THE ESSENTIAL BUYER'S GUIDE: BMW GS
by Al
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It'll fit in the pocket of your average touring jacket. If you're looking to buy a BMW GS, you'll need a touring jacket. Get it first.
Peter Henshaw's obviously had a GS or two, and he goes into acquiring one in detail. The first chapters discuss ergonomics, running costs, maintenance, parts availability, parts costs, foibles, and plus and minus points. He gives a parts list of cables, brake pads, shocks and the sort of parts that you need to get for a bike with a few miles on it, and their cost. He's a Pom, so the costs are in pounds, but it's easy enough to convert them.
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A small sample of Peter Henshaw's wisdom... |
Then comes a couple of paragraphs on each model, from the original 1980 R80 G/S to the 2007 R1200 GS Adventure, detailing the features of each model and commenting on the performance.
After which, Henshaw cuts to the chase. There's a checklist for a fifteen minute evaluation of the bike, with photos. If it passes the fifteen minutes test, there's another checklist for a thirty minute test. If it doesn't, Henshaw says walk away.
The checks range from the blindingly obvious ("If the bashplate is scraped or dented, the bike will have been used off road") to what I suspect are nuggets of gold for the wannabe GS owner ("On Paralever bikes, check the swingarm pivot and U-joint. They can fail without warning. The driveshaft splines should be well lubricated, so ask when this was last done.")
He covers the running gear, the engines ("Expect some valve noise from airheads when the engine's warm, but oilheads should be mechanically quiet"), the body work ("On the steel fuel tanks, check for leaks along the seam"), electrics ("Oilhead sensors to the supply engine management system can be vulnerable to weather") and suspension ("On the Telelever front ends, this ball joint is a wear point").
He goes on to cover clutch, gearbox, instruments, brakes, luggage, exhaust smoke (it's normal for the sidestand side pot to smoke for a bit after a cold start) and a bunch of other stuff that I vowed not to read a second time, because it made me want to grow a beard, buy a Belstaff jacket and an open face helmet and start drinking Stones Green Ginger Wine.
Each test has a score. You add the points up at the end. If it's more than 70, you start negotiating with your victim, and Henshaw's got tips on how to do that, too.
If it scores less than 70 it might still be worth it, and he's got further tips on doing a restoration: paint cracking/crazing/blistering, rust, seized components. And the biggest tip of all comes under restoration: it'll cost more and take longer than you think.
It's only 64 pages, but it's jam packed with information. There's a list of web sites, books, clubs and auction places.
It's a great idea. One page is dedicated to similar books by the same publisher -- the Essential Buyer's Guide series. There are twenty of them. Eighteen are for cars. The other two bike models covered are BSA 500 and 650 twins* (like you're going to get a good one of them) and Triumph Bonneville.
The Essential Buyer's Guide: BMW GS is available wherever good books are sold to men in Belstaffs. It costs $29.99.
It could save you thousands.
*Younger riders may not be familiar with the BSA motorcycle. It is an extinct British marque. The letters stand for "Bastard Stopped Again".
