General Advise Please

[Catosun]

Hi to all again, I am very confused.......... i have to decide between a BMW 650GS and a 2002 Africa twin i have not owned any of the two makes before please if i could be given some advise from you lovely people out there ........I would like to take the bike back to Kenya with me .

Thanks all

[darthDassie]

Ok - you are trying to choose between two GREAT bikes. I used to have a 2000 F650 GS Dakar (White and Black) - what an incredible ride. Light on fuel, responsive and very capable off-road (took her there often).

I now have a 99 AT, and I am in love. There is something about that smooth V-twin and low range torque. But not wanting to confuse you even more - here is what I think about the two:

GS: Lighter (easier to handle off road), lighter on fuel (fuel injection), beautiful. Front is a little soft (can upgrade the forks, but that is expensive). Everything on a BMW is expensive. If you are going to Kenya, you might want to take into consideration that EFI (fuel injection), can only be fixed (it doesn't really break all that often) with a computer.

AT: Heavier (which is a drawback on dirt, but a definite advantage when touring - recently had to ride a couple of hundred miles in very bad winds - the AT is a LOT better in crosswinds). Heavier on fuel (carbs) - but then - you can always fix your own if they break (not like EFI). Also - Honda is cheaper to maintain. The AT is also much better two up.

Finally - in my experience, the Honda is built better - the GS used to have rattles everywhere, whereas the AT is really solid.

That is my contribution.. but you really can't go wrong with either bike - just one things maybe - heard that the newer GS's (with duel spark plugs) tend to have problems starting when its cold - but Kenya is not cold .. don't know from experience though.

[Catosun]

Thanks for that darthDassie much appreciated i will keep it mind and wait for some more comments, get peoples opinion its important before i make the final discission

[lootch67]

I think darthDassie has got it spot on Catosun. If you're doing serious off-raod work then the BM is the bike because of it's weight. If you're into two-up riding on fairly good quality roads then the AT is the better bike. Don't know what the availablility of spares are in Kenya for either bike. That's something you'll have to look into and then decide. The AT is easy to work on but I suspect the BM might be even more so, apart from the EFI. You can't go far wrong with either bike though.

[Catosun]

Thanks lootch67 will keep that in mind.

[Eyetee]

I faced a similar choice last year and now have an Africa Twin with no plans to change, apart from the seat that is and the Dakar 650 was nice. Didn't ride either bike prior to purchase but sat on both and familiarised myself, asked questions etc the differences were already highlighted above but for me its the twin engine when cruising over the single up and down hammer and the fixability of the mechanical rather than electric set up.

The beauty is if you get it wrong they are both redily resold

[Catosun]

Hay thanks a lot for that eyetee,

Have located a twin 2002 done 13000 miles going to see it on monday.

Has anyone any comments on the 2002 model ? how can i get it high as i am tall any suggessions please before i go pick it up?

Thanks all for your lovely contributions.
Catosun

[Xander]

G'day,

My two cents worth.. They are both great bikes..( I love my AT).. I will not discuss there good points (much) cus that is the easy part..

Your body size can be an issue.. the AT is a big bike, where as the GS is a bit smaller, so I would take that in to account. Being on your tippy toes for long periods of time is not fun. As for what is the better bike to tour with, I would have to go AT for most of the reasons others have posted, but it is the Honda bullet proof engine that put it over for me. The GS is great and has passed the test of time, but it is a bit small for me (leg wise), (but I would not want a 1100+ cc bike either)

However if you are planning on doing a lot of remote solo riding in the dirt, I think I would go for a completely different bike then either of them something like a Honda XR in the 400CC range will give you the best off road experience, and are good enough on road as well. They can be picked up cheep and are very easy and cheep to get aftermarket bits and bobs for, so you can fit something like this out for less money then the purchase price of either the AT or GS (and AT can be cheaper then GS). Something like the CR which will be easier on the soft stuff.. which will mean you can cover more ground and be less tired. A nice comfy ride is great but if it takes all your energy to keep it up right then you will not be so comfy. They are good on fuel (don’t know if better or worse then AT or GS). A bike like this is very simple to maintain (both the BMW and AT are not that simple of machines if only because of the plastic /bash plates…). And Honda bike of this sort are easy to get bits for all over the world, as they sell them, some thing like the AT and GS are upper market bikes so you may have a harder time finding parts and/or a mechanic that has seen one before in out of the way places.

Now that I have insulted my bike, I have to say that I love the AT and do lots of travelling on it including two up in to very remote places. But I will have owned several Hondas before( including 2 ATs, and 3 CRs) can do most of the repairs myself, and am 6’2” so it is not so big for me. And I want to do the Africa thing on it …

[Catosun]

[size=18][color=blue]Thanks Xander point noted
[size=18

[Radio-active]

Hi...would go along with everything said so far....the AT weak points are Choke cable/springs, Fuel pump & Rectifier...all easily fixable (subject to parts availability)...so my advice would be grab them here and take them with you counting the cost (£150ish) as part of the purchase price!

The AT it is quite heavy...great for dirt roads, but not really for anything more technical.

I'm 6'2" and its fine but if you want more ground clearance you can get a jack up kit from Africa Queens for about £240!!!...you will have to modify the side stand though.