The Long, Long Ride on Facebook

[Desert Dust]

Ever consider riding from Southern California to Honduras?  Three friends of mine left So Cal on June 6th, and they have recently arrived in Honduras. All three men ride a BMW GS 1200. Outside of losing an ATM card, a computer chip, and getting caught in a hurricane, their ride has gone very well. The Beemers have performed flawlessly.

They asked me if I wanted to go with them, but I didn't think my S2R 1000 would be the appropriate ride for such a trip.

Their trip has been documented (with pictures) on Facebook under Tom Chris Carlos if you are interested. 

[Desert Dust]

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557052_126069430866568_1804746774_n.jpg

Here is a pic. of the guys in Guatamala City

[MikeZ]

Here you go
Pretty cool trip

[Dirty Duc]

Ever consider riding from Southern California to Honduras?  Three friends of mine left So Cal on June 6th, and they have recently arrived in Honduras. All three men ride a BMW GS 1200. Outside of losing an ATM card, a computer chip, and getting caught in a hurricane, their ride has gone very well. The Beemers have performed flawlessly.

They asked me if I wanted to go with them, but I didn't think my S2R 1000 would be the appropriate ride for such a trip.

Their trip has been documented (with pictures) on Facebook under Tom Chris Carlos if you are interested. 

In my opinion, having owned a GS for 4k miles (now gone) the S2R is far better suited to that trip.

[Desert Dust]

                                           Ducati S2R 1000      V.          BMW GS 1200


Canyon Carving                            +
Acceleration                                 +
Handling                                      +
Comfort                                                                                    +
Reliability                                                                                  +
Street Touring                                                                           +
Off Road or Bad Road                                                                +

Don't get me wrong, I love my S2R 1000, and it is  perfect for the type of riding I normally do, but for long trip with bad roads and cobblestone streets, the Beemer, a Guzzi Stelvio, a Ducati Multistrada, or a KTM Super Duke would be my ride of choice. A long ride to Honduras would literally beat the hell out of me and My Monster.   

[Dirty Duc]

                                           Ducati S2R 1000      V.          BMW GS 1200


Canyon Carving                            +
Acceleration                                 +
Handling                                      +
Comfort                                                                                    +
Reliability                                                                                  +
Street Touring                                                                           +
Off Road or Bad Road                                                                +

Don't get me wrong, I love my S2R 1000, and it is  perfect for the type of riding I normally do, but for long trip with bad roads and cobblestone streets, the Beemer, a Guzzi Stelvio, a Ducati Multistrada, or a KTM Super Duke would be my ride of choice. A long ride to Honduras would literally beat the hell out of me and My Monster.   

But the pictures you showed were of the 11XX GS... and I had one of those.  My comparison looks like this:

                                           Ducati S2R 800      V.          BMW GS 1100/1150
Canyon Carving                            +
Acceleration                                 +
Handling                                      +
Comfort*                                                                                    +
Reliability                                      +
Street Touring  1up                         +
Street Touring  2up                                                                     +
Dirt Road or Bad Road                       +
Picking it up out of the mud              +                                   

As always, of course, to each their own.

*In this comparison, comfort really means "on the freeway."  The Beemer only wins this one because of the seat and knee angle.

[PhilB]

A lot of all that depends on how a bike fits you.  As a short guy, those giant adventure tourers aren't terribly comfortable for me, or wieldy (especially when the terrain gets sketchy).

I'd definitely take my good old Monster over a GS1200 on that trip.  Ideally, of course, I'd get something in between that is big enough for the road, but still small and off-roady enough to be useful.  Wee-Strom, GS800, Tiger 800, KTM Duke 690, that sort of thing.

PhilB

[Desert Dust]

I live just ten miles from the Mexico border, and I have ridden in Mexico plenty of times. Yes, there are some excellent roads in Mex, but those are mostly toll roads that are not available in most areas. Most of the roads are two lane roads that haven't seen a repair crew in twenty years. I make regular trips to Mexicali on my Monster and the city streets in Mexicali are horrendous. If I had to ride in Mex on a daily basis, I would definitely switch rides.

In fact, I was having a conversation with the service manager at my Duc shop and he said, "Hell no!" to taking a Monster to Honduras.

[Dirty Duc]

Many people will also say "Hell no!" to taking a Monster on a dirt road, regardless of country.  I would be surprised if any dealer recommended taking any bike out of it's intended element.

Ain't no thing, though.  Like Phil says, some of us just aren't comfy on a big bike.  I always felt that the BMW was waiting for me to blink so it could throw me in the dirt.

[PhilB]

A lot of bikes will do a lot more than people think.  I've taken mine on dirt roads, gone camping in the desert, done miles of sandy wash, whatever.  I just take it slow and watch for anything big enough to bash the header that runs under the engine.  There are, as I noted above, definitely bikes that are better suited to that sort of thing, but that doesn't mean you can only do it on those bikes.

PhilB

[Desert Dust]

"Better suited" is the key phrase. I could take my Monster to Honduras, but I choose not to beat the hell out of it for miles and miles.

The Guzzi Stelvio, the Beemer, or the KTM Super Duke would be "better suited" IMO. The 690 KTM is not enough motor for that type of a ride.

I'm talking about a 6,000 mile ride on roads that are much less than pristine. I have ridden my Monster on dirt and gravel for short stints, but the Monster is a machine made for pavement. 

Try calling a Ducati dealer and ask which bike you should buy for a 6,000 mile ride through South America.

[PhilB]

The 690 is plenty of engine to get you anywhere.  If I was going to deal with any serious terrain, I'd much rather have that than any of the behemoths.

But then I spent years traveling all over CA on a 175, and the guy I bought that 175 from did a 5-month 13,000 mile tour of North America on it.

When I was a boy ... Hey, you kids, get off my lawn!! 

PhilB

[xsephirot]

There's a reason why everyone on the advrider forum has a GS, KTM, or a drz. Cause they're reliable as fcuk. 99% of the time if they have a problem is because of a flat tire.