Thought I was having a bad day until...

mikedefieslife

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I previously had my OEM shock serviced by Firefox Racing, who placed the collar in the wrong place and under-sprung it. Eventually the preload blew from it being undersprung and bottoming out a lot, then the rose joint completely snapped in Argentina.

I had it badly welded in Salta, only for the shock to snap just below the rebound bad on the Carretera Austral in a remote part of Chile.

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But if I though I was having a bad day. Spare a thought for this guy riding his xChallenge through Bolivia.

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His frame snapped in three places. He's just filled up with fuel so wasn't travelling as speed when it happened, fortunately.
 
Yikes,

Perhaps a potential source of a rear shock?

Every cloud has a silver lining and all that ;)
 
I had some work done by Firefox racing and I was not highly impressed, it was a bit like Fred in his shed, I swear blind they refitted my old springs back in the forks.
 
I had a rose joint snap on a brand new Ohlins shock years ago - fitted to a Triumph Daytona 2000 model. Just snapped for no reason, well obviously there was a reason, never got to the bottom of it, got a replacement......
 
More and more I think these bikes were not made to be packed like cargo mules. One can reinforce some parts but it will just transfer stress to the next weak spot.
 
jdwhite said:
More and more I think these bikes were not made to be packed like cargo mules. One can reinforce some parts but it will just transfer stress to the next weak spot.
Click to expand...

True enough - they weren't designed as adv tourers
 
That broken frame is pretty scary. I've always thought that the only broken frames happened on these after excessive bottoming of the suspension. I wonder if that was a factor here. I bottomed mine a couple of times in Senegal and it did make me ease of a bit and crank up the rear suspension later.
 
Overloaded without the suspension to suit?
 
I went a long way on mine with a lot of weight without any issues. Remember, you only hear about the problems and there really aren't that many horror stories from these bikes. That said, if I do it again it won't be on a BMW. Mine is now semi-retired and is being transformed into something different. Next time, I reckon a Honda XR650 or maybe a scrambler made the SV1000 I've got sitting here.
 
dean0n0 said:
Overloaded without the suspension to suit?
Click to expand...

jdwhite said:
More and more I think these bikes were not made to be packed like cargo mules. One can reinforce some parts but it will just transfer stress to the next weak spot.
Click to expand...

As long as you're within the manufacturer's payload limit then these things shouldn't happen. That xChallenge deffinately would have been as the guy was riding solo. Even I was under the limit and I was carrying a passenger and luggage to suit.

jtw000 said:
I went a long way on mine with a lot of weight without any issues. Remember, you only hear about the problems and there really aren't that many horror stories from these bikes. That said, if I do it again it won't be on a BMW. Mine is now semi-retired and is being transformed into something different. Next time, I reckon a Honda XR650 or maybe a scrambler made the SV1000 I've got sitting here.
Click to expand...

True. And same here. I wouldn't take a BMW, well maybe the F800GS. Pretty much every bike shop and mechanic laughed when I showed them the parts and told them what happened. Hardly any dealers or similar parts available. If I was going again, I'd consider the KTM 950. Loads of KTM dealers about in South America and lots of parts shared with the smaller bikes too. Plus it would eat up the long straight road sections for breakfast.

Still the xCountry, and xChallenge are great little bikes. I'd have another if I knew I never had to take it on a motorway.
 
I wouldn't touch the F800gs. I met some guys going RTW on a pair. One had broken down 35 times. I had one myself and found it very weak over the rough stuff. It's not built to last. The KTM is even worse, I rode with one from London to Thailand. It broke down a lot and had many issues.
Next time, I really think I'd build a bike from scratch. I have an SV1000 and it's a good bike but the best engine I ever had was the Bandit 1250. For the long haul, a scrambler built from one of them would be ideal for higher speed mile-munching. For more varied terrain, I like the Honda XRs. The 400 was faster than my BMW, quicker, lighter and just plain more fun to ride and own. The 650 is really good too and the parts are about a third of the price.
Shame. I love my little Beemer but she has a lot of limitations.
 
The Beemer does have its drawbacks but it also has a way of getting under your skin in the way no other bike ever has, for me at least. I have never regretted owning it and have never held it up against another bike and wished I had something 'better.'
 
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my old one

see another swing arm failure on advrider this week, lad from russia
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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