Trapper189,

This is a really good write up on the BMW GS series adventure bike, it’s history, design, racing history and impact it had on the BMW brand. Some people say if it were not for the GS BMW Motorrad might not be around today.

Link to article on history of the BMW GS

Coming from a dirtbike and ATV background before getting into street bikes I can see why people would be concerned taking a GS offroad. It’s not going to handle like a full on dirtbike so I am eager to see how this R1150GS does off road.

Adventure bikes are great. As a former owner of several GS's and one Paris Dakar (all airheads) I hope you will get as much fun quotient out of yours as I had from mine. Those things can gobble highway miles comfortably and still do okay within the limits of their bulk on fire roads etc. No they are not good for motocross type terrain but hold their own very well when the going gets rough. The Beamers are pretty much bulletproof with the exception of the rear ujoints but if your mechanic is at all familiar with the marque he is aware of that and has checked it out. I have not ridden for a number of years so this may well be a thing of the past. By the way my last two adventure bikes were Moto Guzzi Quotas. Somewhat lighter and with the definite Italian flair that MG puts on a bike. Best of luck to you in your travels and ride safe!

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Originally posted by mas4363:

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Originally posted by Powers77:

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Originally posted by mas4363:
Here is a video I made several years ago at the BMW Falling Leaf Rally in Potosi Missouri. It takes place every October. Usually have pretty nice weather with wonderful roads.

Please note the camera is attached to the right side of my helmet which makes it look like I’m riding the center line. Ends with me pulling the into the rally site and you can see all of the tents.




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/7AYCxgUTIWk

Attended that rally for a number of years 1998-2004. There are some great roads around there.

Then you watched them do the anvil blast. Two anvils, peanut butter, and black powder. Boom! Would shoot the top anvil at least 100 feet in the air.

Yep. Pretty cool.
Had some really good times around the campfires there.

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Originally posted by stickman428:
Any known issues or things to look out for? The R1150GS appears to have a fairly stout engine and this one seems to have been well maintained.

It has 53,000 miles but I’ve read that these things can handle a ton of miles.

The 2001 GS has single spark plugs and can ping and knock and may exhibit a surging issue if you let it get too far out of tune. The stock shocks don't have a lot of fans, but that's just a parts swap. The big issue with any BMW bike is the final drive. On an 18 year old bike you're probably out of the painful break in phase, and if it hasn't broke then it's probably good to go.

How good is the factory exhaust? I listened to a R1150 GS on YouTube with a cat delete and slip on exhaust and it sounded really good. I probably want to keep it quiet for a while though since my R1 is loud enough to be heard from a few blocks away.

I’ll probabky change the tires to something more knobby and off road capable yet still street legal. Maybe add a skid plate and more protective bits because I do plan on taking it on trails.

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Originally posted by stickman428:
How good is the factory exhaust? I listened to a R1150 GS on YouTube with a cat delete and slip on exhaust and it sounded really good. I probably want to keep it quiet for a while though since my R1 is loud enough to be heard from a few blocks away.

I’ll probabky change the tires to something more knobby and off road capable yet still street legal. Maybe add a skid plate and more protective bits because I do plan on taking it on trails.

I left the stock exhaust on my GS because I just didn't want to spend the money. The M in BMW stands for 'more'. Everything Beemer is expensive. That being said Akrapovic seems to be the flavor of the day for aftermarket pipes right now. Whatever you choose you will probably shave 30# off your GVW and loose the angry sewing machine sound.

I took an off road course last year and was told to get Conti TKC 80's or don't show up. I put about 2k miles of road wear on them and decided to go back to a street tire. There was nothing wrong with the TIC 80 in the wet or dry, or at rather spirited highway speeds. I just don't get the chance to go off road very much so I bought a second of wheels so I could swap tires when I wan to.

Well there's a catalytic converter built in and it's pretty quiet, but generally it flows pretty well and there's little to be gained (power wise) by going with a different exhaust.

2010+ R1200's have a much throatier sound.

I've seen some put knobbies on them which'll help immensely in mud and sand, at the expense of poorer handling on road (especially wet) and vaporizing in 2,000 miles. Sounds like you want something with more aggressive tread but I ran Continental TKC 70's on my 2014 GSA and liked them enough they're now on my Africa Twin. Not knobby enough for mud but good on dirt and gravel roads and even mild trails as long as they're dry. They're awesome on pavement and last over 6,000 miles.

I don't know why anyone would want a louder exhaust on a touring bike. Assuming you plan to spend hours on long slab rides, that noise will get annoying. Loud cans are good for sport bikes and weekend toys. But they're not fun on long rides. I always wear earplugs anyway due to windscreen buffeting.

I’m interested in a exhaust and cat change as a way to shave some weight mainly. If it did help performance a little that would be cool too. Most of the new slip on exhausts have baffle inserts that help with sound right?

The prices are pretty insane. A very good slip on for the GS costs more than I expected.

Not sure about the GS but if you're going to make a significant change to the exhaust ie headers and free flowing mufflers/systems then you will lean out the fuel mix, if it's EFI you'll want some kind of tuning device to compensate for the change.

At that point a K&N filter is warranted to take advantage of the better breathing capacity of the engine. You should see a pretty decent gain from these basic tuning tricks.

Whenever I see one of those I think Alcan highway.

That's a great model bike and one you should enjoy for a long time.

Cheers~

This thing has a funky design. It’s neat that they used the engine itself as part of the frame.


I took the R1 out today and concluded it just isn’t a very good bike for chill rides in the country....the dang thing likes to do one thing.

It looks like it’s going to be 3-4 weeks until I’ll be out to the 757 to pick up big bird.

For tires, check out the Mitas E-07

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Originally posted by YooperSigs:
If any of you are considering an Adventure bike tour of the UP, keep in mind we are one big beach.
Sand is often 8 or more inches deep on our two tracks. This does make for adventure if you are on a heavy bike like a GS
And the ride Rick Lee made to Crisp Point is worth the trip!

I'll be sure to hit Crisp Point next time I'm there in the U.P. I was nearby when riding west from Whitefish Point on my last ride there on a GSA.

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Originally posted by stickman428:
This thing has a funky design. It’s neat that they used the engine itself as part of the frame.....

Front suspension is pretty unique and it really works well. Nice having full suspension travel while hard on the brake.

I FINALLY got to pick up the big yellow BMW. It is surprisingly nimble for such a big, heavy bike. At the price I paid it’s definitely a fixer upper but I think it will be a great bike after the cosmetic issues are fixed. This bike feels waaaay different from the sport bikes I’m used to.

I almost left with a wrecked CBR600RR too. My friend always has a few interesting project bikes he is trying to sell. I probably shouldn’t get the CBR but it would make a great stunt bike and it has a title. Hmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I FINALLY got to pick up the big yellow BMW. It is surprisingly nimble for such a big, heavy bike. At the price I paid it’s definitely a fixer upper but I think it will be a great bike after the cosmetic issues are fixed. This bike feels waaaay different from the sport bikes I’m used to.

I almost left with a wrecked CBR600RR too. My friend always has a few interesting project bikes he is trying to sell. I probably shouldn’t get the CBR but it would make a great stunt bike and it has a title. Hmmm.

Fix & flip. apply profit to next bike...

I've got an 01 Indian Scout in my garage for the summer, storing it for my father-in-law until they move here from CA. Much different riding experience than the sportier bikes & enduros I've ridden before.
Will likely be adding his Victory Cross Country to the garage as well before they move here.

Would love to add 2 BMWs as well.

It took months of dealing with low ball offers before I found a legit buyer for my SV650. I think I am going to list the GS for sale as soon as I get it street legal. I should be able to enjoy it a bit before it sells.

Going by what similar BMW GS bikes have been selling for in my area I should be able to make $2k on this bike.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
It took months of dealing with low ball offers before I found a legit buyer for my SV650. I think I am going to list the GS for sale as soon as I get it street legal. I should be able to enjoy it a bit before it sells.

Going by what similar BMW GS bikes have been selling for in my area I should be able to make $2k on this bike.

Do go easy on the clutch as it's a dry unit and a real pain in the ass to replace.

Congratulations on the new ride!

If you're going to be riding off road, I'd highly recommend a training course to see how to handle these big bikes. BMW actually has some in partnership with Rawhyde Adventures or there may be something closer.



Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtlw5nwWLr8


Then, maybe with a lot of practice, you can ride like this:



Link: https://youtu.be/5ogC5Ky77LA?t=38

This was a promotional shoot when the KTM 1190 Adventure was released. Chris Birch is basically a god among men when it comes to riding dirt bikes.