:-) Thx!!

Thanks for the kind words. And yes, you're absolutely right. In the case of this particular type of bike, for me anyways, it's always been about loading what I need to 'get there'. I've been doing this type of riding since I was 9. In those days my dad and I would ride through the northern Canadian bush both on motocross and snowmobiles. You needed to carry everything you would need with you, including spare gas. I really do have to make an updated video, though. I've added quite a bit (and removed some things that were not working out). I'll have to find time. Meanwhile, enjoy your new GSA!!

Thanks Jim. Much appreciated! I really really really have to finish the new version. I've added a few things, all useful. Safe riding...

Kal Howell You're right, I'm such a feeble comfort baby. Those trips through the Sahara and into the Tundra were soooo wimpy. Now I know why ;-) Thanks. Heck, I don't even know why I wear boots; next time I'll ride barefoot.

Hey. I'm out riding all year, only ice and lightning stop me. If you ride, always glad to meet up for one. In any case, thanks!! New video with more mods coming soon. Just finish the current batch and then I'll film it. Quite a few additions/changes.

You will not regret it. If you like going beyond the edge, this bike will take you there. I've had GSs since model 1 in '84 and they have brought me nothing but joy and lots of new friends in far away places.

Must've crossed paths. I was in Whitehorse in late May last year. Going back up in 2017!

Thanks Jarin. Gets me to where I want to go. New video is on its way with latest mods. Just waiting for one more item that's coming in and then I'll post.

I have the same bike here in Juneau. 2016 gs1200 Adv. The baskets in the back are the best. Heading out from Bellingham WA to Cabo on the 4th. _lh3.googleusercontent.com/7FGE3A4LI3WKwc1HIbvBq5mJ54FrELrHRVu07ENYDppuX9gEV5qGdVWc9-O19EBInDq9e3fQXA_

Thx Jan and you won't be sorry. I would give up most things in my life before the beast!

rica ederim

Thanks Dell. You won't regret it!!!

Yup, waterproof everything!

Instablaster.

Go! You'll love it up there!!!!

Hey! Interesting. Never tried them. They seem to have really good reviews online! Thanks for the tip.

+antonoat Thanks! Actually, I forgot to show the collapsible bucket ;-)) I have one.

lol, thanks for your response. I should add I'm not surprised you have one! You seem to have pretty much every eventuality covered. It's good to see one of these bikes used how it was intended and not just by poseurs! Haven't owned a GS since my last r1100gs, which I racked up just over 40,00 miles on. I currently own a Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 but secretly am lusting after the bike you are riding! lol. Thanks again, ride safe buddy. cheers Tony

Best of luck Jay. And slim is good too! I'll try to connect with you somehow, we seem to live 'nearby'.

Thanks!! Glad to have inspired some ideas ;-) As for the weight, as I like to say, with all my gear, extra fuel and food for two weeks, I still weigh about two hundred pounds less than a touring bike! Basically, it's a lot of bulk but not a lot of weight. And the bike itself is so well balanced and has such torque that as long as you are not afraid to give it gas, very few conditions will stop you. Since the video I've made more additions/changes and keep saying I'm going to film a new video... I really have to do it soon!!!

Hey Dougie. Indeed, you cannot connect 'any' LED to the Canbus. Some LEDs work, others do not. I use Clearwater lights that come with their own 'Canopener' which is a box that connects to the Canbus (between the LEDs and the Canbus). But direct connections usually do not work. Hope this helps... BTW, the Clearwaters are expensive, but they really work well.

Hi. On this trip I used two GoPro Hero4 Black. One was set up on the pole connected to the handlebars. I used that one for slow motion with the shutter set to one click - when I hit the shutter, even with the camera off it turns on and starts filming. Admittedly, there's a bit of a lag; I'd say about five seconds, before the filming actually begins. Then I had the front camera set on time lapse. I don't use the video timelapse function, I use the multiple shots function. On this trip I shot at 2 second intervals. I'll be publishing the film soon, it's called Whitehorse to Washington. That's the one that uses a Battery Eliminator USB with Backdoor for GoPro HERO4 (10 ft). I got it at B&H. It's great. You take out the GoPro's battery, thereby avoiding the heat problem, and connect the USB to any power outlet on your bike, or car. I literally shot 148,000 images without a single glitch.

I tend to leave my top case empty and put my helmet there when I stop. Panniers I use for clothes on one side and tools and camping accessories on the other.

Hi Mark. On Amazon they're listed as Master Cable Lk Keyed Alike 104. Since, I've changed to a longer model though but these work great.

Hi Daniel. Ouch, I really really don't remember. I'm traveling right now, when I get back home I'll see if I can find the receipt. I keep them all. Maybe it's buried there somewhere. You're actually not the first to ask, other have too, so I really better get my butt in gear and find/remember where. If I find it, I'll post here. As for being an enthusiast, that's exactly what I tell my wife ;-) Actually, I'm blessed, she loves riding as much as I do. Lucky, lucky!

Hey. Not sure. Let me go down and measure :-) Be right back.

One Inch exactly with the fairing on its highest position. When you lower it, it hardly makes a difference. They're great both on and off road, but especially off road. The stock hand guards are flimsy and cover nothing. Hope this helps.

Many thanks. Really appreciate your help.

Thanks Dan. To date, zero problems. Just added 10,000 miles on a trip to Tuktoyaktuk. In fact, the Beast was the first bike ever to ride up the entire Dempster and make it into Tuk. I was there on June 2nd, 2018. So far I've got about 35,000 miles. Zero issues. I don't want to jinx it but so far I have had no mechanical or technical setbacks whatsoever.

Cemil Alyanak That’s great news! I wish you thousands of more, trouble free miles with your “Beast”!

Hey thanks! It's a basic car charging solar panel from Amazon. Here's the link: a.co/bDMXzEr

Thank you, ordered allready :)

B Tan finally, someone that gets me ;-)

+Friz Bee Thanks!! I've added some 'stuff' since. I'll do another walk around next summer ;-) when I get back from Alaska!!

Silent Pray Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated!

Hi Luis. I use what is called a 'Battery Eliminator'. It plugs into the back of the GoPro and gets its power from any USB type charger. I use a USB adapter that it connected to the bike itself. I hope this helps.

Hi Rob. Thanks. It's a Pelican im2306. Not sure what you mean by a final product video but no, I did not do an additional video of the bike yet. Preparing a better one now with the new mods I did over the winter. As for the color, glad you got the Olive one. I wanted it too but my better half has control over color choice and she loved the blue! To be frank, I've gotten used to it, it goes with all the USA flags I have on it ;-)

+Cemil Alyanak Hello Cemil! Thanks for the reply. On the video/final product, I was referring to the section of your video where you said you were doing a time lapse shots with the gopro on the front of the bike... I am just curios to see the trip. I'l like to do the same trip one day...

+Rob Fern Gotcha. Yup, done. It's on my channel. Here's the link: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n5eKq7Rem7ecgGw.html

Hi. Super tough question. My best answer is that I love the liquid cooled series so for an Adventure that's 2014+. I admit that the newest 1250 is amazing as well but that implies buying new whereas, I believe, you're looking for a used bike. Personally, I love the 2014, pre-fob series. I plan on keeping mine for many more moons. If you're torn between the GS and the GSA, there I would say that the GSA is definitely the way to go. If you're an adventure rider, that fuel does come in handy, I've run low on mine more than once, imagine if I had been riding the GS. I don't think this has been very helpful but it's really a personal choice. Indeed, you will likely have some weigh in with air-cooled or die. I respect that too,

@@CemilAlyanak Thanks for the prompt reply. I agree the GSA was more enjoyable for me yesterday riding then the GS. It had a bigger presence to me, seems like cars respected me more and I liked the view from the cockpit more to, more substantial. Not to mention better shielding against the wind. Plus it felt just as light and maneuverable when riding. You did say something that made me curious however, you said you love the liquid cooled series more, can I ask why? How did they feel different other then the power. Also what does "pre-fob series" mean, sorry about my ignorance. I rode them for the first time yesterday.

@@31acruz When riding in the summer, the air-cooled just overheats. It's bad for the cylinder, bad for my leg and bad for my wife's foot. By pre-fob I meant before they went to the keyless system. The first couple of years they had a few worries. Personally, I would either go with my year - 2014 - or bite the bullet and go for a brand new 1250 either in 2019 or 2020 if you wanted to wait for one year under the belt. All this said, I've owned a GS since 1982 and I have never ever had a major issue on any of the series and I have owned them all.

@@CemilAlyanak Fantastic, that is what I looking for. Thank you very much!

Teşekkürler

Hi Joseph. As you know, I have the 2014 and still absolutely love it. Feels and rides like it was brand new. As for the 2016, I know three people who have one and they all love it. None have had any issues whatsoever. I can’t guarantee you won’t, of course, but I can report that they are very happy. One of them actually did a round the world with his. As for GSA versus Pan America, I’m unfortunately the wrong person to ask ;-) I’ve been riding GS since the first year (actually the first month) that the R80GS was available in North America!!

@@CemilAlyanak so will this be a good first adventure bike for me to start on?

​@@josephgallant3211 That is a very complex question; so many factors. No need to answer, but much depends on your age, level of general motorcycle riding experience, strength, height, type of terrain, level of gung-ho-ness. If you’re my age, no, it’s not a great first bike. If you’re a novice rider, same. If you’re a little on the weaker or shorter side, you’ll be fine on the highway, maybe not off-road (unless you’re built like Gaston Rahier ;-). Riding a smooth gravel road, fine, riding single track on a muddy day, you better have some experience under the belt. Finally, much depends on your own level of aggressiveness. Riding a 1200/1250/(1400??) GS or GSA does require some level of aggressiveness; when you’re riding through sand or mud, the last thing you want is to have the reflex to get off the throttle. In short, absolutely an amazing bike, even a first bike, if you’re up for the challenge. Otherwise, if you have the money to buy something, lose a little and later upgrade, I might start in the 800cc range and move up. Not sure if this ramble helped; hope so!

@@CemilAlyanak thank you

+Graham Spink If you think about it, all my gear weighs under 100 lbs (45 Kg). That's not even the weight of one passenger. Not to mention that the GSA is already a very light 1200. And, everything is really well tied down. In short, looks overloaded, but it really is not. Heck, it goes off-road, through sand, even mud, and I haven't dropped it yet. As for the dog kennel, good idea! ;-)

Thanks ...Ride Safe ....

Actually, I have and I will, more like an RV. But one does not preclude the other. Frankly, I adore my bike as it is. I really do. I understand that for some it's too much, but so be it. But yes, someday, a nice RV to be a kind of base from which I can go on regional rides.

It's in the basement.

Hi. It's actually not very heavy. It's about 200 pounds lighter than your average cruiser and about 300 pounds lighter than your average touring bike, and that's when I'm fully loaded. If you look closely, most of the bulk on the bike is taken up by very light things like the tent, sleeping bag, etc. In short, it looks heavy but it's not.

Wouter Van Duijn you do realize that fully loaded, I still weigh less than most Harley's, any touring bike or any large cylinder bike pre 1990? But hey, to each his own. Some travel super light and I admire that. I've even done it. I travelled into the Sahara with an R51/3 and a back pack, nothing else. Drove 3000 miles that way.

Toutes les GSA sont bien équipés ;-))

'Dude', I've traveled over a million miles. I've crossed the Sahara and the Kalahari, traveled to the Arctic, ridden through the Andes, wait, I think I actually rode around the world. You're right, why the hell did I take a bike? Thanks for the revelation! ;-) More seriously, all things considered, I think I travel fairly wisely. But if you think this is too much, wait until you see the bike in its current state. I can only imagine what you'll say...

+C. R. C. Oh well, now there's even more ;-)