BMW R1150GS

...one being Stolen.
The BMW R1150GS in line with it's predecessors has longer travel suspension, a 30-litre tank combination tyres and other modifications which sharpen its off-road focus although it being on the heavy side. It includes lower first and sixth gear ratios, and luggage options which allow clip on / off panniers.
The spring pre-load adjustment for the front suspension is easy to reach but requires a c-spanner. There's an ...
...are set at 10,000kms and BMW specifies a full synthetic oil (after a run-in period on mineral oil to develop an optimum relationship between moving parts). Our bike needed a top-up of approximately half a litre at 6000km which is consistent with the service history of other R1150 engines.
The engine oil sight glass is relatively large and although you have to get down on your hands and knees to read it, it's something you'll only have to ... more

Since I have been riding motorbikes since the early 70s. Only fair I put my review in.
Now on my second Adventurer. Due to the first one being Stolen.
The BMW R1150GS in line with it's predecessors has longer travel suspension, a 30-litre tank combination tyres and other modifications which sharpen its off-road focus although it being on the heavy side. It includes lower first and sixth gear ratios, and luggage options which allow clip on / off panniers.
The spring pre-load adjustment for the front suspension is easy to reach but requires a c-spanner. There's an external adjuster for loading the rear spring which can be operated by hand. A long-handled screwdriver is required to adjust rear suspension damping but the adjuster is easy to reach. But the disadvantage point of that it sits slightly high on the road. Which makes climbing on & off slightly awkward if your fully laden.
The conclusion is inescapable that R1150GS is designed by people who have a history of riding and servicing their own bikes - excellent metal and straight forward procedures.
From a service point of view, the Adventure is very owner-friendly. With Bosch Motronic injection and ignition, the engine basically looks after itself. When necessary, because the two cylinders poke out sideways from the crankshaft housing, plugs and valve gear are easy to get at. Service intervals are set at 10,000kms and BMW specifies a full synthetic oil (after a run-in period on mineral oil to develop an optimum relationship between moving parts). Our bike needed a top-up of approximately half a litre at 6000km which is consistent with the service history of other R1150 engines.
The engine oil sight glass is relatively large and although you have to get down on your hands and knees to read it, it's something you'll only have to do once between oil change periods. The sump guard needs to be removed to drain the engine oil but all other fluid entry and exit points are easy to reach and feature the mechanic's best friend, Allen-head bolts.
The Adventure's wheels and tyres are interesting. Spokes radiate from the hubs to the outside of the rims. Over time, it may reintroduce owners to the charming craft of wheel tuning but the set-up is perfect for the bike's primary purpose. The tyres are combination on/off road Continentals and early reports on the Adventure speculated that tyre life would be short. But can be changed to Knobblies.
The AMT Adventure has had a relatively hard life but the rear tyre will probably make 7000km. Pleasingly, the profile of the tyre isn't changing much as it wears meaning handling hasn't deteriorated. It has vice-free grip on dry roads but doesn't like to be pushed too hard on wet tar. As you'd expect, dirt road performance is excellent.
Only drawback is on my bike is the short life span on the rear disk pads, which are easily changed also when fully laden the rear disk can slice into the drive shaft gator..
Haven't changed this yet. So cant comment on changeability.
My Adventure has had a mix of commuting and longer rides to touring destinations. It's size, particularly with the aluminium panniers fitted, discourages lane-splitting although a plus side in traffic with the 900mm seat height is that you get an uninterrupted view of the car dwellers around you.
It's the four-wheel-drive of the bike world. The seat is excellent but needs to be as the riding position places most of the riders weight on his or her backside. Most ever done one day was Through France and over the Alps & high altitude. Where it never missed a beat at high altitude. Unlike my much beloved Honda Varadero. There's plenty of room to move about however. Although, and the bike is very comfortable for even the tallest riders. If you have to do sustained motorway work before you get to your dirt-road destination, an option would adjustable bars to take some of your weight on your wrists - more a sports/touring position.
Niggles with the Adventure over the past 4000miles have been few. It has a manual choke which is easy to accidentally leave on because it's hard to see from the seat. As it's a fast idle adjuster rather than a real choke, leaving it on doesn't do any mechanical damage. You also need the strength of The Rock to get the Adventure onto its centre stand which is a bit surprising given how easy the older R-series bikes are in this area. The bloke who knew how to get centre stands to work must have retired. Having to replace the rear disk pads after four thousand, and the disk seem prone to a coating of rust if not looked after regularly.
Otherwise, the Adventure gets better with each ride and will, doubtless, become a cult classic.
 

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