achilles8857
New member
Greetings,
I'm planning a 4~6 week cross country trip in 2020 (and do hope to hit the MOA National Rally!). But debating whether my bike is the one to make the trek.
2004 R1150R Sport Tourer as they say, with 45,500 miles, all scheduled maintenance has been done over its' life, and now has new Michelin tires. Has not needed a new clutch. I will likely do a leakdown test before heading out, just in case, based on what the plugs looked like last time they were changed.
In general I'm pretty comfortable on the bike on paved roads in hot, cold or rain, but have never taken it off-road.
I've done two long tours, one in Europe on a late model 1200RT and one in South Africa on a brand new 2017 1200GS. Loved them both. Europe was all paved back roads / very little highway (such as the Autobahn), and no off roads. SA involved a little (10%) gravelly stuff, so the GS was just great all around.
I've had this R1150R bike for two years and done one trip up/down the east coast Florida to Penna, all great back roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Tail of the Dragon. It performed very well - no issues other than the typical leak around the oil filler lid which was fixed easily.
However on this upcoming trip I know I'll be doing some moto-camping in areas of the American West. I've never spent any time out West, and I'm guessing this might involve taking the bike off road, out in the heat of the western desert, and up into high elevations. Camping maybe 2~3 days out of 10, say, and while I don't expect to be fording the occasional rocky stream, one never knows. In general I'm concerned about the general stress and reliability of a bike of this mileage in the conditions out West.
Just wondering for folks opinions on whether my current bike, given it's age and capabilities, is the right (or simply an acceptable one) for the job. Considering selling it and getting a GS / GS Adventure.
I know opinions will vary wildly, but thanks for any feedback.
I'm planning a 4~6 week cross country trip in 2020 (and do hope to hit the MOA National Rally!). But debating whether my bike is the one to make the trek.
2004 R1150R Sport Tourer as they say, with 45,500 miles, all scheduled maintenance has been done over its' life, and now has new Michelin tires. Has not needed a new clutch. I will likely do a leakdown test before heading out, just in case, based on what the plugs looked like last time they were changed.
In general I'm pretty comfortable on the bike on paved roads in hot, cold or rain, but have never taken it off-road.
I've done two long tours, one in Europe on a late model 1200RT and one in South Africa on a brand new 2017 1200GS. Loved them both. Europe was all paved back roads / very little highway (such as the Autobahn), and no off roads. SA involved a little (10%) gravelly stuff, so the GS was just great all around.
I've had this R1150R bike for two years and done one trip up/down the east coast Florida to Penna, all great back roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Tail of the Dragon. It performed very well - no issues other than the typical leak around the oil filler lid which was fixed easily.
However on this upcoming trip I know I'll be doing some moto-camping in areas of the American West. I've never spent any time out West, and I'm guessing this might involve taking the bike off road, out in the heat of the western desert, and up into high elevations. Camping maybe 2~3 days out of 10, say, and while I don't expect to be fording the occasional rocky stream, one never knows. In general I'm concerned about the general stress and reliability of a bike of this mileage in the conditions out West.
Just wondering for folks opinions on whether my current bike, given it's age and capabilities, is the right (or simply an acceptable one) for the job. Considering selling it and getting a GS / GS Adventure.
I know opinions will vary wildly, but thanks for any feedback.