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Bargain bruisers
Living with BMW's R1150GS
BMW's now two-decade-old R1150GS series proves the
terms cheap and capable are not mutually exclusive
(Jan 2024, Guy 'Guido' Allen)
There was never a plan to have
two giant adventure tourers cluttering up the driveway –
it kind of happened by osmosis. Now they're here, they're
the go-to-solution for all kinds of situations which is
both great and hugely annoying. Allow me to explain – or
try to.
Having been lucky enough to play with all
sorts of demo bikes over the years, I ended up having a
weird arms-length relationship with adventure tourers.
Back when this started, let's say the mid-1980s,
Australians didn't buy the things. Importers kept trying
all sorts of bait, but it took close to 10 years before
buyers took any notice, and another five-plus to open
their wallets. Oh the joys of being a motorcycle importer!
Along the way, yours truly played with a
lot of these things and ended up being impressed by
several. There was that ongoing question of why in hell
wasn't there one in the shed?
Here's the thing: I either couldn't
afford them at the time, or later struggled to commit to
the concept of selling off my existing toys (mostly street
bikes with the odd trail bike thrown in) to pay for a big
hairy continent-crosser.
Move on a decade or two, and I've bought
a BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar out of Alice Springs and ridden
it home to Melbourne. It was a great trip and confirmed
much of what I thought of adventure tourers. See the story
here.
This was on the cusp of becoming a
collectible model, but I nevertheless decided to move it
on as I wasn't enamored with the ageing dynamics.
Of course the itch to own another of the
type soon took over. Next up the development path was the
R1100GS. As much as I enjoyed riding the demo when it was
new, again I had some questions over its performance in
the here and now.
That inevitably led to where we are: R1150GS. I bought the first one, with 78,000km (48,000 miles) on the odometer, in late 2021 for a princely Au$5300 (US$3500, GB£2750). That compares with the 2001 dealer invoice showing Au$20,000 (US$13,000, GB£10,000) when new.
It was a solid runner, in need of tyres
and one or two other little things sorted for a roadworthy
certificate. The cosmetics rated as presentable, though
far from perfect.
There was a pretty decent set of
documents and a few spares such as oil filters. While the
servicing history was patchy, the motorcycle itself was
just fine.
The aftermarket screen it came with was
adjustable for height and was one of those situations
where I couldn't find a setting that worked. In the end, I
ditched it for a ZTechnik
product, the Z2240
which is the tallest offering. It
cost Au$419 (US$270, GB£220). The pic above shows it at
left, compared to the stock GS screen at right.
Does it work? For my 188cm (6' 2"), yes,
but this is an individual thing. There is a fair bit of
wind noise (that's what ear plugs are for), but no
buffeting.
Move on to mid-2023 and I've walked away
from my real full-time job (there are people who argue I
never had one...) into semi-retired freelancing, which
means I have a bit more time on my hands. Or so the theory
goes, though the reality so far raises some questions.
Anyway, for reasons I no longer care to
explain, I'm on the bikesales
website looking for something relatively cheap that
I've never clapped eyes on before, 4000km (2500 miles)
away in Darwin, that I can ride home to Melbourne. What
could possibly go wrong?
That's when what I now fondly refer to as
the Darwin bike appeared on the scene.
The owner at the other end of the country
clearly knew his BMWs and explained he bought it as a
runabout for the few years he and his partner were working
up there. Now they were moving out and the bike, which had
a month or so of rego left on it, had to go.
The price? A mere Au$4000 (US$2600,
GB£2100) for the 2002 model with 90,000km (56,000 miles)
on the clock. Perfect.
From day one, the whole idea was to treat
this as a holiday: fly in, cruise home on the Bimmer and
then sell it. Some of it went to plan.
The motorcycle performed flawlessly, in
part thanks to a knowledgeable seller who checked it out
before I picked it up. Oh and thanks to a (these days)
relatively simple and robust design that benefited from
several development lessons learned with the R1100GS
predecessor. See the story on
the trip.
And here's where the plan went a little
awry: when I put the Darwin bike on the market, the offers
were low to the point of ridiculous. As a result, Muggins
got grumpy and decided to keep it.
For the time being, I'm pretty happy with
that decision, even if it has cost more than planned. The
second GS finds itself being employed fairly regularly.
It's also there as the bike I might ship somewhere and
ride home, as the mood arrives (Cairns in winter is
looking good). There's little money tied up in it, and we
know it's reliable, which is a great combination.
One of the appeals of this series is it
is owner-service-able. Engine and transmission fluids take
time and are simple. There are four drain points: engine,
a spin-on filter, transmission and shaft.
Valve adjustment is screw and locknut,
for which there are several instructional videos online.
The only other issue worth mentioning is
the alternator belt hidden behind the front cover of the
powerplant. It's rare for one to let go, though I had it
happen years ago on an RT that was ridden flat-out for a
magazine test and I now carry a spare on both bikes.
Since we're on that general theme,
longevity seems to be pretty good. These days a lifespan
of 200,000km (125,000 miles) would be considered okay,
while half that again is achievable, though you could
expect even more. Much will depend on regular use and good
care.
Something we indulged in recently was
fitting engine or crash bars to both bikes. This isn't
something I'd normally do as I'm ambivalent about their
usefulness.
Plus, I had a set that came with the silver bike which was crap. It attached to the sump bash plate bolts, which are too fragile to take that sort of force, and prevented access to any sort of servicing without removal. Spectacularly bad.
After that experience, I didn't bother
looking for alternatives. Then young mate Blackbourn
alerted me to a local retailer which had sets available
for about a third to a quarter of usual prices as part of
a clearing sale. Too good to be true? (They're now sold
out.)
While the retailer was obtuse about the
brand, I picked it up from a photo and then went
searching. Called RDMoto, it's Czech and employs the same
pick-up points used by BMW for the bars on the R1150GS
Adventure. That was worth a punt.
Fitting was straight-forward, once I'd
nutted out a problem where I misinterpreted the minimalist
instructions. If you find a set at a decent price, grab
it.
Wrestling with the crashbars led to the
only breakdown I've had with either machine. That was when
one of the snap-on connectors for the high-pressure fuel
lines on the Darwin bike cracked as I was messing around
with the fuel tank. Munich
Motorcycles in WA, which I've used several times,
came through with a replacement in a few days.
Both bikes are running ABS (not all of
them did) and version two is a big improvement over its
predecessor when it comes to long-term reliability.
The BMW pannier system of the era is very
good, with one of the easiest mount/dismount systems you
will ever come across. One warning, though, beware
snapping the handles shut when the red locking tabs are
showing. If you break one, fixing it is a royal pain in
the arse.
Something I really like about this model
is its ability to turn its wheel to anything. That assumes
you have the physical size and/or confidence to deal with
it.
While it looks like some giant praying
mantis with an attitude problem, it works as a low-speed
runabout or shopping cart, and responds surprisingly well
when you nail it through a set of tight corners.
The performance is adequate rather than
stunning – the stats of 85 horses for 250-ish kilos
confirm that.
Braking is strong without being
sensational, and you have the ABS safety net.
(Note: Both these machines run conventional brakes rather than the later EVO power-assisted system. The latter arrived part-way through 2002-on – it varies with market. It's best avoided due to a known reliability issue that is costly to fix.)
Fuel consumption averages around 16km/lt,
improving to 18km/lt on the highway. The claimed 22lt tank
capacity is closer to 20, in my experience.
By far the biggest asset on your average
stretch of country tarmac is the long-travel suspension
combined with a well-sorted and communicative Telelever up
front and the neutral Paralever rear. For a road bike in
the boondocks, that is a killer app.
Peter Navin, who worked on this
series as a technician when they were new, had this to
say: "I
was servicing these at Tom Byrne Motorcycles at St
Peters, NSW, back in early 2000s. Still remember first
time riding one and thinking, wow, how easy they were to
ride when compared to the size. They actually felt
nimble – it was like an oversized BMX bike to flick
around.
"Super
easy
to service, and yes stay right away from the EVO brakes,
as we had no end of trouble with them.
"Also
check
for twisted centre stands as I randomly had one fall on
me while while I was underneath it, and they are not
light!
"Definitely
not
a pretty or even mildly attractive bike, but hey you
don’t care when you’re on it and they go beyond your
expectations. They’re a good thing!"
The result is, when you own a fleet of
toys that ranges from sports bikes through to big-arsed
tourers, the R1150GS is hugely annoying because it covers
all that territory pretty well. It makes the rest of them
look redundant. Sell the other 18-ish bikes and keep this
two?
Yes and no. I have motorcycles which are
infinitely better sports bikes, or tourers, or serious
performance hounds. Or are far more stylish. They satisfy
other needs.
The Bimmer twins, meanwhile, are the
workhorses that save the stars in the shed from a lot of
wear and tear. On that basis alone, they're worth having.
***
Good
Versatile
Cheap
Reliable
Not so good
Resale value
Big and fairly heavy
Not exactly pretty
SPECS:
BMW R1150GS 2001-2002 model years
ENGINE:
TYPE: four-stroke air/oil-cooled,
four-valves-per-cylinder, boxer twin
CAPACITY: 1130cc
BORE & STROKE: 101 x 70.5mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 10.3:1
FUEL SYSTEM: EFI
TRANSMISSION:
TYPE: Six-speed, constant-mesh
FINAL DRIVE: shaft
CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR:
FRAME TYPE: cast steel main member with tubular rear
sub-frame
FRONT SUSPENSION: Telelever with 5-way adjustable preload,
190mm travel
REAR SUSPENSION: Paralever with adjustable preload and
rebound, 200mm travel
FRONT BRAKE: 320mm discs, 4-piston calipers, ABS-II
optional.
REAR BRAKE: 276mm disc with two-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS &
CAPACITIES:
DRY/WET WEIGHT: 228/249kg
SEAT HEIGHT: 840/860mm
(adjustable)
WHEELBASE: 1509mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 22lt
TYRES:
FRONT: 110/80-19
REAR: 150/70-17
PERFORMANCE:
POWER: 62.5kW (85hp) @ 6750rpm
static
TORQUE: 98Nm @ 5250rpm
OTHER STUFF:
PRICE NEW: circa Au$20,000 (US$13,000, GB£10,500) on the
road, depending on spec
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Produced by AllMoto abn 61 400 694 722
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