Our NEW BMW R 1250 GSA packed up and ready to go! 

Thanks Yarek!! Happy to share the excitement! -it's not everyday one gets to pick up a new bike -a special day indeed regardless of the weather =). Emily's packing skills makes traveling a lot easier. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the Playlist. Cheers S&E

@@SeanandEmily Thanks. I’m about to experience the new bike feeling again as I pick up my new Super Adventure S in a couple days and I already have that over excited feeling! Keep the great content coming 😊

Congratulations Yarek!! I bet you cant wait to go pick it up! Thanks very much -new episode out Every Wednesday and Saturday =)

Hi Martyn, Yes hard panniers are very popular amongst a lot of riders and there's good reasons for that. Sure if you are riding solo through the wilderness and the sole purpose of your trip is to get from one destination to the next then a spare pair of undies and a tarp probably wont get stolen or damaged and will be sufficient. If however you are touring multiple countries with the intention of visiting cities and all of the in-betweens, documenting your trip with camera and drone equipment then hard luggage becomes necessary. On this trip we camped in -3 degrees and that's not something we would want to do without the correct equipment. Our tent weighs 1.5kg, the -6 rated sleeping bags less than 1kg and our insulated sleeping mat just over 1kg. The stove is titanium, we do wash our clothes on the road and lets face it a few shirts and dresses aren't weighing much. So the Bike, rider and pillion weigh just under 400kg with perhaps an additional 10-15%% for luggage isn't so drastic. Photography, Film making, outdoor cooking and motorcycling are hobbies of ours that we love to combine and this setup works for us. I'm 6ft 2 and have no problem maneuvering this bike fully loaded riding 2 up, light off-roading, poor road conditions and unpaved roads have not been a problem fully loaded and if there are specific tracks we want to ride then we can simply leave the luggage at a hotel. I totally agree with you that Multi use and light weight equipment is the key and this setup has worked well for us, when we travel to countries where camping isn't necessary or practical then we basically gain an entire panier. I hope you stick around to follow the rest of the journey as we explore Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar covering just under 8000km, have a great weekend and best regards. S&E

Yes that’s right! Liquids inside the pannier should always be inside a waterproof bag in case of leakages -such as cosmetics and cooking fuel. Waterproof bags also act as compression sacks thus saving space. Thanks for your comment we love the black aesthetics 😊

"Actual" waterproof panniers, good luck finding one of those. Internal waterproof pannier bags is the way to go 👍

So far we have ridden all day in the rain and not 1 bit of water got through! ...these might be the first truly waterproof panniers we have had!! =)

Yeah it's great for the trips we do. Plenty of space for two up riding, all our recording gear, camping equipment, cooking stuff and clothes. And it's a lot of fun to ride at the same time as you well know =) Cheers S&E

🥱

Thanks ever so much for your comment! A good packing system really helped with packing and unpacking the bike everyday whilst on tour. =)

Hi Gary! Thanks so much! -we spent a lot of time choosing the right equipment and it’s made packing/u packing a lot easier. Thanks for the Sub and we look forwards to taking you with us on our latest journey 😎🙌🏻

Hi Dave, thanks for your comment. When we have the everything out when camping we wonder whether it will go back in 😁 -but the containers give a place for everything so we love them too. Thanks very much for you kind words and we are happy to take you along on our journeys. 😎🙌🏻

@@SeanandEmily Thanks for the friendly reply! I wanted to also mention that I have a triple black 2021 BMW R 1250 GS Adventure. Love it!! Best motorcycle made. 14,000 miles on it last year around the Pacific Northwest. I have the black Motorrad panniers and top case. They look very similar to yours, but yours are different. I didn’t catch the brand name, what is it please? And would you know if they are larger than my own? I think they are a bit bigger. BTW, 11 of us rode BMW GS’s 2,400 miles throughout Patagonia this past January, 1,600 miles off-road. It was exceptional and beautiful. Dudes, Rock On! is our moto motto 🏍️🤗

Hi Dave, So glad to hear that you are just as happy with your bike as we are! it really is awesome! 14k miles is fantastic and it's a dream of ours to ride through Patigonia! -we have 6 more countries to ride in Europe then we will start to look further afield. The panniers are from Touratech -the Zega EVO range(the X version with the exhaust cut out) Have a great day and Rock on Dude! ;-)

Really glad you liked it and thanks for letting us know 😊. Haha space for a hairdryer and a hot water bottle could be the selling point 😁

Thanks Peter! We’ve done 8000km on it in its first 4 weeks and we love it! Have a great weekend! 😎🙌🏻

Thank you Mark! New video coming every Wednesday and Saturday 😊

You’re welcome 😊

Hi, thanks very much for your comment and for subscribing! Really glad to get your feedback and glad you found it useful. If you are interested in our equipment list it can be found on our website here: seanandemilytravels.com/equipment Cheers and we hope you enjoy the channel. Sean and Emily

Hi Jim, congratulations on the 1250! - It's an amazing machine and I'm sure you will be super happy with as we are with ours =) This was the start of the Heading South Tour, the playlist for this trip is now complete: ru-vid.com/group/PLl_mRzVHVQ0yRXu9qeZuZWnHoS1KQV7_8&si=-Y3YmvYM4rIMnaAn If you are planning to ride through Switzerland be sure to check out the other videos for some of the best roads in Europe: ru-vid.com/group/PLl_mRzVHVQ0xALJgIW-v9KYiN3tASsNoq&si=3NnqpmwR8MzxVeyl Thanks for your comment and all the best with your upcoming tours! Cheers Sean and Emily

Thanks very much Carl! 😊🙏🏻 it’s taken us a few years to get our setup right but we are really happy with it now. I hope you enjoy the following episodes of our trip …we need to get making them 😁.

Thanks I will have a look into them 😊. We are really happy with the accessories-the strut looks likes it’s supposed to be there 😎. The S1000XR is an incredible bike too! Actually tested it on a race track -fantastic!!! 😎🙌🏻

Thanks for your comment Rob, we hope you enjoyed the playlist of The Heading South tour! Cheers Sean and Emily

Hi! Yeah we have the small compressor too =) i cant remember if we mentioned it or not. We have another packing video coming out soon ...we have managed to reduce weight =). Good idea! i remember the Tesco bag for life used to fit the exhaust pannier perfectly!

Cheers =)

Hehe thanks!! We actually didn't weigh them this trip but will make sure we do for the next one although i would guess around 10-15kg each depending on if we are carrying water and fuel etc. The Multistrada's panniers look really cool!-but i guess the shape of them makes them more difficult to pack. Thanks so much for your comment and i hope you enjoy the upcoming episodes. =)

Hi again Jim, nice job with the new comment 😊 -it's also easier for us to see new comments than replies to comments. I noticed on my R1200 that the light would reflect back into my eyes when main beam was on (there was a actually a blanking panel available for this). But the main reason is I think the Black grill looks cool and it's good to be able to remove it (in Switzerland where we live you cant leave it on for the road worthy tests) - also went with the Black radiator covers in the next prep episode. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1CeVk7UXI7Y.html Sean and Emily

It sure is! Thanks for your comment

Hi Malcolm, Yeah we find the cubes work the best as it's easy to remember how to put them back every day and keeps things in the right place. We have really enjoyed our time in Spain and Portugal so I hope you find the information in the series helpful to your trip (be sure to check the description for place names and locations). Have a great time on your adventure and catch you again sometime. S&E

@Sean and Emily totally agree 👍 I found that out last year, but yours is a step above, and yes have subscribed... Will look at them all, and do as you suggested re the places to visit, I love ❤️ travelling... really looking forward to catching up on your videos... and as always thank 😊 🙏 you for sharing, so much work behind the scene's, really appreciate it 😀

Thanks for your support! If you need any more details we also have a website that might be of use, containing Blogs and our equipment, maps, reviews etc Have a great weekend and catch you again! seanandemilytravels.com/equipment

@@SeanandEmily done, thank you 😊 🙏

Hi Jim, in all our years of riding in Europe we have not once been asked to remove the headlight protector, previously on our R1200 we had the none removable plexi glass protector and now on the R1250 we have the removable guard from Touratech (which if ever asked makes removal easy). The only time you will get stopped is for speeding and then a headlight guard will be the last of your worries =) Be sure to have you headlights on in Switzerland during the day. Probably wont hurt to be sure there is an allan key under the seat to remove the protector just on the off chance it's requested (but i doubt it ever will be). Cheers Sean and Emily

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank you Tim!

They are perfect!!! Almost like they are made for it. They took a lot of measuring and research but we found the Eagle creek packing cubes fit best 😃

Yes,xty for your quick reply and advice. I love your channel. Watching you explore the world on your beautiful bikes is such an experience to share with us. Thank you! You make it look so easy. I love the bikes, the BMWs you ride. That's my next bike, the R1250GSA. Have fun!

You’re very welcome! Thanks so much for your kind words -it’s much appreciated 😊🙏🏻. It’s a fantastic bike! -you won’t be disappointed 😎🙌🏻

Hi Ray, thanks very much for the Sub! We are looking forwards to taking you along with us 😎🙌🏻

Keep watching and it will be! 😜 Thanks for watching 😊

Hi Daniel, thanks for your comment. It's hard to compete with the pillion comfort levels of those bikes! We took the R18 Transcontinental out for a few days and that sure had comfort levels like nothing else we had ridden but yeah i agree that they are not the bike we want to be riding all the time. Something i didn't realize which has improved pillion comfort a lot is to let your pillion know if you are going to accelerate, constant on and off the throttle will have whiplash effect for the back. Since i started communicate this and be softer with the throttle Emily's back hasn't hurt at all compared to the early days when I didn't communicate the acceleration. As for the wind buffering we haven't really had a problem with this, other than if we wear the adventure style helmets with the peak on the highway. I hope this helps. Cheers Buddy!

@@SeanandEmily great idea about communicating! Thank you for taking the time to reply!

@@dpinedoblog You're very welcome, let us know if it helps or if you find another solution, all the best S&E =)

I'm 6'2'' so yeah flat footed on the new R1250 is easy, my older R1200 from 2010 is actually a lot taller. The RT is great! All the characteristics of the Boxer engine with elevated comfort =) I think they can really get those GS's a lot lower. We hope to make it out to the states at some point looks like there0s some awesome rides out there.

@@SeanandEmily AZ is nice in the winter months and I ride along Route 66 towards the Grand Canyon. I’ll also ride in the summer months into California on the Pacific Coast HWY and into San Fran. Living in AZ you have Utah, Colorado, California and New Mexico….all breathtaking scenery👍

Hey buddy, yeah we started it last year and have lots of new videos on the way 😎🙌🏻, thanks for the Sub! 😊

Hi Jim! So you have the very last Air cooled model? Our 1200 is a 2010 model and has huge sentimental value to us so we decided to keep it, it's a perfectly capable bike and we still love to take it out for the day. That being said after we tried the R1250 we did notice a big difference. The increase in power being the most noticeable, the automatically adjusting active suspension works fantastically, it feels a lot more stable as higher speeds, i find it easier to maneuver and it feels lighter, heated seats, cruise control etc etc have all been major selling points. I guess these things aren't must haves but for when we hit the road for a month racking up 5-10k miles it really makes a difference. As i said we really love our air cooled bike so another reason to upgrade was to reduce the wear on our R1200. Your best bet is to go take one for a test ride and see for yourself -for us we are very glad with our decision =) Here's a brief article we wrote on the R1200: seanandemilytravels.com/motorcycles/the-bmw-gsa-r1200 And one for the R1250: (not the one we currently own but a borrowed one) seanandemilytravels.com/motorcycles/bmwgsr1250 R1200 in action ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Og4GEsjWCLw.html and another playlist with the R1250 : ru-vid.com/group/PLl_mRzVHVQ0zIAhHJb3s_8N0pU8UjnyYv I hope this helps you make a decision =) let me know how you get on. Best regards S&E

Thanks very much. As with you I was thinking of also keeping the 2013 as I really like it. But the TFT screen, power, adaptive cruise, etc. kind of makes me want the 1250. In another topic I enjoy your videos as they are quality and well presented.

It's not an easy decision that's for sure! Either way you will have an awesome bike =). Thanks so much for the positive feedback it's really appreciated, new episode out every Wednesday and Saturday. All the best S&E

Hi, the standard BMW top box is 32 litres and this one is the Touratech Zega Evo 38 litres so marginally bigger.

Hi Austin, congratulations on the Rallye! -a really cool looking bike 😎 we totally agree, for us and what we need it for it’s the ultimate motorcycle! Have a great trip -Austria is a fantastic country. You will make good progress with 5.5 hours each day and still have time to enjoy it. All the best and catch you again 😎🙌🏻

@@SeanandEmily did your gsa come with the annakee tyres

Hi, Yes that's right the Anakee Adventure tires, so far they have been good. Done 8000km on them and there is easily another 3000 left on them. I will be trying the Metzler Tourance Next 2 afterwards (apparently they are less prone to punctures). The Grossglockner opened yesterday just in time for your trip!

Hey Cody, thanks very much! For both rider and Pillion comfort we have yet to find a more comfortable bike! The padded back box makes the world of difference for Emily and at 6ft 2 I find the riding position really comfortable and if I need to stretch my legs I just stand up for a few minuets. seanandemilytravels.com/motorcycles/bmwgsr1250

Beware, all passengers are different. My wife and I are back on a Harley because the GSA wasn’t good for her. It’s a shame because I loved the BMW, but it was not comfortable for her.

Yeah true, we can only speak from our experience but for sure people need to go for test rides before committing =) All the best S&E

We only have a small laptop and we lay it flat on top of the clothes packing cubes (exhaust side pannier) with other side items on top in hope that this protects it from vibrations. I would think there is plenty of room for a 16inch MacBook.

@@SeanandEmily thanks guys

No we didn’t but we will have to do it. It’s funny I said the same thing after we unpacked everything and set up the tent 😁 -it all went back in with no issues either. Most of the gear is super lightweight so it probably weighs less than expected. We hope you enjoy the rest of the trip 😎🙌🏻 all the best S&E

It is funny when we fly suitcase just makes it but by bike two weeks fits in two panniers

😁 sounds about right.

Hi, we had the choice between a model with the LED or one with the heated seats. We opted for the heated seats so have the halogen lamp for now. It's supposed to be changed next month. The halogen along with the aux lights does well anyway so it's not big issue for now. It's funny on that heading South tour almost every GS we saw in Spain had the LED lol.

Thanks you very much for your response. Collected the same ride (in the very same shop you did) last September. Still waiting for the LED replacement which this shop said will be done by Jan/Feb 23. Ever since - my mails get ignored when asking for a status every few months... Visited the shop last in March asking about the situation, the owner said the lights are packed up for shipping and be here very soon…. Time for another visit I guess…

@@SeanandEmilyI missed this at the first read. Model with or without heated seat makes a difference on the lights? In my understanding the only difference are the seats themselves (interchangeable), without any mod/change on the bike required, plugs are there to be used or not… Now I’m definitely worried if we ever see the LED lights our bikes…

Congratulations on the new ride then! it's an awesome bike. Yeah i guess there are delays from the OEM which is out of the dealers control -sounds like a world wide issue on the groups. Hopefully you will get it soon!

Apparently the last models off the production line do not have the heated seats but do have the LED headlights, so we choose to have one of the models that came off the line without the LED but does have the seats. I didn't know they are still wired for the heated seats. Either way I'm not too concerned =)

The Helmets are from @touratech_official and we can highly recommend them

I don’t ….I ask Emily 😁 clothes etc in the exhaust pannier and equipment in the other, most of the inner boxes are see-through thank goodness 😁 Thanks very much! This was one of our favourite days so far! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W-YWPPDH1Go.html

We actually picked them up in the UK -in boots =) but I'm sure they will be on Amazon.

@@SeanandEmily ahh Boots….I remember Boots an awesome store. Just not the same here in America as far as Walgreens and CVS. Thanks for the reply. Love your videos 👍👍

We hope you find a similar product and it's so nice to hear you are enjoying the videos!

Are you perhaps thinking of this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1CeVk7UXI7Y.htmlsi=CP2i8xJtgPQGJCw6

@SeanandEmily Yeah that was it but did you get the crash bar strengthening brackets fitted. Thank you for the link

Yeah we did 👍🏻

Lol =) Thanks buddy!

Yeh, I was wondering that too. Their bike plus all the Touratech accessories and clothing is serious money.

That’s a shame there isn’t a shop In Sweden anymore 😔. Here in Switzerland the full service is available -they will even service your bike at the same time as adding the accessories 😊. Not Subbed yet! 😱 Quickly in case you miss out on some more awesome Vlogs 😜.

Just had a look and there should be a store or at least a retailer in Hisings kärra and Helsingborg 😊

@@SeanandEmily Thank’s , I’ll check that up ! Strange though , I’ve missed that 😳

Beautifully said! I hope you enjoy the future episodes =)

Hard to say exactly as I didn't pay too much attention to fuel consumption, but 'if' doing 100mph on the highway 2 u p and fully loaded for long periods of time the fuel would go quite quickly say 300km (200 miles) or even less. On B road days with a light throttle hand we could probably get somewhere around 400-500 km (250-300 mile). I was going to see if Eco mode made a difference and ride fuel efficiently but it never happened lol

@@SeanandEmily Thanks for that , i'd love to know how to get 650 KLM

@@micheal2312 I reckon it's easily possible with no pillion, no bags, flat ground and a constant speed of 85 kph .....but that sounds like a very boring ride lol

Just like the Boxer engine 😁

Haha! Well if you've got the space throw it in there lol Actually pannier organization would be a great job!

Thanks 😊 🙏🏻, so far so good 8000km put on it in the first 4 weeks without any issues 😎

BMW motorcycles are nothing like their cars in terms of reliability.

Nobody would begrudge their wife a 420g travel hairdryer when they spend 10 hours a day on the bike. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@@SeanandEmily ok greenhorn

@@tedshantz6193 lol 😂 55 countries traveled to by motorcycle and 12,000 Km already on the clock of this bike we picked up 10 weeks ago.

The video is 17 minutes… 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️

‘We’ have no idea what you are on about 😁 It’s our bike, paid with our money, for our adventures and we picked it up together… hence ‘’we’re about’’ 🤔

Maybe you should find a Channel with more dudes on as this one is not for you.