If you like the Beemers, get one. I think it's already been summed up here. They're heavy and expensive. But, reliable and comfortable. Better on road than off but certainly do an adequate job on forest roads and even ATV two-track roads. I've been riding the big GS bikes for 9 years now and they've served me very well. Never left me stranded, ever. Not saying they've never broken, just never left me stranded. I've been from the tip of Baja to Prudhoe Bay, AK on my old 1981 R80 G/S. Blew out 5th gear on the way up and still finished the trip (6000 more miles) with a "4 speed." I've dropped it numerous times in the dirt and a couple of times, with a full touring load, I've had to completely unpack it to get it light enough to pick up. That sucked but it worked. The R100GS comes in about 50 pounds heavier than the R80 as does the R1150. The newer R1200 is back down to just about 15 pounds more than the R80 but mucho, mucho $$$$. My touring style is to mainly run the highways to get somewhere cool and then do some dirt roads to get off the beaten path and find a good campsite. Overall, about 80% paved and 20% dirt. My Baja trip was probably more like 60% paved, 40% dirt but you get the idea. The big Beemers are great for that. I've now got an oilhead R1100GS that I really love. More refined, powerful and (so far) reliable than my old airhead. A bit heavier but I'm lovin' it.
