if this or that works in regards to my design ideas. Odd but true.

I'll get back to you as the project progresses.

Later: Jaq.

GS 500 trail bike?
 

Jag,
Yeah, I will be waiting to read of your progress. Nigel must be a nice person for hosting so many MC travellers over the years, but the attack sentence was not necessary. He must have had a bad hair day. We all do at times so no big deal I hope.
I have been pricing used GS500s over the weekend and there are some good deals out there, at least there seems to be. I have a terrible problem in my life and that is everything to do with motorcycles. Its a disease that I don't want a cure for. Ever since I read your comments about this bike and modification possibilities, I have had a high fever. I seem to always have some sort of riding bug.
Keep me posted.
Later
Terry

Well I'm thinking with a 20 litre petrol tank it's not really needed to install an aftermarket one with more fuel capacity, unless one intends to go right off the beaten track. Some people reckon they get up to 360 kilometers before reserve, I'm prepared to believe that seeing as how I get almost 300 kays out of my 650 Boxer Twin.
Those 17 wheels obviously limit dual purpose tire options, and certainly proper off road tires. So I think a larger wheel size is a must.
It would be nice to discover that the suspension from some other off roader would just slip right on hey? I don't think that's going to be the case however...lol.
I may just email Suzuki Australia and ask them their thoughts, failing that I've got a couple of mates who are mechanics at dealerships, bound to be a solution, just have to work on the six P princible.
I'll pm you my email address and we can continue this thread in private so as not to disrupt this one.
We can post up our findings at a later date in a new thread.
Perhaps Suzuki has overlooked another option for thier GS 500 motor?
Could be the start of something big...lol.
My mate's Brett brand new GS is very smooth, I rode it yesterday at about 120 kph for some kilometers, feels like the engine will sit at that speed quite comfortably all day.
Plenty of used GS's around, I am now looking at picking up a second hand one, say a 2000 to 2004 model for between $3000 to $4000 Oz. Many people buy them as a first bike to learn on then go up to something larger, which is great for guys like us.
There is a web site for GS lovers at www.gstwins.com
A wide array of info there, I already asked, no one had converted one into an off roader/adventure bike, but many there are also intrigued by the idea.
I'll keep you informed Terry.
Just discovered I have to make 15 posts before being able to pm...you can contact me at my username at yahoo.com
Make sure you put something in the title so I know it's you, otherwise it goes straight into spam and gets deleted.
Ride safe.
Cheers: Jaq.

I'll do it Jag and we'll see what happens. Meanwhile I just took my 97 BMW F650ST to a mc mechanic yesterday to cure its backfiring. I tried messing around with the idle screw and tight some bolts on the exhaust but to no avail.
Later
Terry

F650 Backfire
 

Hi Terry. If you find a fix for the backfire, let me know. I have two (F650 Funduro and F650GS) and the Funduro has always done it, even though I have tried all sorts of fixes. That one, very surprisingly for a single(!!) has done a sniff under 140,000km with only a cam chain at 80,000km, and a waterpump about 4 months ago. It had the head off when the cam-chain was done for a look-see but needed no work. The first 70,000km was for a hire company so it has had all sorts of riders.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

Really? So the bmw GS series (all with 17 wheels) cannot get "proper off road" tyres?

Which tyres are you thinking off? Possibly ones that would only do a limited distance on a world tour?

Nigel,
You bet I will. I took it to a local HD mechanic and as of yesterday he seems perplexed. He called a BMW shop in Tallahassee, Florida to get some advise so I'm on "wait & see" today. I have a feeling I will be riding it down to Tallahassee (2 hrs) and leaving it with them for a couple of weeks. I am thinking of replacing the chain and sprockets anyway. With only 8020 miles on the 97 ST some of the teeth allready have a fine edge or pointed. At the 6000 mile service they it ran so well it didn't appear to need a valve adjustment, but now I am thinking maybe it does afterall. I'll get back to you.
Thanks
Terry

Nigel,
I just a few minutes ago rode my 97 650ST back to my office from the mechanic's shop. NO BACKFIRING. NO POP POP POP. The first thing he did was to make sure there was no intake leak, which there wasn't. Next he checked for leaks in the exhaust, loose bolts, etc., and all was good. Next he starting adjusting the IDLE MIXTURE SCREEW. 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn, 3/4, 1, 1 1/2 turn, and finally 2 turns did the job. He backed off to see if 1 3/4 turn would, but there was still slight popping. Two turns was the answer.

Nigel, all of this information can be found on the BMW Chain Gang web site, under FAQ's. Go to FAQ's, choose Classic site, then look under "backfiring".
I printed this all out for the mechanic in case he needed it, and he said the info was wonderful.

I hope this helps you with your problem.
Later
Terry

Good on you for pointing that out Frank...I was looking around at what size tire jap trial bikes and motocross bikes use and completly forgot the GS 1200 uses a 17 tire.
Stock tire sizes are 110/80 19 front and 150/70 17 rear.

I'm still wondering if the mags on the GS 500 will take much punisment off road?
I know mags take a hell of a lot more abuse than most people realise but obviously the preffered option would be spokes.
Something else I'll have to look into.
I shall continue to research.
It would be nice to find an off road spoked wheel of the same size that would just slip right in...

Jag
I once jumped a curb to avoid a car, went airborne, and landed in giant hedgebush. Missed a pinetree to my right by inches. Bent the mag wheel enough that it had to be replaced. I was amazed at the damage for such a minor incident. Spokes all the way.
Terry

Was thinking more of the R100GS R100GSPD R80GS and R80GSPS... 21 on the front, 17 on the rear.. 130s IIRC. Think a 150 might be a bit large for a 550?

I know that the DR650 uses 17 rears .. but then you don't like that bike.

Again I ask, What tyres are you thinking of?

Terry...yeah I hit a bit of raised road surface once, like an edge, and blew a tire and bent a rim on the Kawa LTD. I was going faster than I should have been however.
The old R 650 Beemer has mags and I've taken it places it just wasn't meant to go, they have held up superbly.

Frank...I have not looked into actual brands of tires as yet,
Do you have a suggestion for dual purpose tires that will fit on the front and the rear of the GS 500?

Obviously a dual sport pattern would be best, the question is will anyone make one that will fit on the front of the 500? I dare say the rear tire will be easier because it's wider.

I think I need to find if longer travel suspension will be possible first, then once I've got that sorted I can pursue wheel and tire options.
My mate who works at a Suzuki dealers near me is keen to explore the GS 500 Adventure idea, but he's just left for a few weeks holiday up on the Gold Coast.
He did say maybe we should leave the suspension alone and just look for dual purpose tires and raise the height of the front mudguard.
He also pointed out that blokes have toured the world on every kind of road bike imaginable. And I agree with that, but as you know it's almost winter here so it gives me something to muck about with over the next few months.
The research costs nothing after all.
It would be nice to design a bike that would be capable of doing really well off road, as opposed to a bike that it's possible to take off road.
I thought about contacting Mick Roony up north in Lismore, as you may know he has built some unusual off road touring/racing bikes over the years.
Actually converting a road bike to an all roads tourer is fairly simple if you are extremely intimate with the specifications needed and know which parts are compatible with what bike. My old Kawa LTD was much simpler because it already came with longer fork legs, and had the simple dual rear shocks on the back. In those days most bikes had spoked wheels also, I simply upgraded to a custom spoked wheel built for me by a guy who used to have a spoke repair/ wheel replacement business in Peakhurst.
I know I have only scratched the surface with my ideas so far but I shall continue to pursue this project.
Just because I don't like the DR 650 does not mean I would not pinch the wheel and tires if they turn out to fit on a GS 500...LMAO.
As an aside, I've been looking up on the Net the KLE 500 (uses the ER 500, GPZ 500 motor) and you know apart from a few water pump malfuntions (after a goodly amount of miles and normally on pre owned models) I cannot say I have found any major problems reported by owners on a regualr basis.
Corrosion is a bit of a problem in the UK, due to the fact they salt the roads in winter. Everyone says you have to use lots of Solvol spray (whatever that is?) The tank could be bigger seems to be the only complaint, heaps of parts around because the motor is used in the other two models.
For someone who wanted a ready to go twin cylinder dual sport bike I think the KLE might fit the bill perfectly.
I lament the fact we never officially got the Africa Twin here, I would dearly have liked to tour on one of those. The Super Tenere did not last long either.
If anyone else has ideas about the GS 500 Adventure project of mine, feel free to chime in.
Cheers: Jaq.

Jag,

This is getting very interesting. Keep us posted. I am not super mechanical so I have a dependence on riders like yourself. I will be asking around though and I have posted on the GS500 site seeking information, so if I come up with any brainstorms you will be the first to know.
Don't give up man.
Terry

If I was super mechanical we'd all be flying around on anti-matter powered Jet Bikes by now.:thumbup:

Or a Ural Patrol perhaps.

"The old R 650 Beemer has mags and I've taken it places it just wasn't meant to go, they have held up superbly"

The mags on my R65 did a pretty good job also. However, i did bang up the wheel with about 10 dings while trying to get out of Turkmenistan before my visa expired. I was riding at night on a bad road and didn't notice a half deflated tyre. The potholes did some damage and a couple of countries later air started slow leaking past the tubeless tyres. I was having to pump it up regularly. I fitted a tube in Tajikistan, then had the wheel straightened in Kazakstan, good as new!
Sean