The Bike

Iīm riding a 2002 BMW 650 GS Dakar which Iīve affectionately nicknamed Santiago.

For his trip I decided Iīd better buy a new motorcycle... because the last time I took a trip of this length, by bicycle from NYC to Seattle, pretty much every part that could break, as well as some that really shouldnīt, came apart by the end of the trip. In fact, I ended up buying a new frame in Montana. Not the kind of situation I wanted to deal with in Peru with a motorcycle.

So after saving my money, and consulting various people and websites, I decided on a BMW GS (the GS stands for Gravel/Street or I believe Gelande/Strasse in German...). I didnīt want an older bike, because although they are more reparable on the road, they also are more likely to need repairing - with a new machine you get a grace period of several thousand miles before you have to go all Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on its ass. I read Gregoy Frazierīs book on Alaska, and the only good piece of information I gleaned from that book was where he said that the 1150GS was too heavy, and after a test drive in Manhattan where I nearly dropped it after stepping into a pothole, I was inclined to agree. It's not the kind of bike you'll ever want to have to handle on sand. I opted for a new 650GS. I got the Dakar because it came with a slightly larger tank (4.5 gallons), and they started offering it with ABS.

Overall, I think it was a pretty good choice. As of today (May 25, 2003) Iīve done 32,000 miles, without any mechanical failures (that were the bikeīs fault, that is.) I had one hole in my radiator near Chivay, Peru caused by a rock, which I thought was a freak thing until I met two Dakar riders from Switzerland, and one of them had the same thing happen in Siberia. This is a design fault of the Dakar - it needs about $15 more in plastic parts to be well suited to this trip - guards for the shocks in front, for the radiator, and for the headlight. Also desirable are engine guard bars (the aluminum protection is helpful but not enough by itself) and a center stand (useful when the standard side stand breaks, which it will because it is too short.)

On the other hand, Iīve seen a lot of people doing trips like this with the Kawasaki KLR, and aside from the fuel injection and the seat, at about half the cost, it seems like itīs as good, so if I had to do it over I might go with the KLR. The fuel injection is nice - no playing around with jets, and the bike always starts quickly regardless of altitude and temperature, but the fact that I canīt fix it had me a little concerned. Over time Iīm worrying about it less.

The one part of the bike I think is a weakness is the chain (by which I mean the chain and sprockets together) - older R80īs, R100īs and the 1150GS donīt have a chain to go bad. Not a problem, as long as you maintain it. My first chain I did not take care of, and had to replace it at 7500 miles, a problem I think other people have had with the F650 (see the F650.com website.) Iīve used a spray on wax, which works pretty well - my second sprocket set made 12,000 miles, and my third about 9,000 with lots of dirt and the wrong chain oil. The shaft drive bikes get a lot farther, and there is no maintenance to do (unless of course they break down, and then repairs outside of a shop are pretty much out of the question.) I've seen the automatic oiling kit - releases oil onto the chain, according to the RPM's of the engine - and this apparently extends the life of the chain to 15,000 or 17,000 miles (at least). These use a chainsaw or two stroke engine oil, very common in South America.