New Zealand's 'perfect bike'?

[celticbhoy]

A mate bought a V-strom last december and the few shiny bits on it are already tarnished with the dreaded rust despite being stored in garage. His original pride and love of it has been tarnished along with it and now looking at a beemer(he is German tho!)

[Muppet]

The V-strom is a capable bike, but when they get to 60,000 km like my 1150GS, they end up as spare parts and worth jack' BMW's are worth more and hold their value, there's a reason for that methinks!

Just so you know I'm not biased, I've owned cbr600, R1, VTR1000F, CBR954RR and now R1150GS with 60 k on the clock, if you are going to get an adventure bike make sure it comes with panniers etc cost an arm and a leg to buy otherwise.

[Jantar]

A mate bought a V-strom last december and the few shiny bits on it are already tarnished with the dreaded rust despite being stored in garage. His original pride and love of it has been tarnished along with it and now looking at a beemer(he is German tho!)

Rust? I've had mine for just over two years, and its stored in an open implement shed. there is no sign of rust anywhere, mainly because there is nothing to rust. It is ALL alloy or plastic.

[Jantar]

The V-strom is a capable bike, but when they get to 60,000 km like my 1150GS, they end up as spare parts and worth jack' BMW's are worth more and hold their value, there's a reason for that methinks!....

This is news. I know of many with double that distance on them, and one that has gone over 220000 km.

[Big Dave]

FWIW the general consensus around the Kiwi Rider staff and testers is DR650.

[Oscar]

I had a V Strom and it was a great bike, but perfect for NZ?
I guess it depends on your personal criteria.

The V Strom has one major flaw - the forks.
They aren't an issue on good seal but on any broken surface, they are crap. Basically they don't react to choppy surfaces (like the braking ruts you get on the entrance to corners on gravel roads).

Having ridden most of the BMW GS series, I have to say that they come close apart from the price (twice as good as a V Strom? I don't think so).

So based on my own personal experience looking for the perfect long haul adventure bike: starting in 1998, I went:

• XR650RL - good allrounder, but limited on-road.
• TDM850 - Great on road, good on gravel, limited off-road.
• F650Dakar - great on-road, good on gravel, limited (and very disappointing) off-road.
• V Strom Great on the road, very good on gravel, limited off road.
• KTM 950 The best all rounder for me.

Basically, if you stop at the gate, a GS1200 is the thing. But if you keep going up that track, get a KTM.

[sels1]

The previous model of the triumph tiger.Fits perfectly.

Got my vote there too. My one has done over 100,000km with no problems.
Parts are readily available thru the Triumph dealer network, (although they are not the cheapest). Build quality and reliability are top notch, as you would expect from a modern European manufacturer.

Rust? I've had mine for just over two years, and its stored in an open implement shed. there is no sign of rust anywhere, mainly because there is nothing to rust. It is ALL alloy or plastic.

It would be fair to point out that that rust is not the same issue in dry, low humidity Central Otago as it is if you live near the coast. I have seen several Suzukis around Wgtn that have more metal degradation than they should for their age. May have something to do with country of manufacture? (non Japanese ones I mean)

FWIW the general consensus around the Kiwi Rider staff and testers is DR650.

Except for the long range 2-up requirement....

[Jantar]

...It would be fair to point out that that rust is not the same issue in dry, low humidity Central Otago as it is if you live near the coast. I have seen several Suzukis around Wgtn that have more metal degradation than they should for their age. May have something to do with country of manufacture? (non Japanese ones I mean)....

We aren't immune to rust down here. With my previous bike, a GS1200SS, I had to keep on top of rust developing in some unusual places. It wasn't hard to eliminate, but I did have keep it clean and touch up bits here and there very regularly. The VStrom, simply has very few parts that can rust. It is almost all alloy or plastic.

The only parts that can show any signs of rust are the steel screws holding the fairing, and the stands. Even the exhaust is stainless steel. Ah, I wonder if some people are seeing the discolouration of the exhaust as rust.

[James Deuce]

Ah, I wonder if some people are seeing the discolouration of the exhaust as rust.

Shhhh, or I won't be able to get cheap Yoshimura exhaust systems (full systems too) off TradeMe anymore.

Oh, and don't tell anyone that a Scotchbrite, a little bit of Persil, and some elbow grease restore them to shiny newness.

[Jerry74]

The Ducati ST series are worth a look

[Big Dave]

We aren't immune to rust down here.

Apparently Rust never freezes, either.

[rastuscat]

Ive had a look-see at them - money isn't the end all and be all - but I'm more interested in getting value for money.

The big GS is iro twice the price - is it twice as good?

A secondhand one makes the value proposition better - but I always wonder what the previous owners did with them.

Remember when the Govt bought the BMW limos and everyone was up in arms about it? That's coz almost everyone wanted to bag the govt, and it seemed like an easy issue to pick.

What really matters is the whole of life cost of the vehicle. Like, how long youy going to keep it? What will it be worth in that time? How much will the servicing and fuel cost over that time? And finally, what will the resale be?

The big problem is brand loyalty. You'll never get a BMW person to recommend a VStrom, or vice versa. Likewise, lots of people who have never had a BMW just look at the price, and write that option off. Never mind the fact that around the world they are generally regarded as the best adventure bike you can get.

Before you decide, think about resale, whole of life cost and the life-sucking depreciation that Suzukis (and most other marques) suffer from.

Just my views. I know I've opened a can of worms, as most everyone has a view on this. Buy a used GS, you'll not regret it. The owners generally ride them like nanas.

[Forest]

Ive had a look-see at them - money isn't the end all and be all - but I'm more interested in getting value for money.

The big GS is iro twice the price - is it twice as good?

The GS isn't twice as good.

A secondhand one makes the value proposition better - but I always wonder what the previous owners did with them.

To be honest the GS series is the motorcycling equivalent of the 4wd. Over 90% of them will never go off-road, but they make the owner feel that they have the capability to go off-road if they want to. In other words they appeal to people's perceptions of freedom and mobility.

This means that very few used GS bikes will ever spend much time off the tarseal. Provided they've been properly serviced (as this is important) you won't have too much to worry about.

I recommend you consider a used GS.

[Snails pace]

I know alot of you guys are big is beautiful, but I love my 650 v strom. 18 months old and 67k on the clock and still running sweet. If I cruise at 5-5500 rpm I get 450kms out f the tank (22 ltrs). Thats running it dry. Generally average 400+ to the tank full. Over 6000rpms and she can get thirsty. Thats full panniers and a top box. The boss and I go two up no problems, but i don't go much over 120, love my license too much. That said, on my own, with full luggage I got up to 180 (on the GPS) before the speed wobbles began. Thought it was time to slow down
Am at present wanting to add to the stable. But there is nothing really out there that rings my bell. Have put emulators in the front forks and looking at an Ohlins on the back. Am planning to do more overseas travel and want something a bit more in the engine department for the likes of Europe two up. Secondly a tad more ground clearance would be great. For NZ road conditions, tar and gravel, it is fine. But some more distant lands there are more pot holes then smooth road and with the added weight of another person a few more mm 0f clearance would be great.

[Oscar]

Remember when the Govt bought the BMW limos and everyone was up in arms about it? That's coz almost everyone wanted to bag the govt, and it seemed like an easy issue to pick.

What really matters is the whole of life cost of the vehicle. Like, how long youy going to keep it? What will it be worth in that time? How much will the servicing and fuel cost over that time? And finally, what will the resale be?

The big problem is brand loyalty. You'll never get a BMW person to recommend a VStrom, or vice versa. Likewise, lots of people who have never had a BMW just look at the price, and write that option off. Never mind the fact that around the world they are generally regarded as the best adventure bike you can get.

Before you decide, think about resale, whole of life cost and the life-sucking depreciation that Suzukis (and most other marques) suffer from.

Just my views. I know I've opened a can of worms, as most everyone has a view on this. Buy a used GS, you'll not regret it. The owners generally ride them like nanas.

I own two KTM's, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a V Strom or a GS to someone I thought would benefit (based on their requirements).

Having owned a BMW, I just don't get it (the whole BMW mystique).
Sure they are well made (but the build quality is no better than a KTM), but do suffer from their share of problems (final drive for GS's and ECU/FI for F650's, for example).

As for used value, that just don't make sense either - surely you should compare your used GS to a used V Strom (for example). Not only that, but a quick squiz on Tard Me shows:

• 2004 BMW GS1150Adv - $19000. These had a new price of $28,000ish, so it's worth 67% of new price after 34,000km's.
• A coupla of 2001/2 GS1150's at $11,000 - which means they're at about 44% of new price ($25,000) (one had 30,000km's the other 77,000km's).
• An '02 V Strom at $8950, which means it's worth 60% of purchase price ($14995) after 20,000km's.
• My own V Strom (an '02 model sold new in '05), which I paid $10,000 for, I actually sold for $10,750 nine months later (which is more than two thirds of it's new price).

Not very scientific I grant you, but there is no evidence there of higher resale values for Beemers (actually the opposite is true), or "life sucking depreceation" for Sozooks (again, it would appear that they hold their value very well) .

Edit:

Looking again at the GS1150A, the guy had put a squillion dollars worth of bling on it:

BMW Cross-bar protector,
BMW injector covers,
BMW adventure topbox (side box used as topbox),
BMW black system panniers,
BMW motorcycle Oil Filter Tool,
BMW trickle battery charger,
BMW clear turn signal lenses,(+ yellow lenses)
BMW oil filter,
Aftermarket lockable oil filler cap,(+ original)
Aftermarket rally foot rests + originals,
Aftermarket black side panels,
Aftermarket magnetic tankbag (black),
Aftermarket air filter,+ oils, shampoo.
Aftermarket screen plus original,
Aftermarket spot-lights (fitted by BMW),
Aftermarket head-light protector,
Aftermarket sidestand foot enlarger,
Aftermarket front mudguard lower extention,(fender extendar)
Kaoko cruise control,
Touratec gearlever extender,
Touratech oil cooler protection,
Touratec handlebar risers,
Touratec back-brakelever extention,
Haynes Service Manual,
Sheep skin seatcover (light grey),
Remus y-piece,+ original cat,
4x new Bosch Oil filters.
GlobeRiders BMW R1100/1150GS - Adventure Touring Instructional DVD

So contrary to the BMW holding it's value, this one is a fecking good buy.