So Long Old Paint
by Bob Mabey

In July I reluctantly passed my faithful ’96 GS on to my nephew. Over better than ten years and for more than a hundred thousand miles of riding it served me well.  In the course of two trips to Alaska and the Yukon and over 3,000 miles in Mexico it had never let me down even when loaded like a mule with gear.  And I was smiling for every one of those 103,000 miles! Other than the initial purchase, it was easy on the wallet too. Swing arm bearings, neutral switches and final drive seals were about all that I can remember replacing other than tires. This was a bike that was cared for and loved, but definitely not maintained by the official BMW maintenance schedule (as Ron often pointed out).  This bike could have lasted me for the rest of my riding days.

The new R1200GS is a remarkable machine and it has to be due to much more than the fact that it weighs a few pounds less than my old ’96 – it’s so much more nimble and responsive. I have to admit that if you give BMW ten years they will make a better machine. The good news is that I am going to be able to love this machine too! This is a machine to spend my last riding years on.  The new panniers swallow up my gear in a way that I wouldn’t have imagined was possible after years with the BMW bags. The goodies are pricey, but I know what I want now and this bike will have them from the beginning and it will be done right. If I have to I’ll go for a cheaper wheel chair later on in the rest home.

The four bikes are parked together – my new 1200, two 1150s, and my old 1100.  The old bike looks serious and self assured - like it has been there, done that. After the thousands of gravel and mud miles on the likes of the Cassiar, Dempster, Taylor and Top of The World highways the wire wheels will never be clean again. The scratches on the tank from learning that the GS isn’t a dirt bike are still there under the tank cover and I’ve told my nephew that the JB Weld repair on the right front turn signal hasn’t held. What a cool bike!  I wonder if he’d trade me straight across for my new GS?