Dual Sport Reviews on Cycle Insider (2,123)
Avg. Rating

I picked up a GS in February 2009 after trading in an RT. I was hit head on in March by a driver who was interested in texting more than driving. I suffered a minor concussion and the bike was totaled (you should have seen the car!). Thought I would try out a different brand. I lasted about two weeks on that bike before I realized what I had done. I sold that bike and went back to the R1200GS. It truly is the best in its class and better than bikes in most other classes. It is a jack of all trades, and depending on how you look at it, a master of quite a few. I got the new bike on April 30 and already have 5500 miles logged. I will log another 3K this week, heading up the coast and taking a few forest roads along the way. It is one of the most well-balanced bikes I have ever ridden. I can keep up with most sportbike riders on Palomar Mt. and the bike rips up the track (I didn't even have stickies on)! The bike seems to glide over gravel and sand alike. The suspension when off road has to be experienced to be believed. I teach a sportbike riders course on this bike and you should see the faces of all those squids when I demo the course with all cases on. I would shill for this company for no money. Wait, I AM shilling for no money! Great company and a truly amazing riding experience. Next stop: Baja and then Latin America.

I rode it 300 miles the first day on I75 and the performance was outstanding! Torque at 70 mph was excellent and stability on the Highway was comparable to my 2019 Roadglide. Handling and maneuvering is 4 and at 610 pounds this 71 yo could do most things right away. My tight turning radius was reduced by 4 feet. I have now ridden the Suchs loop and Natchez Trace and it is very strong in curves. You must have the Nav 6. A local upholstery guy raised the drivers seat 1-2 inches. Negatives: wife hates the ride, Bluetooth barely works

I'm 6'1", 54yrs having owned ZZR1100, Blackbird, GSXr1100, VFR800, FJ1200 to mention but a few. I bought this BMW with 23kkm on the odo. I've managed to find very good you tube directions to do complete service on her. May I add that I'm not a mechanically minded rider but servicing this bike is a labour of love, quite therapeutic might I add. ito riding...She is heavy regardless! I do not believe this bike commutes well but she is an open road intercontinental joy. I've found many scary stories on the net about the ABS II and yes, I believe that its costly to repair. BMW however do warn that complying with regular servicing with circuit bleeding is a prerequisite. I have to say that this bike is one that you could virtually do most of the work on yourself...the only part that has a dark cloud hang over it is the seal in the clutch. I dread that day as its a major job. On idle, expect to hear that dry clutch sound like a 'thousand tambourines' but its apparently normal. Engine performance: Loads of usable torque makes for a very rewarding ride. Perfectly ratio'd gearing simply makes for great touring. She's not going to scare you performance-wise but these days I'm beyond that. I'm not quite sure what the Bavarian designers were thinking though with the tanksize. Fuel range is below par.... I get about 15-17km/litre which should give me over 300kkm per fillup but the fuelgauge is not linear and things get a little scary as she drops toward 1/4 full. I've subsequently learnt that on a long tour you need to plan re-fuels well but this is a very poor and obvious weakness by designers. The price of spare parts is reasonable but the actual cost of BMW agent servicing is simply shocking...learn to look after as much as possible yourself, its completely do-able and you'll have years of a high quality machine serve you well.

It sounds like a tractor and it drives like one. Engine is struggeling under 3000 rpm and above it, the vibrations are so severe that you will think twice about driving above 60 miles per hour for extended periods of time. The Rotax engine is the worst engine I have ever driven. Good for your lawnmower but that,s it. And, in my opinion, not worthy of the BMW badge.Pro,s: it is reliable, cheap to maintain, and easy to handle.

I absolutely love my dr200s I bought basically brand new it had 4 miles on it I ride it everywhere some say it’s not good for highways I wouldn’t take on the interstate much but on highways with speed limits of 60 it’s perfect it gets 0-60 in about 14 seconds which is good enough some say it’s shaky over 60 but I’ve had it going 85 with no problems (I’m 5”8 165 pounds) I will get a drz 400 in a year or 2 but for now it’s my favorite way to go anywhere.

I have had 2 F800ST motorcycles a 2009 that I put 27k miles on, and a 2012 that I have put about the same miles on. These are great bikes. You can (and will) ride them all day long. Gas mileage is 60+ MPG on a trip as long as you don't go crazy with your right hand. The eat up the twisties, and do well on the highway too (with the right windscreen). Shifting up and down is smooth, throttle/power delivery is predictable and linear, Vibration isn't even noticeable with grip puppies on. Speaking of grips, the standard heated grips are a joy in the Northeast. I also love the low-maintenance belt drive. No chain lube or gear oil changes! And when I had to replace the new belt, I got one online and changed it myself, quick and easy. Mods: As an older rider, I didn't like the lean forward position, so I added bar risers and lowering kits on both bikes. The progressive springs front and back make a world of difference in handling.

Love this bike so far only had it fo a month Haven’t been able to ride it much yet due to our rain and wind here in Seattle. I will have a bette review at a later time I can’t wait to get on the road I think bmw is tops!!

great bike they are this is for the 2017 not 2016 wick seem there glitch there ,adding FMF ejk seat concepts seat for the price I paid for 2017 with 64 mile I saved for all the extras,the bikes do well of road too,from youtube video I have watched ,I will be mostly road riding ,an may do super moto,but will propbley keep it just the way it is for tires are perfect for on road an off,great looking bike efi cant say enough about ,want miss the carb ,though I may keep one on hand incase,dont go buy the new one from 2017 to 2019 are the same bike ,I know some hope to se the crf300l using the older cbr engine,the newer version with upgrades has more power then 2016 on back ,you can do so much to the bikes ,I think the best upgrade is the seat ,I also did the wider foot pegs 57mm makes me feel so much more stable ,there huge ,will probley get the folding shifter at some point an billet parts for dress up ,there is also a nice universal wind shield looks like it is stock,i did think about the rally sport,but seem to much plastic an does not show of the engine very much but still both nice bikes ,I would have got the rally at the right price ,I got the 2017 with 64 miles an not scratch for $1500, less then some are paying in the NE ,only problem was the shipping brokers out there these days made my purchace scary an took some time ,to find a desent shipper comfort goes to 5 stars with the better seat,the stock seat is for the younger guys

I love this motorcycle. It has 80 horse power. Sure wish they had put another gear in it. No need to be winding it up so much when just cruising. I'd been happy to downshift to pass.

George at Indian Motorcycle in Libertyville was very professional, easy to work with, and offered an excellent price! I will definitely be back at his dealership in the future!

I have had BMW's in the past and this bike is a tad out of what I would call BMW normal. We refer to it as a Vintage Sport Bike. As I have a long distance bike this is just for Sunday mornings and is pretty much what I was looking for.

I just bought a 2018 BMW GTL 1600 and I am in love with motorcycles once again. I have many problems with my back (whole back), neck (herniated disks), and shoulders (surgeries on both), and I rode this bike for 8 our the a few days after I bought it from Texas to Mississippi, and other than being tired of riding or being on the road, I had no problems with any of my physical or health conditions due to riding a motorcycle. This bike should not be classified as any regular cruiser or touring bike; it has a 1600+cc engine with 0ver 155hp and more than 120 pounds of torque. I rode it for 8 hours with my wife on the back seat, and if I didn't already knew she was there, I would've not notice. Lots of people get scared of all the technology it has, but I think about it as the best luxury motorcycle ever built today. I had dirt, sport, sport touring, and cruiser bikes, and this one outperforms all of them. My wife and I love it. Next: Tail of the Dragon...

Rides well. Lots of plastic. I have 3 airheads so this is a different beast. Negative: Worst seat I have ever been on. I am waiting for Panniers so I strapped a bag to the rear. When it fell off ( That's on me) I ripped to rear fender and license plate off.I am not sure what this means, but would not have happened on a metal airhead. Bike is pretty high. I have 29" inseam and am on balls of feet bilaterally. When I bought new seat (for a brand new bike) I got a low one. Bike should also settle a bit. With 400 miles on it, take this review with a grain of salt. Ask me in a year. Still not sorry I did it.

The BMW R1150R is a marvel of handling, quickness, and power. All of the reviews I read did the bike no justice at all. The bike I found using Cycle Trader is in excellent condition and delivers great bang for the buck. There were only 13 to 15 bikes of this model listed nationwide at any given time. The R1150R I found was within 100 miles of me and was about midrange in price. The Bike is fantastic, the dealership, not so much, but that is another story. Like all BM's, you think turn and the bike is halfway through. When I twist the throttle the bike not only moves, it jumps. The reviews said it would not win any races and was a bit heavy. Bull*&@3. This bike is definitely fast and light weight. The exhaust note, while not a Harley, has a bark and the tail pipe is stainless steel. The last BM I had back in '78, had a problem with rusty pipes. Hopefully, gone are those days. After reading everything I could on the R1150R, I am very, very surprised at the overall speed and agility.

"The "Rocky Balboa Bike" of Sport Street Fighters's go the distance" Last Bike 2009 Yamaha FJR was a great bike but... Rider for over 45 years and was looking for a "Bucket List" Bad Ass that had it all! Power, Extraordinary Handling with Touring Comfort Capabilities. Finding a "The Diamond" for sale at a Highly Reputable Yamaha/Honda ATV/Boat/ Motorcycle was aided by Cycle Trader.com 's search/notification App. 2005-2007 BMW Sport Bike's 1200 Inline 4cyl 13:1 Compression , German Engineering and research was a natural attraction. These are Real Machines for Motorcycle Enthusiast who dedicate time to strict maintenance! Not recommended for the casual owner. High Compression, High Horsepower, High Heat make it imperative you to maintain and be vigilant. The prior owner came up short. Traded in @ a Jap Bike Dealer fortunate for me. West Oakland had a Tiger by the tail with the cooling system but came through in the end result.

This bike had a complete failure of the fuel pump just after I bought it. It was expensive to replace. I use this bike 95% of the time for commuting and then 80 mile round trips for pleasure. It gets 55 mpg average and over 60 mpg on the freeway. After owning it for 7 years, I'm upgrading to a Honda touring CTX 1300.

Cons: very top heavy and tricky to handle in tight quarters, difficult to maintain because of all the "tupperware". Pros: very smooth bike, extremely comfortable for long distance rides, can take a lot of hard riding and not even breathe hard love my K1200LT

Cons: heavy heavy bike would not recommend for a new rider, repairs and maintenance are not exactly user friendly, top heavy difficult to handle in tight and close quarters. Pros: extremely smooth motorcycle, meant for hundreds of miles a day with no problems, the weight seems to disappear when at speed, "drive it like you stole it"!

I've only had my Suzuki S 40 for a short time. I really enjoy the bike. It has plenty of power to do what ever tickles your fancy. It's light weight and slim lines, make it easy to ride. Insurance was not bad on this machine either. So I'm looking forward to putting many more miles on my bike. I do need to gear up. too.on Some cool nights I need a little more cover and maybe even a windshield & saddle bags. So I can use it year round. Do Be Safe and watch out for other riders. Maybe a wave as you pass.

1st, Ergonomically, not a bike for everyone. For me (my riding style, riding history, riding enjoyment) it's exactly what I wanted. The specs are deceiving, the internet reviews are also deceiving. With proper riding technique (and the ergos help you get closer to riding this type bike properly) it can be hustled thru any twisty road with confidence and right there with other high performing bikes. Straight line speed will not be it's forte.

Great bike with many features. It's a bit top heavy but very manageable.

I love this bike. 4 years later and 25,000 miles I can honestly say that this ride is reliable, smooth and quick. I truly feel I got my monies worth. Do I wish the front end had firmer suspension? yes. other wise I fel I got what was promised. A short to medium range sport tourer with torque and great looks.

Good all around blke very easy to ride great on gas .

The electronic package is way beyond anything I have experienced. Suspension is first rate, and engine character and performance can be adjusted while riding the bike.The shift assist is fantastic also, once you are rolling from second on the bike may be shifted without the clutch. The one problem is that the fuel tank is to small for a large sport touring bike. The bike gets between 35 and 50 mpg. depending on the engine settings and riding style, but when the fuel light comes on at 120 mi from a full tank this is a problem. 140 or 150 mi range before the fuel light comes on is more typical, but still on a touring bike this forces the rider to stop way to frequently for fuel and is problematic when planning routes.

Been riding over 50 yrs. Best touring machine I have ever ridden. Rider/Passenger comfort @ the best it could be. Low maintenance. High relability