The Bikes We Ride

After 13-years on the road, on the same bikes, the idea of changing to new machines was as unnerving as it was wonderfully exciting. New bikes, new possibilities and a new leash of life. Exciting and bloody surreal! That’s how I’d describe our recent bike build orgy.

To anyone living in ‘the real world’, the idea of being handed new bikes and being lavished with upgrades and accessories is the stuff of, well, fairy tales. It just doesn’t happen in real life, does it? A chance social meeting with the CEO of ‘LXV OUTDOOR’ would change our lives.

  The Concept
The idea of what we wanted to create was clear; we wanted to take all that was best and exciting about our original bikes and transpose those modifications onto machines that were four generation younger. We wanted to make two heavy machines lighter, taller, more off-road capable and able to carry us through another 49 countries. I said the idea was clear, not simple.

R1200GSA LC SPECIAL & F800GS SPECIAL

We gathered the essentials; two bottles of our favourite rum (Guatemalan), ice, a notepad, a set of coloured pencils and a quiet room borrowed from a friend. We then sat and scribbled. We listed every modification and upgrade we’d made to our bikes over the last decade and scored their value. We needed to recognize what was bling and what had been essential. What was good, great or silly and what had genuinely added to the riding experience? It was longfriggin’ list!

 “We’ll buy you two new bikes, any brand, any style and any model. What you two have done is incredible...but you need to finish this journey”. After coughing out whatever I was eating, I looked at Lisa, she stared at me and I eloquently sputtered “Uh, what”?

It was true, our bikes (a 1999 R1100GS and 2001 F650GS) were tired, but then so would you be after 400,000 miles.

Our bikes had done us proud, but for the last five to six years, we’d been the riding personification of the phrase “the definition of permanent is a temporary fix that’s holding”. Over the course of our 13-year global journey, we’d made hundreds of roadside repairs. In the end, all that was holding our precious babies together was cheap electrical wire and an assortment of hastily found nuts and bolts collected in countless backstreet bazaars from around the world. Haemorrhaging oil from engine cases had become our ‘normal’. Still, the idea of finishing our ride on anything else than these two bikes was as alien as it was unlikely. There’s no point denying it, we’d become (and are still) incredibly sentimental about our original bikes. After all, we’ve been through, how could we not be?

After weeks of deliberating and tonnes of soul searching, we excitedly accepted the offer. Following another 4 weeks of frantic two-wheeled research, we came full circle and chose to stick with a familiar brand. When we finally got our hands on the new bikes, a 2015 BMW F800GS for Lisa and a BMW 2015 R1200GSA LC for me, the pressure was on.

After 13-years on the road we’ve picked up a few ‘industry friends’, lucky really because if we were to have any chance of creating bikes that were as capable as our old steeds, we were going to need their support. Both bikes we purchased from BMW Motorcycles of Riverside, who had offered an incredible deal for the bikes but has also offered to sponsor the labor for the entire rebuild of both new machines.

We’d planned on reaching Deadhorse Alaska this year, but with winter fast approaching and our US visa’s running out, we were left with just 10 weeks to strip and rebuild both bikes.

Fast forward ten weeks and what we’ve ended up with are two motorcycles beyond belief. Think I’m being over-the-top? Normally with any project, there’s a degree of compromise, underpinned by budget, or lack thereof. Not here!

Let's look at how we transformed an already impressive machine, my R1200GSA and turned it into something unique that could take on the world.

UPGRADE ITEM			PURCHASE LINK			2RTW REVIEW
DRI-RIDE SEAT			TOURATECH USA LINK			2RTW LINK
HANDLEBAR RISER			TOURATECH USA LINK
GPS BRACKET ADAPTOR			TOURATECH USA LINK
ADJUSTABLE FOLDING REAR BRAKE LEVER KIT			TOURATECH USA LINK
QUICK RELEASE STAINLESS STEEL HEADLIGHT GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
HAND GAURDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
UPPER SPOILER FOR HAND GAURDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
ADVENTURE UPPER CRASH BAR EXTENSION			TOURATECH USA LINK
STAINLESS STEEL RADIATOR GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
EXPEDITION SKID PLATE XL			TOURATECH USA LINK
FINAL DRIVE GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
FINAL DRIVE SLIDER (CRASH BUNG)			TOURATECH USA LINK
FRONT ABS SENSOR GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
BRAKE CALIPER COVER			TOURATECH USA LINK
REAR BRAKE RESERVOIR FLUID GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
EXHAUST HEADER GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
LARGE FRAME PROTECTOR (left)			TOURATECH USA LINK
LARGE FRAME PROTECTOR (right)			TOURATECH USA LINK
FINAL DRIVE BREATHER RELOCATION KIT			TOURATECH USA LINK
DRI-RIDE SPORT SEAT			TOURATECH USA LINK
PIVOT PEGZ MARK 3			TOURATECH USA LINK
EXTREME FRONT SHOCK			TOURATECH USA LINK
EXTREME REAR SHOCK			TOURATECH USA LINK
TOURATECH STEARING DAMPNER			TOURATECH USA LINK
DECAL SET			TOURATECH USA LINK
REAR FENDER TABS COVER			TOURATECH USA LINK
AC SCHNITZER STEALTH REAR SILENCER			TOURATECH UK LINK
ADJUSTABLE FOLDING REAR BRAEK LEAVER			TOURATECH USA LINK
SIDE STAND BASE EXTENSION			TOURATECH USA LINK
SIDE STAND SWITCH GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
SIDE PANEL SET			TOURATECH USA LINK
EXPANDABLE TANK BAG			TOURATECH USA LINK
TANK SADDLE BAGS			TOURATECH USA LINK
UNDER LUGGAGE RACK BAG			TOURATECH USA LINK
LUGGAGE RACK SIDE BAGS			TOURATECH USA LINK
REAR LUGGAGE RACK EXTENSION			TOURATECH USA LINK
STAINLESS STEEL PANNIER RACK			TOURATECH USA LINK
MINI USB GPS POWER CABLE			TOURATECH USA LINK
STAINLESS STEEL CYLINDER GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
CLEARWATER HYBRID LED LIGHTS			CLEARWATER LINK			2RTW LINK
WAVE ROTORS			GALFER LINK
DOUBLE-TAKE ADVENTURE MIRRORS			DOUBLE-TAKE LINK
EXCEL RIMS REAR			TOURATECH USA LINK
FLEXX HANDLEBAR			FASST COMPANY			2RTW LINK
EXCEL RIM FRONT			TOURATECH USA LINK			2RTW LINK
WOODYS WHEEL WORKS BILLET HUBS			WOODYS WHEEL LINK			2RTW LINK
UPGRADE ITEM			PURCHASE LINK			2RTW REVIEW
TOURATECH TANK CONVERSION KIT			TOURATECH GERMANY LINK
FLEXX HANDLEBAR			FASST COMPANY LINK			2RTW LINK
CROSS BAR			TOURATECH USA LINK
DOUBLE-TAKE ADVENTURE MIRRORS			DOUBLE-TAKE LINK
FOLDING BRAKE AND CLUTCH LEVER SET			TOURATECH USA LINK
HANDLEBAR RISERS			TOURATECH USA LINK
FRONT BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
REAR BRAKE RESERVOIR GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
GPS HANDLEBAR BRACKET			TOURATECH USA LINK
HAND PROTECTORS			TOURATECH USA LINK
END PROTECTORS			TOURATECH USA LINK
QUICK RELEASE CLEAR HEADLIGHT GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
ANTI-GLARE SHIELD			TOURATECH USA LINK
LED BLINKERS			TOURATECH USA LINK
TOURATECH EXPLORE LOW SHOCK OPTION			TOURATECH USA LINK			2RTW LINK
LOCKALBE OIL FILLER CAP			TOURATECH USA LINK
DECAL SET			TOURATECH USA LINK
SFK FORK SEAL AND DUST COVER SET			TOURATECH USA LINK
MULTI-TOOL REAR SHOCK ADJUSTMENT TOOL			TOURATECH USA LINK
ACERBIS LOWER FRONT FORK GUARD			KTM LINK
UNI FOAM AIR FILTER			TOURATECH USA LINK
Ridden from 2002 - 2016
UPGRADE ITEM			PURCHASE LINK			2RTW REVIEW
TOURATECH  EXTRA CAPACITY FUEL TANK 41 LITER			TOURATECH USA LINK
HAND GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
LARGE SIDSTAND FOOT			TOURATECH USA LINK
LARGE HAND GUARD SPOILER			TOURATECH USA LINK
CYLINDER HEAD GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
ZEGA PRO PANNIER SYSTEM			TOURATECH USA LINK
MUDGAURD TABS COVER			TOURATECH USA LINK
OIL COOLER PROTECTION			TOURATECH USA LINK
REAR LUGGAGE EXTENSION			TOURATECH USA LINK
SUMP GAURD EXTENSION			TOURATECH USA LINK
HARD PART GV (FRAME REINFORCEMENT)			TOURATECH USA LINK
HARD PART LV (STEERING STOP REINFORCEMENT)			TOURATECH USA LINK
SIDE PANELS RED			TOURATECH USA LINK
CRASHBARS			TOURATECH USA LINK
SPORT SEAT (HIGH)			TOURATECH USA LINK
CERAMIC CLUTCH			TOURATECH USA LINK
OHLINS SHOCK FRONT			TOURATECH USA LINK
OHLINS SHOCK REAR			TOURATECH USA LINK
ABS SENSOR GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
ADAPTORS 60MM RISERS			TOURATECH USA LINK
TOURATECH EXPLORE SHOCK FRONT			TOURATECH USA LINK
TOURATECH EXPLORE SHOCK REAR			TOURATECH USA LINK
Ridden from 2002 - 2016
UPGRADE ITEM			PURCHASE LINK			2RTW REVIEW
LARGE LUGGAGE RACK			TOURATECH USA LINK
STAINLESS STEEL PANNIER RACK			TOURATECH USA LINK
FOLDING BRAKE PEDAL			TOURATECH USA LINK
TOURATECH 39 LITER FUEL TANK KIT			TOURATECH USA LINK
ZEGA PRO PANNIER SYSTEM			TOURATECH USA LINK
RALLYE SPROCKET GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
CHAIN GUARD OFF-ROAD			TOURATECH USA LINK
13 TOOTH COUNTERHSAFT SPROCKET			TOURATECH USA LINK
REAR BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER GUARD			TOURATECH USA LINK
FRONT FORTK GUARDS			TOURATECH USA LINK
LICENSE PLATE BRACKET			TOURATECH USA LINK
FOOTPEG RALLYE RELOCATION KIT			TOURATECH USA LINK
TAIL LATCH BRACE			TOURATECH USA LINK
RADIATOR GUARD			TOURATECH UK LINK