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25 Jan 2013
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Do i really need this?
Do i really need all this touratech crap thats now adorning my bike, for a RTW trip. Is any of it really useful?
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25 Jan 2013
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25 Jan 2013
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Location: Cape Town, South Africa
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you don't "really need" any of it, including the 1200gs,
i place the emphasis on need. rtws have been done on all sorts of bikes from 110cc right up through the bike range.
people travel with a back pack strapped to their bike with just their clothes in it.
you don't need any of the Touratech stuff you mentioned but it should may make life easier for you. but there are cheaper companies producing good products if you don't care about the brand name. mind you i think you do have a bit too much stuff on that bike.
i prefer to carry less then more. i can usually buy anything i don't have, but find it hard to ditch perfectly good items i don't really need.
my next trip will likely be a klr or dl 650 a set of hard panniers a tank bag (for the expensive stuff) and then a tent and sleeping mat on the back.
K.I.S.S Keep It Simple Stupid 
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25 Jan 2013
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Thanks Ozranger, for the advice. My bike had a lot of stuff on it, granted but i had the missus on the bike as well so both our stuff was on there. Still, i could of left some of it at home in hindsight.
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25 Jan 2013
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Quite simply, it is your bike and your adventure. You can ask for some advice or opinions but the final say is what you want to do...rather than swaying to the latest trend or way of thinking.
If you are comfortable with the bike in its present trim, and considering the amount of money you must have spent getting it that way...you are going to be crackers if you strip off the parts unless they are causing excess weight or other problems.
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25 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ozranger
you don't "really need" any of it, including the 1200gs,
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Spafford
but i had the missus on the bike as well so both our stuff
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There is a lot of evidence that the 1200GS is one of the best, if not the best, all round bike for two up riding; after that, obviously the amount of stuff you carry will be refined as you gain some experience including taking into account the needs of the pillion. 
It looks like you are camping rather than using other accommodation on route.
If you have an unhappy pillion, the journey can be utterly miserable.
The yellow bags do show off the red bike very nicely
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Dave
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26 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
There is a lot of evidence that the 1200GS is one of the best, if not the best, all round bike for two up riding;
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I am not debating the merits of the gs (that has been done enough already to sink a ship) simply stating that you don't NEED one. the trip can be done on a range of bikes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
If you have an unhappy pillion, the journey can be utterly miserable.
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VERY IMPORTANT POINT! i would carry double the junk i already carry if it will keep the missus happy! 
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29 Jan 2013
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Hello
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
There is a lot of evidence that the 1200GS is one of the best, if not the best, all round bike for two up riding
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I have met only a few 1200GS on the road.
Most of them stay on the tarmac.
If you ask them why they travel with that bike , they always say something like this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Spafford
I bought the GSA in the pic above and decked it out with touratech stuff but the more i speak to people on the subject the more i feel i could of saved a bit of cash ( i blame Ewan & Charlie :-)
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There's a lot of evidence around that you can do it "even" with a 1200GS.
Jason
Since you already have the bike and bought some TT stuff then go with it.
If you haven't bought all, then just stop buying.
Except for this:
Frame protectors BMW R 1200 GS/Adventure silver | Touratech AG
or your frame will brake.
sushi
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26 Jan 2013
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Not sure where this thread is heading
Quote:
Originally Posted by ozranger
I am not debating the merits of the gs (that has been done enough already to sink a ship) simply stating that you don't NEED one
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Nor am I debating the relative merits (it's not one of those eternal "which bike" threads after all).
But, Jason doesn't say much in his first post about his background, which bikes he has owned previously etc etc. In fact, I wasn't going to bother at all with this thread until he mentioned that he has a wife to keep happy which was the main point - there are masses of pillions in this world travelling about on the back of a Beemer GS who are very happy with their lot compared with some other passengers on other makes and models of bikes.
+ he actually does own a 1200GS right now, even if we don't know for how long etc etc etc, and so on and so forth.
i.e. he doesn't need one because he has one already; there again, you can never have enough of a good thing. 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Spafford
Still, i could of left some of it at home in hindsight.
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And, now I notice this is in the past tense so Jason has been somewhere, done something with the GS; which bits of the Tourawhatsit stuff he may not like is up to him and his wife basically, but those yellow bags are still quite fetching.
It is always possible to remove the Toura stuff and sell it on - someone will buy that stuff.
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27 Jan 2013
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Sorry Dave, should have given a bit more info.
I've been biking for years but only recently have i been into the whole motorcycle travelling thing. I bought the GSA in the pic above and decked it out with touratech stuff but the more i speak to people on the subject the more i feel i could of saved a bit of cash ( i blame Ewan & Charlie :-)
Did a short trip last year through europe and did the stella alpina (which got featured in ABR magazine) which was a warm up for my trip this year to south/central/north america and maybe further.
Plan to do 50/50 on road, off road plus some camping and some hotel/hostel.
I've done plenty of travelling in the past but not much on a bike.
Thanks for all your points of view, guys!
Jason
Last edited by Jason Spafford; 27 Jan 2013 at 17:21.
Reason: spelling
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29 Jan 2013
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Life Weight
I keep my life weight down to 25kg, even on the big BMWs.
As far as off roading in Africa is concerned - and I shall be honest here in spite of being a life long BMW fan. The BMW GS handles like a Jumbo Jet with flat wheels on rough terrrain fully loaded. (At least the older models give the rider some feedback to the actual conditions of the surface) The new Adventures are being produced with fancy suspension units controlled by a computer making decisions for the rider making it perhaps into a situation whereby the computer replaces experience. A fully loaded bike depending on it's position on a rough track on a hill will be impossible to lift on ones own. Many riders are alone. I have learn't to do my off road riding after I have located my base camp on a main tarred or gravelled route. For off roading I then just carry my survival kit in a back pack.
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29 Jan 2013
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I agree with comments about the cons of such a heavy bike as the 1200gsa particularly off-road. Picking the bike up is more of a concern than its ability to ride off-road even in really rough terrain. I've seen and experienced first hand what these bikes are capable of - i've attended several off road courses with Simon Pavey (Dakar veteran) down in south Wales UK, and in the right hands it can tackle the terrain of a much smaller bike.
Weight is the bigger concern - The bike pictured at the beginning of this thread is of my bike on a trip around europe and as you can see i was carrying everything including the kitchen sink but i was 2 up and had the missus' stuff as well. I lost my balance when getting on, too enthusiastically and couldn't pick it up without unloading the bike, so will trying to keep the weight super light for my trip to the americas this year.
Last edited by Jason Spafford; 30 Jan 2013 at 18:28.
Reason: spelling
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30 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Spafford
Do i really need all this touratech crap thats now adorning my bike, for a RTW trip.
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Do you really need to go RTW? :confused1:
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30 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AliBaba
Do you really need to go RTW? :confused1:
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What?
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30 Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Spafford
What?
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It's mostly about what you like and not what you need. (This applies both to the route and equipment.)
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