Like many great ideas, ours was formulated over a couple of beers. We had had a long trip on the bike which had seen us ride (and crash) through sub-tropical forest, crocodile infested creeks and the arrid Queensland outback. We found ourselves in a wood and corrugated Ozzy watering hole, stereotypical right down to the residential Malibu drinking lizard.
Several beers down the line I had an idea, lets ride the bike back to England! The plan was to ride across S.E Asia, The Middle East and Europe. It was the cause of much excitement - even the lizard looked up from his tipple - needless to say we didn't do it!
Four years (and many beers) later we're back in England but this time the money is saved, the date is set, the 1100GS is on the drive and ready to roll - the target is Australia and we're definitely doing it.
Goose & Lucy xxx
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Obviously the first and arguably most important decision was the mode of transport we where to use. Since it's inception our plan had been a two wheel adventure and with the exception of a brief look at Land Rovers the decision was a long standing one from which it was unlikely we'd sway.
The mixture of route planned x weight carried also cut down our choices to less than a handful and although Lucy had passed her test a few months back we felt that a few days riding a ER500 wouldn't have equipped her for a ride of this magnitude. The two up factor disqualified the DR650 which I'd found to be a great tool whilst riding around Oz and the much acclaimed XT600 was also out purely on size. The only real contenders being the Triumph Tiger, Honda Africa Twin and the BMW1100GS. My mechanical prowess (or lack of) was also going to weigh heavily on the decision process, reliability was of paramount importance but workability was a very close second. For this reason alone, and begrudgingly as I've always liked them, the Triumph was crossed from the list, too many cylinders, water cooling and a host of goodies, which in the middle of nowhere could turn a simple combustion concept into a complicated nightmare.
The information I'd gleaned from books, guides and those in the know was steering me towards the BMW, I'd never ridden one and until now hadn't really planned to, but it was a case of horses for courses. The mechanically forgiving reputation of the BMW put it ahead of the Honda which I had been reliably informed held little in common with it's dessert racing namesake, a test ride was obviously called for, bummer!
I had good test rides on both bikes and the decision looked like being a close one, despite having previously ridden and contemplated owning the Africa Twin I tried to be as objective as possible. I found the Honda was relatively smooth in it's gear changes, not an accusation that could ever be levied at the GS, but the engine configuration of the boxer was always going to be easier to work on. The Honda is good looking, the BMW is, well, a BMW, nuff said, however looks where not playing a huge role in the decision process. The GS felt more solid than it's rival, particularly whilst cornering, no front dive courtesy of the telelever suspension made up for the quirky indicator and poorly sited horn switches, the latter, after use, generally leaving you riding down the road with the left indicator flashing. Safety dictates that the horn is easiest to reach and that the indicators are controlled by a single toggle switch 2-3 inches South East of your left hand peter pointer. It's a simple, safe and effective concept that all manufacturers adhere and to which, in my opinion, BMW have unnecessarily complicated. As I write this I've been riding the GS for five months and I still don't like this setup. The side stand cutout is a removable irritation on both bikes. The "piece de resistance", which eclipses all the BMW's annoying idiosyncrasies was the shaft drive, no side stand balancing to lube or adjust the chain, no oily glove inners, just change the oil every 12,000 miles……… decision made, now all I had to do was find one.
We'd ruled out buying new, depreciation and its ultimate end of tour condition would be costly, I also wanted to make sure any gremlins had been ridden out. After a brief search we bought Lucy's riding instructors bike, 30 months old, 10,000 miles, good nick, everything looked to be going well, but looks can be deceiving.
The gearbox had always been noisy, something that after several enquiries with other riders I'd accepted as a necessary part of BMW ownership, but I could have sworn the 'crunch' was getting worse, although new to BMW's I wasn't new to biking, I had a bad feeling about this.
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Well, all the parts were relatively straightforward to fit although the crash bars and pannier mounts required a little 'bicep negotiation'. We now have everything bar the 41 litre tank which is unfortunately, still in Germany. I'd planned a test run once the bike was set up just to satisfy myself the bike could take the impending battering. With me and my mate Jay at 180 kilos between us, both panniers and the 91 litre Ortlieb full to bursting point, I figured the tank probably wouldn't make that much difference.
When we came to leave, however, I had a surprise, I'd ridden with Jay on the back and with luggage, but not both. Jay's 6ft 5inchs frame didn't help by bringing the centre of gravity up to what felt like neck level. Fortunately it was 6am when we set off, so there weren't many people around. We must have looked like a comedy duo, with the bike, weaving as if made of liquourice, through the A roads of Bournemouth. The problem was two-fold, too much weight and insufficient tyre pressure, well over 600 kilos, with too much of it too far back. Bringing the rear tyre to just over 50psi and corresponding the front made an enormous difference to the bike's straight line capabilities. I'd deliberately overloaded the bike for the test run and with Jay being a good 30 kilos heavier than Lucy the bike's certainly going to have a workout.
The run to Bordeaux was uneventful, toll roads most of the way. The Pyrennes were wet and winding, the Spanish roads hot, dry and dusty. Our trip was 10 days in duration, we covered 2,100 miles culminating in two days of torrential rain. I think its safe to say we've tested the bike. We also tested the rider.
Riding a half tonne blancmange at sub 10mph speeds is a shock to the system but quickly becomes a bearable nuisance. I have a more serious problem though. Several years ago I severely injured my right forearm in a non motorcycling 'activity'. The resulting muscle damage and tendon lacerations have left me with minor movement restrictions but more problematic in this instance, quite severe repetitive strain problems.
The prolonged periods of motorway riding had taken their toll physically and left me barely able to sign into our Cherbourg Hostel. When I bought the BMW, I promised myself it'd be my first and last step towards middle age behaviour but now I find myself looking at cruise control.............watch this space.
The outcome of our 2000+ mile trip, fully loaded, was telling. I returned to the UK with 'machine gun attack' changes up and down through 1st, 2nd and 3rd , this would not do. CW Motorcycles in Dorchester gave me the bad news, a new gearbox, clutch and splines, very bad news indeed. However, the cost was subsidised to the tune of 80% by a very surprised BMW UK, a most generous and customer-focused move on their behalf I felt and for which I have found it in my heart to forgive them for the problem in the first place. The low gear changes still frequently sound like a small bullet is passing through the engine casing and the take up still knocks at times but CW and Bracken claim it's perfectly normal so who am I to argue.
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Although the bike is a capable and sturdy bit of kit there are still things to change for a trip of this duration. As a relative novice in this particular field I relied heavily on the advice I was given and also on the honesty of dealers not to sell me equipment I didn't need. John Hill and Austen at Bracken MW where instrumental in me avoiding a route which would most likely have brought our trip to a premature end. Their advice has been confirmed correct by others in the know and I thank them for pissing on my fireworks in such a forthright manner. The add on list had scope to get totally out of hand, the Touratech brochure was jam packed with everything you could possible need as well as everything you've ever wanted. With the help of others we made a point of seperating what we wanted from what we needed and came up with the following: -
GPS III plus, OHLINS SHOCK ABSORBER , 41L FUEL TANK , HANDLEBAR RISERS, HAND PROTECTORS, TWIN SPOT HEADLAMP, 12v SOCKET, HARD PARTS, CRASH BARS. (see the Technical Tips page for more details)
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We then turned to how we'd carry the equipment and personal effects we'll need. The standard 'Touring' panniers would not hold anywhere near what I felt we'd need to take, shame really as I got a set with the bike. We looked at several options but always came back to the Touratech aluminium panniers, their capacious 41L capacity and Zega Bag inserts will be well utilised. This still left us requiring space, whilst in Australia I'd carried the water proof roll top kit bags which had proved most effective and was keen to use similar this time. The problem being that with a pillion, space was going to be a challenge. The Ortlieb 91L dry bag is the biggest I could find, this would most definitely give us versatility in the load to be carried but would also require further alterations to the bike. A little thought and ingenuity resulted in two heavy duty mop handles being attached to the pannier lids and forming a rack by over hanging the rear, despite its DIY appearance this little contraption has dealt with it's job with seeming ease. A Touratech 25L tank bag was also added and will be used to house frequently used items and first aid although I'm contemplating upgrading to the VP-45.
PANNIERS, ZEGA BAG, DRY BAG, VP-45 (see the Technical Tips page for more details)
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This stage in the proceedings brings joy and grief, joy because your dream is now closing in on reality and grief because paperwork, although a fundamental part of the trip, is essentially the dullest and most vitriolic of grief magnets. It's also one of those things that unless thoroughly researched will almost certainly cause huge piles of havoc when you're least equipped to handle it. Visa's, with the exception of Iran, we've decided to attain whilst on the road. Driving documents are fairly obvious. The Carnet de Passage is essential to move between countries once outside Europe and takes a little time to organise, however the RAC leave very little to be guessed at and their staff are knowledgable and accessible by phone. Insurance, expect hours of fruitless internet searching and phone calls to deal with this unfortunately necessary legalised form of robbery, I've listed a couple of the least unsavoury but trust none of them.
VISAS, DRIVING DOCUMENTS, CARNET DE PASSAGE, INSURANCE (see the Technical
Tips page for more details)
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The BMW's tool kit is surprisingly effective, not because it's particularly comprehensive but more due to the bikes simplicity. With fifteen years of Jap bike riding under my belt this was a very welcome discovery. Practically everything can be done with the supplied set of allen keys. I have decided to take my own tool role just to be on the safe side.
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I'm not planning to need any major work done on the bike, if I do have problems beyond my own abilities I have a list of BMW dealers around the world. As we have a fairly leisurely pace any problems can be dealt with by holing up somewhere and dealing in situ. With the exception of serviceable parts my spares selection will be frugal.
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We've done more than our fair share of back-packing over the years and so are well acquainted with over packing and the need to take only what you need, even so, this still took some thinking about. Chris Scotts Adventure Motorcycling Handbook has a comprehensive list of things you'll probably need and we've used this as our guide, need I say more.
