Bike modification for long trip.

Is is really necessary/important to modify f 800GS for multi continent travel(South America,Europe,Asia. in all about 50000 miles) I will be on main roads 90% of time. All thoughts appreciated. Thanks

Errrrmmmm I modified the hell out of mine for a 6k mile trek....

Necessary? No. But you might be more comfortable if you do. You may also avoid damage .. You may find dirt roads are required to get to the spots you'd like to see.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/gear-up/bike-preparation

You'll find lots of good info over on the HU site for international travel - use the blue bar at the top to get to the FAQs ..

At the very very very least ....
I'd sure as hell modify the seat somehow

OP, you would be wise to listen to JR, he was normal until he rode a long trip on the stock F800GS seat, now look at him, stiff as a board.

Long ride: seat, risers, pegs (even some touring pegs if you like), crash bars, hand guards, skid plate, I would at least protect the pieces that will touch down in the event of a crash. Besides that it is up to you.

i dunno... i've done 60,000km on the stock seat... and dont have any issues with it...

but you'd know your arse better than anyone else


.

As suggested before: Comfort will be an important factor whilst you are traveling. I'm not sure you'll be happy with the stock seat and screen. Those would be the first things I'd change. After that I'd add some crashbars "just in case". After that no modification is a must have but that's the beauty of farkling, you never need it but once you have it you don't want to miss it.
After that I'd change the front springs to avoid all that diving and add some risers too. Well there you caught me again with the farkle fever...

Mods are a preference and what one rider thinks is absolutely necessary another thinks it s silly. After 50k kms on our current trip I will say that basic protection / crashbars is a given and what ever you need to get the bike comfortable. Little pains become very big pains over a long distance of day after day riding. Spend less and ride longer is my advice.

VERY IMPORTANT you need to take a gasket for the stator cover, right side of the engine. Stators fail on our bikes at around 50k kms and without a new gasket you are potentially very SOL.

Loutre's gone soft. A n00b with an oddometer of 1 and he's giving good advice. There's hope for mankind.

Hey wants to do a 50k trip on my favorite bike, if he has a great camera this can turn out into a fantastic RR . Don't want to be remembered as "the bitch" in that thread too . I'm sure he'll even carve my name into his bashplate after that .

Short answer: no.

Best answer: yes, in moderation.

1) for comfort
2) for reliability
3) functionality

Find what seat works for you. She doesn't mind her seat. After 2 hours I want to ride off a cliff to end my suffering. My inner thighs were bleeding after 4 10 hr days. The Airhawk solved my problem butt is not practical on a RTW trip cause it may fail. I just bought a OEM comfort seat cheap so I'll see what happens. After her accident, her rebuilt wrist hurts after a few hours so I'm looking at grip puppies and risers. Spend the money on comfort whether the bike or gear. You will need the endurance.

Learn the faults of the bike so the Devil you know. Suitable long wearing tires, good quality chain/sprockets, replace all wheel bearings and lube well. Stator issues, fuel pump controller etc. Be prepared and carry likely spares or plan ahead for maintenance along the way.

When that's all done and there's money left, go for the farkles. Engine/rad protection is a given. Bash plate too. Shouldn't be riding at night so maybe the aux lights aren't feasible for that one time they'd help. RR protection? Why, please tell me! I hear suspension is a must but I haven't rode an F8 with better so I don't know better. I like it that way. I just accidentally bought an Akropovic real cheap to save weight. Not necessary but at that price, impulse took over. Scour the ads to find cheap used parts. Many posers farkle all to hell then trade it in where the Dealer won't pay for accessories. Then you find a guy with tons of parts that won't fit the new bike. Sic'm!

I could be talking about ANY bike here, right? Nothing is perfect.

The more offroad and remote you go, the more prepared you should be. With that though, how many "minimalist's" make it just fine? Are you mechanically minded and resourceful? Pack accordingly.

Finally, like BcDano and Radioman that are doing it right now, read their RR's and the others and heed their advice. I ride with my GF who won't go offroad loaded up with a newer bike so my miles are 95% pavement.

YMMV

Google "altruistic".

Personally, I'd like the imprint of your face in my bashplate.

......and Woody's not stiff, he's flexibility impaired!


Making friends everywhere I is.

That's just one impairment on a long long list..........

wonderful!!!!l, is the word that comes to my mind, about you guys. thank you!

this is my first F800 GS, so i am kinda nervous , i am doing 100 mile rides a day to get the feel.

I did a ride in in India on brand new Royal Enfield "Thunderbird" from north to south on a 350 cc motorcycle and had no problems other than clutch wire broke after about 20000 km and it had no power to pull at 17000ft above sea level, all i had to was adjust the carburetor to lean the mixture so it can have more oxygen to get going at that altitude, that's about it.I can post some great shots if you guys want to have a look?.

friends from Germany suggested GS 1100 but found heavy for me, beside that fell in LOVE with F800 GS on first sight. what makes me wonder is that BMW considered as top brand in ADV touring we still have to modify it....of course some do it as hobby others feel it necessary( like i am finding about the seat, LOL)having said that, I get to thinking if i should really change chain, sprockets,bearings. its BMW the top of the line and if i should/must change all these parts, then its not top of the line or is it???

you all are altruistic's in my opinion. lets keep the humor going.

Thanks again! for your advice folks

Every bike from every brand coming off a standard production line can be improved, they are all built to a budget and a certain standard, and not tailored for your specific needs.

Whether you feel these mods are worth it is a subjective judgement which likely depends on your budget, riding style, and what you are used to. If you were happy with a stock Royal Enfield there is a good chance that you will be ecstatic with the performance of the F800GS. If you previously rode a good dirt bike or a KTM 990 you would probably not be happy with the stock suspension or power output.

At the very least put on a good skid plate, crash bars and hand guards, so the bike will be protected when you crash. The rest of the mods are optional if you want to ride faster or just be more comfortable.

That is awesome Loutre!

Bearings... I did a complete bearing inspection of mine when I bought it. They all looked fine, shy on grease in a few, but I replaced them all for safety's sake. I think this may be a worthy endeavor in terms of preventative maintenance. But it depends, sure plenty of people have not had failures, I just do not want to right a ride report in which I get stranded somewhere in Oregon and get attacked by drunken otters after I throw a wheel bearing.

I would not travel without the ability to monitor the health of the charging system. Learned this the hard way. Was able to avoid trouble the second time around because of the Argus BB-SBM12-PS Battery Bug Battery Monitor.

It (or something like it) can tell you if you need to take a closer look at the bike before you plunge into the jungle and leave civilization behind.




....and sorry, I know nothing about Canadian beaver fetishes...

My first chain on a 2009 model lasted 26k miles. Some folks got a recall for the chain, but mine was fine and I don't think there's been a recall since. I wouldn't bother changing chain or sprockets for a trip on mainly roads. You might pack along a spare countershaft sprocket, since they wear out first and keeping the sprockets in good shape prolongs chain life. As others have said, bike protection and comfort are the biggies for this bike. And some knowledge of how to maintain and fix the beast.

Not sure if anyone mentioned tools. You'll need a bunch since it comes with next to nothing. There's a thread around here somewhere that beats the subject to death. One thing I tried recently that works great for breaking the bead on a tire when you have a flat is Motion Pro's BeadPro.

You've got a great bike...enjoy the ride!

I used to ride a Royal Enfield before, and I can tell that the stock suspension on it is way better than the F800GS.