Harden up :-). It only hurts the first time, the rest just adds to the character. You can still clean it.

Hi DaffyYes, there is a transition from a roadie to an off-roadie, but is doesn't have to be painful.  Firstly, forget about the cleaning thing.  Dust and mud look cool!  It says, I've been everywhere, man!  Also, dents don't show as much on a grubby bike.  The importance of a clean bike is reciprocal to the age of the bike.  Clearly, a brandnew bike looks crap when dirty, but, with respect, a 1150 doesn't really fall into that category anymore.I clean my GS about once a year, usually just before doing some maintenance, in order not to get my hands too dirty, also so that too big a blobs of crud don't find their way into the shiny interiour when I take off the rocker or timing chain cover.  I try and keep my bike technically in tip-top condition, belying its appearance, kind of a fetish of mine.  It's got 250,000km on the clock, and I hope it will do the same mileage again no matter what it looks like from the outside, that's my secret pride.Secondly, I regard scratches, dents and bends as "battle scars", they show where you've been.  I don't see them as blemishes so much as signatures of adventures.  Also, when you have an annoying dent in the tank it doesn't mean you will dent the tank again next time when you drop the bike.  There'll be a other scratch here or there, but so what?  If it doesn't affect function, don't worry about it!  You talked about the dent in the header.  On an adventure ride I hit a largish rock at speed in such a way, that it flattened the header pipe right through the 4mm bashplate.  It was critically narrowing the diameter, so I replaced it, but I didn't worry about the bashplate 🙂Thirdly, you'll have to anticipate stuff.  If you are going off-road, especially with other "hard-core" riders as you mentioned them, or on an adventure ride, where you'll be doing sometimes serveral days of miles of off-road riding with like-minded folk, YOU WILL COME OFF!  I prepare my bike for example by taking off expensice BMW mirrows and put on a single right-hand moped mirrow to fulfill regulations.  Some folk have tank covers.  Always remove screens and other unecessary plastic.  If you are worried about breaking clutch and brake levers, fit stiff aluminium hand guards.  I always loosen my hand level assemblies so that they will swivel under force, so to not break anything if you hit the ground.Fourthly, without dropiing the bike and possibly breaking stuff you will never learn.  There is a certain amount of pain, cost and loss of pride before you'll improve, but it doesn't take that long or cost mega $$$$.  I wouldn't take a brandnew 1200 to learn offroad skills, but an 1150 sounds like a good candidate.And don't think a Japanese hopper is necessarily the answer.  On one particular steep bit on an adventure ride a number of folk came off, a Jap bike of some sort snapped off the clutch lever so that carrying on riding was next to impossible.  I had broken an indicator lens on that day and a few other scratches, fell on the levers a few times but never ever broke one.  The BMW levers are forged and not cast like the Japanese ones, if anything they will bend rather that snap!Just keep going and let the fun outweigh the damage!Matthias

I try to clean my 1150 twice a year at WOF time, some delusion about keeping the guys at the shop on board…Offroad can be fun, but the big 1150 isn't the best learner tool (rather heavy to pick up too many times in one day).I can live with the odd dent, but I think the old "don't take it to the track if you can't afford to wreck it" attitude has some validity. Push your comfort zone, but only in directions it can stretch.

I like adventure rides because by and large the guys who go on them are all just out to have fun, they have nothing to prove and few attitude issues.If you are not prepared to drop your bike ocasionaly. Leave it in the garage. To truly enjoy Adventure riding that is the first fear you must loose.If you dont enjoy a certain type of riding but your bike is capable of it, I dont think its compulsury to try. ???

Colin are you trying to tell me there are no ego's on adventure rides 😮 By the way how is that shoulder of yours going? And did you get that gear selector indicator going again? I went on the GS ride down south what a blast 20 plus stream crossings on the nevis so they say and I waited until the 3rd to last before having a swim but she was a good trip.regards boGSer gerard

Take it easy Mate I hope you get better soon. Maybe up and about for the pukemanu ride. As for the switch its no big job to drop the swingarm just pull the pivot pins and it all ends up on the floor may need a heat gun to loosen the loctite.regards boGSer.

Hey all,I've been reading through and found that I enjoy getting on gravel, sh@tting my self and learning from the whole thing. I've had my bike for 4yrs now and really keen to get more adventure k's up.But with time away, it has given me a chance to think...I'm a light guy (70kgs wet) :o, should I be looking at the F800GS to fit the bill?? My big con to the whole thing is to up riding, would the 800 do this? Will my wife love me after 10 - 15 days of being on the back of the bike?the 1150GS does the job two up and on gravel fully loaded.  Thoughts??Dave

Thanks Bwucie,Don't know if I'll get away with having two bikes, at least not until the wife is on a full licence and She can ride the 650 during the week and I can play with it on the weekend.Will have to wait and see how this current weight gain option works for me...3kgs in 5 weeks and loving it.