GS Adventure mods

[Jim Dow]

Hi. I'm new to this site, so please be gentle.
I live in Australia which, as you may know is either desert or beach, which means there is a lot of sand.
I ride a 2003 GS Adventure which I have found to be quite a handful in sandy conditions. I believe that the 19 inch front wheel to be a contributor to this as well as the standard Continental Twinduros, which do not flex at low pressures to provide the necessary floatation on sand.
Is there anybody out there who has info on converting this bike to a 21 inch front wheeler? Perhaps the front wheel of the HP 2 would be compatible, or able to be laced to the standard Adventure hub?

Also, is there a lighter fuel tank for this bike, such as polyamid construction or similar? Not the 41 litre job, it's too big.

Any other lightening mods will be welcomed.

Regards
Silverback

 

[Steve]

Hi there.

A guy called Zwerver did a 21" conversion on his ADV in this thread:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15620

You could fit a standard GS tank for a bit of weight-saving.

 

[Adventure Boy]

The wheel and tyre are on ebay for sale

 

[Adventure Boy]

Ebay item no 8059909490 good luck

 

[Global Rider]

I live in Australia which, as you may know is either desert or beach. I ride a 2003 GS Adventure which I have found to be quite a handful in sandy conditions.

Hi Jim,

Handful? I'd say.

Just wondering, unless you also do a lot of paved roads where top end is of importance to you, why pick such a heavy bike for desert and sand?

I have one just like yours (and an 04), so I'm certainly not shitting on the GS Adventures, but I know if I lived in Australia and drove nothing but back roads and off road, or took a tour of Iceland or Africa, I'd be atop a KTM 640 Adventure, or something similar.

 

[Jim Dow]

Hi Global Rider.
I have to agree about the weight., although there is a growing population of KTM 950 riders here, with very positive feedback.

I guess some years off bikes and failure to recognise age and deficits probably contributed to my decision. Having said that, the GS Adv is an excellent touring bike with excellent dirt capabilities, up until the dreaded sand.

The majority of roads in the areas that I ride are paved, so most of my riding is catered for, but I wish to extend my boundaries.