I'm at 4,912 miles on the S10, thought I'd start a thread to record my ownership experience. I'll update about every 5k unless something interesting happens in between.
I'm a re-entry rider, grew up on an Ohio farm with various dirt bikes etc., then stopped riding until 2005, when at 42 I got back into things. I picked up a new Triumph Bonneville after getting my license, and then went through a HD Electra Glide, BMW R1200RT, KLR650, Suzuki V-Strom, BMW R1200GSA, Husky TR650, and a Yamaha WR250R. The garage currently has a BMW K1600GTL, and my S10. I rode about 20k a year of pure pavement for the first several years, and that's been steadily changing to be a bit less mileage and a bit more off pavement ever year. My off pavement stuff is all forest road and easy two track. The majority of my rides are solo. The K1600GTL is mostly used for two up and pavement mile munching. I traded my GSA on it, and I've missed the opportunities of light off pavement exploring the GSA afforded me.
I tried to fill the GSA gap with the Husky TR650, but never really trusted the Husky, and it was pretty small for me. I'm 6'4", 280lbs, and like a roomy cockpit. At the end of last summer I took the Husky from Portland down to San Francisco and back, and while it got the job done, I really didn't 'enjoy' it as much as I expected I would. So I started thinking I'd go find another GS or GSA. I test rode the GSW twice and found it to be a really great road bike. I imagined it would do the forest road stuff I do just fine as well. I was worried about beta testing another BMW, so before dropping $20k, I thought I'd look at the competition. The S10 came into the picture and I started reading here and on ADV rider and in all the reviews. It seemed to fit the bill so I started shopping and after a test ride took one home last October, 2013. I felt, for my overall experience, I would be better off. Performance wise on the street, it is more than adequate, off pavement, I liked the way the S10 delivers power much better than the WasserBoxer. Historically, in roughly equivalent miles on both German and Japanese bikes, I'd had zero issues with the Japanese bikes, and lots of issues with the German stuff. Multiple times stranded, trips deferred, etc. All this, with the fact the S10 was significantly cheaper to purchase and will be much cheaper to maintain sealed my fate.
I did the 600mi and 4k services myself, and plan to likely do all of it except the valves. I don't do well with really tight quarters. I'm using OEM everthing, including Yamalube. The bike likes fresh oil, it seemed happier after both services. I'm doing the filters every 4k, it's not much extra work or $, and it just makes more sense to me. At the 4k the throttle body sync was less than a quarter turn but really made a big difference. Reading all the threads I expected various stuff to end up loose, but so far I've only had two issues. I nearly lost my windshield, but I think that was my fault for not keeping an eye on it after installing a Touratech adjustable bracket. I didn't tighten things enough. At the 4k the rear muffler clamp needed to be snugged up. Everything else has been good.
For the farkle list I have the following:
- Powerlet outlet - unswitched, right side. Currently using it for heated gear, location is consistent with the K1600
- Powerlet outlet, switched, left side. Still need to install, will use that for heated gear, the right side for charger
- Eastern Beaver 3CS, not yet installed, will add with the second powerlet
- Touratech adjustable windshield mount, works great, perfect for GPS mount
- Garmin Montana, used on other bikes too, just added another $30 powered mount to support the S10, wired into 12V outlet harness
- Gadget Guy AMPS mount, for mounting Montana mount to the Touratech cross bar, works great, like the position and the stability
- OEM Luggage, side cases and top case - yeah the latches are a bit fiddly, but otherwise I'm really very please with the value and function, and really like the side mounts
- OEM luggage liners, very functional, a screamin' deal relative to others I've purchased
- Alt rider skid plate, does the job so far, a bit tedious to get on/off, but it's becoming routine
- Alt rider crash bars, not yet tested, but providing piece of mind
- Alt Rider drive shaft protector - I didn't get this for protection, it was a safety thing, I kept ending up with my riding pants getting caught on the OEM piece
- Had my seat rebuilt by Mr. Ed's Moto. Added several inches, increased density, widened it.
- SW Motech bar risers, yep, functional hunk of metal
- I have a Delorme In Reach on the bars via a ram mount. Still need to hard wire it to 12V.
The OEM Battle Wings have worn well, and very consistently. I've got a set of TKC-80s waiting for those to wear out, or for the right riding conditions to arrive where I'm spending a lot more time off pavement. Looks like both will happen in the next month or two.
I'll add a tank bag shortly, down to a short list of candidates. I also will likely pick up the Excel throttle lock. After those the only thing I want to do is redo the suspension, but I'll wear out the OEM stuff first. I'll pick up Y.E.S. before the end of the warranty, I think it's a steal as well.
So, what happens when I leave the garage? This bike 'just works.' I focus on where I'm going, what I'm exploring, what picture to grab, etc. I don't really think about the bike much while riding it. With the fit adjustments, and a bit of break in for things to smooth out, the bike has more or less disappeared. On pavement, it gets the job done without any drama, range is sufficient, riding position is great. Off pavement, the standing position is about the best of any bike I've owned. The power delivery is very predictable, handling suits me fine. I've wished for a bit more ground clearance once or twice. The weight has not been a factor for my style of riding.
What's not to like? The exhaust cover interferes with the top of my left boot. I wear MX boots, they hit on the back of the left calf. I've gotten use to it, but wouldn't mine an extra inch there. That's my only issue to date.
::021::
This Forum, and the big thread on that other site, have been tremendous resources. You can pretty much google anything and find an immediate answer. It's really nice to be able to leverage the collective experience. THANKS to all the contributors!
I'm a re-entry rider, grew up on an Ohio farm with various dirt bikes etc., then stopped riding until 2005, when at 42 I got back into things. I picked up a new Triumph Bonneville after getting my license, and then went through a HD Electra Glide, BMW R1200RT, KLR650, Suzuki V-Strom, BMW R1200GSA, Husky TR650, and a Yamaha WR250R. The garage currently has a BMW K1600GTL, and my S10. I rode about 20k a year of pure pavement for the first several years, and that's been steadily changing to be a bit less mileage and a bit more off pavement ever year. My off pavement stuff is all forest road and easy two track. The majority of my rides are solo. The K1600GTL is mostly used for two up and pavement mile munching. I traded my GSA on it, and I've missed the opportunities of light off pavement exploring the GSA afforded me.
I tried to fill the GSA gap with the Husky TR650, but never really trusted the Husky, and it was pretty small for me. I'm 6'4", 280lbs, and like a roomy cockpit. At the end of last summer I took the Husky from Portland down to San Francisco and back, and while it got the job done, I really didn't 'enjoy' it as much as I expected I would. So I started thinking I'd go find another GS or GSA. I test rode the GSW twice and found it to be a really great road bike. I imagined it would do the forest road stuff I do just fine as well. I was worried about beta testing another BMW, so before dropping $20k, I thought I'd look at the competition. The S10 came into the picture and I started reading here and on ADV rider and in all the reviews. It seemed to fit the bill so I started shopping and after a test ride took one home last October, 2013. I felt, for my overall experience, I would be better off. Performance wise on the street, it is more than adequate, off pavement, I liked the way the S10 delivers power much better than the WasserBoxer. Historically, in roughly equivalent miles on both German and Japanese bikes, I'd had zero issues with the Japanese bikes, and lots of issues with the German stuff. Multiple times stranded, trips deferred, etc. All this, with the fact the S10 was significantly cheaper to purchase and will be much cheaper to maintain sealed my fate.
I did the 600mi and 4k services myself, and plan to likely do all of it except the valves. I don't do well with really tight quarters. I'm using OEM everthing, including Yamalube. The bike likes fresh oil, it seemed happier after both services. I'm doing the filters every 4k, it's not much extra work or $, and it just makes more sense to me. At the 4k the throttle body sync was less than a quarter turn but really made a big difference. Reading all the threads I expected various stuff to end up loose, but so far I've only had two issues. I nearly lost my windshield, but I think that was my fault for not keeping an eye on it after installing a Touratech adjustable bracket. I didn't tighten things enough. At the 4k the rear muffler clamp needed to be snugged up. Everything else has been good.
For the farkle list I have the following:
- Powerlet outlet - unswitched, right side. Currently using it for heated gear, location is consistent with the K1600
- Powerlet outlet, switched, left side. Still need to install, will use that for heated gear, the right side for charger
- Eastern Beaver 3CS, not yet installed, will add with the second powerlet
- Touratech adjustable windshield mount, works great, perfect for GPS mount
- Garmin Montana, used on other bikes too, just added another $30 powered mount to support the S10, wired into 12V outlet harness
- Gadget Guy AMPS mount, for mounting Montana mount to the Touratech cross bar, works great, like the position and the stability
- OEM Luggage, side cases and top case - yeah the latches are a bit fiddly, but otherwise I'm really very please with the value and function, and really like the side mounts
- OEM luggage liners, very functional, a screamin' deal relative to others I've purchased
- Alt rider skid plate, does the job so far, a bit tedious to get on/off, but it's becoming routine
- Alt rider crash bars, not yet tested, but providing piece of mind
- Alt Rider drive shaft protector - I didn't get this for protection, it was a safety thing, I kept ending up with my riding pants getting caught on the OEM piece
- Had my seat rebuilt by Mr. Ed's Moto. Added several inches, increased density, widened it.
- SW Motech bar risers, yep, functional hunk of metal
- I have a Delorme In Reach on the bars via a ram mount. Still need to hard wire it to 12V.
The OEM Battle Wings have worn well, and very consistently. I've got a set of TKC-80s waiting for those to wear out, or for the right riding conditions to arrive where I'm spending a lot more time off pavement. Looks like both will happen in the next month or two.
I'll add a tank bag shortly, down to a short list of candidates. I also will likely pick up the Excel throttle lock. After those the only thing I want to do is redo the suspension, but I'll wear out the OEM stuff first. I'll pick up Y.E.S. before the end of the warranty, I think it's a steal as well.
So, what happens when I leave the garage? This bike 'just works.' I focus on where I'm going, what I'm exploring, what picture to grab, etc. I don't really think about the bike much while riding it. With the fit adjustments, and a bit of break in for things to smooth out, the bike has more or less disappeared. On pavement, it gets the job done without any drama, range is sufficient, riding position is great. Off pavement, the standing position is about the best of any bike I've owned. The power delivery is very predictable, handling suits me fine. I've wished for a bit more ground clearance once or twice. The weight has not been a factor for my style of riding.
What's not to like? The exhaust cover interferes with the top of my left boot. I wear MX boots, they hit on the back of the left calf. I've gotten use to it, but wouldn't mine an extra inch there. That's my only issue to date.
::021::
This Forum, and the big thread on that other site, have been tremendous resources. You can pretty much google anything and find an immediate answer. It's really nice to be able to leverage the collective experience. THANKS to all the contributors!
