Well, im about to do it.

After 12 months and 36k im cleaning my 800GS, selling and going orange. Unfortunately i have to brake even or have some cash left over, so i'll be going older.
Ive had a quick look around and it seems alot of problems are sorted within the first 10k miles and they are reliable if they are looked after? I don't mind buying a carb'd bike or an older one either but is it going to be headache, i ride the F800 almost every day with no major issues... can i expect the same from a 950 or can it turn into a money pit?

Help guys, im really sitting on the fence with this one at the moment and need a push.

the 950 is as reliable as any bike I have had. You will be going thru more tires and chains though

If you can get your hands on a SE or 990R....you'll forget all about your 800gs after just a few minutes of cycling through the gears. I've had 3 BMW's (all GSA's) over the years and I sold them all after a year of ownership. My SE is like a time machine...every time I get on her I'm an 18yr old hooligan piss-in vinegar, chasing skits and thinkin dirty thoughts every chance I get. It's the KTM way I guess....my SE has been rock solid other than a bad battery out of the gates but absolutely reliable....drink the kool aid and buy yourself a box of Depends Undergarments if you get an SE.

Why ? , what is it you are looking for RAD. Going back in years you are going to end up with something with similar klm's on it. 1yr old beemer would still have 1yr warranty and road side assist wouldn't it. The devil you know.

thanks for the input guys.
I think its just cost evaluation at the moment, but i wouldn't mind a change. Its not a fun bike off road like i thought it would be and to fix that is big $$ i dont have, 950 was a blast to ride but when i bought the 800 i'd never ridden a big dirt bike off road and wanted something... a bit more docile, not to mention it was 5K cheaper and i wanted a new bike.
I guess at the moment going back to an 05-06 is what id have to do, i guess this is where my issue is.
If the bike has similar miles, looks like its been well cared for, had documents ect. and the owner has been ontop of the maintinance is it a safe bet that that i'll be buying a relatively trouble free bike?

A big thing is how handy you are with a spanner. I don't think the Adv is a particularity difficult bike to work on but it IS quite laborsome. If you can do your own basic servicing you can save a lot of cash this way.

And while the 950 has some inherent design flaws (by now very well documented) at it's core it's actually a very robust and reliable bike. A well maintained 950 with all the usual issues fixed is as reliable as anything else out there.

And while I like beemers once you've gotten your leg over that short stroke V-twin and trashed it a bit you'll quickly forget everything about parallel twins and boxers. It is F-U-N

I cant answer your question about buying second hand and being reliable. Thats anybodies guess, so is buying new sometimes. Plenty of people have them and they seem to have no more issues than anything else. Some people make big deals out of small things, so its all about your perspective on things i guess. Mine to me is a great bike, very capable (more than i)and plenty of fun thats for sure. I think because of this you pay a bit more because of the way you ride them with rear tyre wear. But they can make even a boring straight road a fun place to be.

Yeah, ive been reading through the hall of wisdom and im sure i can manage most of the issues along with the maintinace. All the known issues have been sorted and there are fixes for them. Thats good enough for me, having another bike i can grin like an idiot on is going to be worth the tyres and chains.

Don’t sweat it. A mate bought a new GS800 in 08; twice his puter lied to him on fuel, once rescued by the dealer and once by my SE, has had two new sender units. His water pump leaked after we return from trip to Wales, better BMW design, doesn’t leak directly into the oil but CJ is on to that.

I like tinkering with my SE, she been rock solid reliable and got me home after a bad off, off road. Yes KTM’s are quirky but it’s the best all round bike I’ve ever owned.

I bought a new '05 and love it...
Had about every problem that's documented in this forum - and used the inmates wisdom to fix it better than new.
IMHO buying used might be an advantage, some other schmuck has had to deal with all the teething pains.
In the end, I'll say, this is the funnest bike to ride the $hit out of that I've ever owned. Dirt or street.

Mate i've ridden mine for 50k so far, did the water pump , fuel quality is paramount, buy the carbied model, mine's an '04, top bike , get one you won't regret it.
I do every second oil change myself, saves a few $.
i'll get an SE if I can too one day....

If I rode my ex-BMW as har as I ride my KTM, it would be done for in a year!

I’m on my 4^th KTM and here’s how I like to describe it: KTM’s are an enthusiast bike made for enthusiast riders. Nobody makes a bike that does quite what a KTM does and its most appreciated by such enthusiasts. Being the type of bike that it is, it has its quirks, but for the faithful they are a just part of the package because they want the experience that a KTM has to offer and ultimately, there is no substitute.

<o> </o>The question then becomes: what kind of biker are you? If you want the most out of your machine and are willing to put up with some extra wrenching or sometimes, eh, curious design decisions, then a KTM is probably what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for Japanese bike reliability and are willing to sacrifice performance to get it, then I wouldn’t recommend a KTM.

It's a constant conversation with my riding buddy who says the KTM will not be as reliable as his KLR. He has logged just over 30K with no issues other than tires and cables. I have logged just over 11K with out one hiccup. On my third set of tires (the rear knobbies just don't hold up) We just got back from a 3k ride down to Louisiana and loved it. My only input is to check our your local dealerships. I live in the Charlotte NC area and have yet to find a decent dealer.

Why switch? Seems pretty much the same motorcycle. A heavy twin with a 21 front hoop.

Im not sure why exactly i wan't to change bikes, they are both heavy twins but the KTM just looks more fun as a complete package.
I wouldn't trust the local KTM dealership to order two stroke parts and give me a fair price so if it see's a mechanic it'll be a husqvarna dealer. I comute on my bikes most of the time so its going to come to weather or not im willing to dealing with the quirks as they apear. So i guess im not ready to make the decision but im a whole lot closer.

Thanks guys.

I agree they are an enthusiasts machine. I own an '03 950s adventure and it is a great bike. A mate has the f800gs and it too is a good bike. My bike has never left me stranded anywhere, but I did have to cut short a trip when the well known clutch slave cylinder problem occured. I have since replaced it with an Evoluzione one and had no problems since. I also had the water pump issue, but had this fixed as a warrenty item even though the bike was years out of warranty. Given the water pump is a known issue I take the view that I will treat it as a service item. Which means I will get my bike shop to pull it apart and check or replace as required every second year or 20,000 km, whichever comes first. I have yet to have a fuel pump issue. I am not worried the bike is not owner serviceable as I cant be bothered doing my own maintenance. When I owned four cylinder jap road bikes I never tried to do a major service, so cant see why I would want to start on the KTM. I dont think you can expect a performance machine to be cheap to service. If I wanted cheap and owner serviceable, I would own a DR650.

One area where the BM is clearly superior is fuel economy. My 950 drinks fuel and I seem to get about 14.5 km/l, which is crap. I fitted the Neduro auxiliary tank, so I now have a good fuel range, so I dont care that much. I have been toying with downsizing to a 650 single and have almost decided I probably won't. The reason being the 950 is just too good. I love how it goes on the highway, I love how it goes on fast dirt roads. It can certainly do the slower more technical stuff, but it is obviously going to be harder work than a 650 single. The bike oozes clever design and has good quality suspension.

The standard screen is crap at highway speeds for me. I made an 8 inch polycarbonate extension which I attached using caravan "awning de-flappers" (which you can get at BCF for $30) which means the screen is now very good. I really dont understand why so many people on this forum go for unnecessarily complex and time consuming solutions like napa (?) ducts etc. The buffeting in my view is because the screen is either too high or too low. If you chop it down you are in clean air, but obviously you dont get the wind protetion. If you go higher with the screen you can push the air over the top of your helmet so you no longer get the hideous resonating buffetting that is a feature of the standard screen. I chose the latter option. Mind you, my solution is not an aesthetically pleasing one.

In all honesty even though I love my bike, I really dont think you are going to gain a great deal changing out your BMW. I have ridden my mates BM on the road and preferred my riding position and wind protection, but really there wasnt that much in it. I havent ridden his on the dirt so couldnt say how big a difference there would be off road. He really likes it off road and it seems reasonably competent. I dont think either the 950 or the 800 are going to be as good as a good 650 in the more difficult off road stuff. I have ridden a mates 640 Adventure and that is an easier bike to ride when things get a bit tougher.