big adventure bike. BMW vs Triumph.

[vash]

my wife said, "do you think you can find a used bike?"

yup!!

i am not knowledgeable of adventure style bikes. or are they called travel enduros?

i rode a triumph adventure and the sound was great. never ridden a big BMW, my sister wont let me near her 800.

Motion's travel thread rekindled my "need". dust is settling, my car hobbies are gone, i need new hobby wheels!

GS1200 or Triumph Tiger explorer1200 ?

and what is considered high mileage on one of these?

[varmint]

You're forgetting KTM.


Aside from being very heavy, and the spline Issues around 70k I love bmws.

[MT930]

2007 1200 GSA with Jessie Luggage Oil parts Filters more parts new road tires.
34K Miles
$8400.00 Craigslist

I love the bike. Pretty cheap fun. I went to more dirt oriented tires. TKC 80"s After this picture.

[motion]

Cliffie,

Unless you're on pavement or hard packed dirt 95% of the time, avoid the big bikes. I know lots of people love them, but fighting that weight gets old really fast. I have sooooo much more fun on 250s on the trails. Even my KLR650 seems like a bloated pig compared to the small bikes I've been renting. If you're going to see dirt, trails, fire roads, etc, stick with 800cc or less. Just my 0.02, whatever that's worth

[varmint]

Eight thousand is not cheap to me. But compared to the 20k new price it's almost free. The panniers are $1000 alone.




. BMW Off-Road Academy
Adventure Riding: that is what exists beyond the end of the tarmac. Over 95% of the world's roads are unpaved, so if you don't like to (or can't) ride in the dirt, you'll find yourself confined to a mere 5% of the planet.

The BMW Off-Road Academy has something fun and exhilarating for any Adventure Rider. Whether you are new to the sport or a seasoned veteran; our training programs, rallies and special events truly provide the definition of adventure.

Located in southern California, The BMW Off-Road Academy (presented by: RawHyde Adventures) is one of only 8 places in the world where you can learn to ride the BMW GS the way it was meant to be ridden. The Academy is tucked in the foothills above Los Angeles on 500 acres dedicated to training BMW GS riders.

For over a decade RawHyde Adventures has been operating a rider training program known as "Adventure Camp" and via a formal arrangement with BMW of North America we are pleased to offer an "official" BMW training program known as the BMW Off-road Academy.

The GS family of motorcycles are fairly "heavy" for machines that are meant to go off-road. It takes some specialized skills to get the most from your investment. We operate the academy following a curriculum designed by BMW to enable you to develop those specific talents. The skills you will learn were forged from the lessons learned in the grueling Paris Dakar rally and years of training experiences at BMW's own school in Hechtlingen Germany.

BMW would like you to be able to enjoy your machine to its fullest and so would we. Learn how at the BMW Off-Road Academy, offered by RawHyde Adventures — your official BMW school.


The BMW Off-Road Academy

[varmint]

P.s.

Is it just me, or are motorcycle prices crashing? Harley's are pennies on the dollar. Sport bikes are practically free.

[vash]

Originally Posted by motion

Cliffie,

Unless you're on pavement or hard packed dirt 95% of the time, avoid the big bikes. I know lots of people love them, but fighting that weight gets old really fast. I have sooooo much more fun on 250s on the trails. Even my KLR650 seems like a bloated pig compared to the small bikes I've been renting. If you're going to see dirt, trails, fire roads, etc, stick with 800cc or less. Just my 0.02, whatever that's worth

thanks M.

i want to do a coast to coast first..themed of course. like ride across the country looking for the best damn chicken taco..or best regional food. or sleeping on pelican member couches. j/k on that part.

found this one:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/6102502133.html

[Steve Carlton]

Which one you get will be determined by your budget. The BMW GS is the gold standard and used to be a different bodystyle with the 1150 (and 1100 before that). A worthy competitor can be found in the more off-road oriented KTM Adventure and the more road-oriented Triumph Tiger. They're usually called adventure bikes, sometimes big trailies. I got a 2005 955i Tiger 4 years ago and have hardly used it. PM me if you're interested- I'd be looking for around $4k I suppose. I got it from a Triumph mechanic who put Daytona cams in it and I've been told it's making about 130hp. It's certainly fast and they always handled good. Very comfortable.

[Don Plumley]

She lets you hunt, and now get a bike? Do you have a large insurance policy? I think she wants you dead. ;-)

[Steve Carlton]

Okay- then get the KTM.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by varmint

P.s.

Sport bikes are practically free.

I guess except for all the ones I like.

[911boost]

Like Motion says, my GS1150 was a lot of bike off the pavement.

I'd definitely look at the smaller ones....

[motion]

Try doing this every 20' for hours on end in 80 degree heat (without water). My buddy was on a KLR650 and man, that thing felt like a 125 after riding my 1150!

[motion]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

Yeah. Ugh. Looks horrific. Did you learn nothing from Ewan and Charlie?

LOLOL, I wonder if they would have fared any better with those humongous KTM 990s?

[varmint]

Originally Posted by motion

LOLOL, I wonder if they would have fared any better with those humongous KTM 990s?

as i recall, KTM was the first choice. But they weren't interested in sponsoring the ride. . BMW provided free bikes and support.

[motion]

Originally Posted by varmint

as i recall, KTM was the first choice. But they weren't interested in sponsoring the ride. . BMW provided free bikes and support.

Yeah, Charlie was really pissed about that. Tore the KTM posters off the wall in a fit of rage. Pretty interesting that the camera guy's cheap Chinese or Indian bike did a lot better in the tough stuff than the BMWs.

On that subject, these things are very cool and crazy cheap:

2017 RX3 Adventure - CSC Motorcycles - Adventure Touring Motorcycle - Zongshen

I've seen them several times in person and can say that they rival Japanese bikes in quality. I was pretty blown away at what you get for the money.

[911boost]

Great picture, perfectly explains it.

Not to mention the older GS's tanks would dent fairly easily when laid down.

[Steve Viegas]

That CSC motorcycle looks like a great bargain. Almost enough to make me willing to risk riding on the road.

[varmint]

I've been looking for an R80 or R100GS.

Performance enough to get me down the road at half the weight. And a lot easier to fix.



But they're getting really hard to find.

[MT930]

The KLR is the best compromise for sure. The lighter bike is much more versatile.

I rode one before buying the the GS it was fine. I really like the comfort on the road of the GS

The GS is pretty sweet on the road at speed and on hard packed forest service roads and gravel.

It blows in thick greasy mud and fine sand. I had to see what it would do. I've crossed the line a few times. It certainly has it limitations.

You don't want to pick it up much.