Insider News Touratech-USA Rides and Reports .......
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I have been very lucky with this GS - it's been a good one. The motor is original, the same pistons, rings, bearing, valves. The only things I've had to replace are head gaskets on both sides and just recently I had to replace the plastic chain guides. The transmission is the same as new, I did replace the bearing around 190k miles. I also replaced the clutch disc then, it was a "since I'm there" thing. It was working fine though. Everybody is always interested in the final drive. I'm on my third, the first one went bad at 79k and the second one at 329k if I remember correctly. Most other items are just small items that wear out from time to time like tires and brake pads.
How far will it go and how far will I take the bike? I'm sure it will make 500k, I'm only 98k miles away. I hope to ride the GS until its just not repairable. The problem I often face is that I have the bike just how I like it, it's like a great pair of shoes that just fit. I believe my longest day was 1200 miles. I can ride 700 miles with out much problem here in the USA as the roads allow great travel times. The thing I do try not to do is set out to have a very long day if I can, what happens is that I often just find that I've traveled many miles in a day. When I'm in Latin America its very hard to make these kinds of days. If you managed to travel 200 miles that day you've had a long day.
For a favorite accessory it is hard to pick just one. It might be the TT bags as they have been great on my long adventures. I don't have to worry about then falling off on rough roads, having water or dust damaging my gear like the camera or computer. I'm not like your typical motorcycle owner who has owned many bikes.
Will I ever get another bike? If I do get a newer bike it will most likely be another GS. It's the ultimate bike to have. It can go almost anywhere. The most memorable moments to me are people I meet along my travels. Its amazing to me that I can just jump on the GS, hit the road and it will take me to places on this planet that are worlds apart from my world and home. The GS always brings people out to meet that person who rides that bike.
Where was I when I rolled over to 400k miles? I was in the mountains of Northern Mexico near the city of Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon. The greatest strength of the GS is that its like a pickup truck. It can go almost anywhere, you can pack like a mule and it will still handle well and make the trip enjoyable. The weakness I think can be that its heavy and when your on challenging roads the weight can be a handfull. If someone offered a new 1200GS it would be hard to say no. I think I would still like to have an 1100GS as its something I know well and trust its abilities. I haven't named my GS but my girlfriend has always called it 007 as when I bought the bike the license tag had the 007 numbers.
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BMW GS ........643.737 KM.... :!::!::!:
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