Talk:BMW F series parallel-twin
BMW 800GS 21,000km through South America
The experienced and adventurous Morgans selected the 800GS for part of their round the world tour in 2009.Over 70 days they travelled over Peru, Chile, Argentina ,Paraguay,Uraguay and Brazil. The standard bikes were equipped with Tourace Rear tyres and Universal Knobby TKC80 front tyres. Gear was carried in Alluminim rear panniers which took the brunt of many falls. They had plastic top boxes,soft tank saddlebags and large tank bags with clear map /document pockets on top. The bikes were eguipped with GPS which saved a lot of problems map reading on the go. They carried small plastic petrol containers for extra fuel in remote areas. The bikes met every kind of road surface and were considered very reliable considering the rough treatment they got. Problems encountered were:Side stand badly shaped so that the heavily laden bike had to be leaned away from the supporting foot every time the side stand was used-a tricky manouvre ( The Morgans are also in their 50s and are not tall or strong people). The oil cooler was too low and exposed and got covered in mud and salt etc reducing its efficiency. The fan on 1 bike was jammed by a stone so the bike over heated. The wheel rim on one heavily ladden bike was buckled but was still rideable. They considered the bike was on the large and heavy side compared with their previous BMW 650 Dakars used in other parts of the world trip. Good points were reliabliity, able to carry a big load ,able to cover long km on tarmac at high speed. Easy to turn off the ABS for use on rough roads. Fuel injection sensors worked very well compensating for use at high altitude(4000m)automaticallly. Bikes handled satisfactorily on all surfaces. Deep mud was an issue due to the weight of gear carried and the compromise tyres. Jo Morgan found that lightening her load improved performance noticeably. The group did not carry camping gear. They covered 81-653km per day at elevations up to 4400m ASL — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.88.97.148 (talk) 22:01, 4 September 2011 (UTC)
- Just because some people rode a bike on a long distance trip, it doesn't make them notable and worthy of mention. Lots of people do long distance rides (I met a large number this weekend at the UK Horizons Unlimited event) but very few are notable enough to be featured on WIkipedia. If these people are truly notable then write an article about them. --Biker Biker (talk) 06:54, 5 September 2011 (UTC)
G Morgan is the author of 9 books, 4 them on adventure biking in different continents of the world. After becomming a multi millionare he has given away much of his fortune to worthy causes. Each of his trips is part of a campaign to raise awareness in a particular 3rd world project in which he has a special interest. He has always used BMW motorcycles.Im sure folks who are interested in the 800 would be interested in the opinion of a person (and his wife)who are, without doubt, two of the most experienced adventure riders any where in the world. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.88.97.148 (talk) 20:49, 5 September 2011 (UTC)