Originally Posted by mollydog

I, of course, will have to vote V-Strom But if the prices are really that close then you should ride them all and see which ones suits you and the missus best.

I know for a fact the Vstrom will be the most reliable in the very long term. Not really a contest against BMW's which have a long list of persistent failures. Sure, you may be lucky and not have problems, but the odds are against you.

The Suzuki will also be less expensive to service on the road and need far less attention compared to BMW. The R12GS has even more complex and difficult
to diagnose systems than previous BMW's, most of which cannot be serviced by the owner. You must have BMW computer equipment for this. The CANbus system, ABS, F.I. systems can (and have) all caused some grief. Then you have final drive and transmission issues. About 50% of BMW's have some sort of problem with one or more of the above issues in the first two years.

Suzuki's Vstrom's have 100%BORINGrate. Actually I have never heard of any Vstrom motor failing, never a failed transmission, or major electrical problem. No cracked frames, or broken shock mounts, no broken wheels, warped rotors or failed wheel bearings.

The Suzuki may feel (and look) bland and uninteresting (most say UGLY), its not stylish and sexy like the BMW, it doesn't have fancy clocks and switches, it has ugly cheap ones. But guess what? Nothing will break. Period. (unless you crash!)

My bike has been through Hell and survived without a thought. 53K miles.
I got a "special" deal on my Vstrom but I can afford to buy any bike I want. My feeling was I would ride the Vstrom and if it did not perform or had problems I would just sell it off immediatley. 5 years later I've still got it. And yes, I have tried hard to kill it. It is just so tough and bulletproof. I have owned two BMW's, both rate as the most problematic bikes I've owned in
40 plus years and over 50 bikes. Just my experience.

Northern Europeans seem to have a clear fascination/admiration for German products, so if you're a BMW guy then no one will change you. Follow your heart.

Two up the Vstrom is very good also but some vibration gets to passenger
pegs. More than rider pegs. There are ways to help this if your wife does not like it. Overall, it's a quiet and smooth bike. Get the right windshield, bags,
and go. Its just that simple.

Patrick