Thanks mate. There were a few ups and downs along the way...but, yes I really enjoyed the challenges of the build. The result has made it very worth while.
Thanks for finally convincing me to build my own. Just much lighter mid weight using a Kawazaki Z400 as the donor bike and transplanting Versys 300 suspension and wheels. The 400 twin has low down and linear torque all the way up to 8K rpm where it peaks and not as revvy as the Versys 300 with the old Ninja 300 engine.
Seriously though..great build!.. I've had 3 GSA Adventure bikes and was amazed what they can do given they weigh nearly 1/4 of a ton !.. keep up the entertaining content
The R1200 is actually the lightest of the GS platforms in the past 20 years. The new R1300 is heavier than the R1200. Also, if you strip down the R1200, it can be made quite light--witness the BMW HP2.
Great to see someone not blowing $35000+ on the latest exotica but having a go themselves. I’ve been doing that for a long time. At first I had high hopes you would make a Goldwing Adv but I’m sure Honda will market one eventually.
Thanks, I must have some distance Scottish ancestry because I could not bring myself to pay that sort of money... Even if I could afford it. I thing my 2010 1200 GSA is the sweet spot for performance, reliability and simplicity. I like it's analogue gauges and simple controls. It's has all the electronic safety I need but can be easily switched off when desired.
Thanks. That is definitely what I'll be testing this week. Initial testing upto 80kph (50mph) shows smooth airflow and no buffeting. Fingers crossed for the highway speed test. Stay tuned and I'll have an update soon.
AWESOME!! Damn it looks cool. You could've milked this build way more with videos. But I really look forward to seeing what it can do. Congrats on an awesome project!!
Your bike looks superb, unlike the new GSA! If only a mother could love yours (as one contributor suggests) she’d drown that. Looking forward to the next real test!
Haha... Thanks. BMW tried to steal my thunder by releasing theirs a few days before mine. Perhaps they could have used another few days in the design studio!
The RHINOS Cousin still has what it takes, I haven't had any problems with my BMW R1200GS since purchase in 2010, It has it's regular BMW service and maintenance checks and I have never had any serious issues, Don't let other people's opinions stop your innovation skills, it's looking good, there really isn't much on these bikes that you need to change or upgrade, great performance, reliability and comfort, unfortunately due to old age and health issues I can no longer participate in any serious off road manoeuvres so I look forward to watching your next episode in the dirt... OAP Wales UK.
Thanks for your comment. Glad to hear your bike has been rock solid, as I would expect. Stay tuned as I have several big adventures planned for this bike.
I like it I had a 2012 R1200RT best road bike I have ever had loved the engine. It was actually a little lighter than the GS1200. I have bought a new Transalp which suits me and I have been pleasantly surprised by how capable it is for my limited ability. My CRF300 rally is having major engine repairs under warranty the only one I’ve ever heard of and it has to be mine a valve shim came loose one morning and when they investigated it found damage to the piston barrel and head they said it looked like it had been detonating. And of course some of the parts were not available in Australia. I hope to get it back at the end of the month. They have had it since the end of April.
Dam, sorry to hear about your CRF. Hopefully you'll get it back soon. I hadn't ridden a BMW 1200 before buying mine, but knew how nice the 1150 motor was. These twin cam boxer motors are sweet!
In years past, I had a GS 1200, loved it. Once off road I had a very light drop to the side (was literally doing about 3-4 km/h on muddy section, lost the front and then also foot slipped trying to hold it). Soft drop to the right. Ended up with a deep gouge and small hole in the right side engine cover thanks to a small carefully placed rock on the floor.... Take it from me, you can remove all the things you did, but keep the engine guard... In fact I ended up mounting both a protective aftermarket aluminium cover, and engine guards. Never had an issue again, even after a few knarly falls. Worth the very marginal weight penalty.
Yes, friends have mentioned that to me but it happened over a long period with many other things going on. This build was my therapy and I didn't need and extra stress from trying to document everything for a video.
@@ShonkyProductions Interesting point of view from a "youtuber". But I hear you, everything takes (at least) twice as long when you're filming it. Still would have been interesting for the rest of us that dote over your content.
Great job in my opinion. Coincidently I was thinking about doing the same project sans the tower but you have convinced me changing the tower is a valid option. I have an 890 Adventure R which I replaced the tower (I just couldn't live with the stock face) with the Rade Garage tower and like that slim rally screen profile. I want to build a cross continent dirt tourer and you have shown me it can be done with older GSA and stripped back to a more dirt oriented touring configuration. I look forward to seeing more content on it.
Thanks. I say... Go for it. The actual modifications to the original BMW parts on my bike consists of cutting off the beak mounting forward of the oil cooler and welding a base onto the front subframe to build my tower off. I would recommend purchasing a second hand front subframe if you don't want to cut and weld your original one.
What road were you riding along beside the water? I feel like I've driven along there, but can't put a name to it. It's somewhere around the central coast or Sydney isn't it?
Looks awesome! Obviously that's great for eating kms getting to the gnarly stuff, but did you consider the new Himalayan, either stock or as a donor, as a smaller but still significant step up from the 300 Rally? I don't immediately recall if you've got a video on them.
No, I didn't consider the Himalayan or any mid sized bike. I wanted clear delineation between roles that my bikes have... CRF for off-road exploration and harder stuff and the BMW for dirt touring.
Ha! very interesting you have gone back the dark side 😂. Should make for some great content. A long time ago I took the 1150 Adv model all around the big tracks including a Simpson crossing. Yes if you are willing to try they will take you anywhere. The only thing that stopped me was the High Country and more capable people have done it. Your 1200 is actually very good in the sandcompared to the 1150. A long time ago at a certain Off Centre Rally I rode about 10 of them and other brand for people that had trouble getting in through some very messy and soft sand. Very stable. Can’t wait to see what misadventures you will get up to. Me I am sticking with the rally, so much easier😅.
Sweeeeetttt, I have a 2011 1200 GS Rally, the last of the oil cooled models, so nice......It has been talked about for the past 30 odd years about covering the 19" rim to a 21", does it make much difference off road now that the quality and type of knobby 19" tyres that are available now? Who did the 21" rim conversion for you?
The 21 inch front rolls over obstacles easier due to its larger diameter. That translates to the suspension having to do a tiny bit less work and as a result the bike feels better off road. Imagine, as an exaggerated example, a BMX bike and a Mountain bike both riding along a smooth road and riding straight into, and up the curb. which bike would be more comfortable in that situation? The 21 front doesn't tuck as easily in sand or loose dirt. It gives better feedback and gives the bike that "dirt bike" feel. It does slow down on-road handling a tiny little bit, but I have't ridden anything but bikes with a 21 inch wheel for the last 20 years, so it feels perfectly normal to me. I doubt you would notice any negative effects on-road. Made by KK E , they feature: - lightweight super strong CNC anodised alloy silver hubs made from 6056 - T6 alloy - Tough 7050 alloy black anodised rims -stainless steel spokes - Wheel size 21 x 2.15 inch front & 17x4.15 inch rear
YES, I was originally looking at a Woody's Wheel Works set in 21/18. But being in Australia the price was prohibiting, so I looked for a more economically friendly option. I found a local supplier but they only had 21/17... So that's what I got.
@@ShonkyProductions yeah fair enough. I got my 21" front from Woody's and it was expensive. The 18" rears don't fit the liquid cooled models due to not enough swing arm clearance
Still technically not finished yet. I want to ditch the electronic suspension (Heavy with servo motors attached) and replace it with manually adjusted Tractive Extreme shocks. Once that is done, I'll weigh it and let you know.
@@ShonkyProductions I went down the same road on a Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE. Stripped down to bare minimum with a low slung light exhaust. Only fairing is a fly screen; no crash bars. Still damn heavy so I keep a Kove 450 Rally to do anything dirt. When the Triumph is moving, it feels light and like a powerful dirt bike, but moving it about the garage is harder as I get older - 61 next month.
Looks good mate! Firstly good job. Awesome to see people are still making things their own. Question, the exposed oil cooler, any plans to protect that further? Also did you keep the electronic suspension or go for something different?
@@brennoj79 thanks. I am still considering how to protect the oil cooler in an aesthetically pleasing way. I currently have the electronic suspension but am looking at getting some Tractive Extreme shocks to replace them with. I will go for the manually adjustable ones for simplicity and to save weight.
Thanks. I did have an Africa Twin when they were first released. I loved the motor and the sound with an Akro on it, but I could never really get comfortable with its ergonomics and top heavy feel. I'm only 5'9" and 70kg/155lbs and believe it or not, I feel more comfortable on the big GSA. I feel it carries its weight lower and is more comfortable.
Wow! We are so interested in weight and more vids of it riding! And why would you want 100hp after you were so fast on a crf300 on all of these forest roads?
The 100hp is more about big lazy power for effortless long distant cruising, not outright speed. I much prefer to ride a smaller bike fast at it's potential... and much easier to turn and stop!
Fear not! The CRF300 Rally is staying. I have lots of great adventure rides coming up for that bike. The BMW is for Adventure Touring... big days with lots of dirt K's. The CRF more off road adventures.
Good to hear. Was just thinking after your experience with false advertising on big adv bikes. So the disposal of the Africa twin etc. Nice work dude!@@ShonkyProductions
I did consider that bike and tested the f900. While it is engine is smaller in size, it's not that much lighter and carries less fuel. The ergonomics weren't as comfortable for me as the 1200 and I wanted that boxer motor.
It takes more than mechanical ability to do this type of work...... Yup, it takes an artistic edge where one can envision the end result while they're looking at a bunch of wires, metal scraps, & plexiglass.....not to mention all the nutz/boltz? Then if you've got all of that, the ballz to " GiT-R-Done " ! Pretty impressive, now back to the video. peace
A mechanic is a very great skillset but you've got the "artsy" side where you can see the end result allowing you to move thru muck that bogs other folks down. It's kinda like the Dr in the "Back to the Future" movies.... he did the weird stuff to the Delorian but merging the tower on that bike was a pretty neat trick. Many could wire her, I could do that part but to marry the parts to the bike in a way that looks good and works - that's a skillset above ! See, I didn't know that about you until now... cool, kool, and kewl'er yet. peace
@@user-dv7hb2sc9m thanks, I enjoy the design element and the challenges of transferring what ideas I see in my mind to reality. Sometimes they don't pan out exactly as planned, but in this case the end result is exactly what I had in mind... If not better.
@ShonkyProductions Did it! I'm super excited 😄 She definitely needs some 60/40 dirt tires cause he replaced the 60/40 roads that came with it in 2011. For now, I'm going to get comfy with her size (33 liter tank!l), and then upgrade to some Dunlop Trailmax Raids. In order to not upset the electronic suspension, don't you have to lose some front end travel with the 21s?
@@LostAnFound Congratulations! No need to touch suspension when swapping in the 21 inch front. There's enough room for it unless you have a really big aftermarket bash plate.
@@adventure_power for touring, yes. I've got a 3 day exploration ride coming up, the CRF 300 Rally will be coming with me on that rise into the unknown.
@@ShonkyProductions i am not sure what long fuel range is in your mind 😄 but maybe you're right. I get something like 350km on a tank. Maybe theres a bigger tank for it 😄
@@titaniumquarrion9838 exactly as I stated. They are marketed as Adventure Bikes while, in reality, they are Adventure Touring bikes. And that's what I've built. It's not to go off road exploring on, it's to comfortably do long days of dirt touring, to explore the outback, cross and circumnavigate Australia. My CRF 300 Rally is my light weight adventure bike and I'll be using that in a few weeks to explore the mid-north coast. To venture into the unknown, following a dotted line that I've plotted from the comfort of home, not knowing the condition of tracks or rivers. Definitely not the place for 200kg + bikes.
@@ShonkyProductions It was a tongue in cheek dig mate - I get your rationale and intent. I disagree with aspects of it though. You don't need to be Chris Birch or Adam Reimann to negotiate4 and explore most tracks commonly used by so-called Adventure riders in Australia. You don't need to be touring either. Here's why. My take is there are 200kg -ish kg bikes capable of fairly technical Adventure off-road exploration with the bonus of being good enough for the highway legs. The limiting factor is rider SKAB - Skills, Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviors more-so than weight. Guys that are poor to average off-road riders will fail on technical terrain on "LW Adv" trail/Enduro platforms that more experienced riders will cruise through on the bigger rigs. Similarly there are LW Adv rigs that are still shitty rides for hours on the blacktop that inevitably come with multi day or longer Adv rides here in Oz. Id also dispute the claim that even average off-road riders on bikes like T7s, KTM890/Norden 901 can't handle 99% of the LEGAL tracks and trails I see the die-hard LW Adv riders on. Few Adv riders are doing tracks that would constitute the moto-sports definitions of Enduro/Rally or MX tracks. The average riders assessment of technical difficulty of tracks is usually as grossly inflated as their self assessed riding ability as you expect from the Donning-Kruger effect.
Made by KK E , they feature: - lightweight super strong CNC anodised alloy silver hubs made from 6056 - T6 alloy - Tough 7050 alloy black anodised rims -stainless steel spokes - Wheel size 21 x 2.15 inch front & 17x4.15 inch rear Direct bolt on fit to all early model GS1200 & GS1200R bike’s from 2004 to 2012 year models only Phone Jon in QLD, Australia on 0404433619
Sorry but as the parent you are entitled to think it is beautiful / awesome, etc. But in reality it is far from this. Doesn't really matter though if it makes you happy.....
Thanks, I appreciate your comment. At the end of the day, I do like it and I enjoy the build process. It's not going to appeal to everyone and there will be some who disagree with altering the classic R1200 GS design.
Yes, I spend a bit developing my CRF300 Rally into an awesome light weight adventure bike and will be using that as intended. This bike and build was about making a comfortable, cross country tourer. The BMW 1200 GSA does that well in stock form, I just needed to add a few of my own touches.
