Thinking of selling my DL650 to get a BMW seeking experienced opniions

[tsochs]

Has anyone here left a Wee Strom, Dl650 for a BMW? Which bike and why?
What is your maintenance cost difference? How do you answer the bashers that think BMW bikes are unreliable and too expensive? What is the truth about  repair, service and dependability. I know tons of BMWs are on the road, at what cost.

I'm want a bike for long distance travel- mid-term goal to cross and to circle the country, long term goal to cross/circle Europe, parts of South American and Africa in search of great photos and great rides.
I will spend 95% of my riding time on road but have an itching to get off road just for the exploration- nothing severe, just short explorations or camping sites. My DL650 is very comfortable to me. I rode the Iron Butt SS1000 on it and was ready to ride more after the adventure.  I'd be switching bikes to find more stability(especially when passing groups of semis), speed, power,  I love riding and cold weather rides are equally good news so I  am interested in heated options. I'm over forty been riding less than a year, love the twisties(even though I just learned to ride), love the long distance rides, Cherohala, Blue ridge and any long winding country roads. I don't current ride two up but the ultimate would be to do all the above riding with someone so I am also potentially seeking comfort for her.

[chornbe]

Well, just saying "BMW" is a little vague. Their models span the available range, from little, light standards, to full sized, industrial strength adventure tourers, from sporty bike, to full on super bike....

[phoenix]

must be talking about the GS line of BMW's with the mention of doing some off-road travels.

Big difference in price between a 1200 GS Adventure and an 800 GS.

If you want it and can afford it, ignore the bashers. What the hell do they really know anyway?

[Cablebandit]

Yup, life's too short to worry about what others think.  If you want a Beemer, buy a Beemer.  The Weestrom is basically a zero maintenance machine.  Change oil, tires, and add gas.  When I did my valves it cost me nothing but  my own time.  I'm sure the BMW will cost more to maintain over the long haul, but if that's what you want go for it.  Otherwise, every time you see one you'll be wondering....what if?

[Mrs. DantesDame]

On the surface, I'd say "don't switch". Why, you ask? Well, you're already comfortable on your bike and you know it. It's easy to work on, so when you find yourself in the hinterlands of Africa and something breaks, odds are the locals can fix it. Unlikely on a BMW. You can always add heated grips and a heated jacket outlet to the DL (I've done so on my KLR), so the heating problem is no longer an issue.

Ok, so that's why I say Keep whatcha got. Why get a BMW? Mmmm - they're sexy  seriously, they have a smooth power that is fantastic. You'll wonder how you ever even got past the semis once you feel how responsive the GS motor is. Heated options? Why stop at hands and jacket? The bike has enough power to head your seat and your legs and light up the road for two miles, too. Two up comfort? BMW. Reliability? Excellent. But when something breaks, odds are it'll be more expensive to fix than you bargained for.

Hmm - this was a pretty scrambled post. Sorry about that; it's still early here  

PS - there's a sweet F650GS for sale here  

[nater]

BMWs are pretty reliable.  Can't really go wrong with one.

[sempervee]

Just upgrade to the Man sized real VStrom 1000......  I have owned BMW's and would not ride any of them now with all their mechanical electrical problems.
 

[jfurf]

If I were doing some hardcore adventure touring, I'd be VERY careful about BMW.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=568261

Check out this guy's story... an electrical short fried his wiring harness while in Nowheresville, Uzbekistan.  

[chornbe]

Just upgrade to the Man sized real VStrom 1000......  I have owned BMW's and would not ride any of them now with all their mechanical electrical problems.
  

Sure that's not an FJR or a Harley you're thinking of? You must be new to ST.N.  

[Orson]

I'm want a bike for long distance travel- mid-term goal to cross and to circle the country, long term goal to cross/circle Europe, parts of South American and Africa in search of great photos and great rides.

Just my opinion, but there's probably a helluva lot more Honda dealers in small towns around the globe than there are BMW dealers  

If you break down in a foreign land, you'll probably have to go to the capital city to find a BMW dealer, whereas Hondas are sold just about everywhere.

[bluepoof]

PS - there's a sweet F650GS for sale here  

Glad you said it so I didn't have to!

[eye.surgeon]

I sold my BMW k1200gt to buy my v-strom 650. while I loved my bmws they are very expensive to maintain. You'll need to budget anywhere from $300-$1000 every 6000 miles for service unless you wrench yourself. I got tired of paying that.

You can fix the highway stability issue on the wee with a $100 fork brace by the way.  

[Zerosum]

I love my Strom, but if I were planning to ride in places like Africa and South America, I might want something with shaft drive.  The Strom is the Kia to the GS's Land Rover.

[MikeinLA]

The Strom is the Kia to the GS's Land Rover.

Not so good considering that Land Rover perpetually finishes dead last in every vehicle reliability study. I would agree with the poster who suggested the 1000 V Strom. More power without that nasty expensive aftertaste.

Mike

[Cale_Kat]

There's more to the BMW ownership experience than just the bike you ride. I've got friends that only ride BMW's . They like to hang together (not that I'm not welcome .. okay but it isn't because I don't ride a BMW) and enjoy the unique qualities of the bikes and the feeling that their riding something very special and with an interesting heritage.

But they're going to cost more to maintain. That is beyond dispute. So, if you think you're going to want to trade up to a different bike soon or as very particular about spending money, you might  want to pass.

That said..life's short, ride the bike that makes you happy. For me, just about any bike would do.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I have two bikes that I switch between, the KLR650 and a BMW 1150GS. The maintenance on both has been very affordable, but mostly because I - or friends of mine - can help with the work. But I do carry full coverage on the BMW but only liability on the KLR. I figure that I can afford to replace the KLR easily enough, but the BMW? Not so much  

On a side note, I (ab)use the KLR daily, but keep the BMW for back up and long trips, so it doesn't get as much use and therefore needs less maintenance.

[dtor]

If I were doing some hardcore adventure touring, I'd be VERY careful about BMW.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=568261

Check out this guy's story... an electrical short fried his wiring harness while in Nowheresville, Uzbekistan.  

In all fairness to BMW, you should have told the entire story. Maybe you should be VERY careful reading.

Quote from the guy:

"The cause of the short? Go back to one of my first posts. Installed an extender cable for jump starting the cable. The cable wqas properly insulated, including shrink tubing it. Well, one way or another it wore thru against the seat support, shorted and since it is a big cable, it allowed ahuge current."

DIYers are the bane of *all* motorcycle manufacturers.

[cole]

I agree with a previous post get the 1000 and you can go anywhere as fast as you want. As for maintenance on a BMW it is way over blown. R bikes take very little to maintain, valves take under an hour if you take your time. Other then that tires, brakes are cost about the same no matter what kind of bike it is. My R has cost me nothing since I do the work myself. As for reliability I would leave now for a cross country ride if I could.

[buls4evr]

 I would be for keeping the Strom and making it better with goodies. The BMWs are expensive to maintain and other than shaft drive, really no better as a bike.....and I DO OWN a BMW. Get ready for big maintenance $$$$$ on everything you cannot do.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

 I would be for keeping the Strom and making it better with goodies. The BMWs are expensive to maintain and other than shaft drive, really no better as a bike.....and I DO OWN a BMW. Get ready for big maintenance $$$$$ on everything you cannot do.

Which is what?