Our current Bikes

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135714 km

Basti's neue Honda Africa Twin CRF1000A

Price: 13.000,00 €
I already liked my old Africa Twin a lot and after hearing the rumors about the new one i got very excited. At the Eicma 2014 I realized with the True Adventure prototype, that Honda will built a beautiful bike. In my eyes no manufacturer has accomplished this in the last couple of years! And further I am not worried about Quality when it comes to Honda motorcycles.
I am convinced that the new Africa Twin will be the best motorcycle for our world tour. It combines offroad prowess with street riding like no other bike. We will find out first hand if it will accomplish the legendary reliability of the old Africa Twin.
So far the new bike has done everything right: Optic, seating position, riding emotion, sound - the few kilometers we have done so far arouse pure emotions in me!

Experiences after
By now the AT and me are a great team. It is incredible fun to ride on every terrain! After I adjusted the suspension to the weight, I almost don't notice the extra kilos anymore. The bike still feels incredible light and suspension travel is more than enough. So far it did not once punch through. Only in the worst terrain we both agree from time to time that now would be the right time to lay down - resistance is pointless at that point ;)
Because of the top case my weight distribution sadly isn't ideal anymore and it is way too heavy at the back. Therefor the traction at the rear tire is endless and driving fast through corners is still no problem.
However I am a bit disappointed that the mounting of the front wind screen broke pretty fast under the weight of the navigation system and the vibrations caused by bad roads. Even after I had it welded and tried to additionally fasten it with zip ties to reduce vibrations, I still have great doubts how long it's going to last. Also the shaft seals of the front forks surrendered in the heat of Turkmenistan way too fast and started leaking.
Apart from that I detected only minor faults, which surprise me nonetheless: the outside temperature is always shown 4 degrees too high, also the speed is displayed at least 10% higher, the set button draws water and gets stuck, also the left handle protector broke at the first drop in soft gras while standing. I did expect a bit more from Honda. The evolution to more power and technology at less weight and minimum prices have consequences even at Honda.
All of that are minor problems. The bike is genius and it is a lot of fun to ride! And to be honest we ride on extreme grounds from time to time and I am always surprised how well I can handle the AT there.
After the first problems appeared quite early we changed our way of driving to be a bit more moderate and protective. You don’t want to have problems in Mongolia or China.
Still in Russia the rear wheel bearings capitulated. I saw corrosion which is why I guess it was caused by all the earlier river crossings. Luckily the bearings are standard and we could find new ones in Novosibirsk. After the change of the fork oil in combination with new shaft seals the front fork was as good as new. Only the other welding seam of the mounting of the windscreen broke also almost as expected after some time. Since then it did only hold up by the one I got welded back in Iran until I got the whole mount welded and painted completely new in Las Vegas. That were already all the last necessary fixes. I was able to ride without any problems through Mongolia, China and Laos. The chain did hold up till Cambodia and 38,000 km. But then the change was about time!
In my opinion the bike lives up to it’s high expectations in reliability. Also there haven’t been any bad surprises at the big 48,000 km inspection. Valves adjustment was almost not necessary and I got the spark plugs changed more as a precaution then as a necessity. But it is a lot of work to get to those things…
The positive impression is lessened because of Honda’s bad dealer network. Thinking that there would be plenty of Honda dealers around the world has been one of my key reasons to buy the Honda. Sadly we had to find out that at least in Asia there are no dealers at all or they only have Honda products from China and are therefore not able to help with the Africa Twin at all. In Cambodia they have not even been able to order parts! This is why we had to order chains and sprockets through a small private workshop. Only in Thailand there are Honda dealers for big bikes again (Honda Big Wing).
Additionally we found out that our warranty is only valid in Europe. On one hand Honda is making commercials about how great the bike is for world touring and on the other hand they are not prepared to deal with world travelers. Thank god our Honda dealer back at home is doing what he can to help us out. A big thank you to Honda Evecan! When it comes to service I sadly have to say that BMW is ahead by far. My brother always found immediate support wherever he was able to find a BMW dealer. And there were much more around then I would have imagined. It was also very easy to submit warranty claims and the necessary work was done quickly and for free.
I still stand by my opinion and the AT is my favourite bike to do a round the world trip, but Honda definitely has to improve their world wide customer service!

date   modifications and service kilometer duration costs
Mar 29, 2022 New intAct Gel Battery (GEL YTZ14-S) 135714 km 1 h 53 €
Apr 17, 2021 New paper air filters and change of cooling liquid 135249 km 2 h 50 €
Oct 02, 2020 TÜV (Technical Inspection Agency) - no faults 134954 km 1 h 80 €
Sep 04, 2020 New front tire Mitas E-09 (only front as the rear is still ok) 134800 km 2 h 96 €
Oct 15, 2019 Change of the battery, back to the OEM I still had 133818 km 0 h 0 €
Apr 07, 2019 Air filter cleaned, both brake fluids changed and brakes lubricated (no change of brake pads) 129969 km 6 h 20 €
Dec 03, 2018 Oil change (5W 40 Liqui Moly) 129815 km 1 h 45 €
Jun 29, 2018 TÜV (Technical Inspection Agency) - no faults 128488 km 1 h 77 €
Jun 26, 2018 new DID chain and sprokets 128486 km 2 h 130 €
Jun 02, 2018 Arrival at home! 128486 km
May 19, 2018 Change of tires (Mitas E07 front normal, rear Dakar version) and rear brake pads 124719 km 2 h 256 €
Mar 18, 2018 Oil change (15W 50 Motul) and cleaning of air filters 116480 km 3 h 50 €
Feb 13, 2018 Change of only the chain 109565 km 1 h 100 €
Jan 21, 2018 Cleaning of air filters 105560 km 3 h 0 €
Jan 19, 2018 Change of tires (again Heidenau K60 Scout) 105321 km 3 h 216 €
Jan 10, 2018 Oil change (10W 40 Liqui Moly) with filter, replaced right mirror, fitted additional windscreen support mount, change of all brake pads 103301 km 8 h 200 €
Dec 14, 2017 My first flat tire (rear) 101756 km 3 h 0 €
Dec 06, 2017 100.000 kilometers! (62137 miles) 100000 km
Nov 28, 2017 Change of rear brake pads (custom made) 98455 km 2 h 7 €
Oct 27, 2017 Change of tires (again Heidenau K60 Scout) 91779 km 1 h 200 €
Oct 20, 2017 The frame to the windshield and navigation mount welded again (different spot this time) 90615 km 6 h 15 €
Oct 12, 2017 Oil change (10W 40 Motul) 90467 km 1 h 40 €
Oct 11, 2017 Change of the rear brake pads 90457 km 1 h 78 €
Sep 15, 2017 Cleaning of air filters 86951 km 2 h 0 €
Aug 07, 2017 Change of Oil (10W50 Castrol), change of tires (again Heidenau K60 Scout) and new DID chain and sprockets 77250 km 5 h 450 €
Jun 23, 2017 Oil change (10W40 Honda) 68428 km 1 h 35 €
May 03, 2017 Oil change with filter (10W40 Mobil1) and tire change again to Heidenau K60 Scouts 60983 km 4 h 500 €
Apr 27, 2017 New progressive Wilbers springs fitted in the forks, together with new fork oil of course 59626 km 2 h 250 €
Apr 22, 2017 Change of the front brake rotors together with new brake pads (all OEM) 59143 km 1 h 350 €
Apr 07, 2017 Change of the OEM suspension strut to a Wilbers suspension strut 57132 km 1 h 850 €
Mar 15, 2017 Change of oil (10W40 Motul) 50292 km 1 h 40 €
Mar 07, 2017 Big inspection: new spark plugs, valves adjusted, coolant and brake fluid changed. Additional: windshield and navi mount welded again, one top spark plug socket exchanged, top case mount improved, new Barkbusters hand guards, new clutch lever and new food pegs mounted 49625 km 20 h
Feb 18, 2017 Rear brake pads changed 47153 km 1 h 28 €
Jan 18, 2017 Change of air filters to reusable ones from UniFilter and fitting of the side stand base extension (both from Touratech) 43630 km 1 h 170 €
Dec 07, 2016 Change of oil with oil filter (5W40 Liqui Moly) 39780 km 1 h 50 €
Dec 06, 2016 Change of tires (again to Heidenau K60 Scout) 39715 km 1 h 190 €
Nov 15, 2016 New DID chain and sprockets mounted. 38350 km 2 h 210 €
Oct 02, 2016 Front brake pads and Oil changed (10W40 PPT) 33535 km 1 h 76 €
Sep 16, 2016 Rear brake pads changed 31176 km 1 h 30 €
Jul 18, 2016 Both rear bearings changed. Sadly we couldn't get new sealing rings. 19105 km 1 h 25 €
Jul 17, 2016 warning Right rear bearing broken and very rusty. 19105 km
Jul 14, 2016 Change of tires (again to Heidenau K60 Scout), change of air filters, change of oil with oil filter (5W40 Liqui Moly), new fork oil sealings, change of fork oil (10W Liqui Moly) and fitting of neopren protectors 19044 km 10 h 350 €
May 31, 2016 warning Fork oil seal ring on both sides is leaking 11570 km
May 31, 2016 Set Button works again! Incredible what 42 degrees can achieve :) 10987 km
May 27, 2016 Broken welding seam of navigation and windshield holding welded. Additional fixation with cable straps. 10066 km 2 h 0 €
May 23, 2016 warning Right side of the bracket broke, where the windscreen and the GPS is mounted. Probably because of the weight of the GPS and heavy vibrations. 9546 km
May 20, 2016 Chain tighten and Oil change: the touratech motor protection has to be dismantled entirely in order to reach the second oil screw 9047 km 2 h 50 €
May 19, 2016 Test of the spare switch unit: only after 24 hours the set button was already going badly and got stuck for a short time. That is why I decided to skip the change and threw it away. 8750 km 24 h 0 €
May 07, 2016 Changed tires to Heidenau K60 Scout 7145 km 1 h 25 €
Apr 20, 2016 warning Set switch gets stuck again. The problem does not go away. But I haven't used the spare yet, because it is a lot of work to change it and I am afraid that the new one will have the same problem. While standing without gloves and with two hands I can still use it, that's enough for now. 2000 km
Apr 05, 2016 Set switch is working again. It seems that the problem occurs when it gets wet. Still I got a new spare to take with me. 1200 km 0 h 0 €
Mar 17, 2016 Inspection at 1000 km 1047 km 1 h
Mar 11, 2016 The SET button of the left switch unit stays pressed in and doesn't get out anymore. 532 km
Feb 17, 2016 Vehicle licensing 0 km 1 h 60 €
Feb 11, 2016 Assembly of a main stand and steel pipes for the brakes 0 km 5 h 500 €
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104984 km

Fabi's BMW R 1200 GS Triple Black

Price: 21.000,00 €
Of course I get asked a lot, why I decided to ride the BMW. One important part in it played the fact that I couldn't have test ridden the new Africa Twin. I never really felt comfortable on the old Africa Twin which is why this was very important for me. But the most important fact was that I felt instantly at home one the BMW R1200GS. The switch from my old R1200R was perfect. I have never felt this comfortable riding a different bike in such a short time. The ergonomics, the technical gadgets and the incredible power over the whole revrange had me quickly convinced.
A lot of travelers have taken the GS to the ends of the world and shown how reliable it can be. The new GS has been updated over the last three years to help with some of the issues the first models had. No other motorcycle combines comfort and agility like the GS.
It was very important to me that i feel 100% comfortable on my new bike, since it will be my home for the next two years. I was already able to enjoy the incredible handling and power on our past rides and I cant wait to take it on our big adventure. Even offroad the bike surprised me positively. Standing up the bike feels great and the electronics help you to put the power on the ground.
Even after riding the Honda now there is no question for me where I feel more comfortable. For me the BMW is the best bike and I am looking forward to take it on our biggest adventure yet.

Experiences after
The BMW has reached the first 10k now. In the short amount of time we have ridden many great roads and also a lot of dirt tracks and even some nasty terrain. This is why it is time now to write a short review about our experiences so far.
At first and most importantly, I am completly convinced by the GS on as well as off the road. The power is always and in any situation breathtaking. The suspension works perfectly with and without luggage. The easy switch between riding modes for Offroad and Onroad makes quick changes in terrain extremly easy. Important to note is that all the settings will stay the way they were after restarting the bike.
And if you crash, it is much easier to pick the bike up of the boxer guards than any other bike. The guards also protect your handlebars on most crashes and so protect them from beeing bent.
I could not imagine a better companion for our adventure and I am 100% convinced I have made the right decision with the GS. I am looking forward for the next kilometers and we will continue to let you know if there are any news about the bikes.
Over the course of two years one of the most popular questions was, how our bikes were doing. We all had written a short report after 10.000 km and I had planned to write the next one with around 50.000. The kilometers passed quickly after 50.000 we soon reached 60.000 and 70.000 and so I decided to wait till we had reached 100.000. 100.000 Kilometers (60.000 miles)!? I thought to myself, I'll be able to write a great review then! Therefore we continued our journey until we suddenly reached Munich, our home, with 115.000 kilometers. Oh well, a proper conclusion it is.
And lets start out with probably the most important question. Am I counting the days until the temperatures make it possible to jump back on a bike? YES, most certainly!! Which bike? Only on my loyal GS!! Kidding aside, for me the most important thing is, that during this trip and now even after it I am always looking forward to get back on my bike and start it up. Now there will be a lot of people that will tell you that there are more exciting and more passionate bikes out there then the sensible and omnipresent R1200GS. But how many of these bikes would you still love to ride after strenuous 115000 kilometers, some on very difficult offroad terrain, some on the most boring roads of this world?
All jokes aside I have to admit that my bikes did not always have it easy especially with me as a rider. After just 10.000 kilometers I had two major incidents. Luckily I did not get hurt and except for a few cuts and bruises I was able to ride on. The first crash did not damage my BMW to badly either. (Broken mirror, torn indicator, bent windshield and steering damper screw) The second incident, a large rock that i overlooked on the other hand had larger subsequent damages. (Bent rim, lose stanchion clamp, bent fork bridge) These damages had to be repaired since we were in the middle of nowhere at the time. Luckily the mechanics in those regions are extremely capable of mending things and so I was able to continue my trip. All in all i have to admit that a good amount of my BMW dealership visits were caused by myself and not by issues of the bike itself.
This leads us to another positive aspect for travelers on BMW bikes. The BMW dealership network is excellent. No matter where I was, I was always welcomed with a high level of professionalism. New motorcycles also have a world wide warranty coverage which can come in quite handy as a round the world traveler. This was a huge relieve for me when my suspension started leaking in Mongolia. After a short contact with BMW Thailand they had the parts standing by for my arrival and after just two days I was back on the road with a brand new suspension. Obviously not a lott of people will benefit of this world wide warranty but for travelers it is a true blessing. The service team was extremely helpful and well trained everywhere I went to. In some countries the service was just very very expensive. "Yes, I'm looking at you Kazakhstan!"
In direct comparison to the Africa Twin, I feel that the Honda is a little ahead in rocky bumpy offroad Tracks. The longer suspension travel and the bigger front wheel definitely give it the edge there. On the other hand i found that the OEM suspension of the BMW is ahead on the road with and without load. The switch to Wilbers did not change the handling as much as on the Africa Twin but its nice to be able to maintain the shocks now. Both the Wilbers and the OEM suspension handle great with and without luggage. Also I was asked often about the electronical gadgets and their necessity and reliability. I would for a fact order the bike with all the gadgets and equipment again! From the shift assist to the cruise control to the key less ride. All systems worked great and I learned to love each and everyone of them over the course of our Tour.
It is remarkable how well the bike performed in the Andes in altitudes above 12000 feet. Even with questionable fuel quality the bike always started right up and had always enough power to have fun!
Something that continuosly surprised us was how well the bikes performed in all situations and under all various conditions of our journey. Especially once we were able to take our luggage off we were pleased how well the bikes handled on any surfaces from gravel to sand. Onroad the bikes are great even with extra weight but once you get used to a lighter bike off the beaten path it is hard to put the weight back on. The bikes are true multi purpose vehicles and if you want a powerful machine for any circumstance both the BMW and the Africa Twin are a perfect fit.
The biggest praise from me is probably the fact that if I had to go out and buy a bike right now I would go right back to the BMW R1200GS. I'm glad that my old one is still running though since it will take some time to have the bugdet for a new one ;) and therefore my conclusion of this bike is by far not the end for me and my trusted GS!

date   modifications and service kilometer duration costs
Dec 22, 2017 Changed tires (Heidenau K60 Scout) 104984 km 1 h
Nov 22, 2017 Drive shaft maintenance 98891 km 1 h
Nov 21, 2017 Oil change 98832 km 1 h
Nov 20, 2017 Change of rear brake fluid 97563 km 1 h
Oct 27, 2017 Changed tires (Heidenau K60 Scout) 92832 km 1 h
Sep 21, 2017 Oil change 88932 km 1 h
Aug 05, 2017 Oil Change, Drive shaft maintenance, cleaning air filter 78201 km 2 h 70 €
Aug 05, 2017 Tire change (Heidenau K60 Scouts) 150 rear tire for better longevity 78150 km 1 h 30 €
Jul 15, 2017 Change of front Brake Pads 75820 km 50 €
Jun 09, 2017 Oil change 66500 km 1 h
May 04, 2017 Front and rear tire change to Heidenau K60 scouts (Front tire over 14000 miles) 61047 km 1 h
Apr 26, 2017 Switch to Wilbers ESA suspension, changed fork seals 57300 km 6 h 1500 €
Apr 08, 2017 Oil Change, change front rim (broke in Tadjikistan) 56900 km 2 h
Mar 25, 2017 Rear tire change to Continental TKC 80 53450 km 1 h
Mar 03, 2017 Change of drive shaft boot, lubing driveshaft and changing rear brake rotor (due to damage) and pads 48890 km 2 h 40 €
Mar 02, 2017 Bleeding of the front and rear brake system. 48830 km 1 h 160 €
Feb 27, 2017 Damaged front rim broke on weld again (Installed tube and fixed with JB weld) 48103 km 2 h
Feb 15, 2017 Oil and Oil filter change 46533 km 1 h 60 €
Dec 09, 2016 Full service (valve clearance, throttle bodies, oil change, drive shaft maintanance) 38933 km 2 h 150 €
Dec 09, 2016 warning Change of the leaking front and rear suspension. (warranty) 38933 km 5 h
Dec 07, 2016 Tire change (again Heidenau K60 Scout) 38933 km 1 h 25 €
Oct 06, 2016 Changed the rear tire with a used one. (Pirelli Trail) 33220 km 1 h 5 €
Oct 04, 2016 Oil change and changed brake pads on the front wheel 32900 km 1 h 25 €
Aug 23, 2016 warning Adjusting the height of the LED light was impossible because the inside mount had come loose. We were able to put it back in its place. 24890 km 2 h
Aug 20, 2016 Repaired some broken spokes from a river crossing, replaced spark plugs 24300 km 1 h 30 €
Aug 02, 2016 warning Front and rear suspension is loosing oil. Fixed puncture from two days before 22050 km 1 h 10 €
Jul 14, 2016 Change: Oil (5w40 Liqui Moly), Tires (Heidenau K60 Scout), Drive Shaft Oil ( 95w-140 Liqui Moly). Change of the broken rear brakesaddle. 19600 km 2 h
Jun 23, 2016 warning Changing the broken fork against new parts. Also repairing most of the damages from the transport. 14257 km 2 h 2000 €
Jun 09, 2016 Repairing some damages from the crash, new screw for steering damper, new mirror adapter, hot glue for some plastic parts, tightening two spokes on the rear tire 12620 km 2 h
Jun 02, 2016 The ESA resets almost never now. Since it does not happen while riding it will further be ignored for now. 11000 km 0 h 0 €
May 27, 2016 warning After having lost braking power on the rear brake, Fabi tried to fix it in the mountains. After some time this led to a molten rear brake pad. Luckily he was able to do a full service of the brake in Teheran. 9600 km 2 h 50 €
May 20, 2016 Oil and filter change 9200 km 1 h 50 €
May 13, 2016 The elektronic suspension goes down and back up from time to time 7800 km 0 h 0 €
May 07, 2016 Changed tires to Heidenau K60 Scout 7264 km 1 h 25 €
Mar 04, 2016 Inspection at 1000 km 860 km 1 h 190 €
Feb 12, 2016 Vehicle licensing 4 km 1 h 60 €
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135000 km

Denis' neue Honda Africa Twin CRF1000A

Price: 13.000,00 €
My previous bikes were all either used and or in the lower price segment. I ordered the Africa Twin before it was possible to take it out for a test ride, or even sit on it. There was no other option because of our early departure date.
Since I was already convinced with the old Twin , I was sure that Honda will not fail with the new model. The specifications promised a lot and I also like the appearance a lot. Finally there is a long distance Enduro on the market, where you can see the Enduro Part in it.
Over the next two years and about 100.000 - 150.000 planned kilometers in the remotest parts of the world, the bike will be able to prove what it can do. The legend is back and we will report in full.

Experiences after 10.000 Kilometers

After a few kilometers I already felt good on the new Africa Twin. On the street it's a lot of fun for any kind of curves, in the off road area it feels way lighter than it might seem on the data sheet. The most important thing with all the luggage (about 30 kg) was to tighten the suspension in the rear and front to the maximum.
As it turned out I am very happy that Touratech had no mounting kit for the Topcase in stock at the time of our departure. So I took the 80 liters Ortlieb waterproof bag, which can be strapped over the pillion seat and the luggage rack. If you put the bike on the main stand it's with the luggage nearly in balance which is just perfect for riding off road.
The small problems we got so far appeared on Bastis and my bike almost simultaniously. The set button gets stuck if it's in the rain for at least a day, the mount for the windshield and Navi was torn on one side and the seals of the fork startet leaking after 12000 km. I think the fork sealing rings failed because of the high temperature and rought dusty terrain. Besides these defects, after a few kilometers of riding the temperature is displayed constantly 4° C too much and the speed is shown from about 70 km/h, 10% above the actual value.
Despite the little problems I am very happy with my Twin! I'm looking forward to ride the next 10,000 km and of course I will keep you updated!

Experiences after 113.000 Kilometers

First things first, she made it! One time around the globe and the Africa Twin still runs like the day we left for the trip. After 100.000 kilometers I still don't have to refill any oil between the inspections. Besides the already mentioned issues on the top there were only two more. The rear wheel bearing gave up and since I didn't stop I caused a bigger problem with the hub and had to exchange the whole rim later on. The bigger trouble was towards the end when the fuel pump gave up and I had to exchange it. The pump itself is a cheap part, the whole unit is incredibly expensive but if you have the time you can order just the pump. The only slightly annoying thing she had from the beginning was a little trouble with the fuel injection starting at an altuitute around 1.000 meters. The bike lost more power than necessary but that's complaining on a higher level.
All in all the new Africa Twin - as her older sister - is an incredibly reliable bike and was the right choice for me on this trip. We heard many concerns that the electronics might cause many problems but after all these kilometer we can tell you they are as or even more reliable as the older "less" electronic bikes. We used them on and off road, even drowned the whole bike up till the fuel tank in water one time and started them back up right after. She never let me down and we shared an incredible time together.
Back at home she got a complete inspection and some extra love. For the winter time the AT also gets a warm blanked in the garage so she's not freezing too much. I think I'm never going to sell her and if she reaches the end of her life there will be a special place for her in the living room. But before that happens there are many European mountain passes she has to climb and a lot more kilometers to ride! The next update will be around 150.000 km.

date   modifications and service kilometer duration costs
May 09, 2023 Oil change, brake fluid 135000 km
Jun 06, 2018 Changed: Oil and oil filter changed, spark plugs, break fluid, break pads, shock dampers (rear wheel), cleaned air filter, valves adjusted 113170 km
Jan 16, 2018 warning Fuel pump (UC T-35) broke down. Changed fuel pump and fuel filter. It wasn't necessary to change the whole unit which would be very expensive! 108562 km
Jan 15, 2018 Cleaned the Air Filters 108561 km
Dec 22, 2017 Changed tires (Heidenau K60 Scout) 103515 km 1 h
Dec 22, 2017 Oil change 103610 km
Nov 29, 2017 Rear break pads changed 95081 km
Oct 27, 2017 Tires changed (Heidenau K60 Scout) 90546 km
Oct 12, 2017 Oil change 89246 km
Aug 05, 2017 Oil change, new sprockets and chain, cleaned airfilters , Tire change (Heidenau K60 scouts) 75050 km
Jun 23, 2017 Oil change 68000 km
May 03, 2017 Tire change (Heidenau K60 Scouts) 59500 km
Apr 09, 2017 Oil changed, front brake rotors changed, front and rear brake pads changed 55400 km
Apr 08, 2017 Suspension (Shock and springs) changed from OEM to Wilbers. What an incredible difference!!! 55300 km
Mar 09, 2017 Enduro foot pegs mounted (Honda XR600R) 47550 km 15 €
Mar 07, 2017 New spark plugs, coolant and break fluid changed, valves adjusted, Barkbusters hand guards mounted, front mount welded again (this time it broke where the bending point is), new top spark plug sockets (lack of sensitiveness on my side...) 47500 km
Jan 01, 2017 Installed a switch for daylight running only. Changed standard air filters to reusable ones from UniFilter, fitted side stand base extension (both from Touratech) 42500 km
Dec 07, 2016 Oil change including oil filter (5W40 Liqui Moly) 39520 km
Dec 06, 2016 Tire change (again Heidenau K60 Scout) 39459 km
Nov 15, 2016 New Chain and Sprokets (2nd set) 38232 km
Oct 04, 2016 Oil change and changed brake pads on the front wheel 33400 km
Aug 14, 2016 Reinforced the windscreen holder, welded some small iron bar between windscreen holder and the mounting point for the speedometer. Changed rear break pads 24105 km
Aug 12, 2016 New bearings on the rear wheel, this time original ones from Honda again 22315 km
Aug 01, 2016 warning Bearing on the rear wheel broke again, i think it was a real cheap one from Novosibirsk 22315 km
Jul 18, 2016 New bearings on the rear wheel 19705 km 1 h 20 €
Jul 17, 2016 warning Broken bearing on the rear wheel 19705 km
Jul 14, 2016 Changed: oil + oil filter (5w40 Liqui Moly), air filters, tires (Heidenau K60 Scout) Also replaced damaged fork sealings with new ones, therefore new fork oil (10w Liqui Moly) and fittet neopren protectors 19688 km 10 h
Jun 09, 2016 Broken welding seam of navigation and windshield holding welded. Additional fixation with cable straps. 12290 km 4 h 0 €
Jun 09, 2016 Relocated temperature sensor, because after about 2 km of riding it shows constantly 4°C to much. 12290 km 0 h 0 €
May 31, 2016 warning Fork oil seal ring on right side is leaking 11940 km
May 26, 2016 warning Left side of the bracket broke, where the windscreen an the GPS is mounted. Probably because of the weight of the GPS and heavy vibriations 10315 km
May 20, 2016 Oil change: the touratech motor protection has to be dismantled entirely in order to reach the second oil screw 9304 km 2 h 50 €
May 10, 2016 SET switch is working again. The problem occurs after the button got wet from the rain. 7510 km
May 08, 2016 warning For two days I had some problems with the engine immobilizer. It was possible to start the bike but it turned off immediately. 7460 km
May 07, 2016 Changed tires to Heidenau K60 Scout 7354 km 1 h 25 €
May 02, 2016 warning The SET button of the left switch unit stays pressed in and doesn't get out anymore. 7325 km
Apr 06, 2016 Inspection at 1000 km 1021 km
Feb 19, 2016 Vehicle licensing 0 km 1 h 60 €
Feb 11, 2016 Assembly of a main stand and steel pipes for the brakes 0 km 5 h 500 €

Comparision of our current Bikes

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After many thousand Kilometers

May 22, 2016
We frequently get asked to compare our bikes against one another. To be honest we are all convinced that the bike we ride is the best for the journey. Still we will try to compare the most important things but we can tell you in advance that there will be no looser, but possibly two winners :).

First things first, the GS is a lot more expensive... This is a major point and one that has to be put up front. It also has more technical gimmicks, it's up to you if you like them or not. One of the most important things is, that the bikes still run even if some of the technical things are broken. You will get some flashing lights in your cockpit but you may as well ignore them. Something that is quite easy on the Africa Twin because if the electronic speedometer gets a little dusty, you will have a hard time reading it if the sun is behind you. That's one advantage of the BMW even though Fabi has to admit that the Speedometer is tough to read under any situation. The numbers are just to small.

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The electronic suspension of the GS is also much better equipped to carry the weight of a world tourer. Basti is constantly complaining that his front tire of the Africa Twin is to light and Fabi did not have any problems even with a rear passenger. We have put the Africa Twins suspension as tight as possible and Bastis front is still too light. Without the Topcase it is better, but we are seriously considering a new suspension for the Hondas in Thailand. Riding positions is up to the rider, Denis and Basti prefer the Honda and Fabi prefers the BMW, you will have to try it yourself to make up your mind.

Lets compare power. Even on the spec sheet you can easily guess which bike is more powerful. The GS simply has more grunt. You can easily ride one gear higher and have the same acceleration than the Africa Twin. But if you push the Africa Twin on the street it is still able to keep up easily. Overtaking therefore is easier with the GS in steep mountain passes, but since the other cars are Ladas by now, overtaking is not a big problem anymore. The stock tires on the Honda didn't allow for much lean angle but with the new Heidenau K60 Scout this problem was solved. It appears though as if the Honda looses some of it power in higher altitude, we will investigate further to give you more details...

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Now to another big point! How do the bikes perform offroad? Both bikes handle great. The Africa Twin feels incredible nimble and wants you to ride of the tarmac as often as possible. The tire dimensions help to absorb big rocks and potholes and make riding in the dirt a blast. You can definitely feel that the GS does not absorb the bumps as well because of the smaller front tire and the all around harder suspension. That does not mean that you can't keep up with the Africa Twins though. So far all has been up to the rider, picking the right speed and line is everything. The GS is the heavier bike of the two but with luggage and everything the difference is not as big as it seems.

Both the Boxer and the parallel Twin manage to hide their weight well. Picking up the BMW is considerably easier since you will usually land on the engine which keeps the bike in a more upright position. This will also usually keep your handlebars from hitting the ground.

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The BMW has some more technical gimmicks like Keyless ride, quite useful if you keep to forget to get the key out before you put your gloves on. The cruise control is a blessing. You can relax behind the windscreen on those long stretches of tarmac between the mountains. The adjustable Windscreen of the GS also gives better protection against riding noise than the stock screen of the CRF1000L. So far the board computer of the BMW also seems to be more accurate, when it comes to temperature and gas mileage. Both bikes have almost the same mileage but because the BMW's tank is a little bit bigger you will get around 30 km's further.

There are some more differences like chain drive or Kardan shaft, how easy the bikes are to maintain and what mileage they get. The advantages and disadvantages of the Kardan shaft are obvious, if it doesn't break it's great... so far it's great ;). We did not have to do to much maintenance so far, service intervalls of the Honda are every 12.000 km, instead of every 10.000 km on the BMW. Having done an Oil change by ourselves, we can note that one Oil drain plug instead of two and a glass window instead of a dipstick to check the oil level is an advantage of the BMW. At least if you plan on doing the oil change by yourself.

Update after 12.600 Kilometers

The BMW has problems if the petrol is of bad quality. We had to put in 80 Octan gasoline in Iran and Turkmenistan and you could quickly hear a ringing sound when accelerating after wards. The watercooled GS does not have a knocking sensor in the engine and that is why it does not handle bad gas as well as the two Africa Twins. There is a program setting that should make it handle bad gasoline better, which can be chanced by the BMW dealer in Kasachstan - Astana. The two Africa Twin had no problem with the bad gasoline, there was neither a ringing nor a knocking sound to hear. We well keep you updatet!