So what am I riding on this jaunt home from Kuwait?
Last year I picked up a second hand (2006) BMW R1200GS Adventure (shown right) – not every biker's first choice I know, but if it was good enough for Obi Wan Kanobi's latest incarnation and his mate on their north-south 'Long Way' trek from John O'Groats to Cape Town, it'll do for me. Not that I intend tackling much in the way of off-roading when I'm on my journey home. In fact, loaded up as I will be, I'm rather hoping that the odd stretch of roadworks or graded surfaces in some of the more remote areas will be the nearest I get to testing the bike's Gelände capabilities over its Straße ones.
But I love this bike. It's my first Beamer – apart from a few rides on a 1970-something R100RS my old man took in a trade-in against some construction plant he sold to a building contractor in Shetland many moons ago. I first rode that 1000cc bike the same day I passed my bike test (on a 50cc Suzuki!) and scared the stuff out of myself when a bend suddenly arrived quicker than I expected - but that's another story.
The GSA is a big bike, especially for a 5' 8" (173cm) short-arse like me, which is why I've fitted slightly (30 mm) lower Hyperpro springs on front and rear shocks. These, together with a lower seat from a 1200GS (note: not the 'low' GSA seat which leaves the rider with practically no padding – not a good idea on a long run) mean that with my little legs, I can just about get my feet flat on the ground… almost. Enough anyway to feel reasonably confident about not dropping the damn thing at traffic light stops.
I call her Giselle. She's no ballerina but she is German, of course, and has a G and an S and… oh never mind. But she is a big girl, weighing in at around 265 kg (584 lbs) fuelled up and ready to roll but minus all the truck I'll need to carry when I set off. In spite of all this beef, it's a surprisingly nimble bike on the road. And I don't mean fast. I'm getting too long in the tooth to be a speed merchant, much preferring comfort and the GSA's upright riding position over eye-watering thrust and bum-in-the-air posture of other models and marques. But the 1200cc Boxer twin is fast enough and provides the bike with enough power and dexterity to keep me out of trouble in traffic - particularly important given the parlous state of driving on Kuwait's roads.
The bike was acquired, after much traditional Middle East haggling, from those nice people at TriStar Motorcycles, Kuwait's BMW Motorrad (and Ducati) dealers. It had around 20000 km on the clock and more Touratech and other aftermarket goodies and bling than you would think possible – quite a bit of which I've since removed. I say 'haggling', but jeez, these guys know how to drive a hard bargain. I traded my '05 KTM 640 Adventure, bought new in Dubai, and still seemed to pay an arm and a leg. They blame their small market. And truly, in spite (or maybe because) of its alleged tax-free status, Kuwait is an expensive place. No, I'm not going to reveal what I paid. Just suffice to say I looked at it like buying a Persian carpet – if you really like it, go through the bargaining process and you're reasonably happy with what you've forked out, then it's worth it.
And yes, I did consider making this trip on the 640Adv. It was originally bought with a view to tackling a planned, but ultimately aborted, ride down the east coast of Africa from Mozambique to Johannesburg with Mark, a South African mate (XR650) while living in Dubai – and that's yet another story. But after much research and chatting with more experienced long tour riders, the thought of tackling this homeward bound trip on the 640's thumping single pot with its well known resultant vibration, convinced me to go for the bigger, heavier but smoother Beamer. Did I make the right choice? Only time and miles travelled will tell.
But I love this bike. It's my first Beamer – apart from a few rides on a 1970-something R100RS my old man took in a trade-in against some construction plant he sold to a building contractor in Shetland many moons ago. I first rode that 1000cc bike the same day I passed my bike test (on a 50cc Suzuki!) and scared the stuff out of myself when a bend suddenly arrived quicker than I expected - but that's another story.
The GSA is a big bike, especially for a 5' 8" (173cm) short-arse like me, which is why I've fitted slightly (30 mm) lower Hyperpro springs on front and rear shocks. These, together with a lower seat from a 1200GS (note: not the 'low' GSA seat which leaves the rider with practically no padding – not a good idea on a long run) mean that with my little legs, I can just about get my feet flat on the ground… almost. Enough anyway to feel reasonably confident about not dropping the damn thing at traffic light stops.
I call her Giselle. She's no ballerina but she is German, of course, and has a G and an S and… oh never mind. But she is a big girl, weighing in at around 265 kg (584 lbs) fuelled up and ready to roll but minus all the truck I'll need to carry when I set off. In spite of all this beef, it's a surprisingly nimble bike on the road. And I don't mean fast. I'm getting too long in the tooth to be a speed merchant, much preferring comfort and the GSA's upright riding position over eye-watering thrust and bum-in-the-air posture of other models and marques. But the 1200cc Boxer twin is fast enough and provides the bike with enough power and dexterity to keep me out of trouble in traffic - particularly important given the parlous state of driving on Kuwait's roads.
The bike was acquired, after much traditional Middle East haggling, from those nice people at TriStar Motorcycles, Kuwait's BMW Motorrad (and Ducati) dealers. It had around 20000 km on the clock and more Touratech and other aftermarket goodies and bling than you would think possible – quite a bit of which I've since removed. I say 'haggling', but jeez, these guys know how to drive a hard bargain. I traded my '05 KTM 640 Adventure, bought new in Dubai, and still seemed to pay an arm and a leg. They blame their small market. And truly, in spite (or maybe because) of its alleged tax-free status, Kuwait is an expensive place. No, I'm not going to reveal what I paid. Just suffice to say I looked at it like buying a Persian carpet – if you really like it, go through the bargaining process and you're reasonably happy with what you've forked out, then it's worth it.
And yes, I did consider making this trip on the 640Adv. It was originally bought with a view to tackling a planned, but ultimately aborted, ride down the east coast of Africa from Mozambique to Johannesburg with Mark, a South African mate (XR650) while living in Dubai – and that's yet another story. But after much research and chatting with more experienced long tour riders, the thought of tackling this homeward bound trip on the 640's thumping single pot with its well known resultant vibration, convinced me to go for the bigger, heavier but smoother Beamer. Did I make the right choice? Only time and miles travelled will tell.
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