Never did like the look of the Tiger XC...

Originally Posted by specialone

Who said you have to use metal mule boxes, there are plenty that are a fraction of that, a lot of bikes come with them now too.

There are a number of people who buy the gs and never take them off road, but they also are a very good road bike, I was speaking to a guy in his 50's at a rally who had a 1200 and never went off road but he could get his knee down on the track in the fast group on track days and overtook sports bikes on mountain passes in the French alps, so they are capable.

Adventure bikes don't have to be axel deep in mud and gravel to make sense, this is where you're missing the point, they do virtually everything better than a normal road bike.

i was saying what it might cost to set a bike up to go seriously off road,where fiber glass or plastic would only last a day,and the nearest petrol/service station might be 500 miles away,and there is always some one who can ride better than fireblade and r1 owners on a track on a less track oriented bike(if i took my blade on a trackday,apart from killing myself,there would be a awful lot of "lesser"bikes that would beat me round the track),its more to do with the rider capability then the bike,hell i can remember a while ago(a long while ago actually) ,there was a chap i knew he was about 6ft6 tall and used to make and race 125cc bsa bantams,and ive herd him say he could beat the vast majority off suzuki gs1000's on the track,they'd overtake on the straight but he'd loose them on the bends,so that 90+hp against maybe 30hp at most,but that didnt mean every one went out and bought a old bsa bantam,
anycase most people will tell you no matter what bike it is, what they own and ride, is the best bike you can get

For me buying a BMW GS is exactly the same concept as buying a BMW X5. Most people buy an X5 for space, elevated driving position, solidity, comfort and finally fashion.

A Pan European is better at touring Europe by road, a 250 Enduro bike is better for serious off-road.

A GS will be fine for anything in-between. If you want to go to a country where the roads are unsurfaced, pot-holed, gravelly or muddy but still passable by the majority of vehicles, then a GS will do a better job of carrying you through it than a Pan Euro due to more suitable tyres and long travel suspension.

Euan and Charley had the idea in a pub, partly spawned by Mondo Enduro who went on DR350's. They didn't have a clue what they were doing and were naieve to take the GS's for that trip.

If you go right round the world, Dakar routes, or on trips like my Portugal mountain trip, you will come across situations where the road is in a condition impassable to vehicles, or non existant and this is where the GS gets stuck.

The GS is a great seller, just like the X5 has been a great seller, and if thats what you want from the vehicle then it's not pointless. Maybe the X5 buyer isn't gaining anything he couldn't get from a 5 series Estate, except the elevated driving position, but if he likes that driving position then the vehicle absolutely isn't pointless.

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