This bike was bought secondhand to allow us to travel, namely for a planned trip to Argentina and Chile, but was also ridden around France and Scotland.

Performance:
Quick, but may seem a bit under powered compared to other bikes. 85bhp is not masses from a litre+ bike. Torque and gearing make for linear and very useable power that makes the bike easy to use. The consumption is not brilliant but seems consistent: it was about the same commuting to work as it was hauling 450kg (literally) of bike passengers and luggage across Patagonia.

Handling:
The bike handles remarkably well on tarmac: I am no Rossi, but could keep up with sportsbikes on all but the fastest roads: suspension is good, wide bars make the bike easier to manoevre and the weight, whilst making acceleration slower, does keep the bike planted on the road. Off-road the bike surprises. I am no more an off-roader than a Rossi, yet the bike carried us over loose gravel, dirt, rocks and sand. Don't expect to do it fast or with excessive grace and be prepared to lift a heavy bike now and again but all things considered it did amazingly well. It was not the limiting step: I was. Shaft drive doesn't take that much getting use to, nor does the fact that the front wish-bone suspension does not produce fork dive under braking: weird at first, then later appreciated.

Accessories:
There are countless accessories from BMW, Touratech or other companies for the GS range. Some are useful, some definitely not. But if bling is your thing (useful or otherwise) this bike will not disappoint.

Reliability:
I never had any problems. I had an undiagnosed case of pinking in Argentina, but engine temp, consumption, exploding pistons never materialised and it may just as easily have been the camchain being a bit slack. Other than that it never gave us an ounce of trouble despite the abuse of the trip. They were known to knacker a final drive crown bearing now and then, but this never happened to us, despite the weight and terrain.

Maintenance:
Oil changes and valve clearances are a breeze. Throttle balancing can be a bit tricky side as each throttle must be tweeked individually, but I never had to do this myself. The engine oil and gear box oil is seperate so your choice of engine oils is far greater: you could use car oil if you wanted. Changing a clutch on the other hand would be a royal PITA: back end off, gear box off etc. Not a roadside repair...

Features:
Headlights: pretty crap. I supplemented with a pair of mini spots to widen the full beam spread. Alternator: produces masses of watts. Enough to run all you gadgets: other brands should be ashamed of selling tourers with half the output of the GS' 700 watts. Seat is comfy, screen pretty effective if you're of average height.

Conclusion:
This is not some beat everything bike, but it does all you want and every time to a very satisfactory standard. It is no racer, but can deal with twisties. It is no waif, but can filter comfortably on any daily commute. It is no enduro but can take you up trails you wouldn't have expected. Perhaps a bit big for one, but for two-up travel a hard package to beat, in my opinion.