I might get a good bargain frm someones who want to sell his GS,
but Im really not sure if I can part with my Dommie.....
I'd love to keep my Dommie but I cant afford it...

so should I buy the GS or keep my Dommie

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Which GS?

At the risk of getting a beating from all the R1200 riders who love their rides I wouldn't entertain CAN electrics etc. if they were giving them away wrapped in fivers. If I wanted some over weight, over powered, over complicated status symbol i'd get something Italian with a bit of style!

R1150/1100's I've had and don't dislike except for the prices and weight.

An R100/R80 i'd jump at depending what the deal was and how many miles it had on it.

F650GS's i've ridden and have the same waterpump issues as the carbed ones I owned. I've have one if the price was right.

F800GS's look OK but i'm waiting to see how they go.

It's personal taste plus what funds you have available. The Dommie to me is the safe option, but you have to follow your heart to some extent as well as your head.

Andy

Thanks,

Its the GS1100, not sure about the mileage though,
the owner had flown all the way to South America and did a a trip down there and brought it back, after that he just kept it in his garage! he's too tired to do any more Riding, he prefers 4X4 instead... Anyway, still waiting for the owner to comeback from some overseas trip...again.

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Sounds like a classic temptation scenario in which the 'bargain' tempts you into something it may not suit you and/or you might not have even thought about.

IMHO, you don't need anything larger than 600cc or so in places like Kuala Lumpur or most parts of the world for that matter. But then, we bikers don't talk about 'needs' but 'wants'. Then do you want a heavy bike maneuvering in KL streets or the beautiful Malaysia countryside on dirt? It also depends on what you use the bike mostly for, off-road or highway or street. The only plus point for such big bike is the highway speed and stability; otherwise, you would end up having less fun than with your Dommie. I myself have been driving 750cc to 1200cc bikes living in Germany, the home of autobahn. I recently traded my 1200GS that is much lighter than 1100 for a smaller 660cc which does well on highway as well as street and off-road. Nonetheless, as threewheelbonnie says, you have to follow your heart too.

Thanks man,
like you said we usually think about what we 'want' not 'need'....

To be frank; even with the Dommie it feels and obviously its pretty big for me, Im only 5' 10" plus but I rarely go off road with it. I always envy faster sport bikes overtaking me on the highways, & if its the GS I should be able to catch up. I dont really like sports bike (also its alot more expensive to maintain) I prefer the adventure 'power rangers' looks...

But then again If I 'want' to go fast I should just get a sports bike & if I 'want' to do offroad I should get something smaller than my Dommie & if 'want' to ride in the busy streets of KL I should just take my good 'ol Suzuki 80cc moped!
But sometimes we (bikers) tend to do all this all one day! This is when the Dommie is the closest to everything I 'want'.....
plus the bike is alot cheaper to maintain than a Beemer....

Urrrmmm....
maybe what I should do is get a loan, buy the GS, advertise it to others & if I the price is good, sell it & payback my loan make some money!

Thanks again!

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I don't know about your part of the world, but me, in the Western Hemispere, I'd keep the Dommie, especially if you plan to ride anywhere in CA or SA off the Panamericana. Parts too are available for the Dommie in Costa Rica, Columbia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. The GS???? harder to find and MUCH more expensive...

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'We build the bike (in Peru) for your Epic Ride of South America.'

...the character of boxer will be riding experience none of the other bikes can offer you - different and unique experience from the ride perspective is what makes adventures to remember - motorcycle plays big part of it...

...those mean stickly out cylinders with the best low-rpm pulling power per CC you can have - the awe riding comfort even with full of luggage...

...that particular looks and sound...

...while competent...

GS represents a rare combination in motorcycling: character and competence.

Got to say I love mine, a '98 R1100GS, to the bits.

Currently 76Kkm on the clock not a single issue or fault! While I use it very technical offroad riding (where many wouldn't even take lightweight single-cylinder to), dayly communiting, weekend travels till fully loaded up 2-up long adventure travels with my girlfriend - it's the wide range of applications where the big GS really excels as an overall package.

So depends what you're after. If it's a one bike you can financially or mentally offer yourself, I'd say go for it.







Ride safe you all, Margus

Wow!
Margus, where is that? Planet Beemer? Yes its very tempting

Financialy I would keep th Dommie, but Toby, on this side of the globe especially Malaysia theres less then 20 NX thats been brought in!! Till this date, I think & probably only a few hardcore Dommie enthusiast are still hanging on to it! Its parts are very-very difficult to get.

If its the Beemer its very easy cos thier after sales service are superb!
The Honda here (KL) prefer to sell new & small bikes.

Lets just wait till the owner comes back and see what he has to offer....


p.s: Margus, Is it really that expensive to maintain a GS1100??

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Osama,

3-rd pic Syria, first 2 pics it's Estonia - all with endless gravel and dirt roads it's a superb playground for big calibre trailies like the big GS - your butt doesn't get numb, yourself impotent and cramped after 300+km of riding varying dirt roads like on some small vibrating single cyl bike

BMW flat twins are not expensive to maintain, I reckon it's rather among the the cheapest to run! I get consumable parts from BMW which in fact mostly are cheaper than I used got parts for my previous Suzuki from Suzuki dealer - who said BMW charges a premium price for the parts? I do all the work my own - the "exposed" boxer concept is very easy to work on yourself: valves checks/adjust, throttle body synchronization, spark plugs, engine, FD and gearbox oils all are directly accessible w/o hassle with plastics, bolts, frame parts etc garage-gymnastics. Buying Haynes or Clymer manual for your bike is a good investment to start learning-doing things your own.

Low revving, dry clutch and separated gearbox oil means you can use cheaper car oils in the engine commonly available everywhere, no point buying very expensive high-revving motorcycle oils for wet-clutches etc. Also no additional hassle with chain cleaning/lubing/adjusting - just add the easy ~200ml of oil at every 10-20K into bevel box, nothing more need to be touched. Oilhead boxer require minor service at every 10Kkm, major at every 20Kkm - both of them piece of cake to do your own. You can then constantly monitor your own bike's health while doing everything your own - something that most of bike dealers/services often miss and this can end up with a disaster for you.

Anyways, if you go for 1100 I'd recommend going for later 1997-1999 year models that have many teething issues ironed out that some of the earlier models suffered (tranny bearings, prone to rust wheels, bigger oil consumption, some other minor issues). But nothing really wrong with earlier models too if you get it temptingly cheap, just know their potential weak spots (no bike on Earth is w/o a weak spot in fact). R1100GSes are the best bang for the buck currently in the s/h BMW-fold market and engines last easily 300K+ if maintained correctly, the record I've seen is 640,000km w/o no major work or overhaul done on the bike! So don't be put off on the huge mileages the boxer GSes tend to clock up - it's not a show stopper. Just carefully check the bike over if buying, if it's not crashed or abused from the previous owner and maintainance carried out routinely - it'll last. But skip the bikes that have questionable previous history as on buying any s/h bike.

Hope this helps, Margus