Thinking about stepping up...literally

[DonRichard]

I am planning to ride from the U.S. to the southern tip of Chile and back in 2010. I want to take my time, so it will be a full year for the round trip.

The bike I will take is going to be a GS. My dilema, is Air Head or Oil Head. I owned an R100 for 10 years and did my own work so I have some familiarity with the basics there. My big question is, should I pick up an 1150 or 1200, or choose the air head.

Most of the shortcomings (reliability, not handling) of the Air head have been taken care of. I have no doubt the airhead can make it without breaking a sweat. My problem is the newer 1150 and 1200 GS. They are a dream to ride (although a bit heavy). The primary down side is the electronics of the fuel injection, ignition and brakes (no ability to work on them out of the shop???). My familiarity is limited here so I open myself up to the forum to make the recomendations and discuss the pro's and con's of the two choices. Or even make some alternate recomendations.

Thanks in advance.

[meese]

Sounds like an excellent trip. I'd suggest browsing through ADVRider.com (http://www.advrider.com/), and asking that question there. Then go to Horizon's Unlimited (http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/). You'll get lots of detailed advice, even some from those who have done that exact trip.

And for an unnerving but necessary dose of how things could go very wrong, pick up Two Wheels Through Terror (http://guilty-net.stores.yahoo.net/twowhthte.html) by Glen Heggstad. If you still want to do the trip after reading that, then I'd say you're hooked.

[varoom]

Ken's advice is certainly very good - advrider.com is a great "source of truth" for GS related questions :).

Me? Personally I'd opt for the 1150 but that's based on a singular assumption :eek: . I'm assuming for a trip this long you are going to add a few farkles to the bike. To me, the 1150 is much easier to accessorize, I have an 1150 and have taken a test ride on the 1200. I did not like the 1200 - to light for highway riding - granted less weight is better off-road, but I handle the 1150 just fine and love the way it rides. Back to farkles - not a lot of places on the 1200's dash to put in control switches, indicator lights, etc.

That's my opinion - that and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks...

Sounds like the ride of a lifetime! Hope you have a good time and look forward to a ride report.

[TMH]

I understand what you are questioning about the newer bikes. When I was looking for my GS, I stopped at model year 2002. That was the last year without the servo assisted/semi-linked brake systems they installed in subsequent years. Just too much more to have to deal with IMHO.

And then you hear the stories about the new 1200's. First, their batteries are all dying overnight. So BMWNA comes out with a software "fix", which prevents the batteries from dying, but also impacts your use of the accessory sockets. Then there is the CANBUS which makes adding electrical accessories at least more difficult. And finally there is the security chip in the key, which sometimes the bike doesn't recognize (due to a failed antenna which surrounds the ignition cylinder?), so the bike just refuses to start and there is no workaround.

Nope, the post-2002 bikes are just a little too complex for me to call them true adventure bikes.

Tom

[gfspencer]

I've got an R1200GS and I absolutely love it . . . but I don't think I would ride it to Chile. I would probably look at an R1150 Adventure for that trip. Like others have said . . . easier to add stuff . . . more reliable (at least right now) . . . . easier to work on (no CANBUS, no programed key). Maybe by 2010 it will be a different story.

[DonRichard]

Thanks for the advice. I will probably buy the bike this fall when the riding season is over for most. I really need to ask a lot of questions until then though. I read the book "Riding South" by Gregory Frazier and found it very interesting. He mentions the one thing you must do is GO AROUND COLUMBIA! It seems the jungles are no place for a bike unless the rider is the drug lord that controls the biggest rebel gang. Besides, the intel I get from work pretty much says the same thing.

One last thing before I head for the ADVRider site. Any advice on the best places to look for the "right" bike (when I finally decide which one is right)? The only down side to this adventure is I have to sell my LT.

[danbrew]

You can find a nice deal over at Advrider.com - I did. Also, if you're not leaving until 2010, you've got plenty of time to make a decision around which bike you'll use.

I am going to do a RTW in 12 years when my youngest heads off to college - assuming I'm still breathing. I ride a 2004 1150 GS Adv and love it, but am not 100% sure I'd take it RTW. Many, many, many people take 650GS bikes. I love my 1150 GS and would take that well before I took a 1200GS - the 1200GS has way too much in the way of electronics on the bike. There's not a single fuse on the bike - if you have an electric problem the entire bike could "fail to reboot" - I think that a huge error on the part of BMW. Time will tell whether the 1200GS becomes accepted for world travel. While I do wrench on my 1150, it has more complex systems than the 650 (shaft vs. chain) and weighs a hell of a lot more. Depending upon where you'll go, you'll be picking your bike up lots. That could suck if it weighs 800 lbs.

Not many people travel through Columbia. You simply cannot travel through the Darian Gap in Panama, so you'll have to boat/fly around that part anyway - most people (as in 99.999999999999999999998%) take this as an opportunity to bypass Columbia and instead end up in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, or Brazil.

Advrider.com, HorizonsUnlimited.com, UltimateJourney.com are all good sites to get you excited about your trip.

[meese]

By 2010 the F800GS should have all the initial bugs worked out, and some great accessories available.

[Rocket_Cowboy]

Great thread and great timing. I'm in the middle of contemplating an R1150GSA and the R1200GSA myself. Definitely appreciate all the comparisons from people who have owned both.

[Rocket_Cowboy]

Nope, the post-2002 bikes are just a little too complex for me to call them true adventure bikes.

I just test rode a 2002 GSA this afternoon, and had a blast on it. Granted, the test ride was all street, but I probably don't have enough off-road experience yet to do a good test of the GS offroad anyway.

I'm debating between the 2002 GSA, and waiting for a 2006/7 GSA much later in the year. The CANBUS system has be a little concerned, just from an ease of adding accessories perspective ... but I hadn't heard of the ignition problems until now. Sounds more and more like a lightly used 2002 might be just what the doctor ordered.