2-UP on a BMW GS Adventure R1200

[@r12rtpilot]

We've ridden thousands of miles two up on our GSA. Passenger comfort is so important, especially with a passenger. Glad you two are enjoying yourselves!

[@db79887]

After the excitement of you by yourself on the GS I’ve been hanging on to see if Nay liked it as much as you. I’ve been contemplating trying a GS myself

[@henryhartley9993]

The BMW is 12/13 years old as well so it proves just how good it is compared to more recent models, tough choices ahead, have a great Xmas and happy New year.....

[@khakimzhanmiras]

The 2008-2013 adventures were the best looking gs bikes

[@whiskybiker4505]

I love the 1200, got mine (not an adv. version, but 2008) 5 years ago. Still love it! Cost wise, no big thinks, just normal maintenance. The thing which did it for me (had a Honda before): confidence, I just felt confident right away, even though it's a big bike. One thing I changed: the seat: when riding for hours and hours the seat wasn't that comfy for me, so I changed it for a more custom one. Excellent. Obviously I added stuff to mine, lights,.... :) As always: great vids man! Keep on the good work!

[@BikerBits]

Great stuff mate and thanks! 👍

[@mmaaddict78]

Maybe the comfort setting dialed the rebound damping down too much and made it a bit bouncy?

[@advchic8567]

I was going to suggest the same thing. "comfort" is just a preselected damping setting. Rebound damping needs to be increased.

[@billcotton1551]

I love this series . I think you probably found your winner with this one .

[@markanthony6128]

I have been waiting so long for you to upload the GSA video thanks mark

[@TheGravelBadger]

The mighty GS. I have toyed with the prospect of getting another bike. I mean mine now has over 130,000km on it. But every time I come back to this bike, so I have decided to bite the bullet and just continue to maintain my bike to keep it. Just ordered some woodies wheels (after saving up for them) as the originals are battered.. other than that, maintain it well and it will go on forever!

[@wobblysauce]

Maintenance items.

[@TheGravelBadger]

@@wobblysauce other than the routine BMW servicing (every 10,000km alternating between minor and major for the liquid cooled models, not sure about air cooled) and consumables like brake pads, rotors, tyres, fork seals, I have not had any other issues. Currently I have a steering bearing to replace and a fork seal that’s leaking, both easy to do.I could keep going with the rims but have battered them and it’s just easier to replace them now. I’m still on original ESA shocks and original clutch and I’m not tender with it either, most of my riding is off road. It’s a fantastic machine tbh

[@phillippayne8170]

That suits you guys mate merry Christmas to you n your family 👍🇦🇺

[@ozziejim8472]

I’ve looked at used 1200s and they aren’t cheap, even with high k’s , I’d say 20k for low k bike. I’d love one for me and the chick! Good reviews mate👍

[@frankmoen6956]

Go for the r1200 adventure.. I got a 2017 mod.. I bought mine new and I ride it 60 000km with no problem's. Here in Norway we only ride about 7 months in the year.. so I go on long trips and it's lovely to ride many many kilometer.. not unusual to ride 500 to 600 kilometer in a day.. just the best bike in my eyes.. Merry Christmas to you and Nay from Norway

[@davidpurvis8577]

A very merry Christmas to you and Nay from the U.K. thanks for all your videos 🤶

[@pmg8504]

Looks like the full size adventure tourers are the way to go for two up touring, maybe give the big Suzi, the big Tenere & the big Tiger ago! Have a good one Mark & Nay!

[@daryldupify]

Great video but the comfort is the softest road setting. If you held the ESA button in for second it would take you to the light offroad and then heavier offrad function which lifts the bike 25mm for extra travel. You then again have soft medium hard settings in each offroad mode

[@Peter-wc4kr]

Be careful to not overthink it. Merry Christmas to you all.

[@TheShithouseADVRider]

Great video mate, I'm currently on a 2007 R1200GS and thinking about upgrading to the adventure, so very interesting observations. I hope you settle for the adventure as they are great bikes. I get out camping on mine more and more and love it. Merry Christmas to you and Nay

[@inthesPhila]

The newer 2013/2014 water cooled version lets the passenger sit further back and maybe higher and sees road signage much better. The windscreen is height adjustable on the fly. The muffler goes to the far, right, high side on the Liquid Cooled, means her (larger) side case is now on the low near side.

[@robertburks2126]

Great vid! Did a job (asphalt) for a trade for a 2008 GSA with 80,000 miles (cost me about $1,000 USD) all in. Bikes here run aprox. $8,000, so not to bad. Did have to purchase a new drive shaft aftermarket ($850 usd) and new rubber boots. While work was being done, Had new Tires put on. Pick it up tomorrow! . Im a Ducati guy through and through, have 2 at my apartment as I type. I did the job because my girlfriend has never ridden a bike, and one of my Duc's are single seat, Ducati 999. We are about to do a few trips here in Texas. Ill let you know what she thinks! looking forward to the rides, Cheers!

[@davidcauchi2837]

Hello Naomi and Mark, Merry Christmas to you both and your family; Great to see you both on the Beemer. Its a bloody good bike for touring; It seems a call between the BMW and the Honda AT.... No rush as trying out some bikes to get a good feel of what is good, is the way; if I was close by I would let you borrow my Triumph Tiger 900GT, its a great bike for tours, bitumen and dirt roads..using the Michelin Anakee Adventure tyres which are 80/20...So there you go. Thanks for sharing ; See you next year.....LOL...OH and I going to book some time in Bendigo, late February, so I will let you know....David...Adelaide...Tiger900GT & Street Scrambler...

[@BikerBits]

Great stuff David! 👍

[@68craig]

Have a ride of a newer one, with cruise control and quick shift. You will love it!

[@theskiband-ur3tw]

C’mon mate what did you buy?! 😂 I’m watching these videos because I recently bought a 2005 1200GS. I only bought it because was the price of a decent push bike but I can’t believe how much I like it. I had an 1150GS before and hated it but this is worlds better.

[@yorkchris10]

BMW played around a lot with the automotive style gearbox. The clutch completely releases unlike wet clutches which makes it harder to engage dogs. I only pillioned someone once, but I was really impressed with how it handled. I'm curious how it all compares.

[@rockbiterhd]

unreal well done love the testing merry Xmas you blokes

[@toby7504]

Merry christmas to you two 🎅🏻🇳🇴. Awsome video as usal. 😊

[@rastusbaker]

Merry Christmas dudes

[@adventurehwyhubhwy5817]

Maybe 2nd. Merry Christmas 🎅 Mark & Nay. Have a good one guys 🎅🎅🎅

[@marcusford3562]

G'day Mark, If you like that model, which is great, try a 2013 on model. Light years better.👌

[@deeemac]

Would love to hear your thoughts on two up adventure riding. There isn't much out there. We've sort of come up with out own way of doing it. Thanks for the review.

[@johngifford7725]

Had one from 2005. Great bike.

[@The77Game]

I'm not that into adventure bikes but if i had to get that type i would get the HP2. Too bad they don't make it anymore. I was so nice with its low weight and good power and ground clearance.

[@julz3217]

Very nice video and I enjoyed it alot. Have u thought of trying the Harley Pan America? Thanks as always and merry Christmas to you and your family..

[@BikerBits]

Yeah hopefully will give that a shot too! 👍

[@sgomez3047]

Do you have the vid with long trip results

[@theskiband-ur3tw]

Wondering the same thing. And what the final outcome was!

[@ADVScott342]

Merry Christmas Biker Bits Fam 🎄🤗

[@livewire..]

Comfort mode = bouncy ride. In Comfort Mode the rebound damping is dialed down. It is very much a matter of personal taste but I find higher levels of rebound dampening improves the comfort level as the suspension is more controlled.

[@MichaelWSteyn]

Hi Mark. Try riding in mode for one person when 2 up.

[@deanshaw2128]

Hello Michael, What’s the benefit of doing that ? I was told it would damage the shaft. Cheers, Dean

[@MichaelWSteyn]

@@deanshaw2128 Hello Dean I weigh 105kg with ride gear. So I have selected one helmet? Which is the correct setting. Now a friend and his wife climb on they select two helmets yet they weigh less than me when they are 2 up. Their ride is harsh, but by selecting one helmet the ride improves. Selecting two helmets on the old air cooled units raises the rear only. Going to off road or in the case of the air cooled unit selecting the mountain symbol raises the front and rear. The rear must not ever be higher than the front, which in turn causes handling issues. Selecting one rider or helmet and sports set on the suspension normal reduces the bump on the rear when 2 up. On the 2017 and up does the bikes come with automatic ride adjustment. Also try selecting one helmet with luggage when 2 up. Suspension setup is like tyre pressure. All about personal preference. Experience with it. I hope this helps.

[@deanshaw2128]

@@MichaelWSteyn Hi Michael, Thanks for that. I’ve never dared vary from the “appropriate” setting, as a BMW mechanic at the local dealership warned me about incorrect angles causing shaft wear. I have a 2017 GSA, and often have my partner on board. But I’ve wondered about these settings as I am also over 100kg. I might have a further talk with the mechanic I use now (better qualified than the dealership fellows) and do a bit of experimentation. Cheers, Dean

[@MichaelWSteyn]

@@deanshaw2128 Hi Dean. The reason the drive shaft has universals. It allows for movement. I have been driving BMW GS and GS Adventure since 1997. I've had one drive shaft failure on my second GS. It happened at 177 000km or 188 000km I can't remember. They are awesome bikes.

[@MichaelWSteyn]

@@deanshaw2128 I found on the earlier GSA LC that I had to ride on sport and/or hard setting. On my 2018 Rallye I just left it on auto mode for the suspension and off road pro.

[@Bowlin01]

Oh No! Another GS fanboy!😂😆😂😆 Hope you both have a great Christmas and New Year👍

[@dutch97501]

Just a quick note from a BMW GSA owner. Test ride the regular BMW 1200 GS if you can. Here’s what I can tell you about my 09 1200GS Adventure I have owned since new. First off never trust the fuel gauge. There absolute rubbish. BMW never came up with a fix which brings me to number two. 10 gallons of gas at 8lbs per gallon. So your mate’s aren’t going to be carrying 10 gallons of gas so you’re going to be stopping at fuel stations only your going to still have half a tank of fuel at each fuel stop. I really do like my BMW and I will always take it if I’m riding any long distance. Good luck with your bike quest

[@wobblysauce]

Big tanks they do have, most people stop to stretch legs/smoke break more than they need to fill up it is that large/economical.

[@bonnie-voyage1005]

New subscriber here. Only just recently found your channel. Helping me decide which bike to get as my Missus likes to ride along with me. As for riding off road two up check out Bret Tsacks, he did a video on it. Cheers

[@oldslowjim]

A BMW GS1200/1250/ Adventure/ Fully loaded becomes a $30k+ ride. I drank the Kool-aid a few years ago and bought a BMW. No 2 ways about it, it's a great bike. Eats the miles, stable, enjoyable, and gets the job done, however one major breakdown and you'll be on the side of the road, trailering/ pickup trucking that expensive toy. The repair bill will need a second mortgage, and you'll wait months to get it repaired, and there goes your riding season/ holiday. And you end up replacing these thing every 4-5 years. That becomes TOO expensive!

[@nobodyinparticular709]

Yup... Had my 2008 gsa leave me half way through an adventure... Refused to start. After a 700km trailer home we discovered that the fuel regulator thingymabob decided to die. A 4000ZAR later and was fixed... Problem is, the whole incident dented my confidence in taking my beast on offtrail adventures. Great bikes, very capable in the right hands. Just be prepared to sell a kidney for repairs and suffer the utter frustration of not being able to do roadside repairs.

[@timlubbers2884]

@@nobodyinparticular709 why can’t you do roadside repairs? I have only had 1 roadside failure in almost 600,000 miles (over 3 gs’s and 1 rt) and other than parts, I fixed it at the campground 3 days after the failure. All bikes can fail, it’s part of the game .

[@78wesley]

well the bmw are always the pinnacle of comfort but with any bmw badge u don’t wanna fix it. for me, if u wanna do long rides n be super comfortable pillion ya might aswell be in a car. no matter what bike the pillion will always be uncomfortable if they don’t have a custom seat but such is life. 1200 the way to go. safe riding.

[@x-terrarider8794]

What about the KTM 1090?

[@MalJ-eb7nv]

I like a lighter bike. The 1200GS is lighter than the Adventure GS. I have a R1200GS and DR650. The DR for sand and off road. The GS is for long distance touring. My GS is MY 2012 - air cooled. Lighter than water cooled and one less thing to think about. I understand it is a personal choice - old school - never owned a liquid cooled bike. Good you are testing bikes with your "significant other" - happy pillion leads to better touring :)

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

Is her helmet style good for sitting behind you? Looks like that visor thing sticks out and would bump easier .

[@garywinkworth3380]

good reveiw

[@aussietj1]

check out the NZ vlog A Brit, A blond A bike for two up BMW GS1250 touring around NZ this guy gives it a bit of stick both on road and off

[@MrKdr500]

Almost a 14yr old bike, has the suspension ever been serviced?

[@BikerBits]

Don't know!

[@wobblysauce]

Funny how a lot of people forget that at one point even on a daily bike, 6-7k km is the average distance to get it done.

[@vontrueso9856]

Mark, there might be a bike you havent considered. If you dont think the Beema is too heavy, maybe you oughta look at a Super Tenere ES (XT1200ZE). The Ten might be the poorer, slightly heavier (& uglier) cousin, but the 2 bikes share many similar attributes. I know winch one Id rather by spare parts for.. FortNine did an interesting review if you havent seen it ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYG7cnRnnauNhLs

[@Tommy.McLean]

How tall are you? My biggest fear in buying one is in only 5'7"

[@alexstan5358]

You just lower suspension via esa , I am 185cm and it is pretty low for me, even GSA is pretty low,( seat i mean)

[@paulsire]

Check out Big Rock Moto, he has a recent history of the GS models and it's great. Would love one, but no room at the inn 😀

[@rene2687]

Hi Mark, maybe you can try to put the shock adjustment for 1 person instead for 2.I twink nay bounces less. Shock adjustment is problably made for heavy Germans Grtz René

[@glenncarpenter7422]

Its Nay and I ............ :)

[@BikerBits]

That's what you got out of the video? 🤣

[@glenncarpenter394]

No... I have been watching you for a very long time and had to say it.. keep up the great work 👍

[@BikerBits]

@@glenncarpenter394 Thanks mate! 😃

[@jeffandrews8578]

haha after your recent experience you might wanna keep left unless overtaking :P .. hopefully mr popo has better things to do then watch your vids...unlike parks :P

[@dynamadnessadventures205]

Just go buy yourself a BMW mark you only live once ride safe

[@kathrynnewton5203]

Ok b4 i watch this, W the A f took U so long to post this????? Ahem more to follow hehe.

[@kathrynnewton5203]

Alrighty then. Given the age of the bike I will assume that the "comfort" settings have become somewhat out of scale? So I guess that you should try a newer variant, to make a comparison of sorts hehe. The 1250 is such a hoot, both of you will love it. Oh yes Both.. nay should be trying out these bikes as well, in case you get injured on a ride, right? U Chauvinist you lol. Nice vid as always. Ty.

[@CJ-ft4rf]

Cuts to buts

[@adventurehwyhubhwy5817]

1st.

[@BikerBits]

Good Onya Hal! :-)

[@smrangers22]

africa twin !! honda more reliable .