About

Welcome to MyGSAdventure!

Welcome to MyGSAdventure! My name is Edgar Stokka, and I drive a 2017 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure Triple Black – my second GSA.

My very first bike was a 2007 Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom, which I sold i 2009. Then, after not having had a motorcycle for more than a year, I finally decided to get a new one. During that long year of absence, I read through and studied numerous motorcycle magazines and crawled the web for inspiration and ideas. What bike should I get?

Occationally having ridden racing bikes and choppers, and previously owned the Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom, I wanted a similar kind of bike (is it fair to compare the V-Strom with the GS?). My interest for the GS, and the R 1200 GS Adventure in particular, grew as time went by, until I was basically obsessed with the idea of one dayowning one. This underlying obsession was initiated a few years back I think, through Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Round and Long Way Down adventures.

My dream did come through – I became a very proud owner of a 2010 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure on September 18, 2010 (see this blog post). I created this website to share my experiences – MyGSAdventure – with you, hoping to inspire someone out there to follow their dreams and to join me riding possibly the greatest motorcycle on the planet!

My new bike, the 2017 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure.

Since then, I’ve bought my second GS, a 2017 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure Triple Black. Needless to say, it is a pure joy to ride, and even better than the previous one!

Why the GS Adventure?

There are an overwhelming number of interesting bikes on the market, so why did I opt for the massive GS Adventure? Well, some of it is explained above. I also have a weak spot for BMW. I trust German engineering. I used to be a tank commander. GSA is a tank amongst motorcycles. And I trust the numerous bikers before me who seem to have overwhelmingly positive things to say about the GS-series.

2010 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure
2010 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure

The BMW R 1200 GS Adventure is a huge bike. But I am a rather tall person (192 cm), so I really don’t mind that much. I also ride with a passenger quite a lot. The GS is built for long rides, but it is a versatile bike that can also be used back and forth from work. I am extremely inspired to take it for long rides, and being without a bike for more than a year – trust me – I have lot’s of plans for it!

Previous bikes

I won’t say I am a very experience motorcycle rider, but I have had the privilege to try out range of different bikes, such as:

  • Ducati Monster
  • Suzuki Maruder
  • Yamaha V-Max
  • Suzuki Volusia
  • Harley Davidson Heritage Softail
  • Honda VFR 800 VTEC
  • Kawasaki ZX7R

As mentioned above, from June 2007 until August 2009 I also owned a Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom. It was a fantastic bike, giving me enormous joy. The 650 ccm engine had a 67 HP output, and it handled quite well. For a 650, it felt like a rather big bike.

Check out the Bikes page for more info on my current and previously owned bikes.

2007 Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom
2007 Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom

Contact me

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Edgar Stokka
Edvard Greigsvei 12
4318 Sandnes
Norway

E-mail: edgar.stokka@gmail.com
Mobile: +47 996 25 100

21 Replies to “About”

  1. Hi Edgar!
    Congratulations to the best bike in the world and thanks for a nice site!
    I envy you for living in one of the most beautiful areas in the world. If you even had better weather, it would be the perfect place to live.

    A couple of years ago I drove up to Lofoten and Nordkapp with my old Adventure 1150, one of the best trips I ever had. Last summer we went to Stavanger and Preikostolen, beautiful place!

    Now I also bought the new Adventure, the 30 year Anniversary, and I just love it. This is a keeper! Hope to get in touch to discuss parts and equipment! And maybe we meet on the International GS meeting in Norway!
    Ride safe!
    Mario (Sweden)

  2. Thanks Mario!

    I really look forward to the spring this year – I can’t wait to get back on the bike. I hope to do quite a few really good “adventure” trips next year – maybe even to Sweden (I have family there). But as you say, there are so many great places to visit here in Norway as well. I haven’t been to Lofoten and Nordkapp, but it is on my “to do list”.

    Safe riding, Mario! Hope to catch up one day!

  3. Hei Edgar
    Takk for sist (i Dalen,Telemark…)
    Sees vi på Bukkerittet til helga eller?
    Så langt 52 påmeldte,blir ei riktig trivelig helg tipper jeg.
    Kjører oppover fra Oslo torsdag ettermiddag,så blir det treff fre-lør-søn før turen går videre til Einunndalen-Dovrefjell-Eikesdalen-Sunndalsøra-Aure-Smøla-Hitra-Fosenhalvøya etc og deretter oppover nordlandkysten via kystveien opp til Bodø…
    Vi sees plutselig!

    1. Hei Einar! Jeg får dessverre ikke blitt med denne helga. Jeg sjekket websidene til OTC, det lover godt for et bra treff der oppe! Kos dere og kjør forsiktig! 🙂

  4. Would you recommend the 1200 GSA as a first bike? I’m really interested in this BMW but many people recommend the 650 GS as a “learning bike”. What do you think?

    Keep the good stuff coming!

    1. Hi Pablo! There is no doubt that I recommend the 1200 GSA, but as a beginner’s bike I am not so sure. First of all, it is a tall and heavy bike, and it is a bit of a challenge to handle it. As an offroad bike, it is capable of doing a bit of offroad riding, but smaller and lighter bikes are sure to beat the GSA when it comes to handling and the ability to get you through the most challenging offroad obstacles. As a touring bike – with a touch of offroad capabilities though – BMW R 1200 GS Adventure is unbeatable I think.

      The 650, and not to mention the 800, is sure to be an easier bike to handle and to “learn” with, but if your looking for the grunt and up for the challenge, the 1200 is the thing.

      By the way; I had the Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom before I got the BMW. The Suzuki was a brilliant bike as well – but the GSA has double-up of just about everything. I love it! 🙂

  5. Yeah… I think it will be safer to start with the 650 and jump to the 1200 when I feel comfortable.

    Thanks for your advice! 🙂

  6. Hei. Hadde du passasjer på V-strom? Jeg vurderer å kjøpe meg en, gjerne den nye 2012, men er åpen for en lite kjørt eldre. Det jeg er usikker på er hvordan min lille bedre halvdel vil ha det bakom meg på langtur. Den nye ser behagelig ut, samt prøvesittingen var positiv.

    Det hadde vært interessant å høre hva dine erfaringer er, både vedrørende komforten til passasjer, samt stabiliteten til sykkelen med ekstra vekt.

    Mvh. Tromsø

    1. Hei Vidar! Jeg har kjørt V-Strom’en med full bagasje, og med passasjer, men ikke både passasjer og full bagasje på en og samme tid. Min erfaring med sykkelen tilsier at den er godt egnet til denne bruken. Selv med full toppboks og sidevesker merket jeg ikke dramatsiek endringer i håndtering av sykkelen. Tilbakemeldinger fra passasjerer er at sitteplassen er god, spesielt med toppboksen slik at man får “ryggstøtte”. En kollega av meg har kjørt V-Strom med passasjer og full bagasje i mye større omfang enn meg, og han har fortsatt sykkelen. Kona hans har faktisk greit å sovne i passasjersetet! Jeg kan eventuelt få ham til å gi deg ytterligere input?

      Overgangen fra V-Strom til GSA kan best beskrives som “mer av alt” – på godt og vondt. V-Strom er lettere å håndtere, GSA har mer krefter og mer utstyr.

      Lykke til med ditt MC-kjøp! 🙂

  7. hello Edgar,

    first of all I want to say that your site is amazing!! For sure I will follow up your adventures with your GSA.

    Got myself a brandnew GS 1200 Adventure end of April ’12. Had a few RT 1100’s and an RT 1150 between ’01-’06. Last six years I didn’t drove a bike at all and decided after long consideration to go for a GSA 1200 this year. It’s a massive bike and to my personal opinion a big difference for sure compared to the RT. A GS has a different gravity point as the weight is higher positioned than it is on an RT. I am 193cm myself but I feel already that the GS needs more work, especially during a stop or standstill, where the RT went smoother.

    Anyhow took some time to tour around my hometown to get used to the GS. This weekend I was doing a tour in the east of Belgium (+/- 700 km). While climbing a narrow road a car blocked my way and while I wanted to stop properly I set my right foot down and due to the slope on the road I fell together with the bike on the right side of the road. Stupid of course, just a few scratches on the crash bar, case and valve protector, myself I was ok….just felt bad because my GS was brandnew 🙁

    While looking for answers, I found your website and I see that the seat on your GS is set to lower position (knowing that you are 193 cm tall), while my BMW dealer set my seat on the highest spot as he said I was tall (193cm). I always felt that I didn’t had enough comfort contact with the road, and maybe it is therefore not a bad idea to set the seat on the lower position on my GS like yours, which could improve the contact. Is there any particular reason why you have choosen this lower seat setting?

    best regards,
    Claude

    http://www.facebook.com/#!/claude.verstraete

    1. Thank you for your nice comments about my site Claude! I am sorry to hear about your crash, good to hear that you are OK though 🙂

      Regarding the seat position, the primary reason for me to set it at the lower position was an attempt to avoid the wind hitting me in the face from the front wind screen. Although I have refitted the Touratech Windscreen Spoiler (http://mygsadventure.com/2011/06/04/touratech-windscreen-spoiler/), wind noise still is a small issue with the seat in the lower position.

      Other than that, I am very, very happy with my GSA! 🙂

      1. thanks for the reply Edgar :o)

        oh ok, I understand this is pure for the wind, but do you feel comfortable driving with lower seat position as we are the same height (193 cm)?

        Claude

        1. To tell you the truth, I actually have never tried riding the bike with the seat in the top position. I’ll give it a try and come back to you. Surely, the seat height is no issue when it comes to touching the ground at stand still – this is where the 193 cm comes in handy! 🙂

  8. Good morning Claude!

    Today I rode my motorcycle to work with the seat in the top position. It felt OK and was not uncomfortable with regards to seat height and being able to reach the ground, stopping etc. However, the wind noise was slightly increased. I’ll give it some more time to test out, but I believe I might switch back to the lower position shortly solely to get rid of as much wind noise as I possibly can.

  9. Hi Edgar.

    I also owing BMW R1200 GS Agventure model 2008. this bike is amazing. I am really happy to have this bike.

    Currently I own these bikes
    BMW R1200 GS Adventure – 2008
    Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic – 2006
    Suzuki M109R Boulevard – 2009

    And these my aerlier bikes:
    Suzuki F750 Katana – 1999
    Honda VTX1300 – 2008
    Honda CBR600 – 2010

    The GS adventure has all combination of all the above bike and more.
    the bike is great on the Durability, Performance, Speed, Stability, Fuel consumption, Mutli Terrains. art of design, confortability for long riding distance.

    I found only one disadvantage of this bike which – WEIGHT. It is heavy bike but after period of time you get use to it.

    We are three bikers planning this summer (June 2013) to ride from my country Oman up to London via United Arab Emirates, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and France.

    By the way I like your website, and I am going to create the same.

    Congratulation for the Lovely Bike and Website.

    Regards
    Hamood Al Nofly
    Muscat – Oman

  10. Nice site! I found it while doing a search for “Why get the 1200 GS ADV over the 1200 GS?” I just sat on the new 2014 1200 GS ADV and it is amazing! I am going to be purchasing a new bike this summer. What were some of the reasons that made you opt for the 1200 GS Adventure over the 1200 GS? Thanks for the site and for any advice.

    1. OK – you’re either out of pocket or think me a troll. Here is my post regarding BMW school in SoCal:

      Going this summer. Deciding on a bike. I have been torn between a 1200 GS with off road upgrades and 1200 GSA. I have not ridden either one. I rode small two stroke Honda’s all over the Southern Amazon Jungle for a few years – these new Enduro bikes all seem so HUGE, and amazing! I am lusting and wanting and wondering which one I will choose.

    2. Hi James! Thank you for your nice comments – and congratulations on your choice of bike. The new GS Adventure looks awesome – I have not yet sat on it or tried it at all – I am afraid I will be tempted to swap my bike for a new one immediately! 🙂

      Three main reasons for buying ADV over the regular GS: fuel capacity, size (I’m 193 cm) and the “cool factor”!

  11. Hi Edgar,
    last year I found your nice website. I had a normal GS before, but decided last year to buy the final Edition “90 years” of the aircooled Adventure. Don’t swap your bike – I think it´s much cooler than the watercooled one and will become a classic bike.
    Enjoy your bike and wonderful “bike- and adventure country Norway”.
    Jan

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