Anyone familiar with the BMW 1150 GS bikes?

[Greg]

I've sold my DR650 and was thinking about picking up another Suzuki V-Strom... they're great bikes and I would love to own one again, but they're missing something. While I was looking around I found an older BMW 1150 GS that is in the same price range as most V-Stroms. This one is a 2001 and it sounds like it has had a fair amount of maintenance. I'm going to try look at it this weekend, if the seller is available. I know how loved the GS series bikes are from BMW, but I've never owned anything similar. Anyone on here have experience with these? I'll be doing plenty of reading on ADVRider and elsewhere.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Wish I had actual experience but I've been doing some virtual shopping since Ara came by on his bike a few years back, I've always really liked them but I helped him with some maintenance and he really sold me on the platform. There were about a million and a half of them down and the OvEx event last week, dudes from all over the globe. I had a great chat with Scott Brady about them, he is a ktm guy but just did the Raw Hyde classes on the GSA and was super impressed.

 

[Greg]

I wonder how capable they are off road? My expectations aren't super high and I realize that it's a beast of a bike, but I would love to have a bike that was capable of riding the Alpine Loop in the San Juans, the White Rim trail, some of the easier dirt roads in the Swell, etc. Something a little more difficult than the standard dirt road. I rode the V-Strom thru the 13 miles dirt/sand loop around Monument Valley last year and IMO that was about the extent of the V-Stroms offroad ability. That was with street tires of course, but I don't think anything more aggressive would have helped all that much.

I'm starting to seriously consider a KTM 990/950. :freak: It would cost more of course & be higher maintenance, but a much more capable machine. I've wanted a big KTM for a long time... a Super Enduro would be wild, but an Adventure would surely fit the bill.

I do really dig the BMW 800GS, but they're too new and I haven't seen the prices coming down much at all.

 

[Ogre Palowakski]

I'm very familiar with them and own the GS's brother... a 2004 R1150R.

The advantages:

• They are very easy to work on. I do all my own maintenance and have only screwed it up once
• You can ride them across the country with no problem. Not that they are super comfortable but they have enough power and torque to handle the freeway for several hundred miles at a time. I've ridden my BMW for 800 miles in one day and still felt alright.
• They are generally very reliable. If you have any problems, there are tons of guys on ADVrider who will help you diagnose and solve any issues. There are also a lot of BMW guys all around the country. I've discovered that they are helpful and willing to let me work on my bike at their house.
• People who own BMWs tend to take care of them so the chances of finding a well-maintained bike are pretty good.
• They are usually not beaten as much as, say a sport bike.
• They have great torque and can handle a lot of elevation changes without going through the gears frequently.
• Mine's the street bike version and I take it off-road a lot. It does ok as long as it's not sandy or muddy.
• Women go crazy for BMWs (until I take off my helmet). You may have a better experience .

Some disadvantages:

• It's a heavy bike and is not very good off-road (unless you are content with fire roads). I'd not take one on single track trails unless you are super adventurous and are ready to pick it up a lot. Be ready to smell a lot of clutch smoke. Also, turning it around in tight spots is a big pain in the booty.
• Obviously, the cylinders are prone to damage off-road. Make sure you have the cylinder protection bars. They are well worth their money.
• Eventually, the clutch will wear out, like with any bike. It's quite a job to change it and I'm told it's an $800 job at the dealer.
• There have been a lot of reports of final drive failure. I've not had a problem but as you could imagine, it would suck to have it go out on you in the middle of the desert. Especially if you're alone.
• There are reports of "surging" on the pre-2004 models. The surging seems to be due to the EFI searching for the correct air/fuel ratio or something like that. The surging happens at lower RPMs and is just like it sounds - alternating instances of power and lack of power. In 2004, BMW added an extra spark plug to each cylinder which seemed to help. Mine is a dual spark but still surges sometimes. I don't mind it and consider it "character"

All those things said, I LOVE my BMW and do not regret buying it. I picked it up new in NJ and have put on 45,000 miles with virtually no trouble.

There are probably a lot more things to consider but its 1:32 PM and I just work up so I'm not thinking straight.

Feel free to PM me any time and I'll be happy to answer any other questions.

 

[Ogre Palowakski]

While I was writing my response you added a post mentioning the KTM 990 Adventure. I haven't ridden one but from what I've read, and since you mentioned you want to go off-road quite a bit, I'd go with the KTM. It's much more capable off-road, has more power, can be laid down without cracking the valve covers, etc.

I also have been looking at the 950 Super Enduros and was surprised that they are hard to find and are quite expensive.

Anyway, good luck in your search!

 

[Caleb]

I've been pretty serious about getting a BMW GS for quite some time. Although I want the F800, it's a bit more dirt oriented than the 1150/1200's are and can be had brand new for around $13K, used for a little less. Go watch Long Way Round and it'll make you want to get get one of these bikes and start a RTW trip pronto

The other bike that has recent come to my attention and making me think twice about the F800 is the KTM 690 Endruo R. More and more guys are using them for the RTW trips and it can be setup very similar to a 990/950 Adventurer.

IMO, unless you're riding with a buddy, the BIG bikes (1150/1200 and 950/990) are too big to take offroad. There's no way, if you were exhausted from riding with a loaded bike all day offroad and you dump it, that you're going to get that bike back on it's wheels without unloading it completely by yourself. The bikes are huge. The F800 and 690 are a bit smaller and more manageable by yourself. Also more capable (IMO) offroad because they aren't quite as large.

 

[Greg]

I'm very familiar with them and own the GS's brother... a 2004 R1150R.

The advantages:

• They are very easy to work on. I do all my own maintenance and have only screwed it up once
• You can ride them across the country with no problem. Not that they are super comfortable but they have enough power and torque to handle the freeway for several hundred miles at a time. I've ridden my BMW for 800 miles in one day and still felt alright.
• They are generally very reliable. If you have any problems, there are tons of guys on ADVrider who will help you diagnose and solve any issues. There are also a lot of BMW guys all around the country. I've discovered that they are helpful and willing to let me work on my bike at their house.
• People who own BMWs tend to take care of them so the chances of finding a well-maintained bike are pretty good.
• They are usually not beaten as much as, say a sport bike.
• They have great torque and can handle a lot of elevation changes without going through the gears frequently.
• Mine's the street bike version and I take it off-road a lot. It does ok as long as it's not sandy or muddy.
• Women go crazy for BMWs (until I take off my helmet). You may have a better experience .

Some disadvantages:

• It's a heavy bike and is not very good off-road (unless you are content with fire roads). I'd not take one on single track trails unless you are super adventurous and are ready to pick it up a lot. Be ready to smell a lot of clutch smoke. Also, turning it around in tight spots is a big pain in the booty.
• Obviously, the cylinders are prone to damage off-road. Make sure you have the cylinder protection bars. They are well worth their money.
• Eventually, the clutch will wear out, like with any bike. It's quite a job to change it and I'm told it's an $800 job at the dealer.
• There have been a lot of reports of final drive failure. I've not had a problem but as you could imagine, it would suck to have it go out on you in the middle of the desert. Especially if you're alone.
• There are reports of "surging" on the pre-2004 models. The surging seems to be due to the EFI searching for the correct air/fuel ratio or something like that. The surging happens at lower RPMs and is just like it sounds - alternating instances of power and lack of power. In 2004, BMW added an extra spark plug to each cylinder which seemed to help. Mine is a dual spark but still surges sometimes. I don't mind it and consider it "character"

All those things said, I LOVE my BMW and do not regret buying it. I picked it up new in NJ and have put on 45,000 miles with virtually no trouble.

There are probably a lot more things to consider but its 1:32 PM and I just work up so I'm not thinking straight.

Feel free to PM me any time and I'll be happy to answer any other questions.

Awesome, I was hoping a BMW rider would chime in! I didn't realize your bike was the sportier brother of the GS. Thanks for taking the time to write that all out, I love the idea that they are simple machines (for the most part) and can be worked on my most anyone! The reliability of a BMW is well known, which is another huge item that I love.

The issues don't sound too bad, character sounds about right!

While I was writing my response you added a post mentioning the KTM 990 Adventure. I haven't ridden one but from what I've read, and since you mentioned you want to go off-road quite a bit, I'd go with the KTM. It's much more capable off-road, has more power, can be laid down without cracking the valve covers, etc.

I also have been looking at the 950 Super Enduros and was surprised that they are hard to find and are quite expensive.

Anyway, good luck in your search!

Yeah, something at least semi-capable in the dirt is very appealing to me. Even then, I really loved my V-Strom and at the best it's a 90/10 road/offroad bike. I'm kind of all over the place with what I'm looking for, I sold the DR650 without having a plan. I know I will want something that I can take off road, the question is how far?

I really like the KTM Adventure 950/990 but they seem to be very complex bikes, prone to issues. Plus all the fairings, I don't think they'd do well if dropped! I have looked for Super Enduro's and you're totally right, they're hard to find.... and go for a lot of $$$!

I've been pretty serious about getting a BMW GS for quite some time. Although I want the F800, it's a bit more dirt oriented than the 1150/1200's are and can be had brand new for around $13K, used for a little less. Go watch Long Way Round and it'll make you want to get get one of these bikes and start a RTW trip pronto

The other bike that has recent come to my attention and making me think twice about the F800 is the KTM 690 Endruo R. More and more guys are using them for the RTW trips and it can be setup very similar to a 990/950 Adventurer.

IMO, unless you're riding with a buddy, the BIG bikes (1150/1200 and 950/990) are too big to take offroad. There's no way, if you were exhausted from riding with a loaded bike all day offroad and you dump it, that you're going to get that bike back on it's wheels without unloading it completely by yourself. The bikes are huge. The F800 and 690 are a bit smaller and more manageable by yourself. Also more capable (IMO) offroad because they aren't quite as large.

You're on to something Caleb... the BIG bikes are monsters and I know that, but perhaps something mid-sized would be more sensible? All the used BMW F800's I've seen are $10k+ which is a bit more than I want to spend. I've looked all over for used KTM 690's and haven't had any luck.... until this morning! I found one that is very well outfitted and in my price range! And it's not too far away! I think the 690 is something I could ride off-road without fear of destroying it and it's still plenty capable off and on road. As much as I want a bigger touring bike, I think the 690 is much more what I need. Good call!

 

[Caleb]

Yeah, the used F800s are usually still quite pricey. They also usually have a fair number of miles on them, The only benefit to a used one is the extras you may get. If I go with an F800, it'll probably be new. I've been watching for 690s for the last month or so and I've not seen anything local pop-up but I have seen several on ADV Rider pop-up that are in good shape with a fair amount of extras.

So did you sell your DR?

 

[Greg]

Yeah, the used F800s are usually still quite pricey. They also usually have a fair number of miles on them, The only benefit to a used one is the extras you may get. If I go with an F800, it'll probably be new. I've been watching for 690s for the last month or so and I've not seen anything local pop-up but I have seen several on ADV Rider pop-up that are in good shape with a fair amount of extras.

So did you sell your DR?

You do need a F800.... :greg: Then I'll have someone to ride with! The 690 I found is in Denver, but that's not a big deal. It's already got some nice mods, including aluminum panniers & heated grips, so that always helps! I'm waiting to hear back, but if it's still available, I want to go check it out next weekend.... and hopefully bring it back!

I did sell the DR, the new owner is doing a fly & ride back to Tucson. He will be up in a couple weeks, we're working it all out now.

 

[Caleb]

Very cool!

You can't tell me these aren't sexy bikes (and I'm not normally a fan of the Dakar style farings)

 

[Greg]

Yeah, those Rally Raid fairings and tanks are amazing... just don't price them out! As badass as that would be, I think any 690 I get would stay fairly stock, other than saddle bags & some minor additions to make traveling & camping that much more easy.

 

[Caleb]

Very true...pricey to say the least. Just gotta find some rich sucker selling his for a great deal

 

[neagtea]

KTM, yes.
BMW 800. Oh yes
I like the big Bmw power but not the weight or the jugs in front of my legs.
Absolutely love the Bmw brand.

 

[Rot Box]

I've been eying the GS down for a long time now. A friend at work has one and he said it was too needy so he bought a Yamaha Tenere 1200... Imo he just wanted an excuse to buy the new Yamaha because he still has the GS and rides it a lot lol