G'day all

Just a quick question: Has anyone converted a GS 500 into an adventure / rally style bike?

I'm thinking of adding longer forks and rear shock, a bash plate and crash bars, motocross bars, handguards, rear rack and off road tires.
Just wondered if anyone else has tried this?
Seems to me the 500 twin would make an excellent adventure bike with it's reliable engine and light weight.

I don't trust singles for Round the World trips and the BMW GS series is just too BIG and HEAVY for real off roading.

Any info much obliged.

Cheers: Jaq.
Sydney
Australia

Welcome!

The forks off a BMW F650 are 37mm in diameter, so those could be a straight swap for taller, longer travell front suspension.  (oh, I could get those springs to match my weight @ .6kg/mm)

You gotta post pics if you do it, sounds kinda cool

That's an excellent idea. Knobbies wouldn't be conducive to the daily riding here in the city, but the forks would be great, as the roads are not.

Motard!  (I've already got the handguards! http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=13493.msg123294#msg123294)

Quote from: scratch on April 20, 2006, 01:56:45 PM
Motard!

Too heavy Motard bikes weigh in at like, 300 dry.

Okay.  Street(-oriented) Motard, heavyweight division.

for tires take a look at the Avon Distanzias

http://www.kawasaki.co.nz/kawasaki_custom.cfm?modelcode=KLE500B6F&do=list

Its no Suzuki, but.....

Quote from: finmac on April 20, 2006, 02:49:05 PM
http://www.kawasaki.co.nz/kawasaki_custom.cfm?modelcode=KLE500B6F&do=list

Its no Suzuki, but.....

But: It's water cooled and I am an air-head from way back. Front suspension is too soft. tank only holds 15 litres and apparently it guzzles petrol at the rate of only a 160 before reserve, not much good for me when I'm 200 klicks from a petrol station in the bush.
I looked at it, but I'd only have to make modifications to the KLE, might as well just get a motor I like and do the mods to that.
All the guys I know who reckon they have adventure bikes own the big Beemers, they're idea of off roading is a long dirt road somewhere. My idea of off roading is any track that winds thru the wilderness and looks interesting. God knows what you do when the engine cases of the Beemer get wedged in a rutted 4x4 track and you can't go forwards and the bike is too heavy to push backwards?
It's why I only want a 500cc machine.
I will continue to investigate my GS 500 ideas, I'll keep you guys posted, thanks for the replies.
I will look into the BMW 650 springs, cheers for that.
Ride safe.
Cheers: Jaq.